2010 was a
year of BIG changes for me & my weight loss.
I had been
diagnosed with an enlarged thyroid & it was brimming with nodular goitre…
I actually
never noticed the ‘lump in my throat’ when I looked in the mirror but you can clearly see the enlarged gland in these photos.
I was
reluctant to have it removed, my thyroid worked perfectly fine. I asked myself
why I would undergo surgery if it was merely for cosmetic reasons. Would I want
to take thyroid medication for the rest of my life simply to get rid of that
lump?
So, I got a second opinion!
This time
the recommendation was the same but the specialist was a little more convincing
with his arguments for its removal. My thyroid was enlarged & it was
GROWING!
OK, I get it now – let’s get this sucker out!
Thyroid
removal is a relatively safe procedure – they simply slit your throat, the gland
pops out & the surgeon removes it.
One of the risks of this surgery is nerve damage which could result in a permanent hoarse or weak voice.
There is also the risk that the entire
thyroid may not be removed during surgery & it may grow back resulting in further surgeries…
I underwent
surgery in February 2010.
My surgery was successful, no husky voice & no
sign of it growing back.
My thyroid levels continue to be normal (almost 5 years on) thanks to daily medication.
I had
thought, pre-surgery, that I was relatively fit & healthy even though I
carried some excess weight – I had lost 25kg after all!
So, I was
completely SHOCKED that it took my body so long to recover after surgery. I’d
thought I would be back on my feet in no time at all – boy was I wrong!
This health scare was the catalyst for a major change in my weight loss plan.
I’d always thought that losing weight was about how I looked.
It suddenly occurred to me that losing weight wasn’t about vanity - it was about having a longer, healthier life!
With two
small children, 5 & 3, I realised that I was:
approaching 44
still
overweight (87kg)
& inactive!
Up until
this point I had managed to lose over 25kg without doing very much exercise.
My
attitude towards exercise was that it was something I HAD to do if I wanted to
lose weight.
I remember the moment like it was yesterday, my
It was
seriously like a light went on & I could suddenly see things more clearly…
It was the
moment I realised that this was the only body I was ever going to have & if
I didn’t look after it on-one would!
This body
belonged to me & only me.
I was responsible for the condition it was in
& it was my sole responsibility to make the changes that needed to be made!
So, it will
come as no surprise to you, I’m sure, that the turning point came when my
thinking changed.
I realise
now that I had been conditioned to think a certain way & that my belief systems
were firmly in place.
I had always been overweight – how could I possibly expect
to be a healthy weight?
My
conditioning was to think that eating healthy & exercise were things I had
to do for as long as it took to lose the weight.
So I started
THINKING differently…
Toni x
p.s.
Tune in
next time to find out what impact changing my thinking had on my weight loss.
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