PCOS has affected me in so many ways throughout my life. From the time I was 17, if I wasn’t on the pill I would never get my period, but taking it made me depressed and I would easily gain weight. I struggled with stress, anxiety, insomnia, and extreme mood swings. Even though I have always been active in sports and dance I easily put on weight around my stomach area. Nowhere else, just always on my stomach.

When it came to food I was always a huge sugar and fast carb addict. I could easily eat bread and sugary cereal for every meal and then eat candy as snacks between the “meals”. Pasta was my go to food source – I’d even just eat it on its own.

My biggest motivation for change came when I wanted to get pregnant and have a baby. After having seen doctors several times every year, I also realized that they couldn’t help me and that I needed to do this on my own.

When I started Kym’s 30 Day Challenge and then 10 Week Program I completely changed the way I ate. I started preparing my meals from scratch every day. As someone that never cooked before, the recipes were a massive help. During Kym’s programs I quit sugar, which was easier than I thought. Using the lessons in her 10 Week Program as inspiration and motivation helped a lot and now I don’t even want candy anymore. Just thinking about the taste of sugar makes me feel icky.

Following Kym’s exercise program, I also started working out regularly. Shorter and more effective workouts than before. Kym’s pep’ talks made me feel like I could do this and if I failed sometimes it wasn’t the end of the world. The compassion from Kym, the self-compassion I learned, and the other women participating in her programs made everything easier.

The information about chronic inflammation and inflammatory foods was very effective at getting my gut health under control. The first thing I noticed when I started eating healthy was that my stomach was no longer swollen after I ate. I had never in my life had a stomach that wasn’t as big as a balloon in the evening.

I also lost the fat around my stomach and gained muscle. Losing weight wasn’t a goal for me but seeing my body looking more fit and healthy really felt good. I also started getting more regular ovulations and much clearer signs of them which made it easier to track my cycle.

The absolute best thing though was that I got pregnant. About a month after the end of Kym’s 10 Week Program I got my first ever BFP. I was ecstatic!

Before I found Kym I knew that too much sugar gave me yeast infections, but I still couldn’t be bothered cutting down on candy. I knew that my stomach and acne got bad before my period if I ate too much chocolate and fast carbs, but I just felt it was unfair so I kept on eating them. Now I feel like the power is in my hands to feel good and I WANT to. I don’t feel like a victim because I have the tools to make myself feel better.

Now I eat better and I work out regularly. I also take time to meditate. Taking care of myself has become my first priority and that makes it easier to take care of others also. My husband has never eaten so well and he feels much better too.

My goals now are to stay healthy during this pregnancy and to stick with this new lifestyle for the rest of my life. I also have plans to little by little influence the people around me to start eating better. I’m sure I’ll achieve my goals with the information I received in Kym’s programs and I will go back to her lessons whenever I feel the need.

Don’t cheat yourself out of the opportunity to get healthy!

Hanna