The Rosa Chronicles: The Ups, the Downs, and the Wardrobe Changes

More than 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I was not surprised - diabetes had been a part of my life ever since I could remember. My brother José, 10 years older than me, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 9 years old. As I grew older, I found out that a sister of mine whom I did not get to meet had died of complications related to diabetes at age 3. Years later, my 5 year old niece was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and my own mother received her Type 2 diagnosis soon after we moved to Chicago. To me, it was just a matter of time until I was diagnosed. My diagnosis came as a result of my inability to lose weight. I had joined a gym, hired a trainer, made some changes to my eating habits, and yet, I was not able to lose much weight. Concerned, I went to my doctor and explained my symptoms. She recommended a battery of tests which came back with a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) . PCOS, in turn, is associated with diabetes. I had man...

I have always kept journals. It has been a good way for me to reflect back on what I have done, notice patterns, and laugh at youthful silliness. The past couple of days I spent time reading my journal from when I was 18-19, and I cried for, was embarrassed at, and laughed at my younger self. But that is another story. The journal that relates to this entry is my weight loss journal. I have kept it for years, writing on and off and documenting my struggle with weight loss. Appropriately labeled "Morphing Journal," I have been keeping notes in there since 2006. That was truly the beginning of the "Ups and Downs, and Wardrobe Changes." In there I journal my successes and defeats related to this never ending process. Recently, I grabbed the journal again to jot down my new workout routine. It is a rather small notebook, perfect fitting for my gym bag, easy to carry around so that I don't forget that after squats I have to do push ups, and then mountain climbers. ...

I wrote this around three years ago, when I first started taking steps to lose weight. It has been a long "eviction" process, and I continue engaged in this battle. I am reposting it as a reminder of this struggle and as motivation to continue working on my goals. "Mmmm, excuse me?" I started hesitantly. "I regret to inform you that your stay in this body has come to an end. You have to move out; your body is no longer wanted." And with that, I gave an eviction notice to the body I no longer wanted. You see, around 14 years ago a new body took a hold of my old body, and it has not let go ever since. From there on, whenever I looked in the mirror, I would not see my body, the one I used to have, but the one that has taken residency without having been invited. The "original" body. This is in 1987, when I first came from Puerto Rico. Oh, don't take me wrong! I was expecting some changes after having my two daughters. In fact, I welcomed...

Vacation is over. Conference is done with. Now back to reality. Y ahí es donde la puerca entorchó el rabo (this is difficult to translate, but it means "this is where things get difficult.') It was time to get back into routines. I generally handle routines well; in fact, I welcome routines as they keeps me focused. I like knowing what is happening, when and where. Little did I know that our home routines had been seriously altered and that we had to adjust to a new reality! Amanda's and Ileana's new school schedules are crazy! It keeps them away from home during evenings, sometimes as late as 9:30 p.m. Needless to say, this threw our routines out of the window. We come home and there's nobody here. And because it is weird cooking for one or two people only, (then again, I don't like cooking much!) we have resorted to ordering out quite a bit. Yeah...unhealthy stuff, big portions...and no leftovers for next day. Right now, I am in the middle of that tangl...

After that wonderful Hawaiian vacation, we came back to reality and the daily routines. We all had some adjustments to make, particularly with the jet lag, but me, with my insomnia, it took me a bit longer to get back on track. And to top it off, I only had about a week and a half to get adjusted, as I had to pack again to attend the United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) 2013, which was taking place in New Orleans, LA. I was very excited to go to USCA. It was going to be a great opportunity to network with colleagues in the HIV/AIDS field, many of whom I had met in 2012 at the  XIX International AIDS Conference , which took place in Washington, DC. Last year, I was selected by the National Latino AIDS Action Network (NLAAN) to be an Embajadora  at the conference. As an Embajadora (Ambassador), I covered various of the conference sessions and shared this information through a blog and other social media outlets, like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Some other peop...

I have not written in a while. In fact, it has been more than a month since the last time I wrote! But it has been a very busy month, with many activities, a lot of achievements, changes, and new plans for the upcoming months. A month without writing is a long time, so this is going to be a multi-part blog, with the first installment being posted today. Here's Part I: Hawaii - Wonderful vacation! Andrew, the girls and I went on vacation to Hawaii, and what a great experience it was! We stayed in Oahu, and spent 9 wonderful days there. We had a couple of activities scheduled, like visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center   where we took part of the Ali'i Luau, which included visits to villages of the Islands Nations of Polynesia (Tonga, Tahiti, Marquesas, Hawaii, Fiji, Aotearoa, and Samoa), Hula lessons, a canoe pageant , and of course, a delicious dinner, followed by a fantastic show, Ha - Breath of Life .  My Bear and I at the Ali'i Luau We also went snorkeling, wh...

Eight months ago I made the decision to commit to my health by exercising and eating healthy. It has not been easy; I have had ups and downs, I have felt like quitting at times. I have tried different exercise routines, some that have been good, some that were not so much. I have felt discouraged because I have not seen results, or at least the results I had wanted so see. I have had to struggle against the lack of support at certain levels, and battle the constant temptations, whether it is food or falling back into old habits. But I have remained constant. And I have seen results. And I have gotten stronger. It has taken me a while, and still have a long way to go, but I love the changes in my body! Take for example, my runs in the park. When I first started, I was walking most of the way. Then I started doing running and walking intervals: running two minutes and walking one. I remember how I wanted to turn around and go back home when I first started doing this! But I k...

Sometimes you seek guidance from others instead of trusting what you are already doing. This was my experience this week when I sought out help from a nutritionist in my fight against diabetes. Here's what happened. As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have been taking a nutrition course online. It has been great; I have learned a lot and as a result have been able to make some changes to my diet. Now I know the balance I must have between carbs, protein and fat, and I have been adjusting my meals to try to keep with that goal. This has meant that I have had to let go of some foods that I liked but that were not contributing anything but empty calories to my diet. I have moved away from refined grains to whole grains, I am looking at foods with a low sodium count, and I am making sure I get my recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. All in all, it has been a great course...until two weeks ago. Constant companions: fresh fruit and a scale to weight my food. The w...

I knew it when I saw the name on my phone screen. "Rosa? This is Dr. Nance." Before she continued, I said "They found something." "Yes," she said. "The mammogram shows something on your right breast. You need to come in for more tests." Wait, what? Did she just said "right breast"?  "That is weird," I told Dr. Nance, trying to keep my composure, "because I found something on my left breast, but nothing on the right one." A couple of days before my scheduled annual mammogram, I was doing a self-examination and found a lump by my left armpit. I asked Andrew to check it out; since I have been working out and doing weights, I thought perhaps it was a muscle; but there was definitively something in there. I was glad my appointment was scheduled for the following Saturday. "What is next," I asked. Dr. Nance said that I had to go in for more diagnostic tests and that she was going to include both both ...

As much as sometimes we hate it, change is a constant in our lives. It is exactly what keeps us renewing ourselves, reinventing ourselves over and over so that we can keep up with...well other changes that are going on around us. That is what I have been going through for the past couple of months, but most focused during the past two weeks. Two weeks ago I started a Nutrition course through Coursera.org . The course, which lasts 6 weeks, covers a variety of issues as they relate to nutrition, such as heart disease, cancer, and obesity and weight management. This week, we are are working on Diabetes, which is of a lot of interest to me as a Type 2 diabetic . So, in the process of completing my weekly readings and assignments, I have learned a lot of of things about my diet (and by my diet I am talking about what I eat on a regular basis; I am not following a specific diet). For example, one of my assignments required me to track my food intake for a period of 24 hours, including w...

Yes. That is exactly how long it took me to finish Week 1of the 12 week shape up challenge.  I started, very excitedly, and then daily living came into play and of course I got side-tracked. But I came back and was able finish it, so I am focusing on that, on the fact that I finished it, instead of focusing on the two weeks it took to finish week one. Focusing on the good, on my accomplishments is something that does not come easy to me. I generally focus on what I have not done, what still needs to be done, and in the process I miss opportunities to celebrate great things. At work, for example, I am very efficient with my time. I am generally able to finish various tasks without much problem (well, aggravations and barriers, but all of them bearable!). Anybody else would be happy and satisfied with what I get to do in a day. But me? No, I don't do that. I always think that there was something else that I could have done. I tend to think of the 5 other things that are still pendi...

Today marks the 15th day since I started the 30 for 30 challenge. I can't believe I am half way there! It has not been an easy journey, but definitively one I'm glad I took it, and also look forward to continue. I am already seeing some results from my efforts and can only imagine what is to come as I keep on going. Yesterday, for example, I was getting ready to go to my daughter Ileana's performance, and when I put on the skirt I was planning to wear, it fit me too big! I was so happy about that, and it got better this morning when I was getting ready for work and I put on my gray skirt (which I actually like a lot) and it fit me big as well. I am putting both of them aside to give them away. I am committed to never go back to that size again. And in order to do that, I need to continue to be disciplined, not only about my workouts, but in my nutrition as well. As I mentioned last week, I know that not preparing my lunch was a sure shortfall for me. Not having lunch an...

So here I am today, on Day 9 of my 30 for 30 challenge. I can't believe that it has already been that long! And yet, there are still 21 days to go.  All in all, it has been good. Initially I thought that I was going to be blogging each day, but frankly, after working out I am exhausted and only want to take a bath and go to sleep. So I think I will be blogging on a weekly basis instead. Here's a summary report for days 2 through 8. "Don't wish it were easier. Wish you were better." - Fitness Inspiration for Women on Facebook - February 21, 2013 Progress, one day at a time I have to say that this is the most committed I have been to a workout regimen in the last couple of months. I am actually looking forward to working out every day. Before the challenge, I fantasized about working out, and then a "reason" would come up and I would not do it. But now, since I made this commitment, I am excited about doing it every day, and it helps a lot when I se...

...what is important is that you get up and keep on going. Boy, do I know about that! I have been struggling with my weight for several years now (I'm using "several" to be generous). And I have done many things to deal with it, but I have not been consistent, despite having seen results. Take for example 2011, the year Andrew and I got married. I was eating right, I was running several days a week, I was getting physical therapy twice a week. And by the time we got married, I had lost a considerable amount of weight. Not exactly what I had wanted, but hey! I was able to comfortably get on size 10 pants without any problems. But, as usual, something got in the way and I got distracted. Andrew and I on our wedding day 7/17/11 Then I tried again. Last year we added yoga to our exercise routine. It was great, because in addition to Andrew, our daughter Amanda joined us and yoga became a weekly routine for the three of us. Loved it! I felt great, energized and super ...