I was all excited to write my new post but then I got bronchitis. Damn you bronchitis.

But that sort of segues into why I decided I needed to lose weight.

As you know from my last entry, I was a fairly happy and self confident fat chick. Something happened, however in August that completely changed the way I felt.

I started a new job mid-July and started feeling unwell soon after. I was having some stomach issues and although I've always been pretty healthy, my stomach issues have plagued me since university.  Basically, ulcers, heartburn, gerd. All that great stuff.

By the beginning of August I was having trouble breathing out of my left lung. I went to emergency after work on one particularly bad day and the doctor told me I had allergies. Even after I explained that I don't have allergies. He told me that allergies were bad this year, everyone had allergies, blah blah blah.

So he gave me some puffers and sent me home. The puffers provided temporary relief but I still could not get much air in my left lung (haha. I typed lunch..well it is 1245). I kept going to work because who the heck takes time off for allergies.

But I just kept getting sicker and sicker. So back to emergency. This time the doctor gave me a breathing treatment which helped a lot, concurred with the last doctor about the allergy diagnosis and sent me packing.

Still continued to work.

I would wake up at night (3am. Clockwork) and literally cry myself to sleep. I was sure I was going to die. I thought there must be something really wrong with me and the doctors cannot figure it out.

I made a decision to start making changes in my life. The first thing I cut out was aspartame. Trust me. Aspartame is not doing anyone any favours and I was consuming a lot of it between diet Pepsi and Crystal Light. A couple days later I decided to give up all fast food. That certainly wasn't helping my stomach either. And then I gave up Facebook games. Which has nothing to do with food *but* it was something I felt was holding me back.

I made those changes and was still extremely sick. Pat (husband) took me back to ER and I got a great doctor who actually listened to my left lung. (Keep in mind that I'm a singer..I know when I can't get air in my lungs) New ER doctor ordered a chest xray and whaddaya know? My left lunch is half filled with fluid. I have pneumonia. PNEUMONIA! And I haven't missed a day of work and I've been pushing myself because I think it's only allergies.

He immediately ordered me to bed for a week and he also put me on some heavy duty medication for my stomach and my chest infection.

So that was the beginning of my weight loss journey. I had a huge epiphany and decided that I should start listening to my body.

And that has completely changed my life.