A piece I wrote to PCOS sufferers on SlimKicker...

"Yes, other PCOS people to talk to! :)
My story goes like this: am in my late 20s now, always struggled with my weight and self-confidence. When I was in my teens, I had the added burden of dark facial hair (oh joy) and on parts of my body. My cravings for chocolate were unbelievable. Living on a small island area, the kids weren't so nice about it.
At 19, I was 238lbs (17stone). At 22, I was around the same weight, but decided to do something about it. At 23, I was 168lbs. The facial hair was better, most of the symptoms were better. My doctors were so proud of me. It stayed like this for about 18months / 2 years.
After a tough breakup (loved the guy), the weight started piling up again... 
Now, at 29 I'm currently 279lbs. I ordered takeaways whenever I felt like it, ate 1huge bar of chocolate most days, didnt eat proper meals. This is ALL going to change! :)
After one week of SK, I lost 5lbs. I have gone on a walk every day. I am here to stay girls! I will enjoy my tiny bit of chocolate every night, but I will beat this. We will beat this! "

Slim Kicker website, for those who like to lose weight, while kicking some ass...

Today, I wrote this email to Christine Chew, a founder of http://www.slimkicker.com/  Last week, she wrote to me saying the website and app were open for business.
She emailed me for the first time last year, telling me that she had an idea for a diet/fitness app. She had the amazing idea of making it into a kind of "RPG game, where users earn points, "level up', and earn badges as they accomplish their health goals". I thought this was a fantastic idea, and to let me know when the finished product would be available.

Read on...

"Hi there Christine.

Well, first of all, congrats on the new site :) And thank you for letting me know about the website as well. Hope you have been keeping well :)

Since I spoke to you last year, I fell off and on the wagon a few times. I even gained weight, and from last week, I was 285 pounds. I did want to lose weight, I really did, but nothing was motivating me to do it. I tried Weightwatchers, but it just wasn't for me.

I wanted to give you feedback from the site a week after trying it out... It is wonderful! I can not praise you and who ever else helped you designed this website enough. It is perfect for people who are visual, that a piece of writing doesn't register, until they see an image to associate with it. This site does that for me!

The first thing I want to talk about is the "Nutrition Stats". Bravo, brilliant idea! 

*I know we can choose our own amount of carbs, fats, proteins, etc, if you go to Settings, but I've stuck with the Default setting. It must change for some people according to their weight though. But, I haven't been able to find what's right for me.  

*The visual aspect: Really needed a visual of what carbs, protein, fats, etc I'm putting into my body. I have not found any other site that does this. Graphs don't have the same oompf as "Bars" do. "Bars" in Green and Red, simple perfect!

*The food: It's tough when you're not from the United States, so you have to log in all the food instead, but in the process, am learning what's in my food. I know now that there's bad carbs and good carbs, there's bad fats and there's good fats. This never really clicked with me before, but I get it from seeing all these labels I write in. I know if I eat a bowl of granola with yoghurt, sure I've eaten most of my carbs, but they were good carbs. 

"Inspiration Feed":

*Making some friends in the process. Am adding people I feel will chat back to me and motivate me, and I them, to become healthier people. I have low days, and when I write it in the feed to them, a few will write back saying "Don't worry, it will get better. Clear your head and move on.". You need that from people, not to rely on your real life friend, because more than likely they don't want to hear about how your day is going in regards to weight, food, and lack of motivation. You need people who understand what you are going through, because they are going through it too. 

"Challenges":

Yes! Another great feature. You start off on the easier stuff if you don't feel like pushing yourself, and the article written with it actually doesn't force you to take part, but just gently think about it. You're not pushed into doing anything, which is the main thing. "Put on your Sneakers", "Move Slowly", etc. You remind people that any sort of movement is a plus for your body and your health. Even just putting on those runners is an achievement. It makes you feel so happy, that you do want to walk for a few minutes, maybe even 10 minutes. I really like it!

"Groups":

I have joined a few groups, kept it to 4. I haven't done much in them, but I signed up at "Team Ireland" which has me and 1 other girl so far. I hope more from my area will hear of the site and join.

"Body":

I track whatever movement I've done, whenever I can. Even if it is a walk to see a friend or doing the shopping. The speeds are good as well. 

I think I've covered most of the site. My first week has been amazing, and am happy to report that I have lost 5 pounds :) The first week of losing weight is always the easiest, because you're clearing out your body of all toxins that have been stored. So, I know the next few weeks will be slower, but I have accepted that. It's a small stop towards a new me, a healthier me, a more confident me. Every little bit helps, as they say.

I want to thank you again for creating this site. Definitely feel that it fits the Young/MiddleAged/Gamer/Visual bracket in the market, and I do hope you stick around for a long time. 

Take care, and thank you sooooooooooooooo very much,

Máire Ní Mhaoláin, Ireland."