Newbie in Dallas/Fort Worth

Hello... I'm Jennifer... 32 yo and living in the northern part of the DFW metroplex.

I've decided to challenge myself to a tri next year because I need a good solid goal for focus.

I've been through an interesting couple of years... it started when the scale started spiraling upward and nothing I did - workout or exercise could stop it. My physician swore I was fine and sent me to a dietician - net result? ten more pounds in two months. Then in April of this year, everything went nuts... I suddenly lost the feeling in my hands and feet and became incredibly fatigued, often to the point of having to drag myself around during the day to get normal activities accomplished. Fast forward through several visits to various specialists, countless medical exams, and several conflicting diagnoses and you have me today... dealing with hypothyroidism (a large contributor to my weight gain) and rheumatoid arthritis. The doctors are loading me up with a yucky chemical cocktail designed to keep the joint degeneration at bay (albeit with lots of unpleasant side effects) and I've decided that if there was ever a time to take charge of my diet and exercise, its today.

I've just started training and hope to compete in the Danskin womens sprint in Austin next June. I'm also working the Weight Watchers plan religiously in hopes that the combo of training and diet will shed some of my unwanted dead weight and also leave me feeling better. I really like the range of resources here on this site and it is encouraging to see that not all folks who set out to compete in a tri are lifetime athletes (as I feared) and that many of you are facing the same challenges that I am.