Last week I did so well with food. I ate really low carb and took all my vitamins. I even felt better . .. well, after Mon and Tues--those were just plain awful days.
Well . . . I did well until Thursday. That was Thanksgiving. Maybe I allowed myself to splurge too much. I need to learn how to splurge without over doing. How do I allow myself treats now and then without over doing it????
Then, my friend brought me some tortilla chips--very hard to find here. So I whipped up some cheese dip and ate the whole bag in three days. :(
I need to get back on track again. I feel better when I eat well. Not only because I am putting the right things into my system for fuel, but also because I am proud of me for cooking and for making right choices. In fact, I actually really enjoying my kitchen and cooking very much.
I bought some fish--a red one (maybe salmon) and a white one (no clue what it is) and will try cooking them soon. We can get fish here so fresh and so cheap . . . I really should be eating it more and more and more.
And, really, I do need to add in the exercise. I really, really, really need to. *sigh*
Exercise is important for controlling PCOS, regardless of whether you are overweight or lean. It is a major factor in balancing your hormones, especially insulin. Excessively high levels of insulin cause PCOS-related problems.
Exercise is especially important if you have a weight issue. It is your primary way of burning off unwanted fat.
You may be wondering how long you need to exercise in order to have a fat-burning effect. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends moderate exercise for 45 to 60 minutes to burn fat.
However, Japanese researchers have discovered that you don't have to exercise non-stop for 45-60 minutes. In fact, they say you will burn more fat if you break your exercise into segments.
In this study, one group of men exercised for one hour. The other group exercised for 30 minutes, rested for 20 minutes, and then resumed exercise for another 30 minutes.
Blood tests showed that the men who rested in the middle of their exercise actually burned off more fat. They also had lower levels of insulin and blood sugar.
If you find that a solid hour of continuous exercise is more than you can handle or is not enjoyable, simply break it up into segments. Do a moderate or high-intensity exercise for up to 30 minutes. Then relax or take a leisurely stroll for 15-20 minutes. Then resume the moderate or high-intensity exercise for another 30 minutes. Your workout will be more interesting, and you will get better results.
And, I've been sleeping A LOT. And napping A LOT. .. . .and still SO very, very tired.
I literally have NO energy. It is terrible!
Also, today, I had a migraine. I terrible, terrible, terrible headache.
Why? Why do I get these really bad headaches? Are they insulin and hormone related? Actually, I hope so because that means as I get my insulin under control maybe they will go away.
The next thing I need to add to my routine is exercise. I've got the food thing down. I'm doing better with water and being consistent with vitamins/meds, but I've not yet mastered the exercise kick thing. Come on girl . . . you can do it. I've got do it, because really that is what is going to make the biggest impact on my insulin and well-being and probably energy levels.
So far this week, I've done really good food-wise. I am eating veggies and lean protein. I've avoided low value carbs--except for some popcorn this afternoon.
I've been linking and trying to snack. And, even last night when I was craving something very cheesy . . . and really wanted something like mac and cheese . . . I opted for an omelet with LOTS of melted American Cheese. Even if the cheese wasn't the best choice, it was way better than something fast food or mac and cheese. So, I was proud of myself.
I've also been enjoying jello and whipped cream for sweet treats. That really helps a lot. Oh, and my chocolate protein shakes. Those are helpful too when I am craving creamy or chocolate.
And, I also made Kayln's breakfast muffins on Sunday. I then froze them and have been heating them up for breakfast. Yummy. Fast, quick and delicious. What a great breakfast idea!
Kinda like the chicken and the egg problem. . . which one came first? PCOS or IR?
It doesn't matter really because the truth is I have them both.
My sister and I both put on about 60 pounds IN ONE SUMMER--in THREE, only three, MONTHS!!! Why? Because PCOS is so heavily linked to IR.
And, since insulin is such a powerful hormone, leaving it unchecked messes with everything else . . . all other hormones respond by going wacky too.
And, the most sensitive organ in the female body to insulin is . . . . ? You guessed it . . . the ovaries!
I wanna scream "so NOT fair!"
But, unlike many health issues these is actually some "good news" with PCOS. There is hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Women with insulin resistance and PCOS respond very well to modification in their diet (generally a low carb diet)and exercise. Many PCOS sufferers often get normal periods as their insulin levels normalize and they also typically see other symptoms decrease or disappear altogether.
Here is a list of IR symptoms. With the issues I face bolded.
Fatigue. The most common feature of Insulin Resistance is that it wears people out. Some are tired just in the morning or afternoon, others are exhausted all day.
Brain fogginess. Sometimes the fatigue of Insulin Resistance is physical, but often it's mental. The inability to focus is the most evident symptom. Poor memory, loss of creativity, poor grades in school often accompany Insulin Resistance, as do various forms of "learning disabilities."
Low blood sugar. Mild, brief periods of low blood sugar are normal during the day, especially if meals are not eaten on a regular schedule. But prolonged periods of this "hypoglycemia," accompanied by many of the symptoms listed here, especially physical and mental fatigue, are not normal. Feeling agitated, jittery and moody is common in Insulin Resistance, with almost immediate relief once food is eaten.
Intestinal bloating. Most intestinal gas is produced from carbohydrates in the diet. Insulin Resistance sufferers who eat carbohydrates suffer from gas, lots of it.
Sleepiness. Many people with Insulin Resistance get sleepy immediately after eating a meal containing more than 20% or 30% carbohydrates. This means typically a pasta meal, or even a meat meal which includes potatoes or bread and a sweet dessert.
Increased weight and fat storage. For most people, too much weight is too much fat. In males, a large abdomen is the more obvious and earliest sign of Insulin Resistance. In females, it's prominent buttocks.
Increased triglycerides. High triglycerides in the blood are often found in overweight persons. But even those who are not overweight may have stores of fat in their arteries as a result of Insulin Resistance. These triglycerides are the direct result of carbohydrates in the diet being converted by insulin.
Increased blood pressure. It is a fact that most people with hypertension have too much insulin and are Insulin Resistant. It is often possible to show a direct relationship between the level of insulin and blood pressure: as insulin levels elevate, so does blood pressure.
Depression. Because carbohydrates are a natural "downer," depressing the brain, it is not uncommon to see many depressed persons who also have Insulin Resistance. [source]
So, I have at least 7 out of 9 of the symptoms listed here. And one of them (#7) I don't know because I've not had the blood work done.
"Your body’s hormonal balance is like a symphony. Insulin is one of the loudest and most important instruments. When its metabolism goes wrong, it throws off everything else."
"Because insulin is one of the “major” hormones, it’s also impossible for your body to balance its “minor” hormones (estrogen, progesterone and testosterone among them) until your insulin metabolism is balanced first."
"The good news is that you can heal insulin resistance."
"It will take at least 2 to 3 months to reestablish normal insulin sensitivity. If there is severe IR or obesity it could take much longer to stabilize." [source]
Another thing I must remember about PCOS (that I've mentioned before) is that my body will not instantly thank me for making the right choices.
Other people can lose 2 pounds a week by simply stopping their coke habit. Other people can lose 2 pounds a week by simply adding in some exercise or drinking more water or cutting deserts. Not true for PCOS sufferers.
I must now commit to make these changes even if I don't see the results for a month or two. My body will thank me one day . . . but it might be a quarter of a year or even half a year later. It will not be right way.
This makes changes hard. I like to see results. I like to know that what I am doing is actually making a difference.
So, I must push forth and keep doing what is right believing that my body will thank me in the future.
I remember (thanks to record keeping) that the last time I lost weight it was the month AFTER all my heavy exercise that I lost the most weight. The actual month of heavy exercise I only lost 1-2 pounds. I can't let not seeing progress on the scales discourage me from making the right choices.
