Your loaf is my drug.

Loaf of bread, that is. :)  It's been a while since I've given you guys an update on my weight loss adventures in PCOS, and that's because I haven't lost anymore weight, haha.  In fact, I've gained 5 lbs--but that's actually pretty awesome considering how completely I fell off the low-carb wagon!

Luckily, I can still stuff my muffin top into my jeggings!

It's been difficult and frustrating trying to figure out how to combine all of the information I got from those three diet programs into something that will really work for me long term both physically and financially.  My issue has been that, if I allow myself to eat any bread at all, I end up binging (looked that up in the dictionary, apparently it's spelled right).  We're talking half a donut leads to the whole dozen, one cookie turns into the entire package, one slice of pizza.....etc.  It's embarrassing and I always feel a little self-loathing afterward.

I think what a lot of people don't understand about food addiction is that it really can be just that.  An addiction.  As with any addiction, there's a degree of will power that you are expected to have, but that will power can often take a back seat to the chemicals in your body that are telling you you NEED whatever it is you're craving.  I have a better understanding of this now that I've been diagnosed with PCOS because of the role that insulin spikes play in creating those intense cravings for bread and sweets.

It really clicked for me (the fact that I've been subconsciously craving bread in a bad way) when our friends were over helping us move the other night (more on that to come!).  After all of the heavy lifting was done, we ordered pizza to celebrate.  I told myself I'd have one piece and eat some other stuff if I was still hungry.  After that piece, I went to choose my second (because who eats one piece of pizza, right?) and my heart literally started beating faster and I got so excited when I saw a really thick piece with giant bread bubbles on it.  It had practically no cheese or sauce on it, just bread.  I was like....check out all that bready goodness!  That's going in my belly!

It wasn't a big deal, just kind of an "a-ha!" moment.

Anyway, we simply can't afford for me to follow a no-carb diet because of the amount of fresh produce involved.  I need to get my cravings under control so that I can supplement my meals with cheap stuff like grains, but I don't know how I'll go about it.

I've started taking Chromium Polynicotinate supplements.  Apparently, they're supposed to help with suppression of cravings.  I guess we'll see!

Semi-related side-note:  My hair started falling out, so I have to go on birth control to hopefully regulate my hormones.  Maybe that'll help with cravings, too!

Resolution Numero Uno!

Weeeellll helllooooo!  Happy 2012, y'all!  One of my resolutions for this year was to be a more consistent blogger.  Originally, that meant updating once a week.  As you can see, that ship swiftly sailed away so my revised resolution is to do it at least once a month (cuttin' it close!)

I was going to do a Christmas recap and tell you what all of my other resolutions are (because they're awesome) but, that will have to come another time (or not.)

My biggest and most important resolution for 2012 (the year of the dragon, FYI) is to lose 60 pounds, thereby reaching what I believe would be a healthy weight for me and hopefully restoring my fertility!  So far, I'm down 20!  10 more and I get that pair of shoes that I've promised myself!

 

Can you tell the difference?  Gimme a break, the whole 20 didn't fall off of my face.  But, I'm telling you, my jowls are shrinking!  10 more pounds and I get that pair of shoes that I've promised myself!

Anywho, I was recently diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  It's a pretty sucky condition that affects about 5% of women of childbearing age.  If you're that interested, you can google it and find out about all of the inconvenient and embarrassing side effects associated with it.  Preventing ovulation is just one of them!  Another one is weight gain and the inability to lose that weight.  HOWEVER, if the excess weight is lost, it can restore fertility without the use of drugs.  Bonus!

Thus, I have embarked on a personal weight loss voyage, blessed with the greatest motivation I've ever had!  And, now that I have a scientific explanation for my uncanny weight issues (among other things), I see my relationship with food in a completely different light!

Ladies with PCOS are advised to follow low carb diets similar to diabetic diets.  That means little to no carbohydrates and 'linking and balancing' the food that you eat.  I'm gonna get all up into the changes I've been making to my diet because a lot of my friends have expressed interest and I figure this is as good a place as any to get the information out there.

 I'll give an abridged version of what I'm doing, and then a more detailed version for if you've got time/care, haha.

Lizard's PCOS Diet, Abridged:


Stay as far away from bread and sugar as you can, but it's not off limits completely.  If you're going to eat bread, look for low carb options (there are some amazing ones out there--I have been particularly impressed by low carb tortillas) and, of course, keep everything as unprocessed as possible.  Steel cut oats, the bread with the giant crunchy seeds in it--that kind of stuff.  Substitute Stevia for granulated sugar whenever possible, or get crafty and use sugar free maple syrup or a little honey instead.

Make vegetables the bulk of your diet.  We're talking giant salads and adding it to meals whenever you possibly can--another opportunity to get creative!  My reason for this (aside from it being healthy, obviously) is that you can use veggies to bulk up your meals guilt-free.  As much as I like eating handfuls of baby carrots whenever I get hungry, I'd sometimes rather just eat a bigger meal and not feel like I have to snack later on, so I'll chop a bunch of them up and put them in stuff.

Eat as much protein (eggs, lean meat, fish, cheese, yogurt, milk) as you feel you need to satisfy your hunger and make sure you get some everytime you eat or snack.  I will never JUST have a salad or a bowl of popcorn.  If I'm eating a salad, I cut up an egg to put in it and grate some cheese in that mother.  I'll drink a glass of milk (soy milk, mmm...) with my popcorn or eat a stick of string cheese.  This regulates insulin spikes.  (Look that up if you don't know why that matters.  I can't adequately explain it, haha.)

Last, but certainly not least, drink an A-load of water.  Just keep drinking it.  I can't be the first person you've heard that from ;)

Lizard's PCOS Diet Inspiration:


The way I've decided to eat from now on is based on a combination of three different diets:  Atkins, Weight Watchers, and The Insulin Resistance Diet (PCOS and Insulin Resistance go hand in hand).

I followed the Induction Phase of the Atkins diet for like 4 days before Buck talked me out of it because he felt it was too restrictive (and I am easily swayed.)  There's the link there if you want to see what that's all about.  Basically, I was only eating meat and veggies and the occasional plant based oil and dairy product.  I followed it to the letter and I was never hungry because I was eating an insane amount of veggies and could eat as much protein as I needed to satisfy my hunger, experienced no cravings for carbs (which is really, really saying something), had increased energy, peed a ton, and am fairly confident that that's when I lost the most weight (whether it was water weight or not).

After Buck talked me out of Atkins, I took a few things I learned on that diet and applied them to Weight Watchers, which I was already signed up for.  This was essentially the Induction Phase of Atkins + fruits and the very occasional whole grain.  Still no sugar at all, except Stevia and what the fruits contain.  One thing I LOVE about Weight Watchers is their list of Zero Point Foods.  So, in addition to having no cap on my veggie and protein intake, I could eat as many apples, bananas, pomelos, beets, cabbage, etc. as I wanted to curb hunger.  (The Zero Point Foods list is impressively lengthy!)

I had already ordered The Insulin Resistance Diet off of Amazon because it had crazy good reviews and is geared toward my condition, specifically.  I've read through it and, although the lingo is different, I have found that it has many things in common with the Atkins diet.  The big thing I got from this diet is the concept of 'linking and balancing.'  That is the part that reminds me most of the Atkins diet, it's just explained in a way that I was able to understand more completely.  It requires 'linking' any carbohydrates you eat with an equal amount of protein, then adding additional protein and/or veggies if necessary to satisfy your hunger.

I like this diet because it teaches that, while watching your calories and the amount of food your eating is still a good thing to do, it's more important to watch how your meals are diversified and proportioned so that you can control the effect your meals have on your insulin levels (which will effect weight gain and loss.)  So, I can eat anything I want in moderation!  The big difference between the IR diet and WW is that, while WW allows an unlimited amount of most fruits, they are more carefully regulated on the IR diet because certain fruits contain more carbs than others, therefore they affect insulin spikes differently.

So, I know that's a lot of information and I'm not sure any of what I said made sense.  My food choices are directly linked to the way that my body processes insulin, but the information that I've gathered seems to be universally beneficial.  If anything at all, you guys without insulin issues will likely have much more wiggle room with your food choices and still be able to see similar results.  Lucky!