Healing PCOS

The sugar trap

2010-06-15T21:32:00.001-07:00

Delicious ice cream...

That's not Guinness! (green smoothie with pineapple, blueberries, coconut milk, and spinach)

Building momentum

2010-04-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

I've been grain and dairy free since Monday at dinner! Things are going pretty well, except for a little nagging hunger, which is totally unfounded since I've been eating between 2000 and 2300 calories per day. I'm trying to ignore it for now... I know I've eaten enough. I noticed tonight that my congestion is clearing up and I'm thankful for that!

I've also been working out and that seems to be going well. I've had a little trouble figuring out what to do on a day to day basis, but it's going okay so far. I'm hoping that I'll get a couple new pieces of exercise equipment for my birthday, and that should help me vary my routine a little.

Tonight's workout was: 5x5 front squats, from 45 to 70#, and 15 clean and jerks at 55#. It went okay. I do miss crossfit.

I also got clearance from my doctor for my dental work, but not without a lot of trouble. Perhaps I'll post about that later. For now, it's off to bed.

I'm not going to give up

2010-04-20T21:16:00.000-07:00

Well, in my last post I said I was going to eliminate grains and dairy again. And... I did. But I only lasted 4 days. How lame!

I think the big problem was that I tried to do it without much resolve and at the wrong time of the month. It's now a better time of the month again and I want to give it another go. I have some grains and dairy planned into this week's meals, so I plan to start this weekend.

I also started working out again today. Tonights workout was as many rounds as possible (amrap) in 15 minutes of: 10 squats, 5 push press (35#). I got eleven rounds, and I can tell I'm going to be sore tomorrow. But I'm welcoming it, or at least that's what I want to do. I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Aaron and I have a trip planned in August to hike the South Sister in Oregon, so it's necessary that I start working out again. I've got 4 months to get in reasonable shape so that I can make what appears to be a demanding hike.

I also had another wake up call last week. I went to the dentist for a consultation for some procedures that I want to have done under sedation. Part of that is that they hook you up to this machine that monitors your vital signs... they look for specific markers to see if you are a healthy enough candidate for sedation.

Well, my blood pressure was high, and I couldn't get it to go down no matter how much I tried to relax. It's been high at the doctor's office too, for about the last year. If I want to do the sedation I have to get clearance from my doctor and/or get on medication to lower my bp.

I hate this. I am pretty anti-medication, especially for things that can be taken care of with lifestyle changes. And I am so mad at myself for letting my health decline this far. I guess mad isn't the right word... it's hard to explain. If I was mad, I would have the motivation to make the change, but I still feel a little apathetic about it. I'm more embarassed about the high blood pressure thing, and still don't feel that the whole situation is motivating enough to get me to act.

All I could think when I left the appointment was, "well, what is it going to take for you to wake up and realize that your health is in decline and you could suffer some serious consequences if you don't actually act and make a permanent change?"

The truth is that I am overweight, technically obese, I have insulin and blood sugar control problems, high blood pressure, and am largely sedentary and haven't been eating healthy lately. So, if that's not enough of a wake up call... what?

Anyway, so the changes I've made immediately (yes, tonight) are that I'm exercising (in training for this hike), and I'm reducing my carbohydrate servings and increasing my veggie intake. That's what I'm concentrating on for now.

I found some interesting articles today... I'm glad this stuff is finally coming out in mainstream news, but it's definitely not new information!

Added sugar increases heart risks (the last paragraph is priceless!)

Dual studies vilify sugar and salt in US diet (salt is debatable, and I could write another post on that issue!)

Subbing 'bad carbs' for 'bad fats' ups heart risk (again, some debatable content, but interesting)

Giving up grains and dairy, take 2

2010-04-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last several weeks trying a more traditional foods diet. I started out doing pretty well, sticking to cultured dairy products, sourdough bread and soaked grains, but I soon slipped back into my unhealthy habits of overeating grains and allowing myself pretty much whatever I wanted.

So I can officially say that I feel better without grains and dairy. But that doesn't make avoiding them any easier. I mean, soaked cracked oats with lots of pasture butter and honey is a darn tasty thing to eat.

One of the biggest things I notice when I'm eating grains and dairy is that I am hungry almost all the time. I will get hungry within 30 minutes of finishing a decent sized meal. I want snacks all the time. I am really susceptible to giving in to cravings.

Here is a list of things that reappeared or became worse after I started eating grains and dairy again:

appetite
puffy face, swelling in ankles, legs, and hands
joint pain (knees and hips)
headaches daily
hypoglycemic symptoms
sore throat, especially in the mornings
congestion in ears, nose, and throat
sinus pain and congestion
earaches
itchy ears/infection

And I think my moods were more unpredictable and maybe even out of control at times. Okay, I know they were.

I had a couple thin buns today with lunch, but as of dinner tonight I'm going back to meat/veg/starch (primarily in the form of sweet potatoes, but also some red potatoes). Honestly, it can be really difficult to eat out when I'm eating this way. It's hard to get enough meat for a satisfying meal. It's hard to avoid dairy. It's hard to avoid vegetable oils (another thing I try to stay away from because of the really high omega 6 content), and it's hard to avoid dairy. Ordering a burger is like this, "I'd like a double/triple this, leave off the cheese and mayo, add bacon and guacamole. Oh, and wrap it in lettuce instead of a bun". And then when you get it they've left off everything but the cheese, which has melted onto the burger.

But, it's worth it if I'll feel better. Besides, we are trying not to eat out more than once a week, so maybe it will be a little easier this time.

Now, on to iodine. I'm still taking 2 drops most days of the week, but I've increased my thyroid medication from 1/2 tablet back to 1 tablet. I was on the lower dose for a couple weeks and at one point I started to feel my depression coming back, and I wasn't thinking quite straight. It really started affecting me in some bad ways, so I went back to the dose I was on before and I'm feeling lots better.

So, I'm getting back on board with my diet. I'm on a pretty slim supplement regimen right now, but I'm feeling good about it. The only thing I really need to get moving on is... moving. Exercise is next. I'm thinking about doing the CrossFit on ramp curriculum at home. Since I have about 8 or 9 months of CF under my belt from last year, I'm pretty comfortable with most of the exercises... I just need to build up my strength again. Rest assured, I'll be posting about that soon enough.

Weekend wrap-up

2010-03-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

I didn't end up having any noticeable side-effects from the two drop dose of iodine on Saturday. I think what I was feeling was just normal weekend blahs and crankiness and hunger!

I've been feeling a little tired of chicken, especially the boneless skinless variety, so I decided to switch around our meals a little this week. This week's menu is heavy on beef, though we did have chicken thighs tonight.

Speaking of tonights dinnner, I tried a new recipe. I made Moroccan style chicken from Nourishing Traditions, and buckwheat and lentil pilaf. The chicken was pretty flavorful, and the pilaf may be an acquired taste... my husband and I thought it was okay. Both dishes definitely had a combination of flavors that we don't often eat, so it was kind of refreshing.

The grain and lentils were soaked for about 24 hours, as per the recommendations in the Nourishing Traditions cookbook. Soaking, sprouting, and fermenting grains, lentils and beans deactivates the anti-nutrients (phytates and lectins) and makes them more digestible. These anti-nutrients are the main reason these foods are discouraged on the paleo diet.

I ate pretty awful stuff this weekend. I have noticed since reintroducing grain, sugar, and dairy, that my resolve has weakened and my cravings are a lot worse. My plan for this week is to focus on eating properly prepared grains (if I eat grain products) and to eat only cultured dairy products. I also want to cut way back on sugar and I'm even considering eliminating it almost completely (except for berries).

There is a method to my madness. Next time I post I'll explain the thoughts behind the plan and post some references.

Work week, here I come!

Update on iodine experiment and reconsidering grains and dairy

2010-03-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

I have been taking Iodine every day since I last posted about it. Last Monday, I decided to increase to two drops in the morning and I experienced some odd symptoms. I had the same slightly increased salivation as when I first started with one drop, but when I got to work I sneezed all day long, and got a wicked bad sinus headache which lasted almost all day. I got home and did some googling and came across several resources which indicated that this condition is called iodism, or basically an overdose of iodine. Some of the sources made this sound really frightening, but a little more research indicated that there's some evidence that this reaction may be caused when there is bromide present in the body.

So, for most of the week I decreased my dose back to one drop which I had no problem with, and then tried increasing the dose again on Friday. This time, no sinus headache, sneezing, or increased salivation. I also noticed that about midmorning, I felt pretty good overall.

However, this morning the same two drop dose has me experiencing some slight sinus pressure. I just took it, so we'll see if it subsides or gets worse throughout the day.

Last Saturday we went to one of our favorite local diners and I ordered, totally on a whim, a monte cristo. I'd never eaten one, but I heard from many people that this place serves up one of the best and, figuring that I already felt like garbage, I ordered it.

For those who may not know, the monte cristo is a thick sandwich, filled with two types of cheese, ham, and turkey, and egg battered and... fried. Sometimes it's topped with powdered sugar and most I've seen are served with jam. So, this was a real departure from my no grains, no dairy diet. Like, miles away.

Well, I ate about half of the sandwich. It really was a work of art. The batter was thick, light, and crispy, unlike most fried foods you find anymore. But, I mean, it was... fried. And I haven't eaten anything that fried in who knows how long, so half plus a bite or two was all I could do. And it was quite yummy. Not something I could eat often, but probably an experience I should have at least once in my life.

Then, my stomach got super upset and I had to run off to the bathroom. When I came back, the other half of my sandwich was gone, and my husband had puffed up cheeks and canary feathers poking out of his mouth. Which was fine, because I was quite done with the sandwich!

For most of this week, I returned to my grain and dairy free diet. Thursday I made chicken soup and served it with sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches. I actually ate a fair bit of sourdough bread this week. I didn't enjoy the cheese much, though. I'm finding that typical cheeses like cheddar and colby jack aren't terribly pleasing to my palate anymore. They taste kind of... bland.

Anyway, I have been reconsidering dairy and grains in light of some podcasts I listened to, from Cheeseslave.com. I've read her blog off and on for a couple years now, and she's just recently started podcasting. I was quite suprised to hear her discuss with some of her guests the pitfalls of a paleo diet and it sort of got me thinking. It actually provided a nice counterpoint to a lot of the reading (and listening, and researching...) I've done over the past year.

The author of cheeseslave.com (maybe I'll just refer to her as cheeseslave from now on) advocates a traditional foods diet, a la Weston A Price. I won't go into the Weston A Price Foundation in this point, except to say that the diet they advocate focuses on traditional foods such as meat, animal fats, soaked and sprouted grains, cultured dairy and fermented foods. There is a fair bit of research around this (Weston Price's life work, or at least what he is most known for these days), but the diet is pretty controversial. Then again, what diet isn't controversial anymore?

So, I'm doing some research into this and have started eating grains and some dairy again, though I'll admit they are not the healthy grains and dairy recommended by WAPF. I've definitely noticed a difference in how I feel, too, and I can't say it's all good.

Anyway, this is probably long enough for now! Expect more to come in the way of traditional foods and my experiments with recipes and a new way of eating.

The iodine experiment

2010-03-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

After a fair bit of research, I've decided to start supplementing with iodine.

Iodine is a necessary micronutrient which many people believe we don't get in sufficient amounts in our diets, due to soil depletion, absorption of heavy metals and halogens, and the fact that about 1/2 of home cooks no longer use iodized salt.

Iodine is required by many organs and glands in your body, most notably the thyroid and reproductive organs.

I'm using a product called Iosol, which is a water soluble form of iodine that also contains iodide (your body requires both iodine and iodide). One drop contains 1830 mcg of iodine, roughly 1200% of the RDA. However, many Japanese consume 13 mg of iodine on a consistent basis with no ill effects.

I took my first dose today. I'm starting with one drop in a glass of Emergen-c in the morning. I couldn't taste the iodine at all, luckily. I didn't notice much in the way of effects except for a very slight metallic taste in my mouth and slightly increased amounts of saliva, neither of which were unpleasant. Within the first hour of taking it, those effects diminished.

I'll be updating about how things are going with the supplementation. In the meantime, here are some further resources on iodine supplementation.

Two podcasts with Dr. Jorge Flechas

Jimmy Moore interviews Dr. Flechas (appx 50 mins)

Nora Gedgaudas of Primal Body, Primal Mind features a guest on thyroid and iodine

Dr. Brownstein, article on iodine supplementation

Iodine and halogens

Meh

2010-03-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well, the apple crisp was absolutely delicious. After I ate it, however, I didn't feel so hot. I had a second serving today (because I'm stupid) and I felt just fine. !#$&%!

I am not feeling well in general. I noticed last week that I was getting some abdominal pain in what is probably my right ovary. It was mild but persistent when sitting down, and I have the, *ahem* privelege of sitting down all day at work so it kept up that whole time. It continued through most of the weekend and is back today, slightly more painful than before. I am also just generally experiencing a lot of pain. Weird pain here and there... wrists, back, arms, legs. I don't know what's up. If the abdominal pain persists I'll probably go see the doctor.

The next step

2010-02-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it's unanimous in my household. Back to no grains, no dairy.

I went out to breakfast with my husband yesterday and he mentioned that he felt better eating the 'way we were before', meaning that he felt like crap this week since we've been eating like crap. It's rare for him to really mention something like this, so that was my indication of what direction I need to move in.

And I totally agree with him. With the exception of some odd general malaise* I mentioned in the last post, I felt better without the grains and dairy. Even with the weekend treats and a little sugar here and there. The remarkable thing, though, is that when we eat well, my husband rarely if ever has to use his inhaler. Over the last week he's had some wheezing and stuffiness and has used it a lot more. I've had stuffiness, and a return of a little acne. This is not entirely surprising, since I've often heard that cutting out sugar and grains can improve asthma, but it's surprising that my husband noticed and mentioned it ;)

*regarding the 'general malaise', I am pretty sure as I previously mentioned that this is due to some change in my thyroid function. Since I was never clinically hypothyroid anyway, I'm going to try getting off my thyroid medication (I take Thyroid-s in lieu of Armour, since Forest Pharmaceuticals decided that they would change Armour into a placebo and my pharmacy decided they would stop dispensing it *rolls eyes*). I'm a little nervous about this prospect, since I experienced such an awesome improvement in my life when I started Armour a couple years ago. It literally changed my life and almost entirely rid me of depression. But, I've been having this nagging feeling lately that it's time to try going off it.

So, I've decided to try supplementing with iodine, specifically Iosol. It's also supposed to be great for PCOS. Looking at my diet, I realize I eat hardly any iodine containing foods, and I cut iodized salt out of my diet many years ago. I'm probably getting next to no iodine. I also have been feeling like my use of thyroid medication could be causing some side effects, such as elevated blood pressure. I wish my doctor was more on board with this aspect of my care, because I'd really like to get some labs run to see where my levels are at so I'd have some data to reinforce my suspicions. Perhaps I'll try making an appointment.

Rest assured, I will definitely be posting about my experiences with Iosol and weaning off my thyroid meds.

On a completely different subject I made another apple crisp tonight. No finished pictures yet but it's in the oven right now. It's not entirely paleo with 7 teaspoons of organic cane sugar and 1/4 cup of gluten free oats, but I felt it was a decent compromise. I also made ghee to put in the topping, since normal apple crisp calls for butter in the topping. I could've substituted coconut oil but I wanted to give the ghee-making a try. If you wanted to make this entirely paleo, you could always sub in more almond flour for the oats, use honey or apple juice for the sweetener, and use coconut oil in place of the ghee.

Almost Paleo Gluten Free Apple Crisp:

Filling:
4 apples, peeled, cored, sliced
1 tsp sugar or sweetener of choice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp macadamia nut oil

Topping:
1 cup blanched almond flour
1/4 cup certified gluten free oats
1 heaping tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup butter, made into ghee (heat on stove until milk solids separate then skim them off and discard)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all filling ingredients and place in glass baking dish. Combine all dry ingredients for topping, then add wet ingredients. Mix until blended and slightly crumbly. Spoon over filling. Place in oven and bake for appx 45 mins, until apples are soft.

The milk solids I skimmed off the ghee. I tasted this out of curiosity and got quite a shock. I guess the majority of the salt from the butter remains in the milk portion... yuck.

The crisp before baking

Tales of grains and dairy

2010-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Last week we took a trip to visit my father in law. I've always found traveling to be difficult with pretty much any type of dietary restriction but even more so when cheese, bread, and milk are out of the picture and protein is the main staple in your diet.

I tried to plan some stuff out beforehand... I took a load of macadamia nuts with me, several oranges, a couple apples, some uncooked chicken, a sweet potato, and some mayo. I did great up until Sunday at lunch, when I found myself in a seafood restaurant where almost all of the lunch options were breaded and fried.

On a whim I ordered the 'oyster burger'. I'm not usually a fan of cooked oysters, and these ones were pretty heavily breaded in panko and fried. They also came on a thick bun, so I obviously made a bad choice.

I figured one of two things would happen... I'd either feel like crap or I would feel fine. Even though I vowed not to order the oyster burger again, I ended up feeling fine. And the rest of the weekend went well! I ate at Red Robin and had a lettuce wrapped burger and some fries. I ate at Sizzler and had a really, really overcooked steak with broccoli and salad (ordered rare and delivered burnt and well done. Maybe next time I'll tell them not to cook it at all and they'll get it right?), and we ate at a diner where I ordered a chicken sandwich with ham, turkey, bacon and a side salad.

But things have been a bit of a disaster since we got back. I had no meal plan in place for this week so our meals have been sub-par and on a whim. I haven't made the best choices. In fact, I've deliberately made bad choices. Sunday I made rice pasta with italian sausage and tomato sauce. Monday we had peppered beef with roasted potatoes. But we've also had frozen pizza, frozen apple pie, donuts, Hostess pie and mexican food (cheese, beans, grains, chips).

Even though I was eating on plan before we left on our trip, I felt awful while we were gone. I can't really connect this with the way I was eating, so I think something else was going on. I also didn't get the usual mood boost I get after my cycle ends. If I connect this with some other weird things that have been going on (pain, fatigue, really foggy head and spaceyness, bone pain, toothaches, and a general feeling that I'm falling apart), I'm beginning to think that staying off of grains and dairy helped my thyroid become more active, decreasing the need for the medication. Initially I thought that I was deficient in calcium due to not eating any dairy, but I'm starting to think that was incorrect.

So, I don't know what the next step is. I'm going to get back on no grains no dairy starting today and I guess I will decide from there how to proceed.

Results of baking experiment and more

2010-02-11T17:37:00.001-08:00

Gosh, it's been a long time since my last post! Mostly that's because things have been going along just fine. I am still avoiding dairy and most grains. I do think I've been having a few too many treats here and there, though, and I know I need to rein that in. I am pretty sure the cravings are due to PMS, though.

Speaking of PMS, it's been relatively mild this month and I am very thankful for that. I am definitely attributing it to the way I'm eating because last month was basically hell, and I can tell that I'm a lot more even tempered and mellow this month.

I've 'slipped' a couple times on the no dairy, no grains, but in keeping with my goal of making this a lifestyle change I'm not making a huge deal out of it. The dairy slip was a slice of cheese that melted onto my Carl's Jr. burger patty before I could get it off (long story... ugh. But, honestly, it was 'American' cheese, so how much milk does it really have anyway?), and the grains came in the form of corn tortillas I ate last week and this week with my pork tacos. As I mentioned in a previous post, I also had a teeny serving of rice a couple weeks ago. Other than that, it's been no dairy and no grains for me.

So, on to the baking experiment. I made this the weekend before last and meant to post it sooner but I procrastinated. I opted not to do a baking experiment last weekend because this one was, uh... delicious, and actually had a lot of sugar even though I only added relatively small amounts of honey.

If I were to do this again, I definitely would put the chocolate in between the layers and put the fruit on top, since most of it spilled out of the cake. The presentation is sub par but for a dairy free, grain free cake, this was delicious!

Also, I did prefer the texture of this cake to a straight coconut flour cake (which can seem rubbery if you ask me), but don't expect the texture to be like regular cake. It's dense, almost like cornbread. The flavor is good, though!

Chocolate cherry cake, adapted from this recipe at elana's pantry

2 cups blanched almond flour
¼ cup coconut flour
½ teaspoon sea salt
10 eggs
6 oz honey
1tablespoon vanilla extract
½ cup cherry filling, or fruit filling of your choice (see below)
1 batch vegan chocolate frosting (I used honey in place of the agave and walnut oil in place of grapeseed oil)

In a medium bowl, combine flours and salt
In a larger bowl, whisk together eggs, honey and vanilla
Whisk flours into egg mixture until well blended
Spray sides of cake pans with nonstick spray and line bottoms with parchment paper
Divide cake batter evenly between pans
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes
Remove from oven when cakes are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
Cool cakes for at least one hour
Run knife around cake to loosen from pan, remove from pan and peel off parchment
Place bottom layer on a cake plate and spread with filling
Place top layer on cake and frost entire cake with chocolate frosting

For cherry filling:
simmer a 10oz bag of frozen cherries and 1/4c apple juice until soft
puree cherries in a blender or food processor
put cherries back into pan and continue to simmer
combine 1/4c apple juice and 2 tsp of arrowroot powder. stir til smooth.
slowly add arrowroot mixture to simmering cherries until the mixture starts to thicken
remove from heat and cool until needed

the ingredients

pans and parchment

ready for the oven

cooling

the filling

right before all the filling spilled over the sides!

the finished product

The right diet leads to more daily maintenance and I announce this weekend's baking experiment.

2010-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

For the last few days I've been thinking, "my nails are getting pretty long... I should cut them!" Then two nights ago in the shower the same thought was followed by, "wow, they seem to be growing really fast... I really need to trim these things off before I poke my eye out!"

I've always had pretty healthy natural nails. Occasionally they will break, but for the most part they are strong, long and have been the object of envious glances from some women, usually ones with acrylics.

I used to do things with them as a teen (some things I don't want to admit to, such as growing out a long crack nail, piercing it with a hot paperclip and making jewelery for it) but lately they have just been a nuisance. Even more so now that they seem to be growing out of control! I guess it's probably all the protein I'm eating...

This weekend's baking experiment involves blanched almond flour. I'm going to make a vanilla cake with cherry filling and dark chocolate frosting. If it goes well I'll post the recipe!

Grains trial

2010-01-27T19:50:00.000-08:00

I've been just over 2 full weeks with no grains and no dairy, and I'm feeling pretty awesome most of the time. I had planned a small trial of some brown basmati rice with dinner tonight and so far I haven't had any stomach upset or anything, but I noticed that even though I ate 6 oz of meat, a cup of veggies, plenty of fats, and 1/2c of rice for dinner, I'm hungry again. Right now it's about an hour after dinner.

To me, that's an indicator that I got an insulin spike from the rice. I ate the same meal last week with some sweet potato and had no problems. So, even though I had already packed my lunch for tomorrow (a repeat of dinner) I took it all out, threw away the rice, and replaced it with my usual 3 oz sweet potato.

I guess I'm not ready to go back to grains yet :(

That's okay though. I'm really enjoying most of the food so far, I'm not usually hungry, I have few if any cravings, my moods have improved a LOT, I'm exercising fairly regularly and I'm seeing some weight loss.

No complaints here. I never, ever thought I would say this, but I don't even miss the dairy or grains! And to be honest, I like eating sweet potato with my meals more than I enjoyed the rice, hehe.

Summary of the week

2010-01-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

Food: Went well! I am sticking with the guidelines I set out to follow. I'm almost a full 2 weeks without grains and dairy. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. I've eaten a lot of sweet potatoes to keep my carbs between 80 and 120 grams. I tend to feel best in that range. Next week I'm going to see how I feel adding a small amount of rice back in. I know I'm not ready to attempt wheat or dairy yet. Maybe I never will be... I think I feel better without those foods. I do miss the dairy, though!

I'm eating between 2000 and 2200 calories most days. I feel satisfied, and I don't really have much in the way of cravings. I did crave sugar and candy briefly the other day, and tonight I made cream cheese frosting for half of the coconut flour carrot cupcakes I made and it looked delicious, but I didn't even sneak a taste. Other than those two instances I have not craved sugar or junk.

Exercise: I had planned out 5 days of workouts last Sunday, and I completed most of them but rearranged some things a bit. The plan was Monday through Friday walk 60 minutes in the morning before work, and each evening a short strength workout. This is how the week shaped up...

Monday - 45' walk, 3x5 back squat
Tuesday - skipped all together due to feeling sick but caught up strength Weds
Wednesday - 35' run plus walking to total 45 mins, 3x5 deadlift, 3x5 press
Thursday - skipped in favor of sleep
Friday - skipped out of laziness, caught up Sat
Saturday - planned rest day, but did 60' walk, 3x5 overhead squat, snatch practice

So, based on this week I know that I need to keep concentrating on getting enough sleep, and just be disciplined enough to do the planned workouts. I am loving the strength workouts, though. I feel so good when I am done!

Other than the food and exercise, I am still meal planning. Another thing I love that makes my life easier. It really saves me from agonizing over what to make at the end of the day when I'm already tired and don't feel like cooking. With the meal plan and a little prep on Sunday afternoon, I'm good to go except for cooking and cleanup for the rest of the week. I have posted next week's mealplan. I'm going to try for a little less chicken in the menu this week.

Quick check-in

2010-01-21T20:59:00.000-08:00

I've wanted to post the last couple days but it seems like I've been 'busy' a lot.

This week I started a workout schedule. I've deviated from it a little, but only one day was out of laziness.... the other was because I felt sick.

The goal was a 60 minute walk in the morning Monday through Friday, and a short strength session each night (alternating muscle groups). I completed 45 minutes of walking Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (and I plan on going tomorrow morning), and strength Monday and Wednesday. Wednesday's strength session combined what I missed on Tuesday, too.

A little sore, but am so far mostly enjoying it. I LOVE lifting weights!

The food is going well, too. I've successfully avoided grains, dairy, and most sugar except for a little honey. I'm eating quite a bit of vegetables, for me, anyway.

The only thing that's really getting me is that I feel like I'm getting sick. Sometimes I'll get a sore throat, or my ear will start hurting. Most days I'll get a headache in the afternoon, even though I'm eating balanced meals. Today I felt just generally in pain. I had a toothache for about an hour, and some shooting pains in my arms and hand, and I feel achey. Right now I feel just generally unwell. I'm not sure what's going on, but it's definitely frustrating.

Well, off to bed so I can get as close to 8 hours as possible, then to the gym in the morning!

Tales of rare beef and baked apples

2010-01-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

I feel freaking awesome today!

I cooked at home all weekend (except for breakfast today) and even though it was a bit of a pain at times I may be getting the pay off today. I feel great!

Last night for dinner I made rib eye steaks and green beans, and for dessert I made an apple crisp with 4 huge braeburn apples, cinnamon, coconut flour, almond meal, and not quite an ounce of honey. The steak was almost mooing. Sooo delicious.

For breakfast this morning we went out and I had 2 eggs overeasy and a dish of blueberries and apples.

I updated the sidebar with this week's menu plan =)

More improvements, and paleo dieters come out of the woodwork -- finally.

2010-01-16T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last night's Lemon halibut and sides. Amazing!

Every day I can feel my guts normalizing, and all the other uh... gut functions... seem to improving, too.

Most days my energy levels are pretty even. I attribute this to the fact that I'm not overeating carbs, but am spreading out a reasonable level of carbs throughout all meals.

I've stopped the potato at night, in favor of 2 to 3 ounces of sweet potato with lunch and dinner. So far, so good.

I was amazed and elated to see this post, by Richard Nikoley at Free the Animal, in which he bravely admits to experiencing some issues which he attributes to the paleo lifestyle.

When I tried (and failed) switching to paleo last April, and then my attempt with low carb, and most recently my third attempt at paleo, I searched high and low to find someone, anyone who was experiencing similar problems (thyroid downregulation, depression, digestion, etc). Almost everyone I encountered vehemently defended the lifestyle. No one would admit that maybe they had a little trouble adapting to it or, like me, couldn't last more than a couple weeks without experiencing a physical and mental meltdown. I knew there must be someone out there... maybe the were all hiding?

But diet has become a fair bit like radical religion. We faithfull follow the plan we want so desperately to believe in, and even if we experience problems along the way, once we make up our mind that it's the right way we are willing to die for it.

Maybe that's little dramatic, but there is truth to it. For many of us interested in nutrition and improving our health, Our Chosen Diet has become the golden calf.

Anyway, I generally find people who are nutrition oriented to be articulate and outspoken, and usually very well reasearched. Personally, I do a lot of research, understand the concepts, and know how to apply them, but lack in the communication, discussion, and debate part. Maybe there are other people out there like me, who have experienced problems transitioning to a paleo or low carb lifestyle but are afraid to speak out for fear of being squashed by the outspoken, articulate majority.

Look for next week's menu plan soon.

Dinner success

2010-01-14T20:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight's dinner was Macadamia and herb crusted chicken, garlic green beans, and a potato (sweet potato for me).

It was a hit! My husband went nuts over it and I thought it was pretty darn good too. It was nice to have something delcious after last night's awful experience =)

My picture taking skills leave a little to be desired, but you get the idea.

Starting over. Yes, so soon.

2010-01-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

I listen to a lot of low carb propaganda. I enjoy listening to low carb propaganda, and nutrition research, and I have a twisted side of me that enjoys hearing about how we have not evolved to eat grains and how loads of fat and meat and veggies is the best way to eat and on and on....

The original name for this blog was 'Paleo for PCOS' because I was going to chronicle my experience with a strict 30 day paleo diet and write about how much better I feel not eating grains and keeping my carb intake low, and some big miraculous change was supposed to happen and guess what?

Not gonna happen.

And right now I'm just going to squash any murmurings about how long it takes for your body to adapt to burning fat for fuel instead of carbs, how you feel awful until it does, how you can feel 'so fabulous' eating low to no carbs, how grains contain addictive substances and I'm probably just experiencing withdrawal, how your body doesn't need carbs to function, how your body actually prefers to burn ketones instead of glucose....

I've heard it all. I even believe most of those things are true for a majority of folks. But for me? Not here, not now.

There is a disconnect between head knowledge and what my body is telling me. My body tells me that I feel best eating a small, reasonable portion of starchy food with meals, alongside a nice serving of protein and a generous serving of vegetables and some fat. I walk away feeling satisfied, I enjoy my meal more. I can lose weight eating (some types of) grains. I know because I have done it before.

My body also tells me that when I don't eat at least some starchy foods with meals I become bitchy, moody, depressed, and overly sensitive. I know this because in the last year I have tried to eliminate grains 3 times and twice I have become an obsessive, depressed, ready-to-snap-at-any-moment monster and the other time I got a bladder infection and my digestive tract hit the 'stop elimination' button.

Granted, my body is messed up. My unhealthy body has led to an unhealthy mind, which doesn't regulate my moods and hormones very well.

I know that I feel better with exercise, because last year when I was CF'ing, I felt awesome most of the time. That is, until I tried eliminating grains.

For now, I'm going to follow some very basic food rules which I will list in a later post. Rules which I know will allow me to stabilize my moods, even if I don't lose weight right away.

Then, I'm going to focus on creating a regular habit of varied exercise.

I will not get distracted by macronutrient ratios, flashy programming, how many calories I'm eating or improving my (insert WOD here) time.

I want to lay a rock solid nutritional foundation that allows me to feel like a stable person and develop healthy exercise habits.

New, more basic plan coming soon.

Broth, mayo and Day 3 check-in

2010-01-13T16:44:00.000-08:00

I made broth on Sunday and yesterday I tried for the second time ever to make homemade mayonnaise.

Success on both counts!

The first time I attempted to make mayo I tried a recipe that included coconut oil. It kinda seized up and got weird and almost rubbery. Yuck.

For the second attempt I used a recipe that called for olive oil, walnut oil and/or flax seed oil. I used a combination of olive and walnut. It's delicious! I've never much of a fan of mayo, and even less so since I stopped eating soy. ALL mayo you can get in the regular grocery store is made with sub-par, probably rancid and chemically deodorized oils, usually soybean. Even the health food store stuff, like safflower mayo, just doesn't taste great. This was easy, and with the help of my food processor, in a couple minutes I had delicious, creamy, fresh tasting mayonnaise.

Well, I'm on day 3 of my eating plan. Yesterday and today I have been absolutely ravenous at different points during the day. Today I had a 7 ounce piece of chicken for lunch and a fair bit of asparagus in olive oil and lemon, and an hour later my stomach started to growl. Soon, I was so hungry I could hardly concentrate.

I think I'm craving fat. I am going to try not restricting my fat so much (haha, even though I eat a lot more fat than many 'dieters' do) and seeing if it helps my hunger. If not, I'll stick with moderate fat and try adding a small serving of sweet potato or regular potato at lunch and breakfast... maybe 2 ounces.

When I got home I had my planned 1/2 an apple and 2 (er, make that 3...) ounces of almond butter... the 'grind it yourself kind'. I am not 'full', but the hunger has calmed down significantly. Yummy fats.

Omega 3 mayonnaise (from The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility)

1 tbsp lemon juice
1 whole egg
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup flaxseed oil
1/3 cup walnut oil
(or any combination of these oils to equal 1 total cup of oil)

Put lemon juice, egg, and mustard into a blender or food processor. Blend for 5 seconds. With the blender or processor on low, slowly add oils in a thin stream. Blend until mayo is thick. Store in a sealed container for up to 7 days (I think this is pushing it... I'd try to use it by 5 days at most)

The mayo and broth may have been a success, but I seem to be striking out with meals this week. I think tonight was the biggest failure and I was so disappointed I had a bit of a breakdown. I've just been so hungry the last couple days and I was really looking forward to having some beef. The cut of beef I chose was uh... not the most tender cut, and I broiled it and it was just awful. Then the bok choy I made was not to my liking. I had half a potato instead. Overall, a huge disappointment.

I've noticed already, as I have previously when I cut out grains, that I seem to be way moodier and just bitchier than I usually am at this time of the month. I am still planning on sticking it out for 30 days if I can, but as I mentioned above I think I'll add small servings of potatoes back into my plan. When I do eat grains again, gluten free steel cut oats and whole grain rice will be the first on the list. I do really well with rice... I don't have a problem overeating it unless it's the white stuff, and I enjoy oatmeal. I've never noticed any bad reactions from these foods and sometimes I feel really great when I eat them. I think the key will be keeping my portions small.

With how I'm feeling right now I really want to give up. I'm majorly disappointed that it seems like no matter how I eat my body is not liking it. I'm bitchy and emotional right now, at a time of the month when I usually feel pretty good. I've been ravenous lately. But on the other hand I have felt more even at work (most of the time) and it feels like maybe my brain isn't quite as foggy as it has been.

For now I'm going to go ahead and stick with it. I'll keep posting about how I'm feeling.

Day 1 check-in and a peek at my disorganized thoughts

2010-01-11T18:42:00.001-08:00

Well. My first day is coming to a close. Right now I am debating the merits of aiming for slower change instead of trying to change a bunch of stuff at once. Some things went really well today and some things didn't.

The good:
didn't experience much 'true' hunger today
no afternoon headache, which has been plaguing me for several weeks
felt more mentally 'clear', though this could be related to my cycle

The bad:
ate way more fat than I was aiming for. I had planned my second snack to be 1/2 an apple and 2 oz of chicken. Instead of the chicken I ate 1.5 oz of macadamia nuts. =\
by the time the day is up I will have gone over my carb allowance by about 30 grams, and will be under my protein goal by about 20 grams.

So, I am not sure where to go from here. Part of me wants to just say, "well, at least I'm avoiding grains and dairy" but then I am upset with myself for missing my macronutrient goals.

I feel conflicted and confused, like perhaps I am still approaching things as a 'diet' that I will end up going off of rather than as a lifestyle change.

Here's what I think:
having small servings of carbs from fruit and veg throughout the day really helped keep my head clear, so I will stick with that.

eating the leaner meats and having most fats from nuts and olive oil helped my mental state, so I want to keep that.

eating a lot of lean protein helped keep me full.

eating more veggies is good for me!

I need to work on eating fewer nuts since they really threw me off my goals today.

I still want to try a full month off of grains and dairy.

So, based on those things, tomorrow I will:
stick with 12 grams of carbs per meal/snack from veggies and limited fruits
stick with my protein goals
have 1 oz or less of macadamia nuts
have no grains or dairy

Still have dinner to eat tonight, and I will probably have 1/2 a potato before bed =)

The Plan

2010-01-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

The nutrition plan I've come up with is mostly paleo, with allowances for an occasional potato to keep up my serotonin levels. I'll be eating a gram of lean protein per pound of body weight, so about 180 grams, 60 grams of carbohydrate foods spread throughout the day, and approximately 50 grams of fat coming primarily from olive and nut oils.

I've also come up with a dinner menu plan for the entire week. I'll post that in the sidebar weekly. The potatoes/rice you see listed are for my husband :)

I know I'm going to have a challenge with avoiding grains and especially dairy. I've heard from many different sources that the foods we are often so devastated to think of giving up are often the ones we have sensitivities to and need to avoid the most. Grains and dairy products definitely fit the bill for me.

About me and what I have tried in the past

2010-01-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

Hi! I am a 27 year old woman with PCOS and I plan to use this blog primarily to chronicle my journey to better health and reduction of symptoms through proper nutrition and supplementation.

Basically, I want to kick some PCOS butt with lifestyle changes.

Like most people I have a long and extensive history of trying different things, sometimes successfully, and sometimes not so much. My most recent 'success' was losing 20 lbs last year through lots of exercise (CrossFit!) and mostly moderate diet changes. I have gained about 15 of that back since I stopped CF a couple months ago, and a lot of the more unpleasant symptoms of PCOS have come back with a vengeance.

Initially, I created a blog to chronicle my attempt at 30 days of The Paleo Diet (eliminating all grains, sugar, dairy, and most starches. The diet relies on mostly lean protein and vegetables), but the longer I thought about it the more apprehensive I became. Technically a Paleo diet would exclude potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams, but I feel really good eating limited quantities of those foods. More about that later.

In the past I have tried a 30 day Paleo challenge and by day 18 I was depressed and exhausted. I also attempted a low carb diet in December and by day 18 I was fatigued, dizzy, depressed, and ended up with a UTI. I have not been able to figure out exactly why 2 1/2 weeks seems to be my sticking point with low carb diets. At first I thought that it was affecting my thyroid, since the symptoms I experienced the first time around made me feel like I did before I started thyroid medication. The second time around I thought perhaps it was low potassium, since I was eating a very low level of carbs (< 20 g), but supplementing with potassium didn't help.

My current theory is that at about 2 1/2 weeks into a low carb diet my serotonin decreases significantly and I begin to experience symptoms of depression. Since a serving of simple carbohydrates will shuttle tryptophan (the amino acid that makes serotonin) across the blood-brain barrier where your brain can actually use it, I've decided to keep limited quantities of potatoes with skin and sweet potatoes in my diet. I've also started taking 100mg of 5-htp at night to help build up my levels of tryptophan and serotonin.

So, that's a little of what I've tried during the last year. I've heard but never really realized until this most recent failure, that every time you 'yo-yo' the weight comes back on easier. Well, I can tell you that the symptoms also get worse.

I have many of the physical symptoms of PCOS, though a lot of the things that really trouble other women aren't actually that bad for me. I have some abnormal hair growth, but it's mild. I have acne, but it's usually pretty mild. My periods are mostly regular. I have cysts, insulin resistance, and obesity (especially in my midsection). Pretty much all of my sex hormones, stress hormones, and thyroid hormones are out of balance.

But probably the worst part of the syndrome for me is how it affects my moods and my brain function. Most of this is probably related to the hormone imbalance. Anyone who's ever experienced this will tell you how miserable it is to have crazy hormones. At any given time I may be depressed, uncontrolably angry, completely unmotivated, unable to make a decision, unable to concentrate, unable to focus. It's the mental symptoms that are the most humiliating for me. Sometimes I have a difficult time understanding the most simple things. The 'lightbulb over the head' doesn't often turn on for me.