A lapse in judgment.

After doing so well I have had a month of going backwards. I blame no one but myself. I find myself again at square one. I have begun to struggle daily with keeping my diet in check. Working so many different shifts makes it difficult to stay on a good work out schedule and I tend to push it off. As discouraged as I am, I know that I can do it. I am thankful for the support of a very loving husband, an encouraging family and friends. Without them I would be more lost than I already am.

I am proud to say that I am still taking a healthy approach, it's just that I have added a few ingredients back into my daily eating habits. Although I thought that as long as I ate less I would be okay it has not been that case. So it's back to the basics. No sugars. No carbohydrates (ouch). Hopefully someday I can kick PCOS in the butt and live a healthy lifestyle.

So I tried making pizza...

I've been searching high and low for a good price on almond flour. In doing some research, I have found that it is higher in protein and less in carbohydrates than other gluten free flour alternatives. I was quite bummed when I kept finding small bags at high costs. My sister in law told me I could try Trader Joe's Almond meal. I was able to buy some on Sunday and was very excited to finally bake something (other than the gluten free box of cookies I made the other night I haven't done much baking since before being diagnosed).



I made a pizza crust that night from a recipe that I found online: http://www.cindystable.com/italian-style-pizza-with-almond-meal-crust/


Then I just added pizza sauce, grape tomatoes cut in half, and mozzarella cheese and rosemary. It wasn't too hard to make but I was a little disappointed in the taste. I hope next time I can add a little something more to make it taste better. If you have any suggestions let me know :) here is a picture of how it turned out (created via Picstich and Instagram)

Weight Loss

Losing weight is far from easy. In the last 3-5 years the weight that I put on was the "easy" part. High stress job, school and just plain old life threw curve balls at me. Before I knew it I was a lot heavier than I had been. It's been a complete miserable journey as I watched my body change. Although I would not consider myself a "workout nut" I didn't consider my lifestyle sedentary either. Yes, there were days that I didn't get off the couch but it wasn't every day. I've always tried to be somewhat active a few times a week. I would exercise on and off but never seemed to have enough time to be consistent. Then there was the late night snacks, or meals when I started working the night shift. I was constantly craving food, especially carbs because I wanted to "feel full." Of course there were always the fad diets that everyone would talk about, counting calories, diet pills and what not that would catch my attention, but nothing seemed to stick.

Last year I tried really hard to work out and eat less it only resulted in losing a few pounds and whole lot of disappointment. That was a 3 month process, and I struggled every day because I didn't feel like any changes were happening. When I quit trying as hard I gained it all back if not more. I became frustrated with the fact that I don't feel consistent with my weight loss and I wasn't seeing results as easy as I thought I would. When I finally was diagnosed and read up on PCOS it makes sense. What I was doing was okay, but for a person with PCOS it wasn't good enough. I need to try harder. I don't have an option.

Am I afraid of failure? Yes. Of course I am. Before I just wanted to lose the weight. But now I'm losing weight for a purpose. For my health. I want to live a long life. I want to be able to enjoy it. Being diagnosed with PCOS was my biggest wake up call. Change starts now and it's never too late to start.

In the past 3 weeks I have started to change my diet. I've quit eating carbohydrates such as pastas, rice, and most breads. I have avoided sugar as much as possible. And I have turned to lean protein, vegetables and have increased my fruit intake. I look at ingredients in food, I stay away from high fructose corn syrup and I have tried to cook simple and fresh. Of course with the holidays it was t perfect. There were a few cheat items that I sampled. Of course I don't want to be rude either and just not eat so instead I just ate less of it. I still crave treats and sweets. I miss eating rice and pasta, but I overall I feel much better. My stomach is less bloated and I don't ever feel overly full. The exciting thing? I'm liking foods like salads and lettuce wraps. My favorite snack is apples. Who would have thought? I still eat eggs and dairy though and I eat some red meat just not as often. I love the paleo diet recipes but I'm not sure that's the path I will take.

I can say that I've lost 10 lbs, I sure hope it stays that way and that I continue to lose weight. It's not easy but I know that it's for my health and that is what I want, better health and a better life.

Diagnosed: The Back Story of PCOS

I recently found out I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS is a common hormonal endocrine disorder in females. It is also known as the "Silent Killer" because there is not one test to diagnose it. PCOS can lead to more health risks such as diabetes type 2, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and heart problems. Because of this hormonal imbalance, women have multiple symptoms including weight gain, with a harder time losing it, infertility, irregular periods, sleep apnea, depression and many more.

 

As a recently diagnosed PCOS individual I would like to share tips and habits that help me overcome what I have and live a healthier lifestyle. Knowing what I have completely through me in a loop. However, it woke me up and I am trying my hardest to change how I eat and live so that I can enjoy life with my husband and hopefully someday a family.

 

Along with the ups, there will certainly be downs. In this blog I hope to show you that I am just a regular human being. I will struggle with making sure I get my exercise in. I will still crave the fast food and snacks that I know I cannot have. I would love the encouragement, constructive criticism and ideas from you, the readers.

Please feel free to find out more about PCOS via this blog, or through the internet! You only live once. I know that it is never too late to change.

For more information about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and support, here are a few of the many websites that I found quite helpful:

http://www.pcosfoundation.org/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001408/

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polycystic-ovary-syndrome/DS00423

http://www.pcosupport.org/

http://www.pcoschallenge.com/

http://www.soulcysters.com/