PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
I finally, after years, feel like I know what I'm doing for PCOS to get it under control. I'm on 2000mg Metformin/day. And most recently I was inspired to get back on a low-carb, South Beachy diet (just finished "day 2" although i'm by no means a literalist when it comes to the word of The SBD Book). And I've got gym classes I really like.
This is my general game plan. I want to get down to what I consider a healthy weight, smack dab in the "normal" range for BMI for my height (155). As it is I need to lose 40lbs (ticker is outdated...whoops). This should happen in the next two years or so, because I want to get pregnant before age 29 or 30 to increase odds of conceiving.
However, I've got other issues going on right now.
Cholesterol: Since September, I've been ordered to lower my cholesterol through diet (a vegan diet was recommended) and exercise. I've written about this in other posts, but my cholesterol apparently shot up because of (or partly due to) the Yaz BCP I was on. I'm now on some completely different BCP, and have been ehhh sorta kinda doing vegan but for the most part being conscientious of my satfat/chol intake. Not so much with the exercise. My doc told me that by NOVEMBER, I should go get a cholesterol screen because if it wasn't down to better levels, I'd have to go on a cholesterol drug.
THIS IS MY WORST FEAR EVER.
I am on sooo many pills a day now (also for blood pressure, see below). I am not a senior citizen yet but my prescriptions say otherwise. I have heard terrible things about cholesterol drugs. But for some reason, it's now JANUARY, almost Feb, and i haven't been to get the cholesterol screen. I need some motivation. This is partly due to the fact that my insurance is different now, and I haven't had to use it at all and I hate dealing with bureaucracies, but I'm also scared of what the results will be since I haven't been perfect about a vegan diet and awesome exercising. I need a nudge.
The other thing: Blood pressure. I've been in limbo between doctors/insurances and my prescription for the Atenolol I've been on pre-PCOS diagnosis is about to run out. Like, within a few weeks. For similar reasons as the cholesterol, I haven't made a doc appt to figure out what should be done. I don't regularly check my BP, and I have no idea if the pills are still doing anything, or what. Getting a new, or renewed, Rx involves figuring out how to use my insurance, finding a reputable doctor that is cheap enough for me, and someone who actually understands all of these complex issues INCLUDING my BP, cholesterol, birth control and PCOS needs. Who the **** specializes in that?? I should mention I'm a student and beholden to whatever the crappy student insurance through my university will pay for.
I know that BP and Chol are all tied into PCOS and weight and everything, so part of me is stalling because I wanted to wait till I actually made a substantial improvement in my weight loss. That hasn't happened in months (lots of life factors involved -- aka, excuses). My other big excuse is that I'm crazy busy, and these things take time and careful planning.
Words of encouragement, similar experiences with BP or Cholesterol, anything that will get me motivated, would be wonderful!!!!
TL;DR - I need a swift kick in the behind to make doctor's appointments and figure everything out so I don't have a stroke or something stupid.
Now stop being silly. And I mean that in the gentlest of ways!
You can know BP today! Go to the grocery, stick you arm in the machine, and bam. There's your blood pressure for free. At least good enough to give you a sense of where you are at. Stop smoking, lower sodium in diet, weight loss, exercise -- all that can help with BP so do what applies in your case.
This one will take a blood lab. Just "cholesterol" means nothing though. What is your HDL : LDL : Triglycerides? You can get that done with your GP -- it's just a blood draw. Don't be afraid of it. It gives you your starting point so you can see how you've improved.
It's the ratio of HDL and LDL that matters. The links give tips for how to improve both -- mainly better diet and exercise. This is all stuff you can start to do now.
Triglycerides is usually where the PCOS people get all weird. Insulin resistance can cause high tri's. So can too many carbs -- the caution in a veg*n diet. Bump up the leafies, play down the starchies.
High tri's person may even be the PCOS patient that is also Syndrome X. (Guess who? Me!) Do not be discouraged if this is you too. I've done the veg*n thing and it does help the lab numbers and while mine are still high tri's, I kick myself for not having a starting number so I could at least see how much I improved!
I see my GP for most of my basics, and I see my endocrinologist for the PCOS specifics. I have them fax each other so they both have the full medical record.
Don't let these excuses mount up. I was a student once too -- I hit planned parenthood for the sliding scale pay that the university med center didn't have! Do what you can with what you've got and try to build on it as you go along. But get moving! Don't sit still doing NOTHING for yourself!
I'll add that I didn't have to go to a vegan diet because of my cholesterol, what I did have to do, however, is go lower carb than I was eating. I took most of the refined carbohydrates out of my diet entirely and now I only have them every once in a while.
My cholesterol went down to 116 (total), good HDLs, low LDLs, and my tris were down on the bottom of the scale.
Don't be afraid of your insurance. I highly recommend going to a reproductive endocrinologist to get your PCOS and other stuff treated.
Thank you all so much. babble - yes, I've heard of fish oil for cholesterol! thanks for reminding me. I will do some research on the best form to take and go get some (any suggestions? pills, oil, etc.?).
I've put it in my planner -- Thursday afternoon, when I've got a chunk of time, I will sit down and do all the necessary research regarding insurance and doctors I can see, and make the appointments no later than Friday. Whew! Feel better already.
Be careful with the fish oil, though, because it really aggravated my acne. I choose flax seed instead ... even though the Omega 3s are a little less concentrated, my face doesn't resemble pizza.
Also, you should really consider trying vegetarian before vegan. I had cut down significantly on my carbs for about 6 months, and then I just recently switched over to veg. The best thing about veg is that (a) veggie foods don't have cholesterol, and (b) my skin has cleared up dramatically. If you need more info about really sticking with the veg thing, you should check out the Vegetarian Chicks site. Even if you don't want to totally go veg, you can get some great ideas from them!
Little baby steps have added up to my radical diet changes ... they just kind of progress without you noticing.
You can do it! Each little step is one to be celebrated, because it's bringing you closer to your goals. PCOS makes things seem insurmountable sometimes, but you can win the fight I think it's just important to see some kind of progress to keep going.
(And don't worry, my prescriptions are enough for an 80-year-old as well, and I'm still in my mid-20s. I think that's just what we get with this delightful condition).
Be careful with the fish oil, though, because it really aggravated my acne. I choose flax seed instead ... even though the Omega 3s are a little less concentrated, my face doesn't resemble pizza.
Also, you should really consider trying vegetarian before vegan. I had cut down significantly on my carbs for about 6 months, and then I just recently switched over to veg. The best thing about veg is that (a) veggie foods don't have cholesterol, and (b) my skin has cleared up dramatically. If you need more info about really sticking with the veg thing, you should check out the Vegetarian Chicks site. Even if you don't want to totally go veg, you can get some great ideas from them!
Little baby steps have added up to my radical diet changes ... they just kind of progress without you noticing.
You can do it! Each little step is one to be celebrated, because it's bringing you closer to your goals. PCOS makes things seem insurmountable sometimes, but you can win the fight I think it's just important to see some kind of progress to keep going.
(And don't worry, my prescriptions are enough for an 80-year-old as well, and I'm still in my mid-20s. I think that's just what we get with this delightful condition).
Thank you! So I tried a modified veg diet (sorta) for a few months, since September. I'd eat no meat, but include fat free milk, yogurt, and egg whites, and occasional fish, which I figured fell within the acceptable limits for a "vegan" diet for the purposes of lowering cholesterol. Except I kept cheating with cheese, and the occasional burger (yeah). I was gaining weight (not a ton, but, 5 lbs in a few months) and was never full. Over the past few weeks I've started caring less about not eating animal products, as long as I am being very conscientious about the saturated fat levels (lean cuts/lowfat/nonfat dairy only). The thing I should have done was be really strict about that way of eating, then gotten the blood tests, to see if it did change my cholesterol, before switching back to this South Beachy, meat-included diet I'm doing now. But it sounds like it's different strokes for different folks...both the veg and carnivore sides can each find science to back up the claim that their way helps cholesterol. I just need to figure out what works best for me...and gaining weight while not eating meat wasn't working for me :-\
Interesting about the meat/fish oil & acne connection. I haven't had major skin problems since I finished Accutane about 5 or 6 years ago, but I'll pay attention now to how my skin behaves if I'm upping the meat intake. Thanks.
I've heard that flax works great. Has anyone heard of any good studies about the differences in efficacy between pill form of fish oil, oil form of fish oil, dietary flax seed, and dietary omega 3s in fatty fish and other foods? I know the body absorbs each of those differently but I don't know which one I should go with.
Need some encouragement...
back!
I think it's just important to see some kind of progress to keep going.
Thank you! So I tried a modified veg diet (sorta) for a few months, since September. I'd eat no meat, but include fat free milk, yogurt, and egg whites, and occasional fish, which I figured fell within the acceptable limits for a "vegan" diet for the purposes of lowering cholesterol. Except I kept cheating with cheese, and the occasional burger (yeah). I was gaining weight (not a ton, but, 5 lbs in a few months) and was never full. Over the past few weeks I've started caring less about not eating animal products, as long as I am being very conscientious about the saturated fat levels (lean cuts/lowfat/nonfat dairy only). The thing I should have done was be really strict about that way of eating, then gotten the blood tests, to see if it did change my cholesterol, before switching back to this South Beachy, meat-included diet I'm doing now. But it sounds like it's different strokes for different folks...both the veg and carnivore sides can each find science to back up the claim that their way helps cholesterol. I just need to figure out what works best for me...and gaining weight while not eating meat wasn't working for me :-\
