Hello, one and all!!
I’m 43, 5'3", diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 15 and I've always been active. I've been in the gym since I was 12 (I was a porkchop immediately out of infancy, according to pictures) From the age of 13, I walked to work (it was the 80s. Kids could work), school, the gym and anywhere else I needed to go, yet I was never thin and was always called fat and lazy. One endocrinologist actually told me to JUST CLOSE MY MOUTH!
In my very early 20s, I studied martial arts for 2 years (pre-babies), 6 days a week, 3.5 a day. Didn't lose a pound or an inch. My BFF was a personal trainer. She had me on a calorie restrictive, soy, vegan mess of an eating plan which I despised! I'm a carnivore, for the love of prime rib! And she took me running for about a year. Didn't lose a pound or an inch. Is the pattern emerging yet? The definition of insanity comes to mind.
FF to my mid 20s. I miraculously conceived my first child at 26, after repeatedly being told it would NEVER happen. And although I watched what I ate, I gained a good 40 pounds with that pregnancy.
At my wit's end and heavier than I'd ever been, I invested in my Bowflex Power Pro, picked up Suzanne Somers first 2 weight loss books and pretty rapidly lost those 40 pounds by properly food combining and I was hardcore. I stalled at 40 lbs but kept up the lifestyle change in hopes of finally being thin and I felt amazing! I still wasn't thin, but I got down to around 170 and with a lean body weight of 154 after 2 decades of strength training, I looked more like 140.
Then, my second child, whom I was never supposed to be able to conceive due to only one functioning ovary, rebelliously entered my life (screw Western medicine and the “doctors” it rode in on). My ovaries were suddenly no longer covered with cysts! Amazing!!
Working nights and an unsupportive, now ex-husband made it impossible to take care of my babies and continue Somersizing. So, the years went by. Divorce, accompanied with complete devastation and loss of appetite (I'm the polar opposite of a stress eater) led to a rollercoaster of weight loss (Under 500 calories a day…so not healthy), emotions and wondering which of my stored clothes fit me.
Fat…I mean fast forward to 2015. Suddenly, all of my wisdom teeth need to be extracted. At 43 years old. Long story short, I had a long, tough, miserable recovery. Dry socket, Trismus and mandibular paresthesia that now, more than 4.5 months later still hasn’t resolved. 6 weeks on the couch, unable to open my mouth more than a cm, therefore only able to eat mashed potatoes, puddings, scrambled eggs, custard, yogurt, hummus, etc.
I was barely eating, steadily gaining weight , on pain pills from the surgery and anxiety pills and probiotic pills, feeling like absolute crap, anxiety through the roof and then these rashes started showing up!! A belly rash was first, then it traveled to my side boob and the doctors just wanted to medicate me even more!! I lost my freaking mind!! I was taking back my life RIGHT then and there.
On August 21st, 2015, I cut out all grains, sugar, dairy, seeds, legumes and fruit for 30 days to detox. I started buying ghee instead of butter and started using my coconut oil more. By day 2, my anxiety vanished! I'm shocked and thrilled!
I start reading all about Paleo and kinda merged it with Somersizing. I was programmed to be afraid of bad combo foods, like nuts and avocados, so I only ate veggies and animal protein and I didn’t...lose...a...pound.
Okay…30-day detox done. Let’s add back in a little cheese and get back on the Bowflex 3 times a week. Only 3! Don’t overdue it, like last time. Maybe some oatmeal on workout days. Yeah, the oatmeal lasted a week. It didn't change how I felt, so I figure I didn't need the added insulin and kicked oatmeal back to the curb. I'm also walking up and down hill about 20 minutes every weekday. Gotta watch your cardio with PCOS. It can ****** the fat-burning process through your adrenaline and its BOOOOOORIIIIIING. Years upon years of hours upon hours of cardio with NO results has proven that to me
But wait! Whaaaat?? Too much protein can spike insulin?!?!? I’m not getting enough healthy fat?? HEALTHY fat, you say? Ok. Enter more coconut oil, uncured bacon with my eggs and let's try 1-2 ozs of macadamia nuts each day. Paleo YES, Somersizing no-no. Don’t care. My 43 yr old body doesn’t respond to food combining like it used to and macadamias are SUPER low on the GI and have a plethora of fiber, nutrients and the bestest, healthiest fat for your body and brain. In moderation, macadamias are my best friend.
Now, I refuse to get on the scale because it puts me in such a negative mindset if the number doesn’t go down, like it did 15 years ago when I was losing a pound a day for weeks on end! The scale is the devil! Stay away from it! Judge by how you feel and how your clothes fit.
Speaking of which...even with all my *****ing about not losing a pound, lo and behold! My clothes are getting loose, I’m getting little dents on either side of my belly button where I assume fat used to reside and my horrible anxiety, which has PLAGUED me since 11/2012, when a 20-yr old kid ran a red light and turned my life completely upside down, is GONE!! Gone, I tell you! Since day 2 with no sugars and grains, my anxiety is gone. No more sugar, no more grains, no more meds.
Oh yeah, I’ve been in ketosis now for a few weeks (75 fat /25 pro/5 carb...thanks fitday.com!) and although it’s painfully slow, the inches are creeping off and I feel fantastic!! . I get tired if I don’t get enough fat and calories for the day, which is tough with no appetite, which happens in ketosis, but I’ll pop a handful of macadamias or a couple of string cheese sticks and I’m good to go. I’m permanently l injured from the accident and the pain takes a lot outta me, too.
Best of luck to all of my PCOS sisters!! Don’t give up! I’ve made this my permanent lifestyle and I hope you all find success in whichever route best suits you!!
"We are the music makers...and we are the dreamers of dreams"