Keto Day, well... Ch- Ch- Ch- Ch- Chaaanges!

I've been following a low carbohydrate, spefically Ketogenic, diet since March 4th, 2017. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and I'm a slow loser coming in at a 10 lb weight loss just barely as of Thursday morning. 

My old jeans began feeling loose weeks ago, so I went online and found the next size smaller (my favorite brand are hard to find locally). They arrived Wednesday night. When I looked at them, I thought, "Damn, I forgot to get the curvy fit, these aren't going to work." I put them aside and went to bed feeling depressed. Thursday morning, I begrudgingly tried them on, and they fit PERFECTLY (the photo posted shows the difference between my old and new jeans).  That made my day!!!

And my week!!!

Thank goodness, because I needed it.

I recently gave up dairy products with the support of my OBGYN in hopes that it would have a positive effect on my menstrual issues.

Well, it didn't.

About 2 weeks ago, I increased my carbohydrate intake for 5 days to see if that would help (sometimes lady stuff responds negatively to big diet changes, like going super low low carb).

That didn't help either.

I called my OBGYN on Monday to problem-solve and she was not at work. Tuesday morning she called me and said she could see me in June... JUNE!!! I am hopping on a plane with my boyfriend next week for a trip East Coast and trust me, you don't want the girl problems I've got while flying.  I expressed this and was told she'd go see what other options were available.  About 15 minutes later I got another call; there was a miracle 11am cancelation!!!

At my appointment I was told that although my blood sugar levels all look good (and have for the last 10 years of annual bloodwork), it's not because they are good... it's because my pancreas is frickin' awesome, apparently. In other words, my pancreas is working harder than it should.  I also learned that I'm insulin resistant.

I have now been put on Metformin, a medication very familiar to a lot of folks with diabetes.  In addition to helping my body use insulin better, it should also have a positive impact on my girl issues. Yesterday was the first day that it didn't make me feel like hurling every other second, or sleeping like a hibernating bear.  With those side effects gone (for now, until further titration in 2 weeks), I'm feeling a bit less angry about it all.  I'm just not a fan of having to take medication... and still a little pissed that it took so long to figure this out despite my diligence in having annual blood panels done (because I know I'm high risk for diabetes).

Since eliminating dairy did no harm or good, I was told to reintroduce it into my diet or start taking a calcium supplement.  Since most vitamins/supplements cause severe vomiting for me... hellooooooo dairy!!!

Yogurt and cheese... I missed you. [Insert heart emoticon here.]

Also... I was instructed to increase my daily carbohydrate allowance from 20 grams to 50 grams, 40 at the very least.  So, this means I'm still following a low carb diet, just not strictly Ketogenic anymore.

If my OBGYN believes this in conjunction with the Metformin will help with my girl issues, I'm on board.

Of course I'll still hop on and blog periodically, because the adventures continue! 

Keto Day 36 - I am past the MONTH mark!

I have survived over a month following the ketogenic WOE (way of eating), and I'm feeling great!

The previous digestive issues I was plagued with for over 7 years have continued to be absent since day 2 of this new adventure, and boy am I grateful!

A friend requested that I share the recipe for some baked egg cups I made semi-recently (photo included in post); they were an improvement on some fairly bland ones I posted about previously.

Here you go, Tami!

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees, and spray non-stick spray inside your small containers of choice (ramekins, muffin tin, etc.). Whip 10 eggs, 2 Tblsp of pesto, 20 slices of hard salami (chopped into little pieces), and 1 cup of shredded cheese  (I used Mexican blend) in a large bowl. Pour contents into your little containers (it fit into 5 of my medium ramekins), and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Also, I want to brag on my wonderful boyfriend, Rick.  He made breakfast for us the other day (photos included in this post) and made my portion Keto-friendly.  He has not joined me in this way of eating, but he is very supportive of my shenanigans. Gosh, I love that man!

WARNING: I'm going to get really real about girl stuff for a second, so if you're squeemish, you might want to leave now.

No, seriously, I'm going to be very frank with what I share.

Turn away now or forever know too much about things women don't always freely discuss.

You were warned!

I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and unlike a large portion of ladies with PCOS who often don't have their periods for a long time... I struggle to get mine to go away.  A year ago, it was at its worst.  I hemorrhaged for over 2 months straight (anywhere from 2 to 6 cups of blood per day and golf ball sized clots).  I went through days where I could barely walk due to dehydration from bleeding so much and low iron levels, and ended up at an urgent care once and the ER three times because my doctor kept sending me there instead of seeing me herself.  Nothing and nobody had anything useful for me.

I ended up going to see a recommended OBGYN in town, desperate to just stop bleeding to death.  After being poked, prodded, tested, and examed, cancer and a few other things were thankfully ruled out. After high doses of Progesterone didn't stop the bleeding, I was put on a birth control pill.  That didn't work to stop or reduce anything until my OBGYN had me triple the dose for 3 days, then double it for 3 more days, then return to a normal regime. Holy hormone central, but it worked.

I have enjoyed a fairly normal menstrual cycle for the past year.  My periods are rough, but they have an ending... until I started this new way of eating.

You see, changes to one's diet can mess with one's hormones.  The ketogenic way of eating has been known to be really good for women with PCOS, because we have an extra difficult time letting go of weight.  It also is known to help get long-absent periods restarted again, and increase fertility.

I am not thinking about my fertility at this moment (future, yes, but not now), and I'm the last person who needs a period to restart! You know what has been going on? I had my period around the time I started this keto adventure... and it never stopped despite the birth control! Thankfully, it was just heavy spotting each day, so I've been patient. However, last week it changed, and it was last year's horrid adventure all over again. 

Thankfully, I thought to call my OBGYN and get her blessing to triple up on the pill again for 3 days, double for 2, and continue as normal if everything calmed down.  She approved, but said if it didn't work, I had to go see her again. Well, yesterday was day 3 of the triple dose, today is day 1 of the double dose, and I'm happy to announce that things are about 90% improved. 

I'm soooo grateful to be out of that crazy zone again.  After some reading, I believe it might have to do with dairy, which happens to be nicknamed "estrogen juice" among many of those with PCOS who are following the ketogenic way of eating.  Cheese is a very versatile high-fat and low/no carbohydrate resource... and I'm giving it up (along with all dairy products) as of this weekend.  Wish me luck!!

Never ask a woman about her weight...

Hello, my name is Joanna. I'm 25 years old and have had the unfortunate pleasure of being moo-ed at as a child and teenager. Thank goodness adults have moved beyond moo-ing at overweight people and have advanced themselves to visual body checks before delivering looks of distaste while we innocently pass through ice-cream sections at grocery stores simply on our way to get eggs and plain yogurt.

If you've ever "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" and understand what it's like to be on the ample side of things, please join me on my new journey of discovery. I theorize that through this journey I will finally discover what is really ailing my body while at the same time improving my health, image, outlook and so much more.

And now, some background information:

I work for a local non-profit agency writing treatment plans for mentally ill adults and had an interesting experience about 2 weeks ago. I was battling a cold and sneezed while nearing the end of a meeting with a client and he asked, "Want to know what to do about that?" I chuckled and answered, "Sure", thinking he was going to tell me something along the lines of needing to drink orange juice and sleep longer.

Well, he didn't.

This client looked at me and said, "You need to eat more vegetables and exercise. It will help you lose weight".

I picked my jaw up off the floor and, with the help of a clinician who was in the meeting with me, used this as light-hearted teaching opportunity. We talked to the client about social mores of interacting with women such as NEVER ASK A WOMAN ABOUT HER WEIGHT. Of a sound mind or not, most men have yet to understand or apply this.

What this client didn't know is that I am working on exactly what he was talking about... minus eating more vegetables. Yes, let me explain.

In December 2009 something I deem rather evil attacked my digestive system, prompted a friend to drag me to the emergency room, and I haven't been the same since. I've been tested for many things, and re-tested for half of them. One minute the gallbladder was ruled out, the next minute it was decided I had Biliary Diverticulitis and it was taken out. I've been poked, prodded, pushed... I've peed in cups, crapped in containers, been tested, tried and I'm tired. After a full recovery from the gallbladder removal (which helped the pain but did nothing for other symptoms), about 2 weeks ago my gastroenterologist gave me a "Joanna-shouldn't-eat-this" list to follow, hoping to settle my system down and give me a break from more testing for a while (Crohns is a suspect if that gives any perspective). I really should have asked him for a sticky-note with a list of things I SHOULD eat; it would have been a lot easier.

The left side of "The List" contained all dairy and dairy-related products (which includes bread, processed meats, pasta and a handful of unpronounceable ingredients to look for in packaged products). The right side of "The List" listed a huge number of fruits and vegetables as well as beans, legumes and garlic. My gastroenterologist added that if anything not on the list caused *ahem* issues, to avoid those too.

This boiled my diet down to rice and lean meat.

Now you understand why I'm not working on eating more vegetables. I haven't been able to enjoy vegetables for about 6 months; oh what I would do for a green salad.

These last 6 months have not only delivered multiple levels of pain and frustration... I dare say that I've grown rather depressed. Not that I'm a social butterfly, but I socialize less. I don't get excited about much, I prefer to be at work or home rather than out and about with friends... and I think I may be forgetting how to smile. I can barely drive to work and back without storming into a gas station bathroom with an "I have to go NOW" emergency let alone go on a road trips like I always love to do in the summers.

A few weeks ago, feeling like hope was going down the toilet... I made a choice that will change my life.

Goodbye rice! Goodbye lean meat! I've taken a trip to Alaska Premier Health and am starting a medically supervised diet utilizing the OPTIFAST plan.

I've spoken with my gastroenterologist about this and he is supportive. It will allow my system to get a break while I also drop some weight, which is always beneficial to other health concerns. During the time of the diet where healthy foods are reintroduced, I will be working closely with my gastroenterologist to monitor what does and does not irritate my system so we can hopefully find more answers.

I began the program on Thursday June 24th. I will post again after my weigh-in next week. Wish me luck!



Stay tuned for more!