Fresh Plan of Attack
Well, I finally sucked it up and went in to check in with my doc. I was up 10 pounds and 2 1/2 inches. *sigh* It was really hard to walk into that clinic. Who likes to admit they didn't do what they were supposed to do? Ummm... No One!
I've seen a lot of doctors over the years. With PCOS, infertility and whatever the heck else is going on with my body... I've seen MANY physicians, RNs, LPNs, PAs... you name it. I've had nice doctors, helpful doctors, not so helpful doctors, and everything in between.
I remember one particular visit I saw the on-call medical professional. I don't remember what it was for, but I remember talking about why I was there and she started to get my history. She asked the typical question, "When was your last period?" I gave my typical response, "A year or so?!?"
Her response about knocked me over. When I told her I seldom cycle she immediately accused me of being too overweight to cycle. I was about 210 pounds, which is definitely overweight, but I was not morbidly obese. I also wasn't there to talk about my cycles. That didn't matter. She spent the rest of the appointment telling me that I needed to eat better, get more active, eat less, work on bettering myself and lose a significant amount of weight. THEN... and only then would my cycles become normal.
I was flabbergasted. She didn't ask my history with my cycles. She didn't bother to find out that when I was in high school I was actually the perfect weight for my height, my BMI was spot on, and I was a dual sport athlete all year round... yet I had NEVER cycled more than once or twice a year. She also didn't bother to find out that I was going through oodles of testing, which would eventually result in finding out that I had severe PCOS which, I might add, aids in weight gain and can prevent cycling, among many other things.
I was overweight. It got worse as I suffered through seven years of infertility and lots and lots of injected hormones. It got even worse after two pregnancies and also when my marriage was failing and I just wasn't taking the time to take care of myself. It got so very much worse before it got better.
The thing is... what she said damaged me. She made me afraid of walking into another clinic, or hospital, and being ridiculed about my weight. Did I mention that this medical professional was even bigger than me??
I had so much anxiety about going in to see Dr. D last week. I should have known better! I've said it before and I'll say it again... I love my doc! He had me laughing by the end of the appointment, like always. He didn't discredit anything I said. He stopped my negativity and battled it with his own positivity. Not once did he point out what I should be doing or what I was failing at. Instead, he helped me make a new game plan!
So, here it is!
Due to some issues I discussed with him and some concerns (nausea, stomach upset, etc. after eating) he wanted me to try resetting my system and see if it helped some of the newly onset issues. How will we do that? Intermittent Fasting!
While I've been attempting to practice intermittent fasting for about six months now, his method has a bit of a different spin to it though. When I started lifting last fall I read about intermittent fasting and the benefits it has on the body, especially for muscle recovery, insulin balance and weight loss. I would often attempt to fast for 14-16 hours most week days. I've never been a huge breakfast eater, so this wasn't too hard for me. I'd eat dinner around 6pm and then hold off on eating breakfast, or having my morning coffee, until 10am. It was a very easy option for me.
My issue has been more about my choices in foods - far more sugar and carbs than I've had in a year - and the amount of food I was eating, especially on the weekends. So, the other good thing about a fast is that it helps you reset your body and get a better idea of the physical cues your body gives for hunger. Hopefully, this will aid me in only eating when hungry and not just stuffing my face because I'm happy, sad, stressed, etc. Darn cortisol!!
So, the plan we came up with is to do a 24-hour fast every other day. I'll try this for two weeks and see if my body is happier, if my gut is happier, and if I find myself having a better handle on my choices and willpower. I successfully completed my first 24-hour fast yesterday and it went surprisingly well. I thought I'd be famished today, but I'm almost forcing myself to eat. We had a weekend away last weekend, so I'm probably still coming down off of that, though. Wow did we eat!!! HA! It was a very much needed getaway though... and a solid reminder that my body hates when I overindulge!
I'm also picking up my race training, or at least trying to. The past week has been a struggle, but I'll get there! This weekend we are doing the Nearly Naked Ruck March with Emmy Lou and her classmates. It's a 10-mile hike with a weighted backpack to help raise awareness of suicide and mental health in our veterans. Now, if Emmy Lou could just kick this current cold and ear infection we'd all be happier! I've also signed up for two races between now and Grandma's to help keep me on track.
I'm slowly, but surly, starting to feel a little bit more like me again!
I've seen a lot of doctors over the years. With PCOS, infertility and whatever the heck else is going on with my body... I've seen MANY physicians, RNs, LPNs, PAs... you name it. I've had nice doctors, helpful doctors, not so helpful doctors, and everything in between.
I remember one particular visit I saw the on-call medical professional. I don't remember what it was for, but I remember talking about why I was there and she started to get my history. She asked the typical question, "When was your last period?" I gave my typical response, "A year or so?!?"
Her response about knocked me over. When I told her I seldom cycle she immediately accused me of being too overweight to cycle. I was about 210 pounds, which is definitely overweight, but I was not morbidly obese. I also wasn't there to talk about my cycles. That didn't matter. She spent the rest of the appointment telling me that I needed to eat better, get more active, eat less, work on bettering myself and lose a significant amount of weight. THEN... and only then would my cycles become normal.
I was flabbergasted. She didn't ask my history with my cycles. She didn't bother to find out that when I was in high school I was actually the perfect weight for my height, my BMI was spot on, and I was a dual sport athlete all year round... yet I had NEVER cycled more than once or twice a year. She also didn't bother to find out that I was going through oodles of testing, which would eventually result in finding out that I had severe PCOS which, I might add, aids in weight gain and can prevent cycling, among many other things.
I was overweight. It got worse as I suffered through seven years of infertility and lots and lots of injected hormones. It got even worse after two pregnancies and also when my marriage was failing and I just wasn't taking the time to take care of myself. It got so very much worse before it got better.
The thing is... what she said damaged me. She made me afraid of walking into another clinic, or hospital, and being ridiculed about my weight. Did I mention that this medical professional was even bigger than me??
I had so much anxiety about going in to see Dr. D last week. I should have known better! I've said it before and I'll say it again... I love my doc! He had me laughing by the end of the appointment, like always. He didn't discredit anything I said. He stopped my negativity and battled it with his own positivity. Not once did he point out what I should be doing or what I was failing at. Instead, he helped me make a new game plan!
So, here it is!
Due to some issues I discussed with him and some concerns (nausea, stomach upset, etc. after eating) he wanted me to try resetting my system and see if it helped some of the newly onset issues. How will we do that? Intermittent Fasting!
While I've been attempting to practice intermittent fasting for about six months now, his method has a bit of a different spin to it though. When I started lifting last fall I read about intermittent fasting and the benefits it has on the body, especially for muscle recovery, insulin balance and weight loss. I would often attempt to fast for 14-16 hours most week days. I've never been a huge breakfast eater, so this wasn't too hard for me. I'd eat dinner around 6pm and then hold off on eating breakfast, or having my morning coffee, until 10am. It was a very easy option for me.
My issue has been more about my choices in foods - far more sugar and carbs than I've had in a year - and the amount of food I was eating, especially on the weekends. So, the other good thing about a fast is that it helps you reset your body and get a better idea of the physical cues your body gives for hunger. Hopefully, this will aid me in only eating when hungry and not just stuffing my face because I'm happy, sad, stressed, etc. Darn cortisol!!
So, the plan we came up with is to do a 24-hour fast every other day. I'll try this for two weeks and see if my body is happier, if my gut is happier, and if I find myself having a better handle on my choices and willpower. I successfully completed my first 24-hour fast yesterday and it went surprisingly well. I thought I'd be famished today, but I'm almost forcing myself to eat. We had a weekend away last weekend, so I'm probably still coming down off of that, though. Wow did we eat!!! HA! It was a very much needed getaway though... and a solid reminder that my body hates when I overindulge!
I'm also picking up my race training, or at least trying to. The past week has been a struggle, but I'll get there! This weekend we are doing the Nearly Naked Ruck March with Emmy Lou and her classmates. It's a 10-mile hike with a weighted backpack to help raise awareness of suicide and mental health in our veterans. Now, if Emmy Lou could just kick this current cold and ear infection we'd all be happier! I've also signed up for two races between now and Grandma's to help keep me on track.
I'm slowly, but surly, starting to feel a little bit more like me again!
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