Getting Back Up

Okay, so here is part two of my posting today.

I decided to go through my Insulite Labs booklet they gave me from when I first started the system and reminded myself about some of the simple things I can do to get started again.

I am glad I did because there were things in it that I had forgotten. In it, it talks a lot about insulin resistance and why it is so hard to lose weight and so easy to gain. Basically if you have insulin resistance, your cells don't have enough insulin receptors to properly utilize glucose. So the glucose is essentially floating around and getting stored as extra body fat. Add a high carbohydrate/sugar diet that most of us probably have, means more and more is being stored. It also talks about how our brains are really sensitive to food stimuli and that eating can easily become something we do to dull pain and to create comfort (releasing serotonin) which creates a circuit in your brain to repeat the same action again and again that can lead to not only a habit but also an addiction thereby increasing the problem of weight gain and insulin resistance. Hopefully you got that in, that was a long sentence.

So this is where nutrition and supplements come in and why they came up with their formula to help alleviate the symptoms of PCOS and insulin resistance and to change patterns of behavior slowly to prevent a really bad rebound. (Like what I did.. haha) The pills will help your body get the nutrients it has been lacking to repair the dis-functioning cells and to get back in the healthy egg making business. I love that this is what the company stands for. Using vitamins and nutrients instead of synthetic weird substances that do the work so the body doesn't have to. But I don't need to get into that. :)

Then it goes on to explain good food sources for PCOS, and basically it is high quality protein, low carb, lots of green veggies, and good fats. I'll post about that here. Then to add in exercise, and doing things that create a sense of belonging and service to others to combat the addiction part.

You guys, after reading through it I could practically feel my body screaming for that kind of food and lifestyle. The other thing that I just want to say as the final word in this post is that these changes will not come easy. I am not going to quit sugar or carbs cold turkey. But I do need to gradually eat less and less of them until it is under control. One of the things it suggested is to look at you plate for what you eat now and then gradually replace the carbs with more veggies, like this:

Seems so much more simple when you look at it like that right!? I thought so. 

So, today I feel motivated to get on some sort of track. Maybe not a path of perfection, but a path of slow easy does it kind of path. I am just gonna try to put more green veggies on my plate. :)

Read about what foods the Insulite Labs recommends here.

Help, I've fallen!

Oh hey guys... Is anyone still here?

Well I wouldn't blame you if you weren't. I haven't exactly been on top of maintaining this or my health as of late. I am going to give you first a rundown update. I am usually one who really tries to stay positive, or at least look positive, even or most especially when I am feeling negative. But I feel like I need to be real and honest.

I just can not seem to pull myself together to stay on track. it is basically the story of my life. See, I have this tendency to make plans, have it all laid out, I'll even do some prep work, and maybe do real good for a few days and then WHABAM! 9 months fly by and I am sitting here eating pizza being lazy and unproductive. Granted, I did take on a full time job and am still in school part time, so I am busy. The truth is, when I am not busy and have a few moments to myself, the last thing I want to do is go have a workout or do some meal prep or planning. Everything is on the go, what is convenient, and what feels good after a long stressful day. I haven't taken my Insulite labs pills, they are sitting in my cupboard begging my ovaries to give them another chance. I hadn't had my period in probably about 5 months and just had it about a month ago. I think I've gained about 10-15 more pounds, I feel more stressed about life and work, I am tired, I criticize myself too much, and I have not done very much at all in the way of doing better. I am not doing good folks, not doing good at all.

On top of it, I am disappointed in myself for not sticking to it, for not being persistent, and for not getting back on track quicker than 9 months later. The thing that makes me crazy is that I KNOW what to do. I KNOW the nutritional science behind what is happening. I KNOW what I am doing is not helping. I KNOW the benefits of exercise and eating right. I KNOW if I just did it, that it would work. I am not sure why I hold myself back. Its almost like something in me does not want to go forward. I don't think I am afraid of success, but I do think I am afraid of the extra responsibilities and afraid of the pain or unknown changes that I'll have to deal with. I am way too uncomfortably comfortable where I am. I like pizza and cheese and ice cream. I like sitting on the couch and being mindless for a few hours. But I also hate it.

Whew. So there you have it. One more experience of failing and letting myself down.

But it is not the end. I still have some fight in me. There is still hope. The thing is, I can't do it on my own. I could really use some support, your support, whoever is still reading this. In a demanding sort of way, I need you to consistently tell me I can do it and give me praises when I have little victories. I feel like on the inside of me, I should be able to do it on my own. Show myself I've got power and discipline and that there is no backing down or no excuse that is valid enough to make me quit. Someday I might be able to get there, but right now I need you.

Lead into next post ---> Getting Back up

The ever-lasting obstacles.

Well, you know how I was doing so good? Yeaaaaaah... about that.

I have been waiting for my second Insulite Labs order to come in. New management took over and they are apparently changing some things (hopefully for the better!) and so they got way behind on their orders. The cool thing though is that it is Katie Humphrey and her team that is taking over! She was the woman I watched on youtube about overcoming PCOS naturally! If you haven't ever listened to her, I'd recommend it. She is very earl and motivating. 

It's no real excuse for me to slack off which I have but there is an absolute difference being off the vitamins. Sugar and carb cravings have come back full swing, my energy levels have dropped again, and my motivation is lacking. It's so hard to pull yourself back up sometimes and the longer I wait the harder it gets. 

So, I really need to find some motivation! Maybe I need to watch her videos again!? Hopefully my order will be coming in soon too which will help a lot! It already has! 

Something I have started noticing the last week or two is that I have started getting dry itchy patches of skin in random spots. I don't know if this is a symptom of PCOS, the dry winter we've had, or maybe it is an allergic reaction to something. I have a spot in the center of my lower back, a small spot on my wrist, sometimes on my left tricep, and on my rib cage just under my breasts; super random spots! I've had the ones under my breasts (sometimes one or the other) and my back for much longer and it seems to come and go.

So that is where I am at the moment. A little frustrated, fatigued, wanting to get back up, and trying to find the willpower to do so. 

16 Things I've Learned

Ok, so I have talked about Katie Humphrey in every blog I have written so far. She has a video series on youtube called "90 Days to Freedom" that I have been listening to and the information and support and advice she gives is so inspiring to me. I watched all 90 videos within just 3 weeks, and I plan on listening to them over again because I want to get that information down!

So, I just wanted to briefly share some things I have learned through her videos.

1. Don't play the victim. It won't get you anywhere, and you'll wind up with a negative mindset.
2. Don't blame others or even yourself for having PCOS.
3. Don't limit yourself on what you want because of what other people say (or what you say to yourself!).
4. Be patient. The best changes that can transform your life happen slowly.
5. Exercise and do active things you enjoy. It doesn't mean you have to hit the gym hours a day!

6. There are natural supplements you can take to help your body function properly.

7. Don't make all the changes all at once. Small things will add up!

8. Focus on what you want rather than what you don't want or "can't have" because what you think about most is what you will get. (This applies to diet and everything else in your life)

9. When you mess up, forgive yourself and move on.

10. Eat foods in their most natural state.

11. Be very specific about what you want and visualize yourself already having it.

12. Do your research and do what you feel is best for YOU.

13. Be grateful for your body and the fact it has carried you through so many years and treat it kindly.

14. Find and give thanks for every good thing in your life.

15. Listen to your body, it knows what it needs.

16. Never give up no matter how discouraged or disheartened you feel. If something is telling you to keep going, there is a reason and you WILL make it.

I know some of these things seem like they have nothing to do with PCOS but I think they have everything to do with it. Our body is in one piece, and everything works together for your good. So that means your health effects your emotions and your emotions effect your spirituality and your spirituality effects your confidence and so on and so forth. 

It is one thing to learn and listen to all of these things but in order for things to happen, I have to implement them into my life. I am so glad I found her videos and I strongly recommend you watch them, just to hear her experiences and knowledge if nothing else. 

Here is a link to her video series on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL737AFB4D92BED3D9

Motivation

When I first heard my diagnosis, I was completely ready to do anything it took to be healthy, and try to heal my body. That was 2 years, 5 months, and 22 days ago. Or 907 days, or, 21,744 hours, or 1,304,640 minutes have past since that moment. Time. Time that I have done things. And time that I have gotten tired of fighting.

I am a stubborn person. I get what I want. I try to be nice about it, but I have a hard time hearing no. But there are somethings that you cannot get, no matter how hard you try. I cannot beat PCOS from sheer determination. It helps, but I have to have patience, motivation, and a persistence. Eventually, I got tired of fighting. I forgot the feeling I had while sitting in the examination room. Or the fear when I saw the doctors face and realized it was more than just a routine thing. I have become relaxed in my fight. This is why it's so important to make these changes, and make them for life.

March 2011               March 2012                July 2013

I sometimes catch myself thinking, If I quit eating sugar and other simple carbs, and loose ten more pounds, my body will be great, and then I can eat those things again. It's hard to change things about yourself permanently. Besides being stubborn, I hate change. I resist it. I fight against it. Eventually I can accept it. This is what I am working on now. I need to run everyday. Every meal needs to be healthy. I cannot eat a whole bag of gummi worms, or chocolate, or a whole carton of ice cream anymore. No matter how good those donuts smell, I cannot have one. This is a lifestyle change, not a change for a few weeks, or months. We do this because it is healthy. Not just because we want to loose the weight.

I have come too far to back slide. And I still have a long way to go. I have figured out a few things that have worked for me. Things that get me out of bed, that stop me from grabbing that cookie, and things that get me to the gym, or pounding the pavement.

• Set goals - these have to be doable. If it's just not eating sugar for just ONE day, and that is all you can do right now, then do it! Set long term goals, and then short term goals. Set goals for one day at a time. Along with these goals, write down why you want to do this, what it is that you want to achieve. 
• Hold yourself accountable, report to someone if you need to. Keep a journal. Write down what you eat, when you exercise, things you do to resist the temptation, and go back and read it! 
• Give yourself rewards. If you were good for a day, buy yourself a new Mp3, or nail polish. Or if you made it a week or two, get a new movie or buy yourself flowers. 
• Find an exercise that you at least like to do, if not love. There's yoga, zumba, crossfit, running, walking, biking, swimming, and even Jillian Michael's workout videos. I'll admit it, I was ashamed to go to the gym once, so I did videos in the safety of my home. I am not an exercise expert or anything, but I can tell you that the recommended cardio workout is about 30 minutes a day, with muscle-strengthening exercises a couple of times a week. I would suggest doing at least 45 minutes of cardio if you can. Even if you have to walk around for the last 15. You can do this!
• Get an exercise buddy. If someone is up early, waiting for you, you are more likely to get out of bed!
• Fast paced workout music has saved me. I love 80's, angry girl music, boy bands... Anything with a  fast beat that will get me going.
• Realize that this is going to be hard. That in a few days, or weeks you are going to hit that wall. You are going to crave sugar and carbs like you will not believe. You will want to give up. You will honestly be weighing the pros and cons in your head. Something that meant so much to you just a few weeks ago, is going to seem way too hard, and not worth it anymore. Fight back. Drink more water. Talk yourself through it. Call someone. This is worth it. You are worth it. Look back at your goals, and your journal. You've come so far! 

We are all human. We are not perfect, but we can do hard things if we are determined enough. Change is hard. But anyone can do it, if they will work at it. If you are stubborn, use that to your advantage. Be stubborn about doing what you need to, to be healthy. 

You are a healthy person, and you can do hard things.