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.

June Update

Whelp. Good news! Two months in a row now! I have forgotten how much PMS can make you feel like a crazy person. Cravings, sore boobs, bloated, fatigue, acne, grouchiness, emotional, the whole nine yards. Yep. It's back. All of it! TWO MONTHS IN A ROW! WITHOUT BIRTH CONTROL!

To be honest, I STILL haven't been taking the Insulite System as consistently as they recommend, in fact last week I think I only took one set of pills for the whole week. I don't know how or why my body has just decided to start functioning normally again but I welcome it! Maybe it just needed the added boost of vitamins and supplements these pills offered. I plan on continuing to take it and to try to be more consistent with it as I am sure it will help me to handle PMS better.

I haven't really been watching my diet very closely at all the past few months either. The sugar intake is definitely a problem. I've got to find a way to get myself to eat much less of it again. I don't know if this is how it is for anyone else, but usually the week before my period I am super snacky and have intense cravings for specific things. Like candy, pizza, ice cream, Chinese, etc. And then like 2 days into my period suddenly the cravings are gone and I want veggies and fresh food again.

One of the annoying things I am dealing with right now is the acne. It comes and goes, but when it comes it is awful. Maybe it is one of those things that has to get worse before it can get better, I am not sure. I hope it gets better!

My husband and I have been trying to be better about getting some exercise a couple days a week together and that has been really nice! We missed last week, but we did help some friends move... if that counts?

That's the update, and I'm feeling pretty good about it! :)

Whoop there it is.

Good news!!

I have been doing Insulite Labs for about a month and a half now (not consistently, but I have been trying hard!) and today I got a surprise. Who would have thought I would EVER be excited about starting my menstrual cycle!? Yup. This is the first one I have had since I stopped birth control back at the end of October! Honestly I had no idea it was coming. The only PMS symptoms that I have even had are being extra tired and acne, and I guess a slight craving for chocolate. Or maybe I have just grown so accustomed to it not coming, I didn't even realize they were PMS symptoms. Either way, YAY!

Besides taking the pills, I have also been getting more exercise and doing a little better with at least eating more veggies! I have noticed that I want protein in the mornings now more than I want carbs. I have eaten a bagel here and there because I still suck at preparing food ahead of time, and I give in because I am starved at work and need to eat. I find myself craving eggs a lot in the mornings, and I never have them.. :( I need to fix that.

*I started this post a couple of days ago and decided to wait to see how the week went. This cycle has lasted 3 days so far and it is light, but I am just so glad it came! We'll have to see if it comes along again next month.

I've noticed I do so much better when I add exercise into the mix of this. I tend to want to eat better, I have more energy, and overall I feel more positive about myself.
Exercise = Good.

So that is the most recent update from me! More details will come later.
For those of you who feel awkward discussing this topic, TOO BAD! ;)

Getting Ready for Month 1 of Insulite Labs

I have talked about Insulite Labs in some of my previous posts and I have said that I wanted to try it. I finally ordered a month's worth to try and see how it goes. It is pretty expensive stuff, but if you were to buy all the vitamins suggested for PCOS you'd probably be spending close to the same amount. It is about $100 a month, and there are 4 different pills that all have different ingredients to help with literally just about everything! From acne, to hair loss to excess hair to insulin resistance to regulating hormones and menstruation. There are 18 pills to take everyday, at various times of the day. That is the part that makes me nervous. I am not a very organized person and I have a feeling it is going to be hard to remember to take them all! I know, it sounds like a lot too. I have never taken that many pills in my life!

If you are anything like me, you want to know exactly what are in all of those pills! All of the information I give to you next is taken directly from the Insulite Labs PCOS website, which you can (and should) also find what each ingredient's function is. I advise you to visit the website because it will go into much more detail.

PolyPlus is formulated to help balance testosterone and estrogen levels to help regulate menstruation and promote healthy skin and hair. Ingredients include Saw Palmetto, Vitex, Stinging Nettle, Flax seed, and Milk thistle extract.

InsulX is designed to help mostly with insulin resistance and to help your cells be more sensitive to insulin, accepting glucose more easily. Ingredients include Vanadyl Sulfate, Chromium, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Magnesium, Zinc, L-Carnitine, Copper, Calcium, Biotin, Manganese, Pancreatic Tissue, Adrenal Tissue, and a Vegetarian Enzyme blend. 

RejuvaPlus will help repair the damage cause to your cells and the interior lining of blood cells cause by having insulin resistance. Ingredients include Vitamin C, CoQ10, Vitamin B12, Folic Acid, Quercitin, Bilberry Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Thiamin, Vitamin D, and Cinnamon.

GlucX will help with the absorption of glucose, reducing insulin spikes. Ingredients include Hydrolyzed Guar Gum, Apple Pectin, and Fenugreek. 

If you have done any sort of research on what supplements to take for PCOS, you'll recognize many of the supplements! The program also includes guidelines for nutrition, exercise, and support in order to be successful. One of the things I love about Insulite Labs is they explain very well what is happening inside your body and why it has a hard time absorbing and using glucose, which in turn effects hormones and menstruation. I highly recommend looking into this program further. I haven't actually used the product yet, it should be shipped any day here but I will let you know how my body responds to it. 

Right now I am mostly mentally preparing myself to make small changes. Oh! That reminds me, another thing I found to be awesome about this is that they actually tell you to go easy on yourself. If you completely cut off all carbs and sugars, your body will go into shock and try to hold onto your weight even more. So they recommend a gradual decrease by 5% of carbs each week to give your body time to adjust, and if you slip up for a day or a week to just come back to it. Persistence, not perfection is key! I think that is something I can handle! :) 

PCOS links to research

I thought it might be a good idea to give you some of the websites that I have found to help me understand PCOS and what kind of treatments are available. Even though there is not a "cure," there are a lot of options to consider and you want to figure out what you feel is best for you.

Here are a few links that I read to understand what exactly PCOS is and how it affects women.
A basic medical analysis: http://www.medicinenet.com/polycystic_ovary/article.htm
A fertility website with a more natural view: http://natural-fertility-info.com/pcos-fertility-diet
A very good informative quide: http://www.polycystic-ovary-syndrome-guide.com/natural-cures.html

There are waaaaay more websites than that, but those are the ones I have found to be informative and helpful so far.

Personally, I want to treat PCOS as naturally as possible. The more research I do on birth control, the less I want to use it, although I am currently taking Tri-Sprintec. The reason I have found is that birth control uses synthetic hormones that balances everything so that your body doesn't have to. So basically, it gets rid of the symptoms, but as soon as you go off the pill, your menstrual cycles will be wacky all over again. I found a girl on youtube who goes into detail about her experience with PCOS and how she was able to overcome it through natural means.
This is a link to her profile on youtube, and she has a 90 day series that is incredibly insightful.
http://www.youtube.com/user/KatieHumphreyFitness and this is her actual website: http://www.freedomfrompcos.com/ and she has resources and several plans you can choose to follow.
She talks about the supplements she took from Insulite Labs, a program to overcome PCOS through supplements, healthy diet, exercise, and overcoming food addiction. This is the website for Insulite Labs: http://pcos.com/
The current natural supplements I am on are D-chiro-inositol (DCI) to help with insulin resistence and Vitex, which I got from this company: http://www.chiralbalance.com/

I have been taking DCI and Vitex for about 2 and a half weeks. I haven't seen a huge change, I still have had some pretty strong sugar cravings (but it could be that I had PMS too!) but I haven noticed that I don't feel as bloated after everything I eat. I'll keep you updated on how it goes!