Measurements and Meal Plans

I'm beginning South Beach this week (after I haul myself to the grocery and load up on all the goods) and with this I took my measurements and looked through hundreds of recipes.  Both of which I will share with you all today.  Let's get the horrid measurements out of the way.  ::huge deep breath::

Neck: 14 1/2
Bust: 45
Chest: 38
Bicep: 12 1/2
Waist: 37
Thigh: 26 1/2
Hips: 50

Let's see those change and see that ticker over there ::points to the ticker that hasn't moved on the right:: let's see that move too, shall we?

And now for the meal ideas.  Since I'm off work this week, I'll be prepping for going back to work, trying out new recipes and weaning myself off of coffee ::sobs::  Some of the recipes are on my South Beach Diet App I have on my iPhone.  I can post the recipe if any of you want it.  Also.  When I post my actual meal plans, I'll do so with a template so it will be a little easier to read/organize/print/manage. 

Breakfast Ideas
3 Fat Chicks:

• Pizza Fritattata
• Sausage and cheese breakfast cups

Kalyn's Kitchen:

• Greek frittata
• Sausage, mushrooms and feta with eggs  (I think it would be really good with asparagus, too)

Food.com:

• Peanut butter muffins

SparkPeople:

• Egg scramble

SBD iPhone App:

• Veggie frittata with parmesan
• Chunky veggie hash
• Asparagus omelets with goat cheese

When I go back to work, lunch will most likely be leftovers from dinner and/or salads.  Yet, here are some things I found for lunch:

Kalyn's Kitchen:

• Shrimp, avocado and edamame salad
• Steak salad with feta vinaigrette and kalamata olives
• Salad dressings

App:

• Edamame salad

Dinners!
Okay- here's where I've found a ton of recipes.  Bear with me.

3 Fat Chicks:

• Taco bake
• Bennigan's smothered chicken

Kalyn's Kitchen:

• Stuffed portabello mushrooms  These are amazing!  I make them with spicy turkey sausage.  Yum.
• Meat, tomato and mozzarella stuffed zucchini cups
• Grilled ginger soy pork chops
• Baked chicken stuffed with sage pecan pesto and feta
• Grilled chicken with sage, rosemary and garlic dry rub
• Grilled zucchini pizza slices

Food.com:

• Jamaican jerk kabobs
• Eggplant lasagna
• Broccoli with garlic, chipotle peppers and pine nuts
• Greek chicken
• Mexi baked chicken

SparkPeople:

• Chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes
• Spicy taco soup
• Balsamic chicken and mushrooms

App:

• Carne asada
• 5 spice salmon
• Roasted eggplant with beef
• Grilled ancho rubbed steak
• Balsamic glazed sirloin

So.  There you have it.  Oh.  I'm also going to try to make these for a snack.  I know that's a lot, but I'm hoping I like some of it and don't get bored.

The Naturopath

My mom recommended I go to her naturopath, Dr. W, to get another doctor's perspective on PCOS, diet and weight loss.

I loved her.  Even more than the nutritionist.  She took the time to get to know me.  She listened to my symptoms, asked questions about onset, my history and what I've done before.  She asked about my pregnancies and what the doctor had to say about the preterm labor.  Nothing about my reproductive health went untouched.  Unlike the nutritionist, the naturopath also has PCOS.  She regulates it without metformin or birth control pills.  Amazing, right?  Especially since no other doctor offered any additional alternatives.

Dr. W recommended the South Beach Diet, which I have been successful on before, interval cardio and weight training 5 days a week and the biggest, most gag inducing vitamin capsules ever.  She's running blood work to check various things and based on the results will give additional supplements.  She also recommended going off the birth control pill and try to regulate the PCOS with diet and exercise.

Dr. W said if I lose 10-15% of my body weight that my PCOS symptoms may completely disappear.  That is awesome.  And rather than losing 1lb a week, she said with the strict diet and exercise that my body won't have such difficulty breaking down the sugars that I'll be able able to lose weight faster.  And I know, it's better to lose weight slowly, but Dr. W didn't seem concerned with me losing more weight faster.  So that's awesome.  She also doesn't want to focus on my BMI.  She wants to focus more on my PCOS symptoms and hormone levels. 

She also thinks part of it may be adrenal, especially with all of the stress.  So.  As of next week, I will be saying goodbye to fully caffeinated coffee and no more diet sodas (not like I have a lot).  Also.  She said it's very important to cleanse my body so in a few weeks I'll be doing a total cleanse.  I don't know what that really entails as of yet.  But, I completely trust her not to starve me. 


All in all it was a very positive experience.  I am much more comfortable with this plan and working with Dr. W.  She has a lot of experience, both professional and personal.

So, I think that's it.  Any questions?

Finding myself in the rain

In case you haven't heard, it has been raining practically nonstop since Friday afternoon.   My mom and I got out on a walk on Sunday.  Other than that and running errands, I've been stuck inside.  Today, the rain stopped for a few minutes so I threw on my shoes and went outside.  Before I got off of the driveway it was raining again.  I turned on Eddie Vedder "Into the Wild" and walked.

As I listened to Eddie croon in my ear, my feet picked up the pace.  By now the rain was coming down pretty steadily and soaking me from head to toe.  I didn't feel the cold.  I didn't feel the wet.  I felt good.  I was moving.  I was breathing.  And, most importantly I was okay.

Now as I type away with my Red My Fortune Cookie nail polish I feel as though my reset button has been pushed and I'm more me than I have been in the past 3 months.  And I know this feeling may not stay long, but it's good while it lasts.

I'll blog about my meeting with the naturopath later.  For now,  I leave you with these lyrics from Mr. Eddie Vedder himself.

"Long Nights"
Have no fear
For when I'm alone
I'll be better off than I was before

I've got this light
I'll be around to grow
Who I was before
I cannot recall

Long nights allow me to feel...
I'm falling...I am falling
The lights go out
Let me feel
I'm falling
I am falling safely to the ground
Ah...

I'll take this soul that's inside me now
Like a brand new friend
I'll forever know

I've got this light
And the will to show
I will always be better than before

Long nights allow me to feel...
I'm falling...I am falling
The lights go out
Let me feel
I'm falling
I am falling safely to the ground

The nutritionist

The nutritionist I saw today was very kind and patient.  She described different programs that she would recommend, one being very typical to someone with diabetes.  1600 (specific) calories a day, or a general guideline (especially when eating out) of 1/4 of the plate being a lean protein, 1/4 being a starch and 1/2 being "free" veggies and exercise at least 6-7 times a week (cardio and strength training).  She did also mention some wiggle room in the snacks.  Ultimately, she wants me eating just breakfast, lunch and dinner.  But, if I'm starving between meals I'm free to eat a protein and starch.

The next few days, I'll be making meal plans to set up for when I go back to work.  She gave me some example meal plans that a lot of people follow for the first few weeks as they get the hang of it.  I really don't need to avoid any foods besides sweets (I'll limit myself better on Christmas).  Like any diet, there are good foods and not so good foods.  She said 1600 calories a day will help boost my metabolism (along with exercise) and will help me slowly take off the weight.  So while it may seem like it's taking forever to get the weight off, it's better this way so that it stays off.  Which is the ultimate goal.

So that's pretty much it.  I think I scheduled it for a good time so I can actually plan (which is the most difficult for me) and be prepared at work.  Any help and/or words of wisdom/encouragement are welcome.

Catching Up.

When I was first diagnosed with PCOS my doctors immediately put me on metformin.  I was told that since I didn't ovulate regularly that it could be more difficult for me to conceive and that my chance of having a miscarriage was higher.  They did not tell me the possibility of damage blood vessels in the placenta during pregnancy.

I had a very hard weekend.  Replaying all of the doctor's appointments in my head wondering if I missed something.  Then I started researching PCOS more.  And the things that I found that I find interesting and have stuck with me include:

• Some antidepressant/anti-anxiety meds help with the compulsiveness some feel when craving sweets.
• Blood thinners can help some women while they're pregnant.
• One diet may work for one person, but not another.
• The anxiety, cramping/pressure, dizziness, hot flashes, becoming sleepy after eating that I've been experiencing can all be linked to the PCOS. 

I'm trying to find the strength to overcome the anxiety with exercise.  Sometimes it's too hard and I just can't shake it.  It's like I've had too much caffeine and I can feel my cells dividing in my body.  I have no idea how much of it is loss-related, how much is the impending holidays without my babies, how much is PCOS and how much is the BCP (birth control pill) that I'm on.  My web of could-be causes is incredibly intertwined.  So.  I'm going to exercise and get through the holidays and see what it's like once they pass.  Well the holidays and Matthew's due date.

So that's where I am.  I meet with the nutritionist on Wednesday and will hopefully have a plan in place.  If she's of no help, I'll find someone who is because I need it.  And I deserve it.  

I'm still here, I promise!

Sorry I haven't updated lately.  I've had the cold that refuses to leave.  Meaning- I haven't worked out in about a week.  Also meaning that since I haven't been working out, I'm left with angst.  I know the only way to get rid of the angst is to work out, but that's rather hard to do when you can't breathe through your nose and cough every few minutes.  And with this angst and not feeling like myself I get weepy.  So, here I am, sick, angsty and weepy.  Great, isn't it?

Hopefully I'll be back to my normal self soon with much more to say.  As for now, I'm going back to the couch to drink more tea. 

Recipes.

I love food.  Here are some good, healthy recipes I've tried or want to try.

Stuffed Mushrooms- AMAZING.  One of my all time favorites.
Roasted Butternut Squash- The husband and I both liked it a lot.
Whole Wheat Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins- I also substitute raspberries.  Maybe someday I'll use the base w/o the lemon and blueberries for dark chocolate.  It may be too dense though.
Pretty much every recipe I looked at here looks so good.  Especially the pasta with roasted broccoli.

What I need in my arsenal is good, healthier baked goods.  You know- cakes, cookies, the yummy stuff.  The stuff from Kalyn's Kitchen is good, but a little too Splenda-y for my tastebuds.  I want the real deal.  Butter, butter, sugar, flour.  Do you wonderful blog readers have any you'd care to share?  Any books, blogs, websites I should check out?

You all are great.  Thank you for all of your support thus far.  There's a long road ahead of me, but I know I can do it with your support.

December 15th.

I have a date with the nutritionist on December 15th.  I'm going to log my food and exercise starting on the 1st and take it in with me.  Is there anything else I should do?  I don't really have any questions.  Are there any questions that I should ask?

I'm hoping I can get a succinct diet and exercise plan that I can follow and that works.  That's not too much to ask, right?

My first goal- I want to lose at least 20lbs by our trip to San Francisco at the end of February.  I really want to be able to look at the pictures and like what I see.

First Pictures

Oh my word.  I really don't like how I look in these pictures.  I know that they're not the best pictures anyway, but wow.   I'll post my measurements once I get a tape measure.  But here you go.

Cravings.

Oh my word.  I have the biggest sweet tooth ever and I love to bake.  Both of which, I'm sure, have added a little more padding around my midsection and ass.  Right now- I want to bake an apple crisp.  It's so quick, so easy and so delicious.  But, since I know my eating won't be as well as I should be this week (especially with Thanksgiving), I shouldn't bake.  I won't bake.

But what do you do when a craving strikes?  How do you prepare yourself for moments when all you want to do is tear open and eat an entire package of Hershey Kisses?  Or stop yourself from baking the apple crisp and eating the entire dish?  Have you found that you're able to satisfy your cravings in other ways?

Help me, dear readers!  How do you do it?

Welcome.

::waves nervously and takes a deep breath::

It's no surprise (if you know me) that I'm overweight.  I've gained about 25lbs since getting married and have to lose some weight.  Now, I've never been a skinny person.  But I've definitely been in better shape.  Losing weight is quite difficult which is why I decided to blog about it.  Maybe someone out there has been in my shoes, has lost the weight or can give me some additional support.

In 2009, I was diagnosed with PCOS.  This was after gaining 15lbs after going off the birth control pill and not having any non-medically induced periods.  I was put on 1500mg of Metformin.  In April 2009, I found out I was pregnant.  In August, at just 23w3d, our daughter was born prematurely.  The doctors said I went into labor because of an infection.

Fast forward to May 2010, I found out I was pregnant again.  In September, I was placed on hospital bedrest due to an incompetent cervix that we caught too late.  A short 6 days later, our son was born.  He, like his sister, passed away shortly after birth.

This time they know I have an incompetent cervix and my doctor also told me something else about PCOS.  In some pregnant with PCOS, sugars damage the blood vessels in the placenta (but not the baby) causing hormones to be released that start labor.


Now, my doctors can't definitively tell me that's what happened to me, but it sounds highly likely dontcha think? 

So, I plan to kick its ass.  I'm getting my life back into my control.  I'm back on the birth control pill and am waiting for the nutritionist to give me a call back.  Regardless of if we ever want to get pregnant again or not, I need to get into better shape.  I need to do it for me.  And for my babies.