Eat Less, Move More...or something.

So, I have discovered something about myself...being Polycystic, I am very likely to be insulin resistant, thus the Glucophage (medicine for diabetics) that I am on (2000mg/day). That being said...what does that mean? It means, basically, that I have a higher chance of becoming diabetic later on in life, that I have higher chances of heart complications, kidney damage, vision loss, and many other problems from insulin resistance and diabetes. Insulin resistance occurs when your body is unable to properly use insulin to regulate glucose levels in the blood. Symptoms?? Acne, weight gain, high blood pressure, sugar cravings (carb cravings), hirutism (facial or other body hair on women), and more. Well, I have SOME of those traits (thank GOD not all!).

So...now what do I do to keep from becoming diabetic, a path I do NOT want to go down. EVER. Well, I lose weight. Simple, right? Well, maybe for you, but for someone with PCOS and insulin resistance, losing weight is not so easy. Really. There's proof. So, you would think that a LOW carb diet would work best, right? WRONG!!

A low fat, low glycemic index diet is the best diet for women with PCOS. What does THIS mean?? Ok...eat carbs...LOTS OF THEM! But, the right kind of carbs! Not white bread, but whole grain bread, not chocolate chip cookies, but oatmeal cookies, not white rice, but brown rice, etc. One of the keys to this "diet" (which I'd rather call "lifestyle") is to eat a balanced diet. Remember the food pyramid that we all saw in grade school? Where grains, legumes, cereal, rice, pasta were on the bottom? It is still relevant. We still need to eat that way. I didn't really explain what the glycemic impact of food was...ok, the glycemic impact of food is how fast the food turns to sugar in the blood. I need to eat LOW glycemic index foods so that they have more fiber and raise the blood sugar slower than that of a high glycemic index food. This will keep me feeling fuller, longer, and by doing that, I will consume less calories in a day and less fat.

The low carb diets that are so popular (Atkins, Zone, South Beach) are loaded with high fat calories. Calories from fatty meats, butters, milk, cheese, etc. These kinds of fats are known to attribute to heart disease, and with PCOS, I already have a higher chance of that...For my heart, I need to avoid foods that are high in saturated and trans fats, like fatty red meats, whole milk dairy, butter, stick margarine, chicken skin, fried foods, etc.) and keep to using things like olive oil, fish, lean meats, veggies,skim milk (I can still drink 1% milk, but I should cook with skim to reduce fat) etc.

Oh...and don't think I'm going to lose weight without exercise. Geez...if you were to ask my husband how to lose weight, he'd simply say "Eat less, move more!". Yup, that is what I need to do...eat less bad foods (more good ones), and move more. Move more in my daily life. Walk Bailey (the dog) more (I'm sure she'd LOVE THAT), play more with Victoria outside, do more housework (can we say Happy House!), ride my bike, park further away at the Wal-Mart, etc.

So, long story shorter...I HAVE to lose weight. I have to do this for my health, to get pregnant, to be happy, to show my daughter a healthy way of life. I have to do this for me. I am hoping that this is the beginning story of a great journey of weight loss.

I have found some inspirational stories about other women with PCOS that have already conquered this journey, and in one of their words: "You may have PCOS...but PCOS does NOT have you!!"