Here is a link to an interesting article about why it can be difficult for women with PCOS to lose weight:
http://pcos.about.com/od/losingweight/fl/PCOS-and-Weight-Loss-Why-Itrsquos-so-Hard.htm
PCOS Awareness
Friday, January 30, 2015
My Story - Let's Have Some Rugrats
Cameron and I lived in Arizona for about two years. I started to get really homesick and missed my family. Cameron's family isn't as close as mine. He was ready for a change. He had lived in Arizona all of his life, so we decided to move to Kentucky.
In October 1999, my father and my great-uncle came to get us and drive us across country. We lived with my parents for a few months, then we were able to rent a house directly across the street from my parents' home.
On our Anniversary in 2000, we decided it was time to start a family. We both had steady jobs and it just felt like the time was right. I stopped taking my birth control and by May we were pregnant.
It was funny how I figured out I was pregnant. My periods have been irregular my whole life, so I couldn't tell that way. The first thing I noticed was that my nipples were really itchy. I thought maybe it was just dry skin. I was applying lotion multiple times a day, but the itch wouldn't go away. It still didn't occur to me that I could be pregnant.
One day I was at work. I was working with Cameron again at a lawn and garden repair & sales shop. I was in charge of parts and warranties. We had just gotten a large shipment of parts. I went to pick up one of the boxes and the strangest thought popped into my head. "You shouldn't be lifting heavy boxes. You're pregnant." I literally stopped dead in my tracks. What the heck? Where did that come from? I stood there trying to remember my last period and I couldn't remember.
When I got home that evening, I stopped by the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. The next morning, I took the test and it was positive. I was so excited! I couldn't believe it. I made an appointment with the doctor for the following morning. The doctor confirmed the exciting news. I called my family and friends and told them we were expecting. Everyone was excited.
When I went to work on Monday, I found out that a co-worker friend was also pregnant. Our babies were due about 1 week apart. My friend and I would talk about how much fun it was that we were pregnant at the same time.
Two weeks later I was at work and it felt like I had started my period. I went to the restroom and there was blood. I ran to my husband in a panic and he took me to the hospital. They did some blood work, but they couldn't confirm if I was having a miscarriage yet. The bleeding wasn't heavy, so they sent me home. The next morning I had to go in for blood work again so they could compare the hormone levels. A few hours later, my OBGYN called to confirm that I was having a miscarriage. My hCG hormone level had dropped significantly. I remember hanging up the phone, sliding down the wall into the floor and just wailing and sobbing. It was (and is) the worst heartbreaking experience I've ever had. That sense of loss never goes away. It's been 15 years since this happened and it still brings me to tears thinking about the child I would have now. My husband was sad, but he didn't experience the loss as profoundly as I did.
In my subconscious I knew the odds of having a miscarriage were pretty high in my family. My mother had 3 miscarriages and my sister had 1.
Cameron and I continued to try and get pregnant again without success.
In October 1999, my father and my great-uncle came to get us and drive us across country. We lived with my parents for a few months, then we were able to rent a house directly across the street from my parents' home.
On our Anniversary in 2000, we decided it was time to start a family. We both had steady jobs and it just felt like the time was right. I stopped taking my birth control and by May we were pregnant.
It was funny how I figured out I was pregnant. My periods have been irregular my whole life, so I couldn't tell that way. The first thing I noticed was that my nipples were really itchy. I thought maybe it was just dry skin. I was applying lotion multiple times a day, but the itch wouldn't go away. It still didn't occur to me that I could be pregnant.
One day I was at work. I was working with Cameron again at a lawn and garden repair & sales shop. I was in charge of parts and warranties. We had just gotten a large shipment of parts. I went to pick up one of the boxes and the strangest thought popped into my head. "You shouldn't be lifting heavy boxes. You're pregnant." I literally stopped dead in my tracks. What the heck? Where did that come from? I stood there trying to remember my last period and I couldn't remember.
When I got home that evening, I stopped by the pharmacy and bought a pregnancy test. The next morning, I took the test and it was positive. I was so excited! I couldn't believe it. I made an appointment with the doctor for the following morning. The doctor confirmed the exciting news. I called my family and friends and told them we were expecting. Everyone was excited.
When I went to work on Monday, I found out that a co-worker friend was also pregnant. Our babies were due about 1 week apart. My friend and I would talk about how much fun it was that we were pregnant at the same time.
Two weeks later I was at work and it felt like I had started my period. I went to the restroom and there was blood. I ran to my husband in a panic and he took me to the hospital. They did some blood work, but they couldn't confirm if I was having a miscarriage yet. The bleeding wasn't heavy, so they sent me home. The next morning I had to go in for blood work again so they could compare the hormone levels. A few hours later, my OBGYN called to confirm that I was having a miscarriage. My hCG hormone level had dropped significantly. I remember hanging up the phone, sliding down the wall into the floor and just wailing and sobbing. It was (and is) the worst heartbreaking experience I've ever had. That sense of loss never goes away. It's been 15 years since this happened and it still brings me to tears thinking about the child I would have now. My husband was sad, but he didn't experience the loss as profoundly as I did.
In my subconscious I knew the odds of having a miscarriage were pretty high in my family. My mother had 3 miscarriages and my sister had 1.
Cameron and I continued to try and get pregnant again without success.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
My Story - My Wedding Day
Cameron proposed to me online in September 1997. He didn't care about my weight. He had once been overweight and had lost over 100 pounds through diet and exercise. He loves me the way I am.
We decided to elope. I had told a couple of my best friends I was getting married, but my parents and family didn't know. My parents knew that we were intending on getting married someday, but they didn't know when.
Cameron and I had already gotten a marriage license when I came for my visit in November 1997. We called around to churches to see if a minister would be willing to marry us although we didn't attend any particular church at that time. We found a minister at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Tucson, Arizona.
My wedding day was February 14, 1998, Valentine's Day. I didn't want a huge wedding. I had watched too many women marry people they probably shouldn't have married all because they had this little girl fantasy about their wedding day. I didn't want my marriage to be about a dress and a cake. I wanted my wedding day to be about my marriage. My only stipulation was that I had to be married by a minister in a church. We were making a vow to each other and to God.
I was not nervous at all that day. I was excited, but relaxed. We had two of Cameron's friends from work serve as our witnesses. I wore a white, flower-print skirt and a white shirt (items that I already owned). Cameron wore a button-down shirt and a pair of jeans. The wedding was quick and went smoothly. We had made reservations to spend one night at a local hotel. My husband's boss called and paid to upgrade our room to a suite. We had dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Casa Molina.
The next day, after we got back to our apartment, I called my parents to tell them the news. To say they were not happy would be an understatement. I tried to explain to my parents that my wedding wasn't for anyone but him and I. It was about our commitment to one another and not about anyone or anything else. My parents were upset that they weren't invited, but we didn't invite anyone.
Eventually, the dust settled and Cameron and I made a trip to Kentucky the following month so he could meet my family and friends.
Our relationship progressed so quickly. We met online, got engaged before we had even met face-to-face, moved in together after only having spent five days together, and were married within 2 1/2 months of moving in together. We always tell people we got married, then we started dating.
I don't regret my decision to not have a big wedding. I have enjoyed every moment of our almost 17 years (our Anniversary is in about 2 weeks).
My husband and I have a great relationship. It takes work and of course we get on one another's nerves now and then, but we love each other. We are committed to making this work.
I had three rules before I would agree to get married; 1) No hitting, 2) No cheating, 3) No fighting about money (you either have it or you don't, fighting about it won't change anything). Everything else can be worked out. We've never broken rules one and two. There have been brief infractions regarding rule 3, but nothing major. Just minor disagreements.
We don't fight much. I'm not into arguing. Communication is key to any relationship. Just talk about it. Marriage is work. Too many people just give up when things get difficult. There will be good years and difficult years. If you can hang in there during the difficult years, it will always be worth while.
Marrying Cameron was the best decision I have ever made. He is honest, hard-working, faithful, kind, Christian, and a good father. He's not perfect, but neither am I. But I think we are perfect together.
We decided to elope. I had told a couple of my best friends I was getting married, but my parents and family didn't know. My parents knew that we were intending on getting married someday, but they didn't know when.
Cameron and I had already gotten a marriage license when I came for my visit in November 1997. We called around to churches to see if a minister would be willing to marry us although we didn't attend any particular church at that time. We found a minister at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Tucson, Arizona.
My wedding day was February 14, 1998, Valentine's Day. I didn't want a huge wedding. I had watched too many women marry people they probably shouldn't have married all because they had this little girl fantasy about their wedding day. I didn't want my marriage to be about a dress and a cake. I wanted my wedding day to be about my marriage. My only stipulation was that I had to be married by a minister in a church. We were making a vow to each other and to God.
I was not nervous at all that day. I was excited, but relaxed. We had two of Cameron's friends from work serve as our witnesses. I wore a white, flower-print skirt and a white shirt (items that I already owned). Cameron wore a button-down shirt and a pair of jeans. The wedding was quick and went smoothly. We had made reservations to spend one night at a local hotel. My husband's boss called and paid to upgrade our room to a suite. We had dinner at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Casa Molina.
The next day, after we got back to our apartment, I called my parents to tell them the news. To say they were not happy would be an understatement. I tried to explain to my parents that my wedding wasn't for anyone but him and I. It was about our commitment to one another and not about anyone or anything else. My parents were upset that they weren't invited, but we didn't invite anyone.
Eventually, the dust settled and Cameron and I made a trip to Kentucky the following month so he could meet my family and friends.
Our relationship progressed so quickly. We met online, got engaged before we had even met face-to-face, moved in together after only having spent five days together, and were married within 2 1/2 months of moving in together. We always tell people we got married, then we started dating.
I don't regret my decision to not have a big wedding. I have enjoyed every moment of our almost 17 years (our Anniversary is in about 2 weeks).
My husband and I have a great relationship. It takes work and of course we get on one another's nerves now and then, but we love each other. We are committed to making this work.
I had three rules before I would agree to get married; 1) No hitting, 2) No cheating, 3) No fighting about money (you either have it or you don't, fighting about it won't change anything). Everything else can be worked out. We've never broken rules one and two. There have been brief infractions regarding rule 3, but nothing major. Just minor disagreements.
We don't fight much. I'm not into arguing. Communication is key to any relationship. Just talk about it. Marriage is work. Too many people just give up when things get difficult. There will be good years and difficult years. If you can hang in there during the difficult years, it will always be worth while.
Marrying Cameron was the best decision I have ever made. He is honest, hard-working, faithful, kind, Christian, and a good father. He's not perfect, but neither am I. But I think we are perfect together.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
My Story - Part 3
My relationship with Cameron progressed very quickly. We met in May, we began our long-distance relationship in June, and in September he proposed. We exchanged cards, gifts, and photos via mail. We talked on the phone every day. We talked online every night. My parents knew I had an online boyfriend, but they didn't realize how serious the relationship was.
In November 1998, I made arrangements to go visit him in Arizona. I arrived on a Friday and left on Tuesday. They were five of the best days of my life. We visited some of the sites in and around Tucson. We had a picnic on top of a mountain. I met his parents. On Monday, we went downtown and got our marriage license. We had a plan. We had decided that I would move to Arizona to be with him. We had planned to get married on Valentine's Day in 1998.
I was living with my parents at the time. He had a steady job and an apartment. It made more sense for me to move there. The day I had to leave Arizona to return to Kentucky was terrible. I cried all morning. It took everything I had to make myself get on the plane. When I got on, it took everything I had to make myself stay on the plane. I just wanted to stay with him. However, I knew it wouldn't be fair to my family or to my employer to just not come back.
I came home with a letter from Cameron explaining to my parents about our relationship. I thought it would mean more coming from him. He bought me a one-way ticket to Arizona. I gave notice at my job and started packing my things. I would return to Arizona on December 6, 1997. My Mom didn't say much about the situation. My Dad tried to forbid me to move there (I was 22-years old so he didn't have a leg to stand on). On the morning I was leaving, I had an early flight. My Dad got up to hug me goodbye, but he wouldn't go to the airport with me. My Dad is a big soft-hearted guy and he didn't want me to go. My Mom just asked me a few times if I was sure I wanted to do this.
When I left Kentucky it was 0 degrees outside. When I arrived in Tucson, it was 70 degrees and sunny. Quite a change!
I loved living in Arizona. I found an office job not too far from my husband's workplace. I hated that job. I spent all day in a filing room. There were no electrical outlets in that room so I couldn't even have decent music to listen to. I could get elevator music from the phone in there, but after a little while the songs would repeat and I would start to go crazy. I quit that job after about a month. I needed more mental stimulation than that.
In November 1998, I made arrangements to go visit him in Arizona. I arrived on a Friday and left on Tuesday. They were five of the best days of my life. We visited some of the sites in and around Tucson. We had a picnic on top of a mountain. I met his parents. On Monday, we went downtown and got our marriage license. We had a plan. We had decided that I would move to Arizona to be with him. We had planned to get married on Valentine's Day in 1998.
I was living with my parents at the time. He had a steady job and an apartment. It made more sense for me to move there. The day I had to leave Arizona to return to Kentucky was terrible. I cried all morning. It took everything I had to make myself get on the plane. When I got on, it took everything I had to make myself stay on the plane. I just wanted to stay with him. However, I knew it wouldn't be fair to my family or to my employer to just not come back.
I came home with a letter from Cameron explaining to my parents about our relationship. I thought it would mean more coming from him. He bought me a one-way ticket to Arizona. I gave notice at my job and started packing my things. I would return to Arizona on December 6, 1997. My Mom didn't say much about the situation. My Dad tried to forbid me to move there (I was 22-years old so he didn't have a leg to stand on). On the morning I was leaving, I had an early flight. My Dad got up to hug me goodbye, but he wouldn't go to the airport with me. My Dad is a big soft-hearted guy and he didn't want me to go. My Mom just asked me a few times if I was sure I wanted to do this.
When I left Kentucky it was 0 degrees outside. When I arrived in Tucson, it was 70 degrees and sunny. Quite a change!
I loved living in Arizona. I found an office job not too far from my husband's workplace. I hated that job. I spent all day in a filing room. There were no electrical outlets in that room so I couldn't even have decent music to listen to. I could get elevator music from the phone in there, but after a little while the songs would repeat and I would start to go crazy. I quit that job after about a month. I needed more mental stimulation than that.
I started another office job through a temp agency. I had only been there for a few weeks when I received a panicked call from Cameron. He had been transferred to another store and the general manager at that store just up and quit with no notice. The business owner decided he would now be the General Manager. He was also the primary technician. He needed someone to work the counter to help with customers and asked if I would do it. I loved the idea of working with him and I accepted right away.
Monday, January 26, 2015
My Story - Part 2
Jason and I went to the same high school. He was a Senior and I was a Sophomore. He lived just down the street from me. His best friend, Aaron, was also one of my best friends. Aaron was over my house pretty frequently. Sometimes Jason would come with him. There were rumors that Jason liked me, but since I didn't have many suitors lining up to date me, I didn't believe the rumors. Jason graduated and moved to another county. I didn't see him for about 6 or 8 months.
One day he stopped by my house to say, "Hi." We started hanging out on the weekends, but we weren't officially dating.
Jason would usually call me a couple of days before the weekend to see if I had plans with our friends. It was right before my 17th Birthday and he called and asked if I had plans for the weekend. I said I wasn't sure, but my Birthday was coming up the next week so if I celebrated my Birthday, it was going to be that weekend.
His response was, "I know what you are doing. You are going out with me." That was the beginning of a five-year tumultuous relationship. We would be together for a few months, then we would break up for a couple of months. Then we would get back together again. Even when we were broken up, we were still friends and we would sometimes hang out. If we started hanging out regularly, we would end up in a relationship again.
Jason was my first love, first kiss, first everything. We even talked about marriage and children sometimes. Some of my friends swore that Jason and I would be married some day. However, it wasn't meant to be.
I had one other semi-serious internet relationship before I met my husband. I met a guy in a chatroom on AOL (back in the very early days of internet, you know, when you had to use dial-up and AOL was one of the very few providers available). He was a nice guy named Tommy. He lived in Boston. The relationship didn't work out because he was a little bit too much of a "Momma's Boy" and wasn't really ready to settle down.
It was May, 1997. I had given up on guys and hadn't been on the internet in weeks. I was really bored and didn't have any plans one night, so I signed on to AOL. I really liked to go to a chatroom and just observe the conversations. Most of the time I didn't participate in the conversations because if I did, there would always be some horndog messaging me about having cybersex with him.
On this particular night, I did get a message from one of the guys in the chatroom even though I wasn't participating. However, the message contained a simple, "Hello. How are you?" No mention of cybersex (yet), so although I was hesitant, I replied, "Hello. I'm fine. How are you?"
The conversation continued in a very polite manner. We exchanged pleasantries and talked about where we lived, our names, ages, occupations, etc. His name was Cameron. He was 31, divorced, worked as a technician, and lived in Tucson, Arizona. I was 21, single, a college student, I worked as a receptionist, and lived in Louisville, Kentucky. We became friends very quickly.
We started talking online every evening. About a month later, we officially started "dating." We talked on the phone every day, we exchanged photos and cards (via snail mail), and we talked online every evening. About a month into our relationship, my ex-boyfriend from Boston called me. I started feeling nostalgic about my relationship. Tommy was declaring his love for me and asking me to come back to him. My relationship with Cameron was still pretty new and I wasn't sure how I really felt about him, so I broke up with him and went back to Tommy. Cameron and I still talked on the internet every night. However, the guy who had just swore up and down that he loved me, didn't call me all week and on only sent me 3 short emails.
One night I signed online to talk to Cameron and see if Tommy was online. Tommy wasn't online (as usual), but neither was Cameron. This was very unusual. I stopped waiting for Tommy and started waiting for Cameron. I waited for hours for Cameron to sign on. He didn't sign on that night. It was that night that I realized I was letting go of a great guy for a jackass that couldn't even be bothered to call his girlfriend.
I sent Tommy an email and told him it was over. I called Cameron and begged for forgiveness. Lucky for me, he forgave my idiocy.
One day he stopped by my house to say, "Hi." We started hanging out on the weekends, but we weren't officially dating.
Jason would usually call me a couple of days before the weekend to see if I had plans with our friends. It was right before my 17th Birthday and he called and asked if I had plans for the weekend. I said I wasn't sure, but my Birthday was coming up the next week so if I celebrated my Birthday, it was going to be that weekend.
His response was, "I know what you are doing. You are going out with me." That was the beginning of a five-year tumultuous relationship. We would be together for a few months, then we would break up for a couple of months. Then we would get back together again. Even when we were broken up, we were still friends and we would sometimes hang out. If we started hanging out regularly, we would end up in a relationship again.
Jason was my first love, first kiss, first everything. We even talked about marriage and children sometimes. Some of my friends swore that Jason and I would be married some day. However, it wasn't meant to be.
I had one other semi-serious internet relationship before I met my husband. I met a guy in a chatroom on AOL (back in the very early days of internet, you know, when you had to use dial-up and AOL was one of the very few providers available). He was a nice guy named Tommy. He lived in Boston. The relationship didn't work out because he was a little bit too much of a "Momma's Boy" and wasn't really ready to settle down.
It was May, 1997. I had given up on guys and hadn't been on the internet in weeks. I was really bored and didn't have any plans one night, so I signed on to AOL. I really liked to go to a chatroom and just observe the conversations. Most of the time I didn't participate in the conversations because if I did, there would always be some horndog messaging me about having cybersex with him.
On this particular night, I did get a message from one of the guys in the chatroom even though I wasn't participating. However, the message contained a simple, "Hello. How are you?" No mention of cybersex (yet), so although I was hesitant, I replied, "Hello. I'm fine. How are you?"
The conversation continued in a very polite manner. We exchanged pleasantries and talked about where we lived, our names, ages, occupations, etc. His name was Cameron. He was 31, divorced, worked as a technician, and lived in Tucson, Arizona. I was 21, single, a college student, I worked as a receptionist, and lived in Louisville, Kentucky. We became friends very quickly.
We started talking online every evening. About a month later, we officially started "dating." We talked on the phone every day, we exchanged photos and cards (via snail mail), and we talked online every evening. About a month into our relationship, my ex-boyfriend from Boston called me. I started feeling nostalgic about my relationship. Tommy was declaring his love for me and asking me to come back to him. My relationship with Cameron was still pretty new and I wasn't sure how I really felt about him, so I broke up with him and went back to Tommy. Cameron and I still talked on the internet every night. However, the guy who had just swore up and down that he loved me, didn't call me all week and on only sent me 3 short emails.
One night I signed online to talk to Cameron and see if Tommy was online. Tommy wasn't online (as usual), but neither was Cameron. This was very unusual. I stopped waiting for Tommy and started waiting for Cameron. I waited for hours for Cameron to sign on. He didn't sign on that night. It was that night that I realized I was letting go of a great guy for a jackass that couldn't even be bothered to call his girlfriend.
I sent Tommy an email and told him it was over. I called Cameron and begged for forgiveness. Lucky for me, he forgave my idiocy.
Friday, January 23, 2015
My Story - Part 1
Let me tell you a little bit about myself. I was born on Mother's Day in 1975. My mother was planning on going to a cookout (aka barbeque depending on where you live in the country), but apparently I had other plans for her day. My sister was born on New Year's Eve 3 1/2 years later. We really like for my Mom and Dad to have memorable holidays.
Since I am a child of the 70s, I spent most of my childhood outdoors. The only time I watched TV was on Saturday mornings. Early on Saturday mornings I would get a bowl of cereal and plop down in front of the TV to watch cartoons. We didn't have cartoons on demand like kids do these days, so you only had one opportunity to watch them - Saturday morning. The remainder of my time was spent outdoors playing with my friends and riding my bike. I wasn't a lazy child and I didn't overeat.
Puberty started for me when I was about 9 years old. I went from a perfectly normal-sized child in 4th grade to a really chubby little girl in 5th grade. My weight only went up from there. I was teased relentlessly by my peers. I couldn't even walk to the bus stop in the morning without one of the boys saying, "Boom bobba boom bobba boom!" (This is from the movie "Stand By Me" when Gordy is telling a story to his friends about a really fat kid. The other kids in the story would say that to the boy whenever he walked.) Apparently, the kid at my bus stop had seen the movie too. It would hurt my feelings so badly. Like most overweight kids, I would just bury the pain and try and ignore the teasing.
Middle school (6th, 7th, and 8th grade) was the worst! There wasn't a day when some kid didn't say or do something mean to me. Even a girl that I thought was my friend played an awful prank on me. There was a boy I really liked. She would put notes in my locker from an "anonymous" boy every day. One day, she signed one of the notes with the boy's name that I liked. I knew he didn't like me that way because he and I were friends and he would tell me about the girls he liked. One day I saw her slipping the note into my locker. I was so upset! I thought she was my friend, but apparently I was just someone to entertain her.
One day, one of the popular girls came up to me in the girl's bathroom. She told me she wanted to fight me. I had never even spoken to this girl so I couldn't imagine what I had done to make her hate me. I asked her why and she told me, "Because you are fat." I didn't have to do anything to her. Apparently, I deserved a beating solely for being fat.
There were lots of instances like this for me in middle school. In my Freshman year at high school I started making some changes. I started running and exercising every day. I also ate very healthy. I lost a significant amount of weight. I'm not sure how much because I never weighed myself, but I can tell from my photos from 8th to 9th grade it was probably about 50 pounds. Although I had lost a lot of weight, I still saw a fat girl in the mirror's reflection.
When I was 15, I went through a severe depression that lasted about a year. I did a lot of emotional eating during that year and my weight ballooned. In my Junior and Senior year I weighed about 250 pounds. I wasn't getting asked out on many dates during those days. However, there was one boy that liked me despite my weight. His name was Jason.
To be continued....
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Fat Does Not Equal Lazy
Up to 30% of women with PCOS can gain weight and become obese even with normal caloric intake and regular exercise.
For an entire year I worked out every day, at least an hour a day (weight training AND cardio). I also ate a very healthy, low-fat, low-carb diet. Over the course of a year I only lost 25 pounds. That was just in the first couple of months. When my body adjusts to the changes I've made, I stop losing weight. My husband lost over 100 pounds using this same diet and exercise regimen. I was very physically fit but I was (and still am) obese.
I've tried just about every diet and exercise program out there. I'll lose about 25 pounds initially, then once my body figures out what is going on, I start gaining again. My husband is very physically fit and he watched me try over and over to lose weight. He said it didn't make sense. I thought I was crazy until I read that statistic on the PCOS web site a couple of years ago. The only way I can lose weight is to literally starve myself. I want to lose weight to be healthy, but I'm turning 40 this year and I don't care what people say or think about my weight anymore. I started gaining weight when I hit puberty and it has never stopped. At my heaviest I was 350. I'm about 305 now, and that's just because I hardly eat.
Don't criticize what you don't know or understand. Just because I'm fat, it does not mean I'm lazy and eat junk all day. It may be true of some obese people, but it isn't true for me.
Just because it works a certain way for your body, it doesn't mean it works that way for everyone, especially women with PCOS.
It's time we stop judging others based on our own experiences. Until you have lived through someone else's struggles, you don't know how it is.
For an entire year I worked out every day, at least an hour a day (weight training AND cardio). I also ate a very healthy, low-fat, low-carb diet. Over the course of a year I only lost 25 pounds. That was just in the first couple of months. When my body adjusts to the changes I've made, I stop losing weight. My husband lost over 100 pounds using this same diet and exercise regimen. I was very physically fit but I was (and still am) obese.
I've tried just about every diet and exercise program out there. I'll lose about 25 pounds initially, then once my body figures out what is going on, I start gaining again. My husband is very physically fit and he watched me try over and over to lose weight. He said it didn't make sense. I thought I was crazy until I read that statistic on the PCOS web site a couple of years ago. The only way I can lose weight is to literally starve myself. I want to lose weight to be healthy, but I'm turning 40 this year and I don't care what people say or think about my weight anymore. I started gaining weight when I hit puberty and it has never stopped. At my heaviest I was 350. I'm about 305 now, and that's just because I hardly eat.
Don't criticize what you don't know or understand. Just because I'm fat, it does not mean I'm lazy and eat junk all day. It may be true of some obese people, but it isn't true for me.
Just because it works a certain way for your body, it doesn't mean it works that way for everyone, especially women with PCOS.
It's time we stop judging others based on our own experiences. Until you have lived through someone else's struggles, you don't know how it is.
What Is PCOS?
Not many people have heard of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), but it affects about one in 10 women. I was diagnosed with this disease in 2001. My mother was reading an article in a magazine about PCOS and she suggested that I read it too. As I read the article, I realized that I had many of the symptoms of this disease. I went to my OBGYN to get tested. She ran a few tests and sent me to an endocrinologist for further testing. The endocrinologist diagnosed me with PCOS.
When people used to ask me why I didn't have children yet, I would tell them it is because I have PCOS. The usual response is "What is that?" It is amazing to me that this disease is so widespread but you never hear anything about it in the media.
PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women. Since the media and medical community have been so neglectful of informing the public about this disease, I thought I would tell you about it myself. PCOS is an endocrine disease that causes a woman's hormones to be severly imbalanced. The hormone inbalance can cause any (or all) of the following symptoms:
* Women with PCOS often do not ovulate
* Heavy, irregular periods
* Hair loss from the scalp and hair growth on the face, chest, back, stomach, thumbs, or toes (PCOS causes high androgen levels which causes the hair loss on your head and hair growth in places you don't want it to grow. So you are hairy everywhere but your head. What a great look for a woman!)
* Acne and oily skin (and let me tell you, it is such a treat [she says sarcastically] to have skin like a 15-year old when you are almost 40).
* Infertility (and of course the guilt that goes along with infertility when you realize that you can't give your husband the children he so desperately wants).
* Weight gain and the inability to lose weight (I have struggled to lose weight for many years without much success)
* 30% of women with PCOS can gain weight with normal caloric intake (meaning if you eat healthy and exercise, you may still stay obese. I'm one of those lucky 30%)
* Repeat miscarriages (if you are fortunate enough to get pregnant. I have had one miscarriage myself and I have never gotten pregnant again.)
* Insulin resistance (pre-diabetes and Type II diabetes) which can also cause skin tags or patches of dark skin.
* Sleep apnea.
* Chronic pelvic pain (caused by cysts that sometimes grow on the ovaries - hence the name of the disease).
* Exhaustion or lack of mental alertness.
* Decreased sex drive.
* High cholesterol
* High blood pressure
* Depression and mood swings (and really, who wouldn't get depressed fighting all of these symptoms?)
* Headaches
* Increased risk of reproductive system cancers
* Anxiety
* Endometriosis
* Cysts on the ovaries
* Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
* Thyroid disease
PCOS is often misdiagnosed as some other disease. That is because there is no definitive test for this disease. Most of the time it is diagnosed by process of elimination. When I went to be tested for this disease, the OBGYN took 2 vials of blood for tests, then she sent me to the endocrinologist. The endocrinologist took 12 vials of blood for testing. Sometimes they even do a pelvic ultrasound to look at your ovaries.
There is no cure for this disease. There also really isn't much treatment for this disease either. The only thing doctors typically prescribe is a healthy diet, exercise, and Metformin to help with the insulin resistance.
My husband and I adopted three children last year through Foster Care. It was the greatest blessing of my life. I am now mother to Brennan (5), Summer (4), and Jordan (3). The Foster Care/Adoption journey was a difficult one. It took almost 2 full years to get parental rights terminated and complete the adoption, but it was worth every second. My heart is so full of joy now that my family is complete. Because of the PCOS, I was not able to have biological children, but that's not a requirement for me.
It makes me sad to see people spend thousands of dollars on expensive fertility treatments that may not work (especially if you have PCOS) when there are thousands of children in Foster Care that need homes.
My reason for writing this post is so that when you hear a woman say she has PCOS, you will be informed enough to know that she is dealing with a difficult disease. Perhaps you can give her support and encouragement. You may also know women who suffer from some of the symptoms listed above. Tell her about PCOS so she can discuss it with her doctor (because most likely her doctor has never mentioned it to her).
When people used to ask me why I didn't have children yet, I would tell them it is because I have PCOS. The usual response is "What is that?" It is amazing to me that this disease is so widespread but you never hear anything about it in the media.
PCOS is the leading cause of infertility in women. Since the media and medical community have been so neglectful of informing the public about this disease, I thought I would tell you about it myself. PCOS is an endocrine disease that causes a woman's hormones to be severly imbalanced. The hormone inbalance can cause any (or all) of the following symptoms:
* Women with PCOS often do not ovulate
* Heavy, irregular periods
* Hair loss from the scalp and hair growth on the face, chest, back, stomach, thumbs, or toes (PCOS causes high androgen levels which causes the hair loss on your head and hair growth in places you don't want it to grow. So you are hairy everywhere but your head. What a great look for a woman!)
* Acne and oily skin (and let me tell you, it is such a treat [she says sarcastically] to have skin like a 15-year old when you are almost 40).
* Infertility (and of course the guilt that goes along with infertility when you realize that you can't give your husband the children he so desperately wants).
* Weight gain and the inability to lose weight (I have struggled to lose weight for many years without much success)
* 30% of women with PCOS can gain weight with normal caloric intake (meaning if you eat healthy and exercise, you may still stay obese. I'm one of those lucky 30%)
* Repeat miscarriages (if you are fortunate enough to get pregnant. I have had one miscarriage myself and I have never gotten pregnant again.)
* Insulin resistance (pre-diabetes and Type II diabetes) which can also cause skin tags or patches of dark skin.
* Sleep apnea.
* Chronic pelvic pain (caused by cysts that sometimes grow on the ovaries - hence the name of the disease).
* Exhaustion or lack of mental alertness.
* Decreased sex drive.
* High cholesterol
* High blood pressure
* Depression and mood swings (and really, who wouldn't get depressed fighting all of these symptoms?)
* Headaches
* Increased risk of reproductive system cancers
* Anxiety
* Endometriosis
* Cysts on the ovaries
* Increased risk of heart attack and stroke
* Thyroid disease
PCOS is often misdiagnosed as some other disease. That is because there is no definitive test for this disease. Most of the time it is diagnosed by process of elimination. When I went to be tested for this disease, the OBGYN took 2 vials of blood for tests, then she sent me to the endocrinologist. The endocrinologist took 12 vials of blood for testing. Sometimes they even do a pelvic ultrasound to look at your ovaries.
There is no cure for this disease. There also really isn't much treatment for this disease either. The only thing doctors typically prescribe is a healthy diet, exercise, and Metformin to help with the insulin resistance.
My husband and I adopted three children last year through Foster Care. It was the greatest blessing of my life. I am now mother to Brennan (5), Summer (4), and Jordan (3). The Foster Care/Adoption journey was a difficult one. It took almost 2 full years to get parental rights terminated and complete the adoption, but it was worth every second. My heart is so full of joy now that my family is complete. Because of the PCOS, I was not able to have biological children, but that's not a requirement for me.
It makes me sad to see people spend thousands of dollars on expensive fertility treatments that may not work (especially if you have PCOS) when there are thousands of children in Foster Care that need homes.
My reason for writing this post is so that when you hear a woman say she has PCOS, you will be informed enough to know that she is dealing with a difficult disease. Perhaps you can give her support and encouragement. You may also know women who suffer from some of the symptoms listed above. Tell her about PCOS so she can discuss it with her doctor (because most likely her doctor has never mentioned it to her).
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