Too Much Carbs

Today was a rough start considering that I vowed to stay away from carbs yesterday. But I really want to keep on working on this diet despite my failed beginnings. I guess it’s better to avoid it altogether rather than end up consuming bigger portions. Tomorrow is another day, and I hope I can do so much better.

My Love Story With Carbs

My love story with carbohydrates actually goes way back in my childhood. My family had a bakery business and as far as I could remember, bread was always part of our snacks and even meals. During that time, and even today, white bread is a staple in many Filipino households. And since rice is also a big part of our family meals, it is without a doubt that I have been having carbohydrate overload every single day.

It is a common practice for Filipino families to eat rice together with eggs and bacon or corned beef in the morning. For lunch and dinner, rice is always paired with any viand. For snacks, carbohydrates take center stage in the many forms of kakanin, arroz caldo, champorado, pancit, banana cue, along with many other carb-laden foods.   Since these foods can be found everywhere, it’s such a struggle for me to limit my carbohydrate intake.

My greatest challenge lies in the fact that my options are so limited here. It’s even hard to find healthier substitutes for white bread because it is the preferred type of bread being the most affordable. This is just one clear example of how far we are in terms of being health conscious because many families don’t have the resources to be choosy.

With this sad realization, I am still optimistic that I can find a meal plan that can work for me. Shunning the foods that I am accustomed to eating is definitely hard, but I have endured with my symptoms for so long already. I just hope that I can influence the rest of my family to start eating healthy as well. From my previous weight loss attempts, I know that it’s hard to stick to my diet when everyone is eating a different thing. It’s hard to avoid ice cream when I see them all indulging heaping servings of the sinful substance. Tsk tsk.

But my love for carbohydrates has to cease because my body is not taking it well. Although this is going to be hard, there is just no other way to go about it. I was told by my online PCOS friend that she stopped eating bread because she couldn’t have just a little. And that’s exactly the same thing for me. So with a heavy but hopeful heart, I bid my carbohydrate friends farewell. Life is going to be different without you guys, but I am pretty sure that it will all be for my own welfare.

A Positive Day

Just when I wasn’t feeling good with my diet, I was inspired by the story of another woman with PCOS. She has given me some helpful tips on how I can eat healthier, and I value her insights considering that she is successful in managing PCOS. From a rough day yesterday, and alhtough my diet today is not the way I intended it to be, this day is quite positive.

3 Foods To Avoid When You Have PCOS

Today, I forced myself to examine my diet because my efforts for the past few weeks are so ineffective. I realized that although I did try to limit my food intake, I didn’t really go out of my way to eat healthier. With PCOS and my insulin resistance, I should seriously avoid foods that can only aggravate my PCOS symptoms particularly insulin resistance.

With rice as a staple in my family meals, it’s hard for me to avoid carbohydrates and all the other food items that I need to consume in moderation. But from today onwards, I will try to avoid the following food items in my diet:

1.    Sweets – I have successfully dealt with my craving for chocolates, cake and even ice cream. After avoiding these for so long, I noticed that I no longer have the urge to eat it every now and then. But my biggest challenge would be in the form of liquid sweets like powdered juice drinks, shakes and even soda. Somehow I feel so refreshed after drinking these sweetened drinks. I need to relearn how to appreciate water – it’s good for the body and it doesn’t have all the glucose and the calories that I’m trying to avoid.

2.    White Rice – This one is going to be hard to avoid. Our family meal is never complete without rice. This type of rice is among the carbohydrates with a high glycemic index, and I should seriously avoid having it three times a day! Before I had my daughter, I was able to achieve dramatic weight loss results because I avoided it at all costs. It’s so hard to get back on my diet before, but I know that it’s the only way to go about this weight loss goal.

3.    White Bread – This is another culprit in my diet. With my local bakery having only this type of bread readily available, I need to purchase a healthier alternative at a mall. I know that eating healthy also entails a bigger allocation in my weekly food budget. If only I have access to affordable, fresh and organic produce like the other countries. Sigh!

For now, my focus will be on slowly eradicating these items on my diet. In the coming days, I will try to look for healthier alternatives so that I can move forward with my weight loss plan. If you happen to have any suggestions, they are mostly welcome here!

Getting Discouraged

I haven’t really seen any visible results with my diet. I am getting discouraged about this entire process. But since I have started it already, I should just get on with it. Sigh! It’s so hard to lose even a single pound!

Can PCOS Weaken The Immune System?

Aside from common ailments like fever, cough and colds, I really didn’t have serious health issues before. My body didn’t seem to complain when I constantly pushed myself to the limits by being active in competitive sports. But when my PCOS symptoms worsened, I also noticed that my immune system seemed weaker. I can easily get the infection from other sick family members, and I also noticed that it took my body longer in fighting off the most common illnesses.

When I browsed through some data regarding the association between a weak immune system and PCOS, I really could not get a definite answer. But what’s intriguing is that there are many women with PCOS, who also complain of a weakened immune system. I found out that many of these women are just like me. They also had more frequent bouts with viral or even bacterial infections.

Since PCOS is not directly linked with an immunocompromised state, it is believed that immune system problems may be due to a common PCOS symptom –insulin resistance. In PCOS women, the body needs more insulin in order to get a desired response. This altered body mechanism is believed to affect many mechanisms in the body, including the immune system response.

Although a growing number of studies are needed so that the link can be clearly established, these claims helped me understand as to how PCOS can cause a chain reaction in our body processes. When long ago I thought that PCOS is purely reproductive in nature, I am more than certain that it’s so much more than that.
With my weak immune system, I refuse to give up on this disorder knowing that there are options that I can take so I can be healthier. With my tendency to attract viruses and other illnesses, I have made it a point to practice preventive measures like proper hand washing or even isolating myself from sick family members. To add to that, I am also trying to have a healthier diet to at least control my insulin resistance.

I know that I need to make major adjustments with my schedule so that I can regularly exercise, but I am looking forward to that as another step towards a healthier me. I just don’t want to see myself as someone who is constantly sick because of this disorder. I am also very open to alternative treatment methods because I seriously want positive changes to occur healthwise.

Dealing with PCOS dictates that you need to be more attuned with your body so that you can take steps in controlling your symptoms. That’s precisely what I am doing now, and I am hoping that it will give me positive results.

Unhealthy Diet For A Not Too Good Day

I have hubby to thank for this mutated virus including body malaise, fever, sore throat, and sleepless nights due to coughing. I feel that this virus has really stayed too long. I don’t like the feeling of being cold all the time just because my body temperature is so messed up.

Eating My Way To Recovery

I have tried to eat full meals today in the hope that I’d recover soon. I had the flu shot this year and still I have the flu. Sigh! I am popular for being the “catcher” in the family because I easily get the infection from other sick family members. It’s terrible and it’s also one of the main reasons why I want to be healthier because I am hoping that my immune system will work better.

PCOS And The Yeast Connection

I have finally mustered the courage to begin writing about other embarrassing symptoms of PCOS. This year, I have noticed that right before my period, I’d get really itchy down there. Although my period is irregular, the “itch” would routinely come just before I have my precious period. When it first happened, I thought that I had an allergic reaction to a feminine wash, but after my consultation I found out that it was a yeast infection.

My OB asked me to take a Funzela (Fluconazole) tablet along with two tablets of Flagyl (Metronidadole). After days of suffering from the severe itch and burning, I was relieved to find out that it can be treated with these two medications. However, it was just the beginning of my new journey with another symptom that is related to IR or insulin resistance.

I realized that I began to have recurrent yeast infections just late last year. It came just about the time when my PCOS symptoms seemed to worsen. This association may not be directly linked with PCOS, but it can be explained with the existence of insulin resistance, which happens to be common among PCOS women. This is a result of high blood sugar levels because the microorganism that causes yeast infections thrives in the presence of glucose.

Through PCOS forums, I learned that many of these women had yeast infections when they weren’t careful with their diet. When they tried to avoid simple carbohydrate foods and foods with refined sugar, their yeast infections didn’t occur as often. I have observed the same thing with my bouts with yeast infections. When I indulge with my premenstrual cravings, I tend to have a worse episode of yeast infection. It’s really exasperating considering that I don’t intend to take the medication every month.

Since I have been quite careful with my diet, I noticed that it’s not as bothersome anymore. Now, I can just ignore it because it’s rather mild. And although this is just a small progress with regards to my overall PCOS condition, it is a welcome step towards my quest for better health. And with that, I have also exerted an effort in preventing its recurrence.

I am regularly taking probiotics because it can help maintain good levels of good bacteria necessary to fight off certain infections. I have also given up orange juice in place of cranberry juice. And I am also avoiding hygiene products that can alter normal vaginal pH. Through these measures, I am hoping that I can at least help prevent this bothersome infection.

If you have frequent yeast infections due to PCOS, I would love to hear how you deal with these. Being a survivor of all things PCOS, I happen to know how it feels to deal with one symptom after the other.

No Appetite For Today

I am down with the flu and I really don’t have the appetite all day. How I wish I won’t have the appetite all the time so that I’d lose weight easier! (I wish!) I don’t like getting sick though. I have been coughing and sneezing all day. Hope I’ll feel better tomorrow.