So What is This Finger You're Talking About? - Brief Intro to PCOS

(Note to our male readers: This will be slightly personal and slightly feminine. Go ahead, keep reading, it's good for you!)

Ah, the finger our bodies give us. Those of you who have PCOS or polycycstic ovary syndrome know exactly what Rachel and I are talking about. PCOS is considered a "syndrome" rather than a disease because of the many different symptoms and that not all women will have the same symptoms. No one really understands what causes PCOS. Current research seems to be centering around how our bodies deal with insulin and other hormones. I'm a bit cynical about this but because it's an issue for women and not men, the research just hasn't been as quick as it could be. I mean seriously, it was first described over 80 years ago! A lot of that is changing though.

Symptoms can include any of the following:

• Irregular or no menstrual periods
• Acne
• Obesity
• Excess hair growth
• Infertility
• Depression and anxiety

Gee, sounds fun doesn't it! These symptoms also put women with PCOS at high risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure on top of other issues they may have if obese. Because of the far ranging symptoms and a lack of a clear cause, PCOS care typically focuses on managing the symptoms rather than eliminating them.

I was diagnosed with PCOS at 15. If I'm not on birth control I have two periods a month. It contributes to my weight issues, causes me to grow hair that I don't want, gives me mood swings and generally contributes to my bad self-image. Rachel didn't get diagnosed until later and doesn't have the hair issue. I'll let her tell you about that herself sometime though, if she wants.

I've put together a list of resources below if you'd like a little more information. For those of you who know someone with PCOS, please be kind. I was mocked a lot in high school for having facial hair and being overweight. The mocking made an already crappy situation much worse.

Resources:
http://www.pcoscoach.com/symptoms_of_pcos.html
http://www.hormone.org/Polycystic/overview.cfm
http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/pcosinfo.html
http://www.soulcysters.net/

THE SKINNY ON: FAT- UNDERCOVER

(He give a smashing performance and wears a first-class disguise! I'm portraying fat as a he because I cannot fathom it being a female...why would we terrorize/victimize ourselves in such a fashion. Nope it's a deceptive male...but not all fats, like men, are bad ;-)

Ever hear the term FAT-FREE, LOW-FAT, LIGHT, REDUCED FAT, 1/2 THE FAT, 1/3 THE FAT, 99% FAT-FREE, 99.9% FAT-FREE (seriously, who are you fooling with the 0.01%?), NONFAT, DIET, LOW SUGAR, REDUCED SUGAR, NO SUGAR (and the list goes on AND on). If so you're definitely standing under the umbrella of dupery (so I made that word up but I used the root word of dupe; an easily deceived person; person who functions as the tool of another person or power).

All of these terms were created by food companies for one major purpose: to SELL their product! Approximately 200 million Americans, including our children, are overweight. In 2000, the Department of Health and Human Services estimated the overall annual economic costs of obesity in the US to be $117 billion and that was 9 years ago. So, you can do the inflation math. Americans spend an estimated $40 billion per year on diet-related products alone. Guess who literally wants a piece of that money pie? Everyone in the "weight loss" business; fitness companies, food companies, pharmaceutical companies, etc. So that's why the rest of us have to become educated about the choices we make about what to put in our bodies. This is the only body we're given. We've got on shot to use and maintain it.

The truth? Most fat-free or low-fat foods are high in processed sugars, dangerous artificial sweeteners, low in fiber, and contain MSG. As you eat these processed foods, the acid in your stomach dissolves them very quickly.

It's like trying to fill a sink that has no stopper! The MSG causes insulin production so you are hungry an hour later, making healthy weight loss very difficult (if not impossible).

The result? You consume excess calories and your body stores them as fat.

Many people consume larger quantities of low-fat or nonfat foods than they do of regular foods, thinking they will break even, which they do not. Or, they rationalize that because they're eating some low fat or nonfat foods, they can eat larger servings of foods that are not low in fat. Focus on adding more fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet. These foods are good for you, are essentially fat-free, and because of their fiber have a high level of satiety.

"The bottom line, according to Frechman: Don't put too much faith in products labeled fat-free at the expense of making smarter decisions about portion size, your overall diet, and the amount of exercise you get, which are the real keys to a healthy weight." : Frechman, Ruth, M.A., R.D., dietitian in Los Angeles; spokeswoman, American Dietetic Association

One of the Answers

Truthfully anyone can lose weight and many do. However, a much smaller percentage of people lose and keep off the weight for good. When you eat fewer calories than you burn you will lose weight. Following any eating plan that reduces your calories will result in weight loss.

Keeping weight off however requires more than calorie cutting; it requires changing your behavior. You can throw all the money you have at weight loss, but you will not have permanent weight loss unless you change and strengthen the organ between your ears.

Your brain is the most important body part in your weight loss efforts. With any addiction, if you simply take away the object of addiction you have not solved the problem. A drug addict is not cured simply by going through detox. An alcoholic is not cured by being deprived of alcohol. Taking food away will cause temporary weight loss but lasting change requires a change in the way you think about food.

My cousins and I and many others are living proof that when you change your mind about weight loss you are on the way to lasting behavior change and a healthy lifestyle. I'm not saying it's not going to be tough or challenging or that you won't have bad days, but it is possible to achieve permanent success. Look at Mandy's story...rock on couz, rock on!

Resources:
http://www.meriter.com/
http://www.articlesbase.com/weight-loss-articles/eating-organic-and-whole-foods-will-help-you-lose-weight-458857.html

Enough is Enough - Rachel

I think I’ve been mentally in that state since birth. Chubby, fat, obese, roley polly, fluffy, big-boned (yeah, I love that one); whatever you choose to call it…..I’ve lived it. I can never remember a day in my life, childhood included, where I’ve been at a society labeled “healthy” weight. I feel that my mom and dad had probably just feasted at one our infamous family gatherings when they conceived me.

Skip ahead: High school. Ahhhh, how high school can change your life…..its mind boggling in so many ways. I’m not certain if it was the threat of being teased, being left out of social functions, being left behind, or being labeled that prompted me to see through my wall of chubbiness. But high school was one of those defining moments; therefore, I was going to tackle the immense challenge of changing my body. At the time my mom was exercising and following Weight Watchers. I started following the Weight Watchers program, faithfully ran two miles at least three times per week, ran stairs (a very long, steep set leading to the beach), went to step aerobics twice weekly, and was an active football and basketball cheerleader. I danced, I ran, I climbed, I ate very little. And yes, I lost weight……but seriously peeps……I was still a size 8 or 9! AND….I had youth on my side! I still thought I was fat and it’s sad because realistically I was probably at a maintainable weight for my body.

Skip ahead: Marriage (which for me =weight gain). Apparently being comfortable with someone can make you lazy. I was cooking huge meals for just two people and exercising rarely. Portions were outrageous! I can remember at family gatherings heaping my plate with food containing more calories than I should have been consuming all day……..and then heaping it AGAIN!

Skip ahead: Pregnancy. I had actually rejoined Weight Watchers and was exercising moderately before conceiving my daughter. I had lost some weight…and then bam I was pregnant. It was also at this time in my life I was diagnosed with PCOS (which Sunny and I will whine about in detail later) but let’s just say….not our friend and definitely a major factor in our weight issues. I was lucky. Due to the lovely joys of vomiting (extreme pregnancy morning, noon, and night sickness for 9 months), I only gained 15 pounds and had lost 36 pounds 6 weeks after I delivered. If only I had started an exercise/eating program then I might not have had another “up in weight” moment in my life. But I was tired……and stressed……and I think a bit depressed. Caring for a newborn, especially a colicky active newborn, is mentally AND physically demanding. I ate too many calories and wasn’t exercising. Up came the weight. I think at my heaviest, I weighed more than I had 9 months pregnant. Not a good moment for me. I, like Mandy, thought of my child when the light bulb came back on. As a mother, you ARE role model for your children. You have NO CHOICE. It’s inherent. I looked down at my small, adorable, active daughter and said…….I NEVER want her to have to struggle with herself like I have.

That was when I joined Turbo Kick (kickboxing instructed by a high school friend) and have NEVER looked back. Well, that’s not entirely true….I sometimes think about my old ways, but only to remind myself and others that going BACK to that is not an option for me. Each time I drop a size in clothing, I give those clothes away. I don’t save them (you all know what I’m talking about…those fat pants, that baggy sweater). I step on a scale every morning and often at night. I can visually see my progress…or an occasional defeat. But it keeps me accountable…..and gives me NO reason or excuse to save anything related to my old ways. This is a journey where you really can’t throw the white flag. You battle….you have wins and learns….and you dust yourself off from those learns and let them not defeat you.

Enough is Enough - Sunny

Unlike Mandy, I can't point to a day that I said, "From today on I change." I can, however, point to a personal low...December 25, 2006. Dad, Andy and I were hiking at Coquille Falls. It's 0.5 miles downhill to see the falls. Did downhill just fine. Coming back out my blood sugar got low, I was fat and out of shape, and that half mile was hell. At one point, I just sat down in the rain and the dirt and cried. Andy tried to cheer me up, "You are doing what you like with people you love." Didn't matter...it wasn't fun anymore.

I had just left an organization that required much of my free-time. Later that day Dad suggested, if I could devote that much time to the organization before, maybe now I could devote that time to me.

I will never know what my highest weight was...I refused to own a scale. And, it would take another 9 months before I got "serious." I tried counting calories over the summer, although I'm not sure how effective that was. I do think it got me in the right frame of mind. I also know jealousy played a role. At our annual August family reunion everybody was excited about Mandy losing 40lbs since April. What the hell? I could do that. I didn't want her to be the only "skinny" one!

At the same time we got a dog and I started Weight Watchers. A dog with lots of energy that needed walks everyday. At first we just went around the block. That's all I could handle. Then pretty soon it was half a mile and by the end of the winter we were walking 2-3 miles in the morning and more in the afternoon. The dog had to leave but the exercise and Weight Watchers stuck.

I too believe that without exercise I would never have lost the weight. I have friends that are into riding bikes. I already rode to work each day (1.5 miles round-trip) but I started added grocery shopping, going to church, other errands, etc. to my daily rides. It's a form of exercise that doesn't feel like exercise to me. I even managed to ride 41 miles on Labor Day 2008! A year before that I had rode 3 miles to church. As soon as I got there, I called Andy and asked him to pick me up after church. I just couldn't imagine riding the 3 miles home. Seriously, I thought I was going to die. What a difference! From sitting in the dirt crying in the rain in the woods to riding 41 miles. I haven't "arrived" and I don't think I ever will...it will be a daily struggle. It has to be - day by day.

Enough is Enough - Mandy

It was April 17, 2007, when I finally decided enough was enough! I had always been overweight for as long as I could remember and I didn’t want to be that way anymore. I had always been pretty healthy and active so I didn’t even realize how much my weight had gotten out of control until it was too late. I will admit I was always one of those people who looked at severely obese people and thought to myself how could they let themselves get that big? I would never let myself get that big. I finally took a step back, looked at myself, and realized I had done exactly the same thing. I just gradually put on more and more weight until I was considered “morbidly obese” by all the weight charts. My kids were a huge motivating factor and just what I needed to get started! I didn’t want my kids to be teased for having a fat mom or for them to be embarrassed to have me around their friends because I was so big.

In the past whenever I was thinking about trying to lose weight, I would tell myself I would start the next day or the beginning of the next week, or the beginning of the next month. It never worked. I was always finding reasons to prolong doing what I really needed to do which was eat healthier foods, smaller portions, and EXERCISE. Exercise in my opinion is the most important part of my weight loss strategy and the only way I will ever be able to maintain this weight for the rest of my life. On April 17th, I decided to start because it was in the middle of a week, the middle of the month, and was as good of time as any to get my life on track. I was finally ready to make a huge change in my lifestyle and have seen great success since that day!

This is not an easy process and it isn’t something you can just do for a little while and then go back to your old ways. You have to be committed to changing your life forever if you want to be successful. You have to find what works for your unique body and be committed to sticking with it even when it is tough because there are always times that make it really hard not to give up. Willpower and determination to lose the weight and get healthy are the keys in my opinion.

Cast of Characters - Our Debut!

We are three cousins who grew up together and who have always struggled with weight. Our family loves food - no family event would be complete without our Grandma's cookies in her iconic tupperware containers. We're all active right now and we're all in different places with our weight. Share our struggles, defeats and accomplishments. Get to know us a little better and see if you can relate.

Rachel – Married, mom to one very active little girl, den mother or actually office manager for Bandon Police Department. Probably the most girlish of the three. In addition to struggling with her weight, Rachel has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This makes it just a bit harder to lose weight. No really, a lot harder. We describe it as your body giving you the finger. You know which finger. Currently she is working her ass off and teaching Hip Hop Hustle. Rachel has lost 40lbs. She would like to lose another 50 lbs.


Mandy – Married, mom to two active boys, runs a day care from home. Mandy is the athletic one. Lost most of her weight by exercising like a fiend. No PCOS here. Mandy has lost 107lbs. She would like to lose another 5lbs. Really she wants to just be more trim.


Sunny – Married, no kids, works outside the home for the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Sunny's body also likes to give her the finger. Yep, she has PCOS too. Seems it runs in families. In addition to this, Sunny has found that wheat, dairy and sugar are just plain bad. Exercises some. Hates it. Rides her bike as much as possible to avoid other forms of exercise but has come to the realization that she has got to do more to make the weight come off. Sunny has lost 50 lbs and wants to lose another 34 lbs.


Now you have an idea of our backgrounds. Expect different information from each of us. We have lots of methods in common and lots of different ways that we have approached our weight loss. What has helped each of us the most is community, hard work, and eating right. So join us or find your own community. Either way, know it can be done...one day at a time!