reset

Sorry this is so long, just getting people up to speed. Later updates will be much much shorter.

As some of you may know, my weight loss has been prescribed by my doctor to prevent diabetes and help me get pregnant. At the end of February I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which means I do not ovulate and my hormone levels are severely off balance. Dr. Copeland suggested I change to a vegan diet, avoiding the hormones in animal products to balance the hormones in my body. Not to mention adding much needed nutrition to my diet to help reverse disease and get my blood sugar levels on track.

Switching to a vegan diet is difficult (to say the least) especially because it's starch based. The media currently leads everyone to believe that more protein and less starch/carbs is the way to go. Although it's true for some, ultimately low carb is just a quick fix and when you start incorporating carbs back into your body you'll most likely gain weight back. The best thing to go for is a balanced diet. I have seen this happen to my self time and time again BUT you tend to like the results you see from giving up carbs. When my doctor told me to go vegan I had just come off of a 2 week carb fast; lots of chicken, eggs, veggies and low fat cheese. And then he was like, so stop eating animal products and I was like.... uuuuuuh I don't know how.

The most difficult part is getting your mind to focus every meal around whole grains or beans instead of meat. Not to mention the particular diet plan he had me look up has less soy protein, so constantly eating meat substitutes was not so much of an option (not to mention it's friggin expensive). So getting my mind wrapped around THAT took a month. I had a conversation with my older sister Mariana one day and I told her about my PCOS, the metformin my doctor prescribed and my new vegan diet (which I had yet to fully adopt). She was the only person who was not surprised. Mind you, my sister is and x-ray technologist in Long Beach. She works at a hospital and knows a lot about general medical information including common medications for my syndrome and lifestyle changes. She said that the vegan thing is often prescribed because the added nutrition and removal of toxins form the body prompts the body to reverse disease, ANY disease. Suddenly being Vegan sounded fantastic so I dove in full force.

Since then I have lost about 5 lbs (over about 6 weeks) and received a lot of "hey have you lost weight?" comments, which are my favorite :) My doctor didn't notice because like I said, I was starving my self of carbs and then got discouraged and didn't diet for about a month, so I gained weight and then lost a little so the scale said I didn't lose any (well the nurse told me I lost one lb, she was excited for me at least!) I also have been working out at Curves. I try to go 3 x's a week but sometimes I don't. No excuses, I just don't because I get lazy. This past week I got discouraged again and cheated ALL week, not to mention I only went to Curves once. I feel like every day I slack off I balloon up which makes me feel like I have to start all over. I guess the key is not to let every little slip up bother me and to stay stronger during that time of the month and not use it as an excuse to eat whatever I please and not work out. What starts as only a few days of "oh I have cramps. Give me chips, salsa, and a blanket in front of the TV" then turns into a week and a half of sitting on my bum playing video games and eating fast food or whatever junk we have in the house. Guess that's why it's called a "lifestyle change" and not just a diet.

On a less snarky note, this weekend I reached a bit of a milestone. For the first time I started looking at my PCOS as what it is: a disease. Fact is, I am physically incapable of getting pregnant. This is something I never thought I would ever have to face. So after a few months of rationalizing and blaming my self, this Sunday I gave it to God. I accepted that even if I did take some wrong steps on my path to health that God, the great physician, can cure anything. So I finally took it to the alter and asked for His healing. Not just for my PCOS but also for my addiction to compromise that keeps me from being obedient. So here's to striving for spiritual and physical wellness! Good luck girls, and may the Lord bless you in your journeys to that smaller dress size (or in my case, the maternity section) :P