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So anyway, this all sucks
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday wherein I learned that I am, it would appear, a fat old woman trapped in a tiny young body. As she diagnosed me with PCOS and some glucose intolerance (both related to the diabetes that runs in my family), she kept telling me how unusual it was for me to have these problems because they're usually found in obese people who are older than me and "YOU'RE ONLY 25! AND YOU WEIGH 111 POUNDS¹!" Yeah, that doesn't really make me feel any better. I was told for years that the way to avoid diabetes-related problems was to keep my weight down. And I did. And I still got them. It's weird and unusual that I would have these things²... but I still have them.
So anyway, that sucks.
The point of telling you my medical history of late was that although I don't have to change to a strict diet regimen, the doctor recommended that I try to get more protein and fewer carbohydrates in my diet. Which means that I have become one of those people. Those people who whine about lo-carb alternatives and do lame-ass things like calling carbohydrates "carbs" and spelling "low" without a W. I hate those people! "Meh meh meh, I can't have a piece of bread because I'm watching my caaarbs." "Oh my god, do you know how many caaaaaaarbs are in that?"³ Now I'm trying to convince myself that I would rather eat nuts than candy (which I would if they were almonds and I could suck on them like the disgusting person that I am), but I'd really rather have M&Ms with almonds inside! It's like a compromise in a delicious candy shell! I predict that this effort to watch what I eat and alter my diet will last about two weeks, then I will go back to eating delicious chocolates and pastas at every opportunity. Perhaps together. In the meantime, you'll have to deal with One Of Those Carb People.
So anyway, that sucks.
The point of telling you all about my new high-protein, loW-carbOHYDRATE diet was to inform you that this stupid health thing and this stupid diet thing led me to buy this stupid $3 protein soy smoothie beverage thing today. Naked Juice Vanilla Chai smells like egg nog and tastes like Bed Bath & Beyond. Like the way Bed Bath & Beyond smells, that is - I've never had any desire to drink Bed Bath & Beyond and I have no desire to drink this foul thing. But it cost $3, so I may use the ol' egg nog trick of holding my nose and gulping. Under the teeth and over the gums, look out stomach, here the protein comes!
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¹ Note to the Red Cross: I'm pretty sure the scale was off by a pound or two. Plus, I probably lost weight since then. Plus, I have no blood left because the doctors took it all. Plus, I bet I have malaria and tuberculosis and mad cow disease. Excuses? You want excuses? I got yer excuses right here. You can't have my blood; I'm using it.
² I dunno. They're not "diseases" per se. I guess. One of them's a syndrome. This sucks.
³ The student center food court's side dishes selections today were: 1) delicious delicious mashed potatoes and gravy, 2) delicious delicious sweet potato casserole, 3) delicious delicious french fries or 4) rolls. Apparently we don't believe in vegetables here. Where are we, the Midwest?
srah - Tuesday, 4 April 2006 - 5:03 PM
Tags: doctor, health, insulin resistance, low-carb diet, polycystic ovary syndrome
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Comments (21)
srah - April 4, 2006 - 7:43 PM - ℓ
First I have to get a blender! :D
Thanks for your suggestions. One of the problems I've found is that all the websites about high-protein foods keep telling me to eat peanut butter and eggs and yogurt, none of which I really like. So I'm going to have to find other, more sneaky ways to get protein. Or find a yogurt I can actually eat.
Not your mom - April 4, 2006 - 10:16 PM - ℓ
Sorry to hear about your problems, but I hope now that you know you can feel better. You should read about the Sugar Busters Diet! You can't have the white bread or rice or potatoes, but you can eat wheat bread, brown rice and sweet potatoes. The doctors who came up with this diet swear it will help people with diabetes type problems.
Allison - April 4, 2006 - 11:00 PM - ℓ
:(
kim - April 5, 2006 - 4:17 AM - ℓ
Srah, I too have PCOS and am 25 and not a fat old lady. So I feel your pain. I was diagnosed at 22, but honestly I don't feel like it has affected my life all that much. Except that no babies have been shooting out my vagina so far in my life, that is most likely related, and I'm sure the moment when I start having real pangs for babies I will have had it up to here with PCOS, but yeah.
Anyway, you're not the only one!
Aunt Pam - April 5, 2006 - 7:08 AM - ℓ
Sarah, think in terms of complex carbohydrates. White bread tastes lousy and is of the devil anyways! :-) It's not that you can't have them (carbohydrates). . . you can, you just have to portion it. It's not that you can't have chocolate, you just have to be discriminate about it. Actually, I think you will find that 1/2 of a baked sweet potato, some chicken, and some veggies would be perfect for your diet and it's all stuff you like. You may find that eating 3 times a day or grazing throughout the day may help . . . instead of the common tendency most of us have of eating maybe once or twice per day. As far as protien goes, don't you like tofu? Mmmm Veggie Burgers! Tofu Stir-fry! Plus you might want to get your chakras balanced on a regular basis; specifically numbers 2, 3, & 5. ;-D I'll bring my dowsing rods to Ohio.
Sarah. - April 5, 2006 - 11:46 AM - ℓ
We found out my mom is diabetic last year. We've been doing the "lo carb" thing too. I won't lie. Setting out, it's pretty disgusting. But, with time, you can actually get used to things pretty well.
White bread pretty much is the devil; but, honestly, I always liked darker breads better anyway. There are a lot of low carb pastas on the market now that are pretty good. I don't recommend trying "no carb" pasta; the spinach spaghetti isn't bad, but it also doesn't taste like spaghetti. Outside of that, no carb pasta is nasty.
The key is moderation and compromise. You can eat pretty much whatever you want, but you can't do it every meal every day. So you want to splurge on M&Ms at lunch? All good. Go for a steak with veggies - no potatos - for dinner. Ice cream for dessert is fine, so long as you didn't have lasagna, mashed potatos and a glass of milk for dinner, just for example.
Though losing weight isn't a big concern for you anyway, it's kind of nice that following the diet tends to make you lose weight just because you have to be eating a little bit pretty much all the time. It drives your metabolism crazy and you avoid ending up fat and old, and that's kind of a good thing.
Aunt Pam - April 5, 2006 - 2:39 PM - ℓ
What about giving blood do you not like?
srah - April 5, 2006 - 5:26 PM - ℓ
It hurts! It's bad enough when they have to get a sample for blood tests - I can't imagine how much it would hurt if they had to leave the needle in there and suck out gallons of it!
Thanks for your help, everyone - you're right. I ought to be following my own advice and enjoying All Things In Moderation. The only problem is, I thought I *was* doing that. So I have to moderate even more!
FatLadee - April 5, 2006 - 5:43 PM - ℓ
I'm fat and old and healthy as a horse. Sucks to be you.
Aunt Pat - April 6, 2006 - 6:52 PM - ℓ
Sorry to hear your diagnoses. Unfortunately, keeping your weight down is a good way to avoid diabetes-related problems, but it's no guarantee. I am really surprised about the PCOS thing though. It is very unusual for someone your size. I agree with everyone else...moderation, moderation, moderation. Don't completely deprive yourself of the good things like chocolate. You'll never be able to stick with it (at least I know I couldn't!). Are you on any medications?
srah - April 6, 2006 - 7:44 PM - ℓ
15mg of Actos. She basically let me choose whether to go on a low dose of medication or not at all and I figured it was probably best to try to control this stuff in some way early on.
When I got the prescription filled, it said that I should get a medical alert bracelet. I asked the pharmacist and he said they recommend that for diabetics. I protested that I'm not diabetic (yet). I'm not ready for medical alert bracelets!
Tony - April 7, 2006 - 12:04 AM - ℓ
I've had one (medical alert bracelet) for my allergy to penicillin for years but never wore it. Ooops. I'm not much of a jewelry person anyway...so I can do without the medicizzle bling. Don't know if I still have the same reaction to it that I did when I was 5 - swelling up and breaking out in hives. There's only one way to find out!
I've always hated being on any medication. It's why I usually prefer to even sleep away headaches rather than take something for them. Obviously, since you know me, I'm not all organic and self-healing oriented by any means but there's just something about being on pills that i don't like. Maybe it's the "old age" stigma. Then again, I do turn 30 in a few months - sigh.
Tony - April 7, 2006 - 6:46 PM - ℓ
I don't think so. I shave my face and not my 'pits. You (hopefully) shave your 'pits and not your face.
If that isn't conclusive proof to the contrary, I don't know what is :-P
Nathan - April 17, 2006 - 3:01 PM - ℓ
I laughed my ass off when I read about how your drink tasted like bed bath and beyond. I know what you mean, but the only thing that makes it smell like it does is the $3.99 potpurri section...
ometimes I think it's all BS. First eggs were ok for you, then they were bad, then they were good but only if you ate the white part not the yolk. AHHHH! So now I just eat eggs once a week, usually on the weekend and realize that everything in moderation makes you a lot happier. Also, my grandparents ate rich Polish foods all their life and my grandfather died of cancer...not a heart attack. At least he had a good time before he departed.
I used to follow the Zone by Barry Sears very rigorously. It's a 40-30-30 breakdown of protein-fat-good "carbs" :-) You'd be surprised that when you don't eat lots of carbs, you have much more energy during the day and don't get the ups and downs of sugar rushes, akin to feeling sleepy/sluggish after having pasta for lunch (since carbs just get broken down into basic sugars anyway). I don't do this as much now, but I make a (very weak) effort to balance.
That being said, one way I found to get good protein into your diet was to get some soy protein powder and make a fruit smoothie, blending it in. I usually do this with fresh blueberries, strawberries, and some milk. You can thicken it with some ice cubes after everything is blended up..just use the crush function on your blender (I doubted this but believe me it works). After doing that, the fruit masks the taste of the soy protein and it's a quick breakfast too. You may want to try it...before you go back to your old ways, that is :-P