On Monday, December 6th, I woke up feeling a bit groggy, probably since my weekend was chalk full of bad food (and drink) choices, and my body decided to get revenge on my brain. So, without much deliberation, I decided it was time to get in control and start the Atkins Diet. I chose the Atkins Diet because I know people (including my mom) that it has worked for. It is also highly recommended for women with a disease called Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease, which I have. So it seemed that Atkins would probably be the best bet for me and this body of mine.
Some background on Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD or PCOS)...It's pretty much an unheard of disease, yet it affects 5-10% of women in child bearing age. And, almost 30% of women have some PCOD symptoms. It's sneaky. A lot of women don't even know they have it until they push and push their Dr. to try to find out what is wrong with them. It's listed as a 'rare disease' by the Office of Rare Diseases, but those statistics don't sound 'rare' to me whatsoever!
PCOD symptoms can be completely different from woman to woman. The cause is a condition called 'insulin resistance', which is due to the body's production of high amounts of insulin in order to control blood sugar levels. Excessive insulin causes the ovaries to produce too much of the hormone testosterone and other male sex hormones. Symptoms include: excessive hair growth on face and body, acne, lack of ovulation, irregular periods, infertility, skin tags, uneven skin tone, aggression, depression, a 'fat' lump on the back of neck, excessive weight gain, difficulty losing weight...and the list goes on. And remember, some women with PCOD have ALL of these symptoms and some women only have a few.
PCOD cannot be cured, it can only be 'managed', and the best way to manage the symptoms is to get down to your ideal body weight. Yet, the catch is, with PCOD it can be extremely difficult to lose the weight! It is very frustrating to know this, to work at it, yet not see the results you want. So, that is why I am trying the Atkins Diet. Not only to help lose the weight, but to also manage my PCOD. See, with Atkins you are almost eliminating sugars, carbs and starches, which are HORRIBLE for anyone with PCOD and insulin resistance! Make sense?
Okay, now back to the diet. Today (December 10th) is day 5. It's been an extremely difficult 5 days, especially since I am addicted to bread, pasta, potatoes and that piece of cake every once in a while. It also does not help that very few of the people around me eat sensibly.
Day 1 was not so bad. I was really enjoying my eggs, salads and chicken.
Day 2 I felt extremely tired, cranky and had a massive headache. Plus every time I ate, I got a horrible stomach ache. This probably was also caused by the fact that I had not gone #2 in 3 days. (I know, TMI)
Day 3 was the worst day. All I could think about was candy and bread. And to make matters worse, I was at work where there is a candy jar sitting right in front of my face all day, yet I resisted temptation. Yay me! I also did not realize that this diet would make me feel like I am constantly hungry and I did not take enough food with me to work so that I could snack every five minutes. When I got home from work I honestly felt like giving up, but I didn't let myself do it. I went to bed extremely early that night.
Day 4 I slept most of the day. I just didn't have the energy to do anything!
Day 5 is today. I am feeling okay, still tired, and not constantly hungry. So far eggs for breakfast and a large salad for lunch has held me over. And, thank goodness, I finally went #2. ha!
So, that brings us to this very moment. I decided to start journaling through my diet, just to share with other women with PCOD, and to keep myself motivated. I can tell that my body is reacting to the diet in a good way - I do feel slightly smaller around my waist. I know how much I weighed before I started the diet, but I don't plan on weighing myself for a while. I don't want it to turn into an obsession with the scale.
Until next time...
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