Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Let's get this party started!

Now that we've got all of that "Hi my name is Traci and I'm overweight" stuff out of the way, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

I've always wanted to lose weight.

Ask my husband, I'm sure he'll tell you I've been on countless "diets" - most of which, according to him, only last a day. And sadly he's right. I'll do well for a day, then somewhere in that second day the urge for a candy bar or ice cream or something "bad" rises, I give in, then go "WELL I SCREWED UP, MIGHT AS WELL JUST GIVE UP!"

Well, last Thursday at work I noticed that I was feeling REALLY exhausted after lunch - I've been having problems feeling exhausted lately anyway. So I did a quick google check, and most of what I was finding was pointing towards insulin resistance/sensitivity.

Now, I totally believe this (and panicked a little) because I have polycystic ovary syndrome, commonly known as PCOS, and one thing that's very common in PCOS is insulin resistance. Basically, my body isn't using insulin the way it should and is causing my blood sugar to be high, which could lead to diabetes (my maternal grandfather had diabetes).

I had purchased The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss a while ago (it ended up being another one of those things that I did for a day and then gave up) so I decided I would crack it open again. My doctor had recommended low glycemic eating to me about a year ago, and a lot of the women that I know with PCOS recommended it.

This time, instead of just opening the book to the back and getting the glycemic index and glycemic load for food and going, I actually sat down and read the book. It makes a lot of sense.

Glycemic index breaks down carbohydrates into three groups: low, medium, and high. Low-glycemic foods have a glycemic index of 55 or lower, medium is 56-69, and high is anything above 70.

Basically, when we eat high-glycemic foods (really starchy foods that contain enriched white flour, white potatoes, refined grain products) our blood sugar goes up and our insulin levels surge to deal with that. If you constantly eat high-glycemic foods or if you eat a lot in one sitting, your insulin levels increase beyond your body's need. Insulin is what causes your body to store fat. When blood sugar levels surge, insulin converts the excess sugar into fat. By eating low-glycemic food, the blood sugar is kept at a healthy level, which keeps insulin levels low, which stops the body from storing excess energy as fat. Instead the body uses stored fat as fuel and...TA DA! Weight loss!

I'm following the "Keep It Simple" method talked about in the book. Basically, with each meal I have 3-4 ounces of lean animal protein and two to three servings of vegetables. I also include one serving of low-glycemic fruit (most fruit is low-glycemic, watermelon is the exception at 72), dairy, or starches (yams, winter squash, whole wheat pasta al dente), and a little bit (maybe 10% of the total meal) is healthy fat. And they also recommend you have one small serving of a treat food per day. It can be high-glycemic, but the weight comes off faster if it's low. Unfortunately for me, I haven't food a "treat food" that isn't also a "trigger food" for me. I tend to overeat (or eat mindlessly) especially when sweets or starches are involved.

I started on Sunday morning, and I weighed in at 173.6. I'm not going to say it's easy. Because it's not. Especially for someone who is as lazy as me. I'm used to grabbing a yogurt or a thing of Pop-Tarts on my way out the door, having a cheeseburger and fries for lunch, and then half a large pizza for dinner. It's SUCH a change for me to FIX food, especially in the mornings. Sunday morning I had eggs with spinach, arugula, green onions, and green pepper and plain yogurt (which BTW, I think is GUH-ROSS). Monday I had an egg with spinach, arugula, and portobella mushrooms, plus some cottage cheese, celery sticks, half a cucumber and applesauce. This morning I had leftover steak, cucumbers, green peppers, and grapes. Talk about a change!

Also, I had a huge victory last night. My husband and his brother got pizza - one of my favorites, and I didn't have any. I was still full from the chef salad I had earlier.

I must say, I picked probably the worst week of my life to do this (I'm preparing for a fundraiser at work and I'm in tech week for a play I'm doing in Petersburg) and I'm still sticking to it. In fact, I'm getting ready to go to head home for lunch - salad with steak strips in it.

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