Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Eat this not ANYTHING ELSE EVER!



Like a good human being I went to the doctor to get my lady parts checked. This trip however went horribly awry. For those who need to know I got off birth control pills. After not getting my lady times for almost 2 months I bit the bullet and found a doctor to check me out.

She did an ultrasound. She diagnosed me with PCOS Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome. Symptoms were mentioned of which I had none but irregular lady times (which I attributed to getting off my birth control pills). On top of the PCOS diagnosis, which means having a baby is going to be difficult, she said I overly produce yeast (joy, because that’s not disgusting). She told me to cut out carbs and sugars and get a ridiculous amount of blood work done. She didn’t give me a list of foods to avoid but told me to keep it under 50g of carbs a day, because that’s totally doable for every human being. This alone was devastating but let’s add in my food allergies.

The list is no carbs, sugar, red meat, mayo, cherries, sulfur dioxide (the stuff they use to dry fruit). While I’m not technically allergic to the next list of things they turn/hurt my stomach: avocados, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, raw onions. I’m left with some vegetables (no carrots, apparently), some fruits (small portions), chicken, turkey, eggs, cheese, salad mix, some nuts and maybe hummus?

Bottom Line: this blows and I keep trying and failing to avoid certain foods. People keep telling me to go Paleo but here’s the thing, screw diets. I have a restrictive diet for health reasons, Paleo, Atkins, South Beach, Shakeology, Body by YerMamma or whatever; you choose your restrictive diets. Do you have any idea how much I miss steak and desperately want pizza? On top of that, Paleo isn’t low carb they just seem to replace “wheat” with almonds which are still carb-tastic. Also, how the heck do we know cavemen wouldn’t eat food readily available? They only lived for like 30 years but they’re the prime example of what’s healthy? On another note, I think the human digestive system is VERY adaptable it kind of had to be or hunters and gathers who were nomads would not have been able to pick up and find a new food source. Didn’t cavemen spread out and populate the world which would mean adapting to new plant life and animals?

Now that I’m off my I-hate-diets-especially-paleo-because-it’s-the-new-fad-and-diets-are-dumb soapbox, changing my diet has been hard. It’s not that I really ate horribly before but being completely restricted is exhausting. Without my beloved carbs (read: pizza), I’m so tired getting through the day requires massive amounts of coffee. My exercise plan is a little halted because I’d rather go to bed at 8pm than go to the gym.  

However, I’m trying. I’m pissed off, tired, struggling but I’m trying and that is all anyone can ask me to do. Now it’s time for me to eat a hunk of cheese with a glass of water as a midday snack.

4 comments:

kracko said...

I cried for two days straight when I started my restrictions. I will find a way for you to have pizza! it won't be a bread crust, but I'm trying to figure it out for me too. I'm printing some recipes to bring you while I'm there.

Meghan Harrigan said...

Hey Leila :) I just wanted to chime in on your post about going paleo. I was diagnosed with extreme allergies to all grains last year. I literally cried when I realized what that meant. Then after joining my local CrossFit box and learned about paleo, it all made sense. The true idea behind the paleo diet is to eat as simple as you can. No, there's no way of knowing exactly what cavemen eat which is why that affiliation ought to be dropped. The idea is to eat meat, heavy on the veggies and light-ish on the fruit. No grains, sugar, dairy, legumes. A great reason to cut these out is because they produce inflammation in the body. Don't get me wrong, I hate fad diets too. But paleo is more than a fad. It's a different approach and view on how we treat our bodies. You don't have to take my word for it or anyone else's. It's your body and you know best. I just didn't want you forever thinking paleo is stupid because it's definitely the healthiest of "diets" around. :)

LeilaFace said...

Okay. Thank you for the info. I still strongly dislike the diet as it takes away some of the few items I can eat.

LeilaFace said...

Okay. Thank you for the info. I still strongly dislike the diet as it takes away some of the few items I can eat.