Doctor appointment and my progress

I saw a fertility doctor in June who got a fire under my butt about my health. I honestly did not know the effects of estrogen dominance other than my cycle was always wonky. But that appointment was truly a turning point in my life. I am so grateful that I found how beneficial a starch-based diet is for anyone with excess estrogen in her body. I went for a follow up visit not long ago and this is where I am now.

My blood pressure was still elevated, but not as much. I know that a lot of it has to do with the stress of dealing with fertility issues and the guilt associated with losing two pregnancies while trying to move forward. I was also a little nervous about talking to my doctor about the diet I’m using since not all medical professionals appreciate the value of a very low fat, whole food, starch-based diet. Plus we were getting the results of my husband’s semen analysis so there was another thing to stress about. I know that my everyday blood pressure is fine. I can feel when it rises. I feel the thumping of my pulse and the tightness in my chest. I know when it goes up before a doctor visit. I work in a grocery store that has a blood pressure machine and think I’m going to start checking it, just to see. I also might buy a monitor for home use. I checked them out at Walgreens yesterday. Not right away, but a good investment in my health for sure.

My weight has dropped quite a bit. In the time between visits I lost 19.4 lbs at Weight Watchers, including losing over 5% of my starting weight. I am thrilled with that. One thing the doctor said in the initial visit was that even if the excess fat was not specifically causing adverse effects on my fertility it was still a good idea to lose as much weight as possible to have the healthiest pregnancy and least complicated delivery possible. As I have been learning about the health effects of obesity I can completely agree with that point. Excess adipose tissue takes up valuable space that the placenta and fetus need to grow into. I am crushing my organs with the fat built up in my chest and abdominal cavities. The best thing I can do for myself and my future child(ren) is lose as much of the extra weight as possible BEFORE I conceive. I also have been reading about the negative effects of toxic buildup released from fat cells as pregnant women burn through their fat stores. Knowing this I feel that much more strongly that I need to lose as much weight, specifically fat, as possible before I get pregnant. The good news is that as I lose weight and reduce the overall estrogen load on my body I will have a much easier time conceiving. I am completely optimistic about this process and know that I will be able to finally conceive a healthy baby that I carry to term and deliver without complications or interventions.

I told my doctor what I’m doing and why. I told her that I am walking everyday (about 20-25 minutes in the morning and 30-45 when I get home from work, longer on off days) and eating in a way to increase insulin sensitivity naturally. I also am making sure I get a lot of fiber to help reduce the estrogen currently in my system. She said that it is absolutely a healthy way to eat and that I am doing everything right. She also said that she wishes all her patients would do what I did. I love that she sees how seriously I take this process and that she sees the positive results as proof of increasing health. It was a great visit in terms of my progress.

I have been taking the Provera (progesterone) following the directions on the bottle. The directions are to take one pill a day for 10 days each month. Given those directions I have been taking the medication on the same day of the month, every month. I was not entirely sure that was correct since it could have been on the same day of my cycle. But she confirmed that I am taking it correctly and that soon I should start to regulate when I get my period which will give us a better idea of where ovulation should be.

We also talked about M’s test results and what we are going to do going forward. He just started Chantix to quit smoking cigarettes (he’s been smoking for over 2 decades). He also is starting a new job with regular hours on Monday so we’ll have much more financial stability. With that stability we hope to buy a second car since now he drives a motorcycle as his primary means of transportation. With both of those changes she said the best thing to do is give it 3-4 months then do another test and come back to see where we are before we start Clomid to induce ovulation. I am hoping that in the next 4 months I can lose enough weigh to be below 300 lbs. I am feeling confident about that as well.

I have been only weighing myself at WW and the doctor, but that left me with days at a time when I had no idea what was happening. So last week we bought a scale. Since Monday morning I have lost 2.8 lbs. I am still going to use my WW weight as my official weight until I stop, which will be when my prepaid time is up, next month. But I am so excited to weigh myself every morning and see the scale continuing to go down. I know I am doing the best thing for myself by following Dr. McDougall’s recommendations. I even bought his book specifically for women. I am in chapter 5 now and know for sure that I am finally supporting my body in the healthiest way possible.

It’s been a month and here’s where I am.

I actually started incorporating the principles laid out in The Starch Solution right after the 4th of July. It is now the second week in August and I thought it would be a good time for a check in. Warning: this post will be talking in detail about my body’s reactions to the program I am following including digestion and menstrual changes. Read at your discretion. 🙂

First of all, the weight loss. Before I started this I had lost 3.2 lbs in three weeks on WW following the Points Plus program. Not phenomenal, but still a step in the right direction. As of this past Sunday which was the next five weeks that I have been basing my diet on starches I have lost 18.8 lbs and 5% of my starting weight. So in five weeks I lost 15.6 lbs. Not too shabby, if you ask me! That’s an average of over 3 lbs per week! While this is faster than the generally accepted speed of weight loss, I feel great, I eat when I am hungry and never try to limit how much I eat, and I feel like my body is just letting go of the excess it doesn’t need. There is no forcing it, I am not fighting myself, and I am not punishing my body with insane workouts that leave me in tears. And yet the weight is coming off easily! I am so happy about that. I can already see changes in how big my belly is. My clothes are already fitting differently. I am so excited!

There are also other physical changes that are worth mentioning. The first is my skin. I have historically had very dry hands. My hands get rough like sand paper and often crack and bleed. It is incredibly painful. I use lotion several times a day and have tried most designed specifically for very dry hands and still nothing. I even had to take my wedding ring off months ago because the skin was so irritated by it I couldn’t tolerate it. But a few days ago I noticed that my hands are not super dry. I still use lotion regularly, but much less often. And it only takes a little squirt to fully soften and hydrate my hands. So I put my ring back on. 🙂 It is amazing to be able to wear my wedding ring again after having it off for so long. And the skin around it is fine!

I also have adult acne. It’s embarrassing to say the least. 33 is not an age that most people have to deal with giant, cystic pimples. But I do. Often the break out is around my period and several days before. I thought for a very long time that it was just hormonal and there was nothing I could do about it. But I got my period last week with only one or two tiny whiteheads beforehand. Saturday night we got Indian takeout. I ordered it with as little oil as possible and I think I irritated the woman taking my order by being so picky because everything was drenched in oil, even the plain rice. I ate anyway since it was dinner time and I was definitely hungry, but I felt sick right away. My entire digestive track was upset with the amount of fat in that meal. I watched a video of a set of twins who cleared their acne using Dr. McDougall’s dietary recommendations and their biggest trigger was fat. So I started paying attention and lo and behold I have been breaking out since that meal. I had two large, deep pimples on the side of my chin and I am still dealing with some smaller ones around my whole face. It’s interesting to see the effects of my diet on my skin. Before I saw that video I would have just blamed my period, even though it had all but stopped by that point. But still, the hormones, you know? Now I can see that my body is still clearing the excess oil out of my system. And I can see the effect of eating so low fat in healing the pimples that did erupt.

I also am seeing a major difference in my hair! My hair is a major source of stress for me. It’s growing out from a terrible haircut, I heat style it often, and I get dandruff from shampoo. My roots are constantly oily and my ends are dry. It gets frizzy. The wave pattern is all over the place. And I can break a brush just by brushing it out. Since I switched to starches, my hair has more shine all the way down. It also isn’t as oily at the roots. The ends don’t feel as dry. I have not changed my products or my styling routine, just my diet. It doesn’t tangle as easily, unless we drive with the windows down. Since it’s longish I try not to do that often. But it is looking better all the time and I find myself liking it more and more. Major bonus!!!

Now for the internal stuff. I am very gassy. I have always been super gassy at night, but now it is much more so. That said, even though it’s loud and embarrassing, it doesn’t have much of an odor. So I’m okay with it. As long as it doesn’t happen at work! Haha! The solids are moving through much more easily, too. There is so much fiber in my diet now that everything just goes right through. I wish things were a little more firm than they are, but I’m more glad that they are not hanging around inside my gut. So I’ll take it how it is.

I also just finished my period over the weekend. In the past few years my cycle has been incredibly irregular. I could go for six weeks with nothing and once I went for eight weeks with blood every single day. It was miserable. I also often have a very heavy flow with large clots of tissue that are very painful to pass. I take a ton of ibuprofen, pushing the limits of safety, just so I can function. I live with a heating pad on my belly and always try to stay in a position that creates less pain. It is terrible. I am also taking progesterone to clear out excess endometrial tissue that has built up from lack of ovulation. The first cycle my period was miserable as usual. I could barely tolerate it. But this time I spotted for a few days then I had a light day, a medium day, then a half of a light day and it was over. I only took two Advil the whole time! I could not believe the difference between the two cycles. I know for certain that what I am doing with my diet is allowing my body a chance to breathe and heal. I am so thrilled with this change!

I also have hope. I feel so good physically and mentally. I am starting to believe that I can actually and finally lose this weight. I am starting to believe that at some point I will get pregnant naturally, I will carry to term, and I will deliver without complication. Given my history it is easy to see why this hope is such a big deal for me. And the best part is that I am not at all stressed about it. I know that I can just keep eating potatoes, rice, bread and corn and I will keep moving toward true health for possibly the first time in my life. Needless to say, my month long experiment has left me a firm supporter of starch!