So as you all know I've wanted to get pregnant for a while now (about 10 yrs) and while it still has not happened I am yet again a bit more hopeful. I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) about seven or eight years ago. I have almost always had irregular menstrual cycles. When I was in high school I remember I would get my period for Christmas break and just in time for summer break. That was the good news. The bad news was I would have it for about 4-6 weeks long. I went on birth control pills when I was about 17 yrs old to regulate my cycles. That worked until I decided to get married. When my husband and I first got engaged I decided to dump the pills and hope for the best. After three years of nothing happening I got worried. It was then I was diagnosed with PCOS. When I asked my doctor what this meant for our chances of getting pregnant he said not to worry it will happen. He suggested I lose some weight and keep trying. A year later I still had not lost the weight (I did try) and I wasn't pregnant either. I began to lose hope, while at the same time I was attempting to reprogram my thoughts to believe that it would happen at the right time. I started infertility treatments in 2007 which led to 4 miscarriages and 1 half term pregnancy. We lost our little Lilly at 21 and 1/2 weeks. She was with us for 45 minutes. In 2009 I found that a company my husband and I work with started offering a DNA test that tells you what type of weight loss program works best for you and what type of exercise program works best for you all based on your DNA test results. I took the test in January of this year and received the results soon after. (I just had to swab the inside of my mouth and send it back to the company) It suggested that all the low carbohydrate diets I had attempted were not best for me. I was told that my body is more responsive to a fat trimmer diet and that I would also be more responsive to high intensity exercise. I was thrilled to have that information and was eager to get to work, only I didn't know where to start or what to do. So I attempted to pull some fat out of my diet by cutting back on fried foods and red meats. I did OK with that for about 2-3 weeks. Since I was still recovering from losing our daughter, I was still having ups and downs emotionally. It was during one of the down times that I stopped following the diet. I started to question my worth as a woman, a human and a mother.
With the diet blown, once again I was in failure land. How much of a failure am I when I can’t get pregnant and carry full term, can’t stick to a diet, can’t lose weight etc., etc., etc.? With all of these thoughts of failure my husband suggested I read a book called “Failing Forward,” by John C. Maxwell.
While Mr. Maxwell has a tendency to be a bit preachy, I always manage to look past that to what the real message behind the message is.
For me, the message was just because I fail doesn’t make me a failure. If I stop trying, that makes me a failure. He has lots of examples and many other messages in the book; that just happened to be the take home message for me. Again while I don’t necessarily subscribe to his brand of religion, there is still a very important take home message whatever your belief system may be.
After reading this book I started to feel a little bit better about myself and started to see things in a new light. I think what it really came down to was what kind of belief I had in myself, my life, my husband, and the world around me. I found that I believe in things that are bigger than me and I am sure that I have a purpose in life. Then I had to dig a little deeper to figure out what that meant for me in terms of having a family that is bigger than just the two of us. So let’s fast forward a little bit to 2010. It’s fall of 2010 and as usual I’m reading a book, several blogs, etc. I start to question if there is a link for me with wheat sensitivities. I started to read on the Internet, books I picked up at the store, booklets about gluten free living at the grocery store, etc. and I found enough evidence for me to question if it is enough for me to make the change in my life. Well it seems like gluten sensitivities can lead to all sorts of problems, one of which is difficulties in conceiving and carrying full term. That alone helped me to make the decision to stop eating gluten products. So now I’ve been gluten – free for about 4 weeks.
Since I’m currently staying with friends and not at my place I didn’t have a scale to weigh myself until about a week ago. Between then and today I’ve lost about 2.6 lbs. I’ve been eating gluten free yet still have the ability to eat popcorn, chips (healthier version of what you get at the regular supermarket), the occasional soda (I just found some sweetened with agave nectar very yummy!!). So I really haven’t been too careful about the weight issue but I have been quite cautious about the gluten. I have also attempted to stay away from sugar substitutes (chemical versions I guess) The only ones I’m really allowing in my diet are Stevia and agave nectar. I also invested in an exercise program that doesn’t need lots of extra equipment of gym membership and it’s not one that just says walk for 30 minutes 3 times a day. I’ve opted for working with Sean Foy’s book that shows you exercises you can do at home, on the road, outdoors, at work, etc. with minimal need for equipment. At this point I’ve just been reading his information which breaks down the science of the 10 minute workout. The workout consists of 4 minutes High intensity aerobic training, 3 minutes resistance training, 2 minutes of core training (abdominal, hip and back), and 1 minute of stretching and breathing to restore the resting heart rate, with no breaks in between.
I’ve done Sean’s workout before and have enjoyed it thoroughly but I only had one set routine that I saw. I now have access to many different exercises and can change it up as I feel able. About 3 days ago I was able to fit into a pair of jeans that I couldn’t fit into 3 weeks ago. I miraculously started a period about a week into going gluten free. My doctor thinks there may be a connection but it’s still too soon to tell. When I asked him about the connection or possible connection, he mentioned that with PCOS comes the problem of insulin resistance and that is affected by the simple carbohydrates like bread, cookies, cakes, etc. While I know that I have still managed to have some of those things in extreme moderation, none of them have had gluten in them. This is all new to me and gives me lots of hope for what’s to come. I’ll keep you updated as things improve or not. ;)
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