Progress, Comfort, and Not Perfect

I have successfully lived The No Fun Food Life for one month now. While I have not been perfect, it had also never been my intention to be perfect. I make at least one solid exception a week, and look forward to it without guilt. I find that it helps me make all the correct small decisions everyday.

Fall weather is upon us and that introduces two new factors: Football Season and Comfort Food.

My husband asked me to go to Buffalo Wild Wings with him to watch football (he's a Buffalo Bills fan and I'm part of the Who Dat Nation... Geaux Saints!!)... and my first instinct was to turn it down and tell him to just watch TV at home. Then I decided to embrace the opportunity to hang out and have fun together. I ordered some salt & vinegar wings accompanied with carrots, celery, and bell peppers with spinach artichoke dip... washed down with iced tea. (Note: I didn't drink the entire giant iced tea. Too much caffeine can contribute to some of the metabolic issues that people with PCOS face, as well as exacerbate any depression or anxiety symptoms that usually accompany this syndrome.) I ordered water halfway through that tea. I felt those were pretty good choices.

As for comfort food, I wanted to eat a very filling and hearty meal with some hot bubbling broth. I love, love, love ramen - BUT! I obviously can't go running to those delicious noodles whenever I get the hankering. So, I looked up a Shabu  Shabu (Japanese hot pot) restaurant to try to satisfy the craving. I had 4oz. thinly sliced ribeye and a big bowl of veggies. The sauces looked super cute... but I skipped them due to their probable sugar content... opting for extra large heaps of minced garlic and green onions. Yes!

Most importantly in this whole process, I put a lot of attention and anticipation in the exceptions and I allow them to be amazing.

For example, I attend a weekly viewing of Downtown Abbey with a fabulous intimate group of ladies. Our host graciously provide a lovely meal for the event, and even tries to modify it for me! Last week, one of my friends knew it was pasta night so she brought a tupperware of roasted spaghetti squash for me... which freed me up to eat one slice of some very special garlic infused bread slathered with Irish block butter. *drool*

On top of that... earlier that day I went to a Korean bakery I found on Yelp and purchased a few treats for my ladies. I enjoyed a Chocolate Macaron that everyone agreed was amazing and a Pistachio Cookie (that felt more like a soft crumbly scone) that was, once again, seriously slathered in Irish block butter. Top it all off with some Lemon & Ginger Tea... watching TV doesn't get better than that!

Now, I know it may sound like I'm splurging an awful lot... I mean, before I embarked on this journey, Iwould've agreed with that. However, now I know exactly how much food I eat each day and how many opportunities I have to make good choices, the little splurges and treats are really like drops in a bucket. I definitely gained some valuable perspective from this experience.

I've lost 5 pounds this past month since beginning The No Fun Food Life. It's putting me on the right track towards the 10% body weight loss I'm aiming for... as recommended by my docs to put me on the right track for fighting PCOS. And the month before that I had lost a net weight of 5 pounds from a 5 day juice cleanse. So... I'm at a total of 10 pounds in just a few months, woot! Miraculous progress for someone with PCOS... seriously.

If I can keep this up and lose the last 5 pounds to reach my 10% goal, I'll be over half way to my original weight before the PCOS 25lb unstoppable freight train weight gain I experienced last year. After a long struggle of trying to understand what is wrong with me... I feel very positive about my journey right now. Yeah!! :)

Go Away, Mittelschmerz

A little bit of middle school reproductive health education. In the middle of the cycle, the follicles inside our ovaries will mature and one eventually ruptures as the little ovum, or egg, makes its way down the fallopian tube. Straightforward, simple... unless you have PCOS.

I am on day 19 of my cycle... and experienced what is commonly known as ovulation pains. You may also know it as mittelschmerz, which is German for "middle pain," referring to the mid-way point in a woman's cycle when ovulation takes place. You feel it in the way low abdominal and pelvic area. Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) prompt those little follicles to grow and mature... and there are no openings in the ovary, so the little eggs literally erupt and break free. That's pretty violent and seems pretty inefficient.

A person with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, as the name implies, have multiple cysts on the ovaries because numerous follicles never mature all the way. What's left are the little bubbles of immature follicles, they collect fluids and sometimes have little blood vessels and keep growing. Anyway, as nothing is simple in the reproductive process for someone with PCOS, these cysts will also spontaneously burst sometimes. The first time one of these cysts exploded, I thought I had appendicitis and went to the hospital. I was told about the whole process described above in nutshell. The second time it happened... it was pretty mild. I took some ibuprofen and went about my business. Fast forward to late last night.

I went to the grocery store to get some items to prepare for my work week... and in the middle of the produce section, I felt the initial twinge. I wasn't sure... I thought I took a wrong step, maybe just an intestinal cramp? Then, I doubled over. I took a step, grabbed the cart handle, and crouched to the floor. It was awful for like 5 seconds... then it was over. I experimentally walked around gingerly... counted my good fortune that I wasn't incapacitated by pain and quickly grabbed the rest of my stuff and went home.

Later in the evening... the weird abdominal bloating and persistent achy pain set in on the right side (it's always the right side, can I just get one ovary removed?) - which turns into stabby pain whenever I took a step or twisted funny. I put my trusty heating pad on my tummy and sipped hot tea into the wee hours of morning. I woke up when my alarm went off, and drifted in and out of some strange lucid dreaming... I felt physically, mentally, and emotionally awful. I finally dragged my butt out of bed, emailed my work, and crawled back under the blankets with my heating pad.

These days, I try to to take too much ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or any other over-the-counter pain medications... not out of some crazy moral stance or funky science/non-science article... I just figured, if I can't feel progress, how will I know I'm making any? I've decided that my health is top priority in my life at this moment, and I am in a fortunate position where I can make that choice. So, if I'm not feeling well and I need the time and space for my body to heal, I'm going to let it do its thing and not mask the bad feelings and truck on with my day.

The pain was pretty manageable earlier today, I took the opportunity to go on a slow walk with the doggies... not sure that was a bright idea. I feel really exhausted, uncomfortable, and a little feverish. I took my temperature, I don't actually have a high temperature... I just feel that way. My husband brought home a can of chicken noodle soup out of love and concern. You bet I ate the soup... ate every carb-o-licious noodle. Today, I let myself indulge.

Just another fabulous day of living with PCOS. *sigh*

No More Hardboiled Eggs, Please

In a conversation with my cousin, I discovered that I was not alone in how tired I was getting of the good-for-you stuff. As documented in the photo, she is also going low carb, and that is a typical breakfast for her. She confided in me that she didn't know how much longer she could go on eating hardboiled eggs - to which I responded, "I know. I'm quite sick of them." In reality, I don't even want to look at them. Like, even in that picture. LOL

I am feeling that way about chicken and beef as well. So, I was trying to figure out other proteins I can eat. However, I don't think the problem lies in the eggs. The problem is that I'm not changing up the way I prepare them. Omelets and hardboiled are not the only way!

I decided to go with another oldie but goodie Chinese favorite... actually two of them! As a child, one of my favorite dishes had always been Shrimp & Scrambled Eggs. My mom also made Tomatoes & Scrambled Eggs at home... yummy. So, why not combine all that deliciousness!?

Shrimp & Scrambled Eggs w. Tomatoes
Heat 1 tbsp oil on medium-high in a wok/skillet, stir fry 4oz. peeled & deveined shrimp until they turn pink and opaque, add salt to taste, remove and drain.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in wok/skillet on high heat, add mixture of 6 lightly beaten eggs + 1/3 cup chicken broth + 1 tsp cooking sherry + 2 sliced green onions + salt & pepper to taste, lightly scramble for 1-2 minutes, add shrimp back in, scramble until eggs are cooked but still moist. Remove from heat.

You can END HERE or keep going for the zesty zingy tomato taste!

Add 2 tomatoes cut in thin wedges to the hot wok/skillet, stir and turn occasionally about 4 minutes until juices release and tomatoes wilt, add Shrimp & Scrambled Eggs back in, mix well and serve.

So, I used Heirloom Tomatoes for this recipe because they are more nutritious and delicious. Heirloom varieties have been grown without crossbreeding for 40 or more years. You are eating a TRUE TOMATO! Five Fun Facts: 1) They're a great for Vitamin C 2) They're good for the heart 3) Heirloom Organic tomatoes are higher in Lycopene 4) They're great for Vitamin K 5) They're bursting with flavor! Seriously, Heirloom Tomatoes are not genetically altered to be "sweet" and less acidic (aka. bland), and they're not pumped with weird growth stuff to grow large very quickly - a process that depletes them of their zing! and their vitamins/phytochemicals/minerals. Go Heirloom. You won't regret it!

The results were delicious and really hit the spot! The only thing that could've made it better was a big bowl of hot white rice... but since that is just a fantasy when living The No Fun Food Life... I made do with a side of turnips braised with shiitake mushrooms.

I also ventured into a new protein source: Shrimp! They're full of Vitamins A, D, E & B's, Zinc, Selenium, Copper, Magnesium, Iodine, and Omega-3. This sudden inspiration to go back to my childhood faves was a real winner!!

:) Thanks, Mom! Thanks, Cousin!