Clay Jar People

After months (if I think about it, probably years) of feeling bloated and uncomfortable every day of my life, having mild eczema, weird rashes, headaches, crazy PMS, fatigue and struggling to lose weight, I finally went for allergy tests.

Saskia Etschmaier via weheartit

Turns out, after a looong test (involving cables, machines, electrodes and all such scientific gadgets), I am very allergic to dairy and mildly to wheat. All of my discomforts are apparently due to these allergens. I have embarked on the interesting, and challenging journey that is dairy and wheat free… and just for fun I’m trying to limit my sugar intake, yet again. Can you say “fun times”?

Seriously, I am so glad to finally have some kind of answer to my issues, I though I was weird! But now that I know I can do something to prevent all the horrible discomforts, I am fully in it. I have also had to start taking extra supplements, calcium (no dairy wrecks the calcium input) and vit B complex (should help the fatigue and loss of energy).

What bugs me though, is how dairy and wheat is in EVERYTHING! Crackerbread, which one would think may be dairy free, contains milk solids… this is the maize and rye ones. I drink rice milk in my coffee and such, as soya is out (see PCOS). Cheese is out. Yogurt is out. I have never been a huge fruit fan, but am going to have to force myself to eat fruit and more veggies, just to get some kind of variety. Luckily, my parents are in the blood type diet, and bake rye bread often, so I just get some from my mom. I would bake my own, but heck, I couldn’t eat the whole loaf alone. I am very happy to say, I have found a brand of pasta that is made from maize, now, it does state on the package that it might contain traces of wheat, but since my allergy to wheat is mild, I figure it worth a go. A girl has to have her pasta! It tastes AMAZING with tomato mix/marinara and stir fry veggies.

I have discovered some cool blogs with allergy-related recipes, mostly gluten-free, but thats safe for me, provided they are dairy free too. I am hoping to try some scones this weekend, and also pizza :) no idea what to put on pizza that can’t have cheese on… :( but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

Anyone else dairy-allergic? Wheat? Send me your ideas/ tips/ recipes/ condolences/ encouragement ;)

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was about 16. The doctor told me that the chances of me ever getting pregnant without IVF or other medical interventions were basically nonexistent. This may have been true, but after doing my own research the last few years, I decided to try and boost fertility naturally. Here are my tips for women suffering from PCOS:

• Lose weight if you are overweight – I was/am overweight, and this hindered my chances of getting pregnant. I lost 13kgs while following a balanced healthy eating plan which helped me have energy and feel better about myself. The emphasis is on HEALTHY eating.
• Exercise – I am a self-confessed hater of exercise, mostly because I don’t like getting sweaty and dirty and most time exercise is boring to me. But when I started exercising, the weight came off easier and I felt healthier.
• Take supplements – Omega 3 & 6, Evening Primrose Oil and Vitex – these are all very very good for PCOS, the Vitex and the Evening Primrose help regulate cycles and the Omega 3 & 6 provide healthy fats which actually promote weight loss.
• Relax – don’t think about becoming pregnant, don’t intentionally go and “try” to get pregnant. This causes stress, which in turn lowers fertility. It also makes for unpleasant home life.
• Pray – Leave your dreams for children at the cross… Ask God to heal you and help you to deal with the PCOS.

These are just 4 things which helped me immensely. I know that all in all it was God’s doing that we became pregnant, but these are practical things you can do to improve your health anyway.

Please note I have no medical training, and this is just my opinion and what worked for me, rather discuss it with your doctor before you make any drastic changes to your lifestyle.

Needless to say its been a major fail… I think I will be trying the approach of less sugar rather than total removal. Pregnancy does not lend itself to cutting out one thing dramatically, and since I have to cut out chocolate when I’m breastfeeding, I think I shall wait till then. Yes, I am a failure and a fader, yes I know. But I will eat healthily and cut down on the sugar for now… Sorry guys…

I have started with my Low GI eating plan again today… and decided that since this blog is live… its a good way to keep me accountable. I will not turn it into a diet blog nor a watch-how-much-weight-I’ve-lost blog. Those are great, but not my style. I just want to document my goals, so that I have them and so that other people know about it, which should force me to stick to them… in theory.

REASONS WHY I WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT
* I want to feel more comfortable in my skin.
* I want to be able to find clothes easier… and not have to freak out at the label.
* I need to be healthier.
* My body is a temple of the Lord, and as such I need to treat it healthier.
* With PCOS, its important that I lose weight so that I don’t ruin any chances of ever having kids.
* I had my BIG diabetes scare a few years ago, and really don’t want to go there again.

GOALS
* Be able to do 20 minutes on the treadmill followed by 20 minutes on the cycle without killing myself.
* Lose AT LEAST 5kgs by our 2nd anniversary this November.
* Fit into my “Goodbye Kitty” top which Chris bought me for Christmas.
* Cut out ALL sugar and refined. processed foods.
* Attain a flatter stomach.

Last night we were at Bible Study and there was a BIG yummy cake in celebration of my friend Carmen’s 21st birthday today. It looked to good, so chocolatey and covered with Smarties. The lady who made it makes the best chocolate cake… and you know what… I actually RESISTED it. Can you believe it? I think I have figured out how to stop myself from eating unnecessary food or junk… I asked myself:

“Baby or the food”

This has helped since yesterday, and trust me the cravings for chocolate have been hectic. I’m going to overcome PCOS and I will be fit and healthy and I will have kids one day. So this is my new weight loss tactic.

I just want to say thanks to Stephanie of Keeper of the Home for her awesome posts about PCOS and overcoming it. This post in particular has given me a brighter light at the end of the tunnel.

I have been taking supplements for a while now, and was delighted to find Chasteberry in Pick n Pay last night. I will try it, and see if it helps, although it apparently takes some time to have a visible effect.

The following supplements are recommended for PCOS:

Chasteberry (Vitex Agnus Castus)
Evening Primrose Oil
Vitamin B Complex
Omega 3 & 6

If anyone has any other ideas – please let me know :)

Thanks to Naturally Knocked Up for the basic info… its more simplified on that blog than on a medical site.

What is it?

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) also known as Stein-Leventhal syndrome or Syndrome O, is a metabolic disorder that causes hormonal imbalances as well as a vast array of other symptoms. Including:
• Irregular or absent periods (normally the main symptom)
• Ovarian cysts
• Infertility
• Insulin resistance
• Hair loss or even excess facial hair
• Weight gain
• High blood pressure and/or high cholesterol
• Acne
• Fatigue
• Mood swings
Not all woman experience these symptoms in the same way. Some may have only one or two, while others feel each and every one of them. Sometimes getting a diagnosis is difficult, as test results don’t always seem accurate. Some women also don’t show the classic ‘cysts’ on their ovaries (the cysts are actually empty follicles) and others even have a period every month, although they don’t actually ovulate (anovular cycle).

And a staggering 10% of women actually suffer from this disorder, as it’s the most common cause of infertility.

What causes it?
It’s unknown as to why some women may suffer from this disorder while others don’t, but your genes are thought to be a large factor. Researchers have also found that insulin production is also a large part of it. What you may not know, is that insulin is actually a hormone. And when one hormone is off balance, they all are. It’s a domino effect.

An excess of insulin also seems to increase the production of another hormone, androgen. Androgen is actually a male hormone (that all women produce, but it’s supposed to be to a much smaller extent) that is made in fat cells, ovaries, and in your adrenal gland. When your body has to much androgen, it can cause ovulation problems as well as excess hair growth and weight gain.

Risks associated with PCOS

Women with PCOS have higher instances of:
• endometrial cancers
• heart disease and heart attacks
• type II diabetes
• strokes
• miscarriage

What can you do about it?

PCOS can actually be greatly helped by better nutrition and change of lifestyle. While not easy, it can be done successfully. Most women find that being at a healthy weight relieves a lot of their symptoms.

My PCOS was diagnosed when I was 14, as I had never once had a regular cycle. I would mostly have very confused cycles. I went onto the birthcontrol pill, but this made me pick up weight, and I realised a few months ago, that it makes me PSYCHO! I have thus tried to be healthier and try handle PCOS naturally. Before my wedding I went to the doctor with my weight and I was diagnosed with insulin resistance due to my PCOS. I went to a dietician and began to follow the Low GI diet… which helps immensely, but now I have to try to get back into it, as I lost track of it somewhere…

A few things that I am trying to do now, which will help are:
• Eating little to no processed foods
• Giving up a low-fat diet and eating only good, natural foods
• Cutting sugar out of my diet and using only natural sweeteners (i.e. honey)
• Lowering my carbohydrate intake, not cutting carbs completely, but cutting back

PCOS isn’t a devastating diagnosis. It’s a livable and manageable condition. It just makes you have to try harder to be healthy. I will hopefully be able to maintain a healthy lifestyle and find my healthy weight, and then Lord willing we will be blessed with children… the absence of which was my biggest fear – but I rely on the Lord for these gifts.

Sarah Mae’s blog, is very helpful and great to read with that morning coffee :)

My other favourite blog is Lindsay Edmonds’ Passionate Homemaking which I must say has given me alot of inspiration and advice about living a godly and healthy lifestyle.

Regarding fashion and beauty, which are a big part of my life and career, I love Christa Taylor and her other blog.

More on Simple Living and being a homemaker is Michelle’s very motivating blog.

Stephanie’s blog has helped me with a lot of health issues and with having PCOS.

I will keep adding to my list of great blogs to follow… As I am constantly discovering more awesome ladies who blog.