*Mushu voice* I’m baaaaaaack!
CW: discussion of health, dieting, weight loss, mental health issues
I published my last blog post on here in 2022.Huh.
I wish I could say I had written a book or two since then, but no. I’ve put my writing aside and focused on something else: my health. I wish I had documented my journey since then with little blog posts, because so much has happened, but alas, I didn’t. When I started down this road to a healthier me, it was high time; I had pre-diabetes, my cholesterol was too high, and a bunch of other labs were concerning as well. I had known this for a while, but there’s a difference between knowing something and actually feeling it.
In June 2023, I was definitely feeling it. I often woke up nauseous and jittery thanks to my pre-diabetes, I was in constant pain, and my energy levels were on an all-time low. I was miserable.
Looking at my nutrition, it didn’t seem that bad: I’ve been a vegetarian for 26 years at that point, more than half of my life. There were plenty of vegetables on my daily meal plan, along with whole grain bread and pasta. I didn’t snack too much of unhealthy, convenient food — at least I didn’t feel like it. Still, I weighed 101kg/222lb and had a BMI of 38.
I could attribute a lot of that to my screwed up metabolism: I had been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroidism and PCOS in 2009. I knew my body had a heightened insulin resistance built in. Simply put, it leads to a higher sensitivity to carbs. I knew that. But knowing and acting accordingly aren’t the same.
At some point (I think it was 2016), after reading PCOS SOS by Felice Gersh and implementing her dietary recommendations, I lost some weight. But the changes weren’t sustainable for me at that point, and after returning to a diet with more carbs again, the weight came back.
My OB Gyn recommended me to take Metformin. She said the medication was successful in supporting weight loss with PCOS. According to her, a sustained lifestyle change was hard to achieve and often not successful. My general physician didn’t support her recommendation. I kept muddling along without meds, gaining weight and losing energy, with no end in sight.
Until June 2023, when I was at my heaviest and most miserable. I grabbed Women, Food and Hormones by Sarah Gottfried on sale, and something clicked. This book is broader targeted than PCOS SOS, but the dietary recommendations are similar.
Gottfried recommends a modified keto diet for women, with a slightly higher carb threshold than general keto guidelines, which are, according to her, optimized for a male metabolism. I started implementing some of her recommendations, but not all: I didn’t keep track of my ketosis, for example, because that was just too much of a hassle for me. I started with slight changes, but those minor changes accumulated to something big. First, I started intermittent fasting, at first with a 14/10 rhythm (no eating for 14 hours), later a 16/8 rhythm. Next, I cut out sugar, and reduced carbs. As a side effect of cutting out things like pasta and bread, I went pretty much gluten-free, first by accident. Later, it became a necessity when my skin reacted to the occasional gluten in my diet. For months, I struggled with eczema on my face; even after cutting gluten out again, it took ages to heal.
Gottfried’s book features a variety of recipes, but to be honest, I didn’t make any of them; I adapted one of her breakfast smoothies, and it’s pretty much my staple breakfast now. Once in a while I change an ingredient, but mostly it stays the same: a banana, a mixture of sprouts, frozen spinach, psyllium husks, plant-based yoghurt, MCT and flaxseed oil, and fermented hemp seed milk.
For dinner, I started with several dishes based on eggplants and broccoli (with lots of other veggies) and kept circling through them. It took me almost a year to get sick of the few meal options I kept repeating. My palate is undemanding like that.
Another change Gottfried recommends and I implemented was regular exercise, best during the fasting window. Since I was seriously out of shape and in constant pain, I started small. Two or three times a week I exercised at home, following along with a 10 minute HIIT workout on YouTube. At first, I chose bodyweight workouts without jumping, then came longer workouts with a stepper, then with weights (2kg/4lbs at the beginning, then 3kg/6lbs). After a while, I managed 15 minute workouts, then 20. Now, I’m doing between 30 and 50 minute HIIT workouts with weights, between 3kg/6lbs and 10kg/22lbs, 3 to 5 times a week. I walk on average 5km/3 miles a day, and go running twice a week.
Between June 2023 and now, October 2024, I’ve lost 35kg/77lbs.
And while that is great, I’m much, much happier about the changes in my health I’ve seen. My pre-diabetes is gone, my cholesterol is good, everything else is in a healthy range again as well. I have lots of gall stones now, though, which are a side effect of massive weight loss. I haven’t noticed them yet, but they’re there. But I have so much more energy, some seriously sexy muscles (ABS!!! I’ve never had abs in my life, but holy shit, that’s nice!), and so much less pain. It’s not gone, but it’s so much better. (And I’ve learned that it comes back when I go two weeks without exercise.) I’m no longer depressed all the time (although there are hormonal fluctuations), and I have a regular cycle (which I can track for the first time in my life).
My OB Gyn was pleased that I found a lifestyle that works for me, as did my general physician. Thanks to my PCOS and Hashimoto’s, I know I’ll have to keep this lifestyle going. Another side effect: I’ve started liking to cook, which I used to HATE with a passion. Shows that even an old dog can learn new tricks.
Now I only have to get the writing back on track. I stopped to focus my energy on my health. Yet another side effect I wasn’t aware of: the more energy I expend, the more energy I get.
And so, the writing is actually coming back: listening to writing podcasts during my walks has inspired me a great deal. I’ve started writing again. New habits, little tweaks during my day, it’s all helping me to get there.
Of course, I’m still a squirrel, and it’s unlikely I’ll ever change my ADHD stripes. Keeping on track is hard, y’all. I’ve tried to take the pressure off by finding a day job, but I’ve had no luck with that. Since my applications keep getting rejected, I guess I’ll have to stick with this book thing.
Good thing I love writing, and these last few weeks have shown me how much I’ve missed it. So, watch this space, books are incoming!
