#i'd like to believe i've cut off a lot of sugar from my diet these days

[hunkydorkling]

Do I even lay off of the bento cake for this year's birthday. Last January's was so fucking good.

[pcos-uno-reverse]

Today is day 3 for me on this new pcos lifestyle, and I'd considered waiting to see if it actually makes a difference before I posted anything. But then I thought about how there's so many other women struggling with this disorder, probably going through the same exact thing as me. So I'm inviting you to follow along this journey with me.

In just these 3 days I have noticed a difference in the way my body is feeling.

The general gist of this "diet" is no gluten, no dairy, no added sugar. It's low carb but it isn't keto. I believe this lifestyle is far more sustainable than keto.

Why are women with pcos not supposed to have gluten and dairy? (Keep in mind I'm not a doctor or a dietician. This is all info I've collected from research and from several dieticians)

Dairy has an insulin like growth factor, which will increase androgens (aka male hormones) in women with pcos.

Eating gluten regularly can result in inflammation. If you have pcos, you're already dealing with inflammation. Apparently 1 in 3 Americans already have an intolerance to gluten. So it's very likely that you and I do, too.

I also found one dietician who said that gluten turns into a hormone in your body that mimics thyroid hormones, and therefore your thyroid attacks it. A lot of women with pcos also have hypothyroidism, aka a low functioning thyroid. I am/was one of those women. My last lab results showed normal thyroid levels! So I do believe this checks out. I hadn't even quit gluten completely at the time, but I'd cut out quite a bit.

I found a study from 2012 that said every woman with pcos should be treated for insulin resistance. I have insulin resistance, I've been tested multiple times, it went away for a while but came back. A high amount of insulin in your blood will cause weight gain. When your insulin levels are high, you are going to store fat. It's why we hear women with pcos say they gained 100 lbs in a year.

I am still researching and learning all of this myself.

I am currently on metformin for the insulin resistance. I take several other vitamins as well.

-a daily multivitamin (I take a prenatal, it's got most of the things I was buying separately, so its saved me money in the long run)

-DHA/Fish oil (this is included in my prenatal)

-a probiotic with cranberry included (healthy gut, healthy urinary tract)

-Inositol. This apparently helps women with pcos regulate their cycle, which rings true for me. I'm currently out of this one, and my period was late consecutively for the 3 months I've been out of it. It's expensive so I haven't been able to re purchase yet. However, it is on the top of my list.

-Magnesium/Ashwaganda. I think the ashwaganda knocks me the hell out at night. When I take it, I fall asleep easier. Magnesium is shown to help with anxiety. I take this in a 2 for 1 pill.

-Curcumin (turmeric): this one allegedly helps with inflammation.

-Apple Cider Vinegar: I take this in a pill because I cannot stand the taste of vinegar. This one helps stabilize blood sugar if taken before meals.

I have been looking into berberine and will be purchasing it as soon as possible. Apparently, paired with metformin it can help stabilize blood sugar.

Of course, do your own research and talk to your doctor before you take anything. These are all supplements I've found through research. I'm not sponsored by anyone, and I have no followers, so obviously I'm not making money off of it. These are all things I take daily.

That's all I've got for now, I'm about to go make breakfast. Byeeeeeeeee

[lunarsilkscreen]

Ketosomnia

A good way to lose weight is to simply cut carbs from your diet. However, this runs the risk of putting your body into a state of ketosis after a state of lethargy from both having that ready source of easy sugars.

Here are some observations that haven't been noted about Ketosis, the Keto diet, and what the exact difference is from a low-carb diet.

First the drawbacks; The keto diet runs the risk of hair loss, constipation, lethargy, decreased performance, and a number of other nutritional deficiencies.

The problem with this observation is that these drawbacks are the same as either a Carnivore diet or a Vegan diet where the person isn't worried about their own nutrition. Instead choosing to eat certain things based on ease, availability, preference, and a host of other things.

Many on the Keto diet simply refer to the diet as the "Meat and Cheese diet;" because one can achieve ketosis on such a diet. But that is simply a person that really hates their vegetables and eats too many red meats.

Too much red meat and cheese leads to things like increased cholesterol, heart arythmia, constipation, and hair loss. This is the same drawbacks that arose when the diet was introduced internationally under the "Atkins Diet" brand.

Conversely, a vegan diet without specific focus on getting your macros and ensuring that you eat enough (especially after restricting both meat and carbs) puts you at risk of being anorexic and protein deficient.

And both of those behaviors lead to the same poor outcomes on the Keto diet.

Second; Ketosis and the range of carbs isn't exact. Most Keto diets are extremely strict and limit the carb range between 30 and 50 grams of carbs. This is because they're part of strict nutritional guidelines run by doctors or nutritionists either for an athletic reason, or for medical conditions like diabetes and epilepsy.

What I found from personal observations is that range may actually be as high as 200 grams of carbs in a day.

Keep in mind I'm not saying *every day*. I'm just noting that maintaining ketosis may not be as strict as we believe.

The problem here lies in the availability of foods that off the shelf have 30-60 carbs of the bat. Like Sodas, Fruit Drinks, and even canned foods like Chef Boy r' Dee.

This means that, at least in America, we're prone to consuming 200 grams of carbs *minimum*. And that includes our Sugary Energy drinks that we consume just to get through the day. (IB4; BUT SUGAR-FREE. I'd prefer regular sweeteners just less of them in a drink...)

Third; When entering a state of Ketosis, you first become extremely lethargic, and then you might have a few nights of insomnia. So if you're changing up your diet; or you fast for a few days; or anything: you could be causing this change to happen to your body.

The keto-flu, as the lethargy is often referred to, is more commonly known than the keto-insomnia. Which may keep you awake for 2-3 days. Luckily for me; being a military vet means I have a lot of experience as a professional insomniac.

This use Ketosis may have uses in military diet and fitness as well.

So with that said; here's my routine diet that I've been taking lately:

Avoid all sugary drinks, they have 30-70 carbs(sugar minimum).

When calculating carbs for a food use this: Carbs-Fibers-[Sugar Alcohol]. Sugar Alcohol is used as an artificial sweetener in many SUGAR-FREE products, and therefore increases the carbs on the package. But since your body can't digest them, they may not count towards your carb total.

This isn't to say you should binge on SUGAR-FREE snacks high in carbs from [Sugar Alcohol] as you may have intense cravings like myself.

This is because: since those alcohols count as carbs, eating too many of them may mess with your ketosis settings. The studies haven't been done yet.

Keep in mind; certain products combine sugar with fiber-powder. This doesn't cancel out the sugar, but may look the same on your nutritional label. This is a particular problem in some "Keto-friendly" products that are both high in fiber and added sugar.

I skip breakfast most days.

My lunch usually consists of:

1-2 Avocados, 1 can of sardines or tuna, 1 single serving of Almonds. All these from a local grocery that usually runs me about 5$ USD. I usually also get a SUGAR-FREE energy drink.

I mix the avocados into the fish and it brings out the flavors of both (sometimes adding in cream cheese). Many times I also eat one fruit, like an apple, plum, mango, banana or single serving of berries. Usually things the strict keto diet has you stay away from.

My Dinner is whatever is being served in the cafeteria (don't ask which one) I avoid the carbs and focus on how to make the most without the carbs they're serving. Sometimes; it's just a cold cut sandwich and chips. But since I've all-but eliminated carbs for lunch, that's usually OK.

The focus on this diet should be total reduction of carbs, not elimination anyway.

This usually frees up just enough room in my diet for a snack or dessert food every few days or so. Which means I'm at roughly 20-50 per day, and as many as 100 grams per day.

The reason for the avocado, fruit, fish, and almond combo is nutritional. This way all my macros and most of my vitamins are covered.

The one singular drawback is the limited amount of ready-made breads that are high in fiber, while the Avocados typically provide plenty of fiber, something to satisfy the bread and cracker cravings would be great.

The fruits and veggies and fibrous foods in your diet help eliminate constipation as well (after causing it if your body isn't used to the high fiber or multi-grain content.)

Literally, the easiest way to do this diet is to avoid Sugar Drinks, Sugary Snacks, and anything with added sugar (like syrups and sauces. I love sweet and sour with my tendies.)

Eat a fruit, Drink artificial sweetener (and plenty of water,) And avoid white bread and rice and noodles dishes except on occasion.

Any of the things you would avoid on this diet you can actually add to it every other day, in small quantities. The problem is that ramen noodles are 25¢ a pack, and the easiest way to feel full and satiated, and energy drinks and sodas fill in the carbohydrate gap and are ubiquitous as an energy boost or pick-me-up.

Especially now, all I want is a Soda, spaghetti-o's and a snack-cake. But that's a 100+ carbohydrate meal! Even a single cookie can contain more than 60 carbs in it!

But I suppose the entire point of this article is that simply reducing your sugar and carb intake can put you into a state of ketosis, even if your meals aren't particularly Keto-friendly.

First brain-fog, sluggishness, and then insomnia and energy-boost, and then homeostasis.

And that's an interesting point that not a lot of people know about when changing their diets so seemingly slightly.

[novoplata]

It's time for that annual 'body post', in which I'd reflect about my journey towards fostering a healthier relationship with my body and food. I must say that the past year of on-again-and-off-again training for a physique competition (it's currently off, indefinitely) has taught me a lot about myself and about diet and exercise. Although I'm a nutritionist by training, I think that diet is something that is very personal and individualised -- it takes plenty of trials and errors to find out what works. Also, what works for me might not work for the other person. So, here are my reflections from the past year:

Heavy doesn't always mean fat

Above is a picture of me back when I was a runner. I weighed around 52-53kg at my heaviest, had absolutely zero muscles on my upper body and couldn't do a single push up even if my life depended on it.

This above was taken last week, 1+ year into CrossFit and a week into my strength cycle. I currently weigh 62.5kg, and knowing my body, I foresee probably gaining another 1-2kg more by the end of my 6-week strength cycle. As seen here, I'm hardly any thicker than I was in the first picture, yet there's a 10kg difference between them. Of course, I now have bigger shoulders and thighs, and thankfully, am now able to do push ups.

Nonetheless, on days when I weighed myself and saw that I've gotten heavier (I've gained 4kgs since November), it's easy to feel demoralised like I've somewhat failed. But if you've trained hard and eat clean 80% of the time, there's only gonna be one explanation for the weight gain -- more muscles! So don't worry about the scales too much!

To get rid of FUPA, be merciless about your sugar intake

Picture above taken in November 2020. Body weight circa 64-65kg.

Like many women, I struggle with trimming off that pesky belly fat above my pubic area (FUPA). In fact, when I lost weight and started gaining muscles almost two years ago, my belly was (and still is) stubbornly soft.

As you can see in the most recent picture, I've gotten rid of my FUPA significantly since, and what I realised is that it only started to budge once I've gotten stricter about cutting my sugar intake.

Above is my typical daily food intake. As you can see, I don't really care much about overshooting my daily protein and fat allocation. But I try as much as I can to cut back on my sugar intake to a bare minimum. This also means cutting down on natural and processed foods beyond just merely not adding table sugar: high GI fruits, processed cereals, white bread, diet food, etc. If you have to choose between low-fat and low-sugar, go for the latter.

You can't manage what you don't track

I'm a big fan of tracking things down, from what I eat to my workout program for the day. I believe that if you don't keep a record of something, there will be no effective way for you to manage it.

Tracking macros may take a little bit of getting used to but if you want long term success, there's really no other way to go about it. I don't think anyone ever 'accidentally' stumbles upon good musculature and body composition -- everything needs smart planning and effort.

Hopefully, next year I'll be able to show off some six packs. For now, my shoulders would have to do. Enjoying this journey so far ❤️❤️.