Six weeks and counting since my girlfriends and I started the Weight Loss Challenge for 2010. I am down 9 lbs and doing really well. I did have a slow start the first few weeks, but the last two weeks I have been totally focused with my foods. The challenge I am having is working out and somehow I need to incorporate this around my crazy schedule, among other things like housework. I have tried doing some quick 20 minutes workouts, including squats, kettlebells and crunches, but I know I need to include more cardio.
My new loves are Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, Braggs Apple Cidar Vinegar with Ginger & Sesame Salad Dressing (great to cook with too), Rice Chocolate Bars and Ezekial Wraps…..yummmmm. I feel good, lighter and truly focused on finishing what I began a long time ago. My goal is to be as healthy as I can be. When I saw Alicia Silverstone on the Oprah Show discussing the documentary Food Inc. and her book The Kind Diet, I decided after viewing the documentary I would purchase her book. I began reading it a few days ago, and it confirms much of what I have learned about processed foods, with even more facts and details in some areas. She also covers other food groups, such as sugars, dairy and fish that I wasn’t completely informed in. Some more of my favorites foods that I have to eliminate…….go figure…LOL. I have held strong in my convictions with certain foods that I will no longer eat……I just now have to expand that and become more creative in the kitchen……….Crap, and I thought menopause was hell!
What have I learned so far? I used to be an arse about calories in and calories out, plus burning it up with cardio. I do still believe it all comes down to calories eaten versus calories burned, but I also felt I was ‘owned’ by writing everything down, which was actually adding to my stress of the day. I was carrying around a small writing pad at work making sure I wrote everything down……..good grief. I have more recently felt such a freedom since I haven’t had do document every morsel anymore, and I can eat freely and not stress over counting my calories with every bite. I have no idea where my calories are anymore and it doesn’t matter, because with eating healthy foods all day long my body is a burning…metabolizing machine! Hooya!!! Watch out girlfriends, here I come!!!!! LOL….
Wisdom….The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends!
I’m on school vacation so I’m getting caught up on things around here. I’m taking a class and I need to finish the coursework this week because it ends after my surgery day. Next week I need to use my time to get work prepared for my sub.
I took a nice winter walk today with one of my dogs and it was refreshing and felt good to be out enjoying nature. Last night was horrible with night sweats galore. I didn’t sleep much but thankfully, I didn’t have to set an alarm today. I’m hoping for a decent night’s sleep tonight.
I’m enjoying watching the Olympics during my vacation and it’s nice lead into surgery doing something that I enjoy and can take my mind off of it.
Fish oil use for medicinal as well as dietary purposes dates back at least to Viking times; but the 1922 scientific study of fish oil by Jack Drummond & Sylvester Zilva is the first paper on it on Pubmed, as a source of vitamin A.
But it took till the 1930s for it’s (ie codliver oil) wide medicinal benefits to be recognized.
Since then fish oil has proven to be the most pluripotential ‘micro’nutrient – at a dose as little as perhaps 100mg/day- in prevention and treatment (via either it’s omega3 EPA+DHA content, or its vitamins A and D content) of all common major diseases from learning , behaviour and memory disorders from birth to dotage, to infections, inflammation, arthritis, vision, pregnancy, growth and osteoporosis, mood, parkinson’s, hypertensive, vascular, thrombotic, lipid, cancer and diabetic disorders.
The recognition of citrus juice- vitamin C – as a medicinal dates back apparently only 250 years to Dr James Lind’s recognition of it’s reversal of lethal scurvy. But it was first identified and isolated only about 80 years ago . Since then it has proven to be as pluripotential a preventative as fish oil and now vitamin D3, and balanced sex hormone replacement.
In 1971 Borgman & Haselden described the effects of cod liver oil on dissolution of gallstones.
In 1974 Krumdieck & Butterworth’s landmark paper on cholesterol-lecithin interactions: factors of potential importance in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. summarized the evidence for combining supplements of vitamin C and soy lecethin (ie polyunsaturated fatty acid at position 2) in the prevention of atherosclerosis- since once this disease is present, it can take months to reverse.
in 1976 Navarro & Guevara described the importance of vitamin C in prevention of gallstones.
and by 1989 Wechsler ea described how omega-3-fatty acids – fish oil- just 1.5gm a day decreases biliary cholesterol and lithogenicity.
from 1973 Cameron Pauling & Campbell published their landmark work on vitamin C to tolerance (not antiscurvy doses or below many grams a day) in the prevention and treatment of many human cancers.
by 1997 Mizuguchi ea described prevention by fish oil of cholesterol gallstone formation in hamsters.
and in 1999 Takenaga ea described how Lecithinized ascorbic acid (PC-AS) effectively inhibits murine pulmonary metastasis.
Lecitithin is derived from food – meat, liver, legumes, cereals, fish and eggs – but not from fish oil. It – phosphatidylcholine- is a principal component of fat metabolism, cell membranes, brain, semen, and against gallstones, atherosclerosis (and thus heart – vascular-hypertensive -brain-), breast, cirrhosis and other liver diseases.
The crucial DHA and EPA omega3 fatty acids are, practically, derived exclusively from marine algae and thence krill and fish oil .
Hence the paramount importance (in preventing all common diseases) of promoting fish oil (by the teaspoon or capsule) together with lecithbioinized Vitamin C to tolerance eg vitamin C 50% enhanced with perhaps 15% calcium carbonate, 5% mag oxide, 10% bioflavinoid and 20% lecithin. Up to a heaped tsp 2 – 3 times a day of such an Enhanced Vitamin C mix – ie to bowel tolerance- will provide 5 – 7.5g vitamin C, 500-750mg calcium, 300 -450mg magnesium, 1-1.5g bioflavinoid and 2- 3g lecithin, with little diarrhoea..
Obviously to this should be added a blend of all the other few-score safe proven potential preventative supplements to combat all the other chronic diseases of premature aging including even multiple sclerosis (especially highdose vitamin D3).
So while oil and water dont mix in a glass, , ie vitamin C and bioflavinoids are not soluble in oil, combining them by taking them together with lecithin and fish oil a few times a day makes huge sense.
About 15 years ago, I went to my doctor and complained bitterly about brain fog, fatigue and general malaise. I was sure it was my thyroid. And sure enough it was.
As a child, I had been hyper-thyroid. Apparently, children as young as I was don’t develop thyroid problems at the age of 9. They’re either born with them (and often die before diagnosed) or it just doesn’t happen until later in life. Not only was I hyperthyroid, I was extremely so and had a goiter big enough to double as a softball. I’m in medical journals. There was no real protocol for treating children and I was a research hospital’s guinea pig. They did not want to remove the thyroid for a host of reasons. I endured weekly (and sometimes twice weekly) medical appointments and testing for the better part of two years.
The treatment was successful, but my parents were warned that I may never undergo puberty and might never have children. Well. I did undergo puberty – in spades – though I attribute my lack of cleavage to after-effects of massive doses of thyroid hormones. [Every woman on both sides of my family is very well-endowed to the point where breast reduction surgery is often undertaken. I’m a standout oddity.] I also have Chef Boy ‘R Mine as witness to my childbearing abilities.
I’d been complaining, 20 years ago, that something wasn’t right with my thyroid. For the first time in my life, I could pinch an inch. I couldn’t get enough sleep, etc. etc. I kept testing in the normal range. I tried to explain to them that although I wasn’t medicated, I had been somewhat hyperthyroid since I quit taking the meds when I was 10. I was on a downward slope, but I had no street cred with the docs and they couldn’t have cared less what I thought. Low normal was still normal – never mind that I’d been slightly hyper for years.
Fifteen years ago, I persuaded them to do the full thyroid panel and sure enough I was hypothyroid.
The full panel of thyroid tests reveals all sorts of things, but for people with my diagnosis – Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis – the TSH number is the important one. 3.0 is considered the upper range of normal. Most docs don’t like for folks to get below 0.5 to 1.0 or above 5.0. I don’t recall what that first TSH number was – pretty big. I TOLD them I felt awful; I still don’t know why they were so surprised.
So. That was my second real indication that I’m pretty in tune with my body – the first was sensing that Chef Boy ‘R Mine was fixin’ to be a miscarriage before there were any real signs. I know when things are wrong.
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid. A simple explanation is that my thyroid thinks it is allergic to itself and keeps trying to commit suicide. Even missing my meds for just a day can provoke mayhem and carnage. Even medicated, periodic adjustments are required. A few years ago, I felt like crap and developed a goiter. I called the doc. My TSH was 39 –yes 39. Thirty-nine times the upper range of normal. He was astonished. I’d only missed three or four days of my meds.
The amount of Synthroid I take boggles the mind of my hypothyroid friends. Hypothyroidism is epidemic among women in this country. The last I heard, it was estimated that 40% of American women are hypothyroid with most of them undiagnosed. Since Oprah got diagnosed, I imagine that a few more are insisting their doctors run the thyroid panel. But regular hypothyroidism is not the same as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Look at it like this – there’s the common cold and then there’s bronchitis.
So, over the years, my thyroid acts up, I feel like crap, and I call the doctor. I’m always right and they no longer argue with me. We run the tests, we up the Synthroid, and off I go on my merry way.
Tired? I should be comatose.
I’ve been sleeping a lot lately, but I haven’t had brain fog and I don’t have a goiter. It’s been a cold, yucky winter and my stress levels are THIS HIGH. [Connie holds her hand two feet above her head.] I’m very in tune with my body and nothing was on my radar.
The family practitioner insisted we run a thyroid panel. I was opposed. I thought it unnecessary testing that would end up costing me a couple hundred dollars. We argued, she won. She also ran my cholesterol.
Well. My cholesterol is in the “needs medication” column and my TSH is, no shit, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE. One Five Nine. That’s 5300% higher than it should be.
Well, shit-fire, no wonder I’m tired. I should be near comatose based on past experience.
I’m inclined to think something went awry with this test. With a TSH of 39, I could barely get out of bed, every spot of arthritis in my body was screaming, my skin was so dry I was a cloud of dead skin cells, and I was thoroughly miserable. I was also unable to remember anything. At a 39 TSH, my world was wallpapered with sticky notes lest I forget something. No kidding, I had sticky notes to remind me to do stuff you wouldn’t think needed reminders. I had “brush teeth” on the medicine cabinet and “go to work” on the steering wheel of the car. I would forget what I was doing in the middle of doing it.
It was awful. If I do, in fact, have a TSH of 159, I should be too bumfuzzled and confoozled to type this much less actually awake at 8 p.m. The only hesitation with dismissing it out of hand is that my cholesterol is high. Traditionally, my cholesterol numbers are good when my thyroid is functioning well. Hypothyroidism correlates with high cholesterol. Many folk find that when they’re properly medicated for thyroid problems, high cholesterol problems go away.
So. Today I read that menopause is suspected to interfere with the body’s ability to process Synthroid. Upon reading that, I threw up my hands and ran amok in the hallways for awhile. Menopause’s unbloody hands appear to affect every facet of my life. I’m tired of it. And I’m tired. And I have a TSH of 159.
I’m still functioning and for that I’m grateful. I’m much too busy to crawl into bed for the 4-6 weeks it will take to get things up to speed.
If you know a woman who’s tired of being tired, suggest she get her thyroid checked. There’s no need to be miserable. Until they figure out why all of us womenfolk are having this problem, there’s not much to be done for it other than get a diagnosis and some prescriptions. (And if you have been diagnosed and medicated, but still feel like crap, get your B12 serum levels checked – B12 deficiency goes hand-in-hand with thyroid problems.)
Weight accident during menopause is hardly altered than aloof apparent ol’ weight weight loss diet plan for vegetarians loss. Because your hormones are activity kinda crazy you charge to abode that to aerate your weight loss. Here are a brace means to advance your weight accident during this time.
Weight Accident During Menopause
. Spinning Around like a child
Listen your hormones are activity crazy and they’re unbalanced. Spinning addresses this because Medical Weight Loss Diet Plan it stimulates your Endocrine System to antithesis out and antithesis your hormones. Now spinning won’t absolutely rework mother attributes with menopause but it’ll advice with weight accident at this point in your activity back the added antithesis your hormones are the easier it is to lose weight.
Here’s what you do…
Spin clockwise with your accoutrements out like aeroplane wings. Circuit anywhere from – times. Your ambition is to get hardly dizzy not absolutely Perfect Diet Plan For Weight Loss fall down dizzy. Once you circuit and acquisition that cardinal area you’re hardly dizzy you’ll charge to circuit that cardinal mulitple Vegetarian Diet Plan For Weight Loss times anniversary day to advice rework and actual your hormones throughout the day to bright the aisle for easier weight loss.
. Jump on a mini-trampoline
This is aloof an all-around abundant exercise. I like the actuality Free Online Diet Plan For Weight Loss that it’s convenient you can do it at home you can Weekly Diet Plan For Weight Loss do it Balanced Diet Plan For Weight Loss in abrupt spurts of time and it’s actual low impact. What I do is jump on it account Vegan Diet Plan Weight Loss at a time during commercials. Daily Weight Loss Diet Plan Did you apperceive that the boilerplate hour tv appearance has – account of commercials
That’s the absolute time do jump weight loss diet plan for vegetarians on the mini-trampoline. You’ll get a minute conditioning while watching tv.
Try out these things and weight accident during menopause will be a allotment of cake.
So yesterday morning, my dear blog buddy told me she was getting “all dolled up” for our trip to hear the marvelous NYT bestselling author Kristin Hannah read from her new novel, WINTER GARDEN. (If you enjoy staying awake until 3 a.m. with a box of Kleenex and a whole new appreciation of love and the women in your life, read Kristin’s books.)
Now, despite the fact that I love seeing Kristin and love going to Powell’s bookstore, I had planned to wear my customary Saturday attire–discreetly stained sweatshirt and jeans that smell vaguely of dog if you get too close to my leg. When I heard from Carolyn, however, I began to worry that perhaps I was not being respectful enough. Or that I’m lazy or possibly defeatist, so I figured I’d freshen up a bit, too.
A little trivia about Carolyn: She has a pact with the underworld and does not age. To those of us who went through premature menopause, this is very disturbing. Annoying, even. I try to say the serenity prayer before I see her.
Okay, so I figured it would take me ten, maybe fifteen minutes to “doll up” for the big outing. It. Did. Not.
With a career, a first-grader and a DIY kitchen remodel that could take us into the next millennium, I haven’t had a lot of time for makeup. Apparently since I last visited my modest stash, my husband used my mascara to darken his beard for an audition, and there wasn’t much left (and also, eew). My daughter “practiced” with the single lipstick I still own (looks more like she ate half of it), and my eyeshadow had gone a bit crumbly. I did, however, find a brand new lip pencil!!!!! I’ve always liked my lips, so I decided to concentrate on them.
Holy Mother of God.
I have a clear memory of watching my mother’s lipstick climb slowly up the lines leading from her top lip to her nostrils, and thinking, “Why does she let it do that?” LET it. I thought there was a choice. I was wrong.
At forty-eight I have never smoked a cigarette. Only rarely have I ingested liquid through a straw. Yet within seconds of penciling my lips red, I looked like I had a bloody nose.
It won’t be easy explaining to my daughter that I’ve used her college fund for my BOTOX injections.
So my point: Getting “all dolled up” is different now. It takes longer. It takes, actually, a little grieving and a lot of surrender. The gift, as far as I can tell at this juncture, is that the focus shifts from worrying about what you think of me to the simple enjoyment of being in your company. (Except, perhaps, for Carolyn’s company. Because, I’m sorry, but when she loses weight she gets a jawline, and when I lose weight I get a turkey waddle, and I’m just not that spiritually evolved. Yet. I’ll get back to you.)
To catch up to date since the time that I stopped journaling, here’s where I stand: I met with the Plastic Surgeon, Dr. M. for an exam and to discuss reconstruction options should I decide to have a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy (PBM) with reconstruction. The Breast Surgeon Dr.F. didn’t want my answer about/if I going going that route until meeting with Dr. M.
It was not really necessary to have that consult before making my decision for a PBM though as it was a no-brainer for me. I refuse to live my life in fear of the disease and taking the gamble that I could outrun it and fail. It would kill me to know that I was aware of the risk and the chances yet sat back waiting for it to happen to me and waiting a bit too long and getting caught. (This is MY personal choice… it is an Individual Choice and each person knows what is right for them. I, am IN NO WAY criticizing or judging the choices of other people who are facing their own decisions… this is the choice and decision that’s best for me.)
My biggest decision was over which type of reconstruction procedure I wanted. I initially was attracted to the TRAM flap because it involved my own natural tissues and I am an “earthy-crunchy nature” type. However after looking into the possible side effects of severing my ab muscles and using them to form the breast I began to lean more towards the Chest Expanders/Implant option. I really value my ability to do yoga, kayak, bike ride, kickbox, run, etc. and the thought of having difficulty doing those things was too great of a risk for me. I have also had a back injury (from falling down a flight of stairs) and my lower back acts up if I’ve overdone it. Losing core muscle strength would not be the best choice for my back either.
Weighing all the pros and cons I decided to go forward with the Chest Expander/ Saline Implant reconstruction. I’m scheduled for surgery on February 26th,….twenty days from today.
Another major decision/hurdle was telling my children “the whole story” behind my October surgery, telling them about my upcoming surgery, and also explaining what it potentially means for them. It was difficult for me and I cried through the whole thing but made it through. DD cried. DS said he thought I was going to tell them that I had cancer so anything else was a relief. Both children will eventually be tested but there is no real hurry at this point.
I still haven’t told my father, in-laws or any extended family. I do need to talk to my dad very soon though, as well as DH’s parents. I’m sure that none of them will truly understand but I’ll do my best to explain it.
As far as how I’ve been feeling… let’s just put it this way. I haven’t slept more than a two hour stretch since those hot flashes and night sweats have started in October. Some days I go to work with bags under my eyes because I woke up every hour. It’s not so much waking up sweaty and hot, rather the fact that I’m wet, it’s winter, then I freeze and can’t get back to sleep because I’m curled in a ball trying to get warm. While the sweats are uncomfortable, it’s the chills that I can’t bear. I’ve had to toss my pillow because it was actually mildewed from being so wet. I guess I’m just one of those women who have intense, frequent flashes while some others have occasional ones.. gee thanks!
My new “uniform” is a sleeveless summer shirt and a winter cardigan during the day. I need to be able to take the cardigan off when I start dripping with sweat at work, then cover up when it’s over and I get cold. My closet is jammed because I have both seasons of clothes in there. I did make some room though, because I cannot wear regular sweaters or long sleeve shirts so I moved them into DD’s closet while she’s away at college.
I talked to my Gynecologist, Dr. B. about my hot flashes and she suggested increasing my Soy consumption and also mentioned something about anti-depressants to help.. NO WAY am I going that route!!! I don’t even like to take an aspirin if I can help it. I’m not taking a medication for something else to help with hot flashes.
Some women have success with Black Cohosh so I’ve been taking Remifemin, an herbal supplement for the past 3 months. I can’t honestly say if it works at all or not because I’m still in the same boat. I’ll know if it even took the edge off very soon though since as of yesterday I’m off it as part of my pre-op instructions.
I’m also not allowed to drink any green tea, chamomile tea or anything else of that sort until after surgery. Since I don’t take any medications, that will be my only pre-0p changes.
I’m a vegetarian, and since the new year have been trying to replace soy for dairy so I’m almost completely vegan at this point in terms of my diet. (Light soy milk in my coffee instead of cream, soy yogurt, vege cheese) Unbelievably, my weight has gone up and and I’m sporting a tire around my belly.. .lo and behold, common side effects of menopause, but it also could be due to the Black Cohosh. So, being off will also help me gauge what I’m like with nothing. If my weight drops and the hot flashes are still the same with or without it, I’ll go off it for good. (I never wanted to take it in the first place but was so desperate with no sleep that I was willing to try it.)
So here I stand… this is where I’m at and I’m taking one day at a time.
Menopause is one of the utmost distasteful periods in the enthusiasm of a woman and for those with whom she lives or works.
There are several ways of treating acne and the natural herbal is the best and the safest.
It is better to be it an herbal mask or a chemical one, always remind to avoid the lip and eye areas while someone is applying the mask.
What makes Bruunhause as a result foreign is that it uses a fusion of Mother Nature’s most impressive herbal acne treatments in the world’s first H 3 O hydronium based solution.
Biodermazen is a impressive internal, all natural herbal acne supplement.
To charge acne and keep it clear, treating it with a natural herbal product that contains Vitamin C and E is a better way to start.
List of Literature
Planning your career in alternative medicine, Dianne J. Boulerice Lyons, 1997
Alternative Medicine, Kathiann M. Kowalski, 1998
Mosby’s complementary and alternative medicine, Lynda W. Freeman, G. Frank Lawlis, 2001
Recommended Links Alternative Medicine Foundation Yoga as exercise or alternative medicine The Alternative Medicine
Herbal Remedies for Menopause is filed under Alternative medicine.
