CarbLess, eh CarbNone

A few years ago I started a website where I sold CarbLess delicacies (cheesecakes, cookies, etc.). I also posted CarbLess recipes. What I have since learned in my journey with PCOS is, I really need to be very low-carb (30-60 grams per day) in order to loose weight. It is a difficult task to remain that low. No sugar, grains, legumes and most fruits. My sources of carbohydrates, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. It's a monotonous road! Many of us PCOSers know it well.

It's been an up and down adventure living with PCOS. As I have discovered many of us started out with irregular cycles. Doctors ignored it as just something many women go through. I decided that was not enough for me when I got married and had a feeling maybe this would cause me problems when we decided to have a family. I asked my doctor to test me and after some blood tests she informed me all my hormones were normal. Not really knowing what I should look for, I accepted that response. Leaving the office, in hand I had a prescription for the miracle drug; birth control pills! Not only would I not get pregnant, it would cure me of irregular cycles. Problem solved right?

Years later to my horror and my hair dresser's delight (she seemed to get pleasure out of it anyway) she found a couple of chain hairs. Okay, no big deal right? Just tweeze them off! Well, silly me allowed my hair dresser to take them off while she did my side burns after an appointment one day and low and behold she uses a razor! Suddenly I have more than a couple of hairs coming in. I had no idea this was not a coincidence but the dreaded hirsutism. Later I would go to see a dermatologist about dark marks on my cheeks (hyper-pigmentation) and the hair. She took one look at me and said, "I bet you have PCOS?" My response was, "Huh?" I had never heard of PCOS. She began to tell me a little about it. Before she could get too far, I immediately began to defend myself. Or should I say I was in denial! I told her I had my hormones checked and everything was fine. I wanted to be NORMAL damn it! She asked to see the results. Later I got a call from her that my hormones were not checked. Only my thyroid was checked. Of course, my doctor (as I would later find out most docs) had no clue. I was told to go off of the pill for a month and then go in for a hormone test. It came back with the signs of PCOS; high testosterone, low progesterone and estrogen levels. It was confirmed with blood tests showing slightly elevated insulin levels and an ultrasound showing cyststic ovaries. During the scan I recall looking at my uterus wondering if I would ever have a baby.

To think that was 10 years ago and I am still having problems tyring to get the weight and hormones under control. As many women with PCOS will attest to, it is relentless. From starving yourself and working out 7 days a week to giving up and just resigning to being fat. Never understanding why you are not loosing weight and why you can't find a doctor that can help you. I found a few books that seemed to hit home. One by Dr. Diana Schwarbein and the other by Drs. Michael and Mary Eades. The truth is, my body will store fat with elevated insulin levels. I must remain low-carb to burn fat. Over the years I have tried and tried to eat a normal diet, thumbing my nose at this basic principal. And I continue to come crawling back with my tail between my legs; having failed!

If only this was the only hurdle PCOS saddles you with. Welcome to Wonderland!