Hey there! Ashley here. It's been awhile since I updated. I've received a few emails and messages on Facebook lately about this blog, and it resulted in me logging back on to realize it's been ten months since I've updated! Wow. Time flies.
I was always motivated to update this blog when I was doing well. This blog was also a motivation for me to do well (and I define doing well by losing weight, which may not be the healthiest way of looking at it, but that's debatable.) But as far as that goes, I'm not doing well. Which is probably a huge part as to why I haven't updated lately.
I've gained 30 pounds in the six to eight months or so. I went from around 175 to 205. Which, in the grand scheme of things... I'm still closer to my goal than where I started, which is good and when I look at the situation objectively, I can see that. However, I'm still not pleased with myself even though it's not 100% in my control at the moment...
A combination of the holidays, and money issues making it difficult to stick to the low carbohydrate high protein diet I had been doing (which worked REALLY well) were a huge part of my weight gain. Also I switched insurance companies, and there was an overlap of time I wasn't able to get 2 of my medications. I've also been having trouble stomaching one of my medications, which is better now that I've got the prescription changed.. But these are all excuses.
Its just one thing after another honestly and it knocks down your motivation real quick, you know?
I feel like whenever I get my medications under control I'll start to lose again, it's just a matter of getting in the routine of taking them the way I had for years which is something I've been out of practice of for the past few months. I've never "fallen off" my diet necessarily, I just didn't follow it as strictly as I did in 2013, which is what I need to do again. I had so much more energy and felt so much better about myself when I stuck to Atkins. I hadn't felt that healthy in a long time, and I'm working my way back into it.
As far as the surgery goes.. I'm three and a half years out now, to the day. February 19th, 2015. I had surgery on August 19th 2011. I really don't feel like the sleeve has done much for me other than the lack of appetite and the restriction, which wasn't really much of a problem to begin with.. Not to say it's not a good dieting tool, because it's fantastic. But it certainly hasn't done for me what I've seen it do for other people within the Teen WLS program I went through, you know? And sure I can attribute that to all of my metabolic problems that are somewhat separate from anything the surgery could touch. I don't know the science behind it all, but I know things have certainly worked differently for me than anyone I've met in these support groups on Facebook or the few I've gone to in person at the hospital. I could make guesses, but they wouldn't be educated outside of what I've researched on my own. Obviously everyone's body is different, but when I look at my issues pre and post op, they are nothing like anyone I know. So... Who knows!
I'm sure once I get back into a routine I'll do better, and I do still want to get down to my goal weight. I just need to find the motivation again, so I'm hoping getting back into blogging will help with that!
So if there are any topics anyone wants me to write about, or any suggestions.. feel free to let me know. I have 120+ posts on this site and I feel like I've written the subject(s) dry, but yet I still feel like there's more I could say... So let me know! Message me on FB or e-mail me!
Here's to hoping I get things under control soon. :) Hope you all have a lovely day. Talk to you soon.
-Ashley<3
First blog dedicated to Weight Loss Surgery for teenagers. To my knowledge it's still the only one! We're also dedicated to teaching/spreading awareness about childhood obesity, metabolic conditions/diseases, healthy lifestyles, and anything in-between. (Started in May 2011)
Showing posts with label insulin resistance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insulin resistance. Show all posts
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
How I Keep My Skin Clear
Whether it be PCOS, Insulin Resistance, Cushing's Syndrome, Hypothyroid, or any other one of the number of conditions that could be considered hormonal or metabolic, there's almost always a symptom/side effect of acne. Whenever there's a hormonal imbalance your body acts up, and a lot of times results in your skin getting messed up. I've gotten a few messages on Facebook from people who read this blog, asking how I keep my skin clear (or if it isn't, how I cover it up.) and I figured I'd do a post about it.
First of all, I'd like to point out my acne does still flare up sometimes. When I was younger, and before I lost a lot of weight, it was absolutely horrific. I had tried proactive and lots of different over the counter "acne treatment systems" and different perscription medications (Solodyn I think was one of them? and Doxycycline.) I was about to be put on the new version of Accutane or whatever it's called, though my mom was really against it because of how strong it is/what damage it apparently can do to your body. I haven't researched it much though, because she wouldn't have let me on it when I was younger in the first place so there wasn't much of a point.
However now it thankfully only flares up once a month (you can guess when that is... ha.) and is pretty much controlled by the medications I'm on, in combination with how I take care of my skin.
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My skin's really sensitive. I blush super easily for no reason at all and get sun burnt super easily. Even if I'm not hot, but I'm in the direct light from a lamp or something, my skin gets all red and blotchy. It's annoying, but I have to treat my skin like it's tissue paper. My skin also used to be really oily, but it's dried out over the years so again, I have to treat it as such.
I do still exfoliate almost every day with St. Ives Blemish control Apricot Scrub. I use it in the morning & at night. (Especially on days I wear makeup, I use it after using Neutrogena Makeup Removing Wipes. It helps get the rest of it out of my skin.) It's pretty gentle, so it isn't really harsh on my skin. If I'm breaking out, I'll sometimes use a Neutrogena Acne Control face wash, but I don't have one at the moment because I used the last of my last one about a month ago. In the shower I do use this little rubber thing that helps get into my pores. I don't even know what it's called? It came with some 360 face wash I got like a few years ago. I didn't really like the face wash, but I loved the little tool it came with.
After washing my face, immediatley I follow with my Cetaphil lotion. It's pretty light, so in the winter I usually will put it on twice when my skin's extra dry. (I mean like, once, let it absorb into my face, then another layer, twice a day. Equaling four times a day, if that makes sense.) But it doesn't make me break out, and most lotions always have. So, that's always a plus. Not to mention the fact that the bottle lasts forever! I also use chapstick. I used to have a problem with breaking out around my mouth too, but I stopped using the lip balm I was using and switched to another one and I haven't had any problems. (I'd give you the name, but it's just some with my Dentist office's name on it? I doubt they make their own, they probably just enlisted someone and got their phone number and what not printed on it, but it has no brand name unfortunatley.)
As far as prescriptions go - Epiduo is the only prescription I have for my acne now, as opposed to the 2 creams and 2 medications and what not I was on at the same time a few years back. You're only supposed to put it on your break outs, but generally I'll put it on the places I know I break out regularly, like my cheeks and chin. I use it preventatively, which to be fair I really probably shouldn't, but I do. Again, use it sparingly though. Thin layers. I've only had to get my prescription filled two or three times and I've had it for about 18 months now.
Then, I'm also on Spironolactone (Generic version of Aldactone.) This is a mild diuretic and I was put on it originally to help with my blood pressure and my high androgen level's back in early 2011 before I lost 100lbs. My blood pressure is perfectly fine now, I've just stayed on a low dose of it to help with the hormone levels and for the diuretic purposes, but it helps with my acne so that's a plus!
Last but not least is my birth control. I'm on Sprintec. I've switched birth controls a lot over the past few years, but they've all helped my acne except one that I can't remember the name of, which made it worse. again, I'm on it to help with the PCOS, which one of the side effects of is acne.. and this helps counter it.
With makeup, most of the products I use on my face are water based. I use Revlon, Covergirl, and Maybeline products for the most part. I've never had any issues with makeup making me break out, thankfully. But I won't go into specifics with those..
Obviously, I try not to touch my face too much, and I try to keep my hair out of my face when I can (but that doesn't always happen.) and... That's about it!
I hope that helped some of you who've been asking, or anyone who would have ended up asking. :) I hope you're all having a great day, and I shall talk to you all soon. <3
-Ashley
First of all, I'd like to point out my acne does still flare up sometimes. When I was younger, and before I lost a lot of weight, it was absolutely horrific. I had tried proactive and lots of different over the counter "acne treatment systems" and different perscription medications (Solodyn I think was one of them? and Doxycycline.) I was about to be put on the new version of Accutane or whatever it's called, though my mom was really against it because of how strong it is/what damage it apparently can do to your body. I haven't researched it much though, because she wouldn't have let me on it when I was younger in the first place so there wasn't much of a point.
However now it thankfully only flares up once a month (you can guess when that is... ha.) and is pretty much controlled by the medications I'm on, in combination with how I take care of my skin.
Sorry the lighting wasn't that great.. I decided to take the picture right after I got out of the shower so you could see my skin before I loaded it down with crap, but I didn't take into account the fact that it's almost midnight, and the lighting in my house no matter what room we're in is absolutely horrible.
Anywho, bottom line is most anything you can see on my face that could be considered a zit or anything is most likely a scar from when I had the worst cystic acne of my life when I was 15.
(pictured here...)
(If you didn't guess it already, that's me on the right/top.. with makeup. There are 0 pictures of me without makeup trying to cover it.. it was so much worse with the makeup off, I promise.)
A lot of people assume I still have it and cover it with makeup. Which, when I do have flare ups, I cover it really well with makeup. I've had about seven years of wearing makeup on a regular basis to practice.. However, generally it's better to take care of the problem as opposed to masking it so that's what I focused on doing. To this day I still don't really wear makeup unless I'm going out, which doesn't happen often, so it gives my skin a chance to rest. But for those of you asking, this is how I take care of my acne now!
I do still exfoliate almost every day with St. Ives Blemish control Apricot Scrub. I use it in the morning & at night. (Especially on days I wear makeup, I use it after using Neutrogena Makeup Removing Wipes. It helps get the rest of it out of my skin.) It's pretty gentle, so it isn't really harsh on my skin. If I'm breaking out, I'll sometimes use a Neutrogena Acne Control face wash, but I don't have one at the moment because I used the last of my last one about a month ago. In the shower I do use this little rubber thing that helps get into my pores. I don't even know what it's called? It came with some 360 face wash I got like a few years ago. I didn't really like the face wash, but I loved the little tool it came with.
After washing my face, immediatley I follow with my Cetaphil lotion. It's pretty light, so in the winter I usually will put it on twice when my skin's extra dry. (I mean like, once, let it absorb into my face, then another layer, twice a day. Equaling four times a day, if that makes sense.) But it doesn't make me break out, and most lotions always have. So, that's always a plus. Not to mention the fact that the bottle lasts forever! I also use chapstick. I used to have a problem with breaking out around my mouth too, but I stopped using the lip balm I was using and switched to another one and I haven't had any problems. (I'd give you the name, but it's just some with my Dentist office's name on it? I doubt they make their own, they probably just enlisted someone and got their phone number and what not printed on it, but it has no brand name unfortunatley.)
As far as prescriptions go - Epiduo is the only prescription I have for my acne now, as opposed to the 2 creams and 2 medications and what not I was on at the same time a few years back. You're only supposed to put it on your break outs, but generally I'll put it on the places I know I break out regularly, like my cheeks and chin. I use it preventatively, which to be fair I really probably shouldn't, but I do. Again, use it sparingly though. Thin layers. I've only had to get my prescription filled two or three times and I've had it for about 18 months now.
Then, I'm also on Spironolactone (Generic version of Aldactone.) This is a mild diuretic and I was put on it originally to help with my blood pressure and my high androgen level's back in early 2011 before I lost 100lbs. My blood pressure is perfectly fine now, I've just stayed on a low dose of it to help with the hormone levels and for the diuretic purposes, but it helps with my acne so that's a plus!
Last but not least is my birth control. I'm on Sprintec. I've switched birth controls a lot over the past few years, but they've all helped my acne except one that I can't remember the name of, which made it worse. again, I'm on it to help with the PCOS, which one of the side effects of is acne.. and this helps counter it.
With makeup, most of the products I use on my face are water based. I use Revlon, Covergirl, and Maybeline products for the most part. I've never had any issues with makeup making me break out, thankfully. But I won't go into specifics with those..
Obviously, I try not to touch my face too much, and I try to keep my hair out of my face when I can (but that doesn't always happen.) and... That's about it!
I hope that helped some of you who've been asking, or anyone who would have ended up asking. :) I hope you're all having a great day, and I shall talk to you all soon. <3
-Ashley
Monday, September 23, 2013
Life Update - 2 years post op.
I haven't been updating this blog as regularly as I used to, and I apologize. I really tried to stick with it and I still get ideas for posts all the time, but I don't have as much time anymore! I'm doing some online courses to get a certificate to get into medical transcription, and I've been writing a lot more non-medical things, working on my skills to maybe start some freelance writing soon.. I need to get paid. I need a job, you know? I turned 18 last month and since I'm not in a typical 'university' setting I need to figure out what I'm going to do with my life.. Kind of crazy that your whole future depends on some decisions you make when you're still a teenager.. but it is what it is.
Anywho.. Alright. I guess I'll just get right into it. As far as surgery goes.. Still no complications. All of my bloodwork is perfect.. Vitamins, A1C, Insulin.. My fasting glucose is usually pretty low.. However generally speaking my blood sugar runs in the 80's most the time, so it's not too much of a stretch. My thyroid last checked was slightly elevated, so my endocrinologist bumped up my dose of Synthroid from 75 to 88.8 and if it's still high in a few weeks I'll go to 100. The nurse practitioner was surprised with my bloodwork.. usually they don't see patients who's vitamin d levels are perfect, and mine were.... It was funny because a week prior she had bumped my vitamin d from 1000 to 5000 because of other kids levels being low, then mine turned out fine... Admittedly, I don't hardly ever take my vitamin d supplement because.. well.. I don't really have a reason. I just typically don't bother with it since there's some combined with my calcium citrate (800iu) and then my multivitamin has some as well. Probably not the smartest decision on my part, but I mean.. it's been 2 years.. If I was going to go deficient in something, don't you think it would have happened by now? -- My LDL (bad cholesterol) is within normal range, and my HDL (good cholesterol) was actually elevated last checked, which is a good thing. And... yeah. I think that's about it as far as bloodwork is concerned.
I can eat about a cup of food at any sitting.. give or take, depending on the density of what I'm eating.. I generally eat 4-5 times a day, unless I'm an idiot (like this past weekend) and only eat once a day because I'm on a road trip and don't want to spend the money (and since I'm never physically hungry, I usually feel like I can get away with it until it's 2am and I feel like absolute crap.) No food intolerance's or issues with things getting 'stuck' in my esophagus or stomach.. Honestly, as far as my stomach goes, it's as if nothing had ever happened aside from how little I'm able to eat. Which is an awesome thing! Whenever anyone who doesn't already know asks and I don't feel like explaining it, I just say "I had surgery on my stomach when I was fifteen and it's left me not being able to eat very much at one sitting. No worries. I'm totally fine." and people seem to accept that as an answer. I used it the other day with a guy who asked, and given, he asked more questions.. which was totally fine. But I didn't have to elaborate too much. It was more along the lines of "Are you okay now?" as opposed to "Why?" Haha.
As far as weight loss goes.. Oh boy... Well, here we go. At my 2 year post-op appointment a little over a month ago, I hadn't lost weight since the last year appoitnment.. I think I lost like half a pound. Which is kind of ridiculous, because I don't eat junk... (I think I had frozen yogurt twice this past summer.. That was all the 'pigging out' I did.) I've never had much of a sweet tooth, you know? I've mentioned this dozens of times. That was never my issue. and I think everyone on my bariatric team finally decided to listen to me as far as that's concerned.. and my surgeon asked if I'd be wiling to be his 'guinea pig' and be the first patient of his to try this new diet of his, called the 5:2 diet.. which I had actually researched a bit before the appointment but hadn't tried.. So I was like, sure, why not. You think this will help me? Let's try it.. and I went all out.. did it for a few weeks, no issues.. But.. I gained 5 pounds... and immediately, I was freaking out. I had already had an appointment with my endocrinologist set up so I brought it up with her and asked why she thought that was and what she thought I should do.. She said the 5:2 diet works for a lot of people, but if my body didn't react to weight loss surgery like most other patients, clearly I need something slightly more extreme than excess calorie restriction 2 days a week... So she had me try the Atkins diet.. or, a modified version of it.. She wants me to aim for 100 grams of protein a day instead of 60 like I had been, and I'm currently still on phase 1 so I'm still consuming less than 20 net carbs a day as opposed to the 40-50 i was allowing myself during the 5:2 diet and I've already lost almost 10 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks... I'm down to 180-ish... So I'm pretty happy, and I'll probably be sticking with that for the time being.
I was supposed to have a follow up with my bariatric team about the 5:2 diet last week and I skipped out.. and I feel really bad about it. Because they wanted to use my results with this diet so to speak to help other kids but.... clearly, I'm not like all of the other kids they treat.. and I don't want them to base how they treat other kids after me.. I mean, if they find one with the same issues with me than great but.. So far no ones mentioned any so.. You know.. I'll leave it at that. Every other person I've talked to loses weight and eats junk.. given, they may not keep it off but.. I've worked my ass off trying to lose weight in the first place... and I've had enough trouble doing that, you know? I still don't have a real answer for why... but.. it is what it is. I'll continue going to my yearly appointments for the research study I signed up for,.. I feel like I need to.. there needs to be documentation that this tool isn't as much help to some people as it is for others..
As far as medications, my birth control has been switched a few times.. I'm on Sprintec now.. Also, Metformin 1000mg twice a day, Aldactone 50mg twice a day, and Synthroid 88.8mcg once a day.. I switched from monthly to yearly b12 injections, and I take a mutli-vitamin and my calcium citrate twice a day.
So yeah, I mean.. I don't regret having surgery. The benefit of never feeling hungry helps with some of these diets I've been doing, and it helped me find some amazing doctors who have worked with me and helped me figure out what I need to be doing as of right now.. just.. I was under the impression going into this that my Insulin Resistance would be gone after I had surgery, that I'd drop all my weight pretty quickly since I started at a lower weight than most, and that it'd be a relatively easy process as long as I stuck to my diet/exercise regimen.. and well, none of that happened. I didn't know going into it that I'd be talking to other patients the whole time who were doing so much better than me, and finding out how one of them was eating fried oreos and still losing 3 pounds a week.. Like... It's hard. It's been really hard. Also very frustrating. But it's made me a strong person, so at the end of the day I don't think I'd change anything. If I did, I don't know where I'd be today and that thought is a little unnerving.
As far as sizes go, I'd say what size shirt I am but it depends on the store.. and I like wearing things a lot loser these days.. I'm usually a medium or a large though. 40c bra, 16 pants (however I'm wearing a lot of leggings lately, and I'm usually a 'large' in those.)
Here are some pictures of me lately:
Anywho.. Alright. I guess I'll just get right into it. As far as surgery goes.. Still no complications. All of my bloodwork is perfect.. Vitamins, A1C, Insulin.. My fasting glucose is usually pretty low.. However generally speaking my blood sugar runs in the 80's most the time, so it's not too much of a stretch. My thyroid last checked was slightly elevated, so my endocrinologist bumped up my dose of Synthroid from 75 to 88.8 and if it's still high in a few weeks I'll go to 100. The nurse practitioner was surprised with my bloodwork.. usually they don't see patients who's vitamin d levels are perfect, and mine were.... It was funny because a week prior she had bumped my vitamin d from 1000 to 5000 because of other kids levels being low, then mine turned out fine... Admittedly, I don't hardly ever take my vitamin d supplement because.. well.. I don't really have a reason. I just typically don't bother with it since there's some combined with my calcium citrate (800iu) and then my multivitamin has some as well. Probably not the smartest decision on my part, but I mean.. it's been 2 years.. If I was going to go deficient in something, don't you think it would have happened by now? -- My LDL (bad cholesterol) is within normal range, and my HDL (good cholesterol) was actually elevated last checked, which is a good thing. And... yeah. I think that's about it as far as bloodwork is concerned.
I can eat about a cup of food at any sitting.. give or take, depending on the density of what I'm eating.. I generally eat 4-5 times a day, unless I'm an idiot (like this past weekend) and only eat once a day because I'm on a road trip and don't want to spend the money (and since I'm never physically hungry, I usually feel like I can get away with it until it's 2am and I feel like absolute crap.) No food intolerance's or issues with things getting 'stuck' in my esophagus or stomach.. Honestly, as far as my stomach goes, it's as if nothing had ever happened aside from how little I'm able to eat. Which is an awesome thing! Whenever anyone who doesn't already know asks and I don't feel like explaining it, I just say "I had surgery on my stomach when I was fifteen and it's left me not being able to eat very much at one sitting. No worries. I'm totally fine." and people seem to accept that as an answer. I used it the other day with a guy who asked, and given, he asked more questions.. which was totally fine. But I didn't have to elaborate too much. It was more along the lines of "Are you okay now?" as opposed to "Why?" Haha.
As far as weight loss goes.. Oh boy... Well, here we go. At my 2 year post-op appointment a little over a month ago, I hadn't lost weight since the last year appoitnment.. I think I lost like half a pound. Which is kind of ridiculous, because I don't eat junk... (I think I had frozen yogurt twice this past summer.. That was all the 'pigging out' I did.) I've never had much of a sweet tooth, you know? I've mentioned this dozens of times. That was never my issue. and I think everyone on my bariatric team finally decided to listen to me as far as that's concerned.. and my surgeon asked if I'd be wiling to be his 'guinea pig' and be the first patient of his to try this new diet of his, called the 5:2 diet.. which I had actually researched a bit before the appointment but hadn't tried.. So I was like, sure, why not. You think this will help me? Let's try it.. and I went all out.. did it for a few weeks, no issues.. But.. I gained 5 pounds... and immediately, I was freaking out. I had already had an appointment with my endocrinologist set up so I brought it up with her and asked why she thought that was and what she thought I should do.. She said the 5:2 diet works for a lot of people, but if my body didn't react to weight loss surgery like most other patients, clearly I need something slightly more extreme than excess calorie restriction 2 days a week... So she had me try the Atkins diet.. or, a modified version of it.. She wants me to aim for 100 grams of protein a day instead of 60 like I had been, and I'm currently still on phase 1 so I'm still consuming less than 20 net carbs a day as opposed to the 40-50 i was allowing myself during the 5:2 diet and I've already lost almost 10 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks... I'm down to 180-ish... So I'm pretty happy, and I'll probably be sticking with that for the time being.
I was supposed to have a follow up with my bariatric team about the 5:2 diet last week and I skipped out.. and I feel really bad about it. Because they wanted to use my results with this diet so to speak to help other kids but.... clearly, I'm not like all of the other kids they treat.. and I don't want them to base how they treat other kids after me.. I mean, if they find one with the same issues with me than great but.. So far no ones mentioned any so.. You know.. I'll leave it at that. Every other person I've talked to loses weight and eats junk.. given, they may not keep it off but.. I've worked my ass off trying to lose weight in the first place... and I've had enough trouble doing that, you know? I still don't have a real answer for why... but.. it is what it is. I'll continue going to my yearly appointments for the research study I signed up for,.. I feel like I need to.. there needs to be documentation that this tool isn't as much help to some people as it is for others..
As far as medications, my birth control has been switched a few times.. I'm on Sprintec now.. Also, Metformin 1000mg twice a day, Aldactone 50mg twice a day, and Synthroid 88.8mcg once a day.. I switched from monthly to yearly b12 injections, and I take a mutli-vitamin and my calcium citrate twice a day.
So yeah, I mean.. I don't regret having surgery. The benefit of never feeling hungry helps with some of these diets I've been doing, and it helped me find some amazing doctors who have worked with me and helped me figure out what I need to be doing as of right now.. just.. I was under the impression going into this that my Insulin Resistance would be gone after I had surgery, that I'd drop all my weight pretty quickly since I started at a lower weight than most, and that it'd be a relatively easy process as long as I stuck to my diet/exercise regimen.. and well, none of that happened. I didn't know going into it that I'd be talking to other patients the whole time who were doing so much better than me, and finding out how one of them was eating fried oreos and still losing 3 pounds a week.. Like... It's hard. It's been really hard. Also very frustrating. But it's made me a strong person, so at the end of the day I don't think I'd change anything. If I did, I don't know where I'd be today and that thought is a little unnerving.
As far as sizes go, I'd say what size shirt I am but it depends on the store.. and I like wearing things a lot loser these days.. I'm usually a medium or a large though. 40c bra, 16 pants (however I'm wearing a lot of leggings lately, and I'm usually a 'large' in those.)
Here are some pictures of me lately:
On my 18th birthday I drove up to Cleveland to see We The Kings (and a bunch of other bands) with my two best friends. :) (I'm on the right... a lot of people think me and my friend on the far left look a lot alike, haha.)
Road tripped with my brother and dad last weekend up to Kent to see another band at my friends house. :)
This was me earlier today (9/23/13) when i was about to leave for my brothers soccer game.
VVV
Soccer game. :) (Yes, I had 1/3 of a smoothie.. It was still in my carb allotment for the day. Shh.)
New tattoo I got a few months ago. :) It's on the back of my right shoulder.
No makeup. You can tell my skin is a lot healthier than it used to be. Not as much acne (however close up there's still a lot of scarring from it.)
Oh yeah, and this is from the bariatric team's 'Summer Event' support group thing they held a couple months ago. I'm in the front on the right. Everyone there is doing so well and I'm really happy for them. I'm not a frequent support-group-goer because I live kind of far away and They're always friday nights, which I'm never able to get a ride for. But it was still nice catching up with some people, and meeting some new people as well. :)
and yeah, that's about it. :)
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I hope this update filled some of you in.. and seriously, if anyone still reads this blog... Message me on facebook or twitter or email me! I'd love to talk to some of you, hear your stories.. If you ever need someone to vent to, I'm here. Need advice? I'm here.. I'm always checking my e-mail and facebook and what not (yay for smart phones) So just shoot me a message! I know what it feels like to be alone going through this.. not just surgery, but the metabolic issues seeing as those are mainly what I'm dealing with now anyway.. But either way.. You don't need to feel alone. You might feel like you are.. I always did. But you aren't. And you shouldn't feel that way going through something this important.
I hope you all are having a fantastic day and I'll try and update this more often. :) Until next time.. Bye guys. <3
-Ashley(:
P.S. I had this song on repeat while I was writing this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLiUJyKdy3Y&list=FLN2Zuo7rzGnOe4f0e6EcQXQ&index=1 .. just in case any of you were curious. Which you probably weren't.
Monday, April 15, 2013
All About The Medications: Metformin
Most people take medications/supplements at some point in their life, whether it be ibuprofen for a headache, a multivitamin, an antibiotic when you get sick, etc.. But when you have a chronic condition of sorts, or need help controlling something that your body doesn't control itself the way it should (insulin, glucose levels, vitamin levels, stomach acid, pain, etc..) Sometimes doctors prescribe medicine to take on a daily basis for extended periods of time, sometimes forever depending on your situation.
Not everyone chooses to take medications.. There are wholistic approaches to controlling these kind of things too.. but it's debatable under certain circumstances how well they take care of certain things, vs RX medications.
Regardless, I decided to make a few posts about the different medications that are popular/commonly used to control Insulin Resistance, PCOS, Hypothyroidism, Hypertension... basically used to control anything that can cause weight gain or that was caused by weight gain.
This post is about the drug Metformin (aka: Metformin SR, Glucophauge, Glucophauge XR, Riomet, Fortamet, Glumetza, Obiment, Gluformin, Dianben, Diabex, and Diaformin.) ('SR' after a drug means slow release, and 'XR' means extended release... They are typically in capsule form, rather than a tablet.)
Metformin is used as a weight loss aid, along with diet and exercise (and other medications/treatments), to help control whatever condition it was prescribed for.. Which is typically a disease/condition that can be either cured or controlled by weight loss. (Pre-Diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes, IR, etc..) It's also been used to treat PCOS, NAFLD (Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease), and pre-mature puberty.. All 3 of which are conditions that are associated with Insulin Resistance.
The way it has been explained to me by a couple doctors is, with Insulin Resistance, your pancreas produces insulin.. your cells just don't react to it. So instead of your body metabolizing the food you take in and using it for energy, it gets stored as fat. This medicine helps control high blood sugar by limiting how much sugar is created by your liver, and helps your cells be more sensitive to the insulin your body creates.. That way your body actually uses the food you eat properly, if that makes sense, haha. For some people it also suppresses their appetite, so they aren't always super hungry (which note: can be a side effect of high insulin levels, too). That doesn't apply to everyone who takes the medicine, though.
Side Effects of Metformin:
- Upset Stomach (diarrhea, cramps, nausea, gas, and vomiting.)
- Lactic Acidosis (Which is a build up of lactate in your liver, that can be harmful.Symptoms of Lactic Acidosis are: Muscle pain or weakness, numb or cold feeling in arms or legs, trouble breathing, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, stomach pain, nausea, slow or uneven heart rate, Anxiety, Lethargy, anemia. Although a rare side effect, it is advised that you get immediate medical help if you experience this.)
- Headache or Muscle Pain
"Remember that your doctor has prescribed this medication because he or she has judged that the benefit to you is greater than the risk of side effects. Many people using this medication do not have serious side effects." **
Info about Metformin:
- Obviously, don't take it if you're allergic to it; or if you're in a state of diabetic ketoacidosis.
- If you need to have an X-ray or CT scan using dye, you should temporarily stop taking Metformin to prevent Lactic Acidosis due to how the liver processes the dye as well as the medication.
- Before you start taking Metformin, make sure your doctor is aware of any liver disease, or history of Heart Disease.
- Metformin should be taken with meals, unless your doctor says otherwise. Follow whatever directions your doctor says, along with whatever is on the RX bottle.
- Don't crush crew or break an extended release pill.
- Don't change your medication dose or schedule without your Doctors knowledge/advise.
That's about it.. (:
If you are prescribed this medication, take it as prescribed and see how it works for you. Keep in touch with your doctor, let them know if you experience any side effects, and ask them any questions that you have about the medicine.
Hope you all are having a great day, and I'll be back on here soon! (:
-Ashley<3
Sources:
Thursday, February 28, 2013
What is this blog about?
Some people ask me what my blog is about.. If it's just me updating everyone on how WLS went for me, or a place to rant about all of my metabolic problems, or if it's informational, etc..
Truth is, it's a combination of it all.
When I was looking into surgery, I wanted to see how the whole process was from a (teenage) patients perspective. Not doctors. Not adults journeys. Someone near my age, that had been through similar things.. But because this is such a new thing, there isn't much documentation or anything like that online.. (not to mention not much research done at all long-term yet.)
Then I realized how nice it would have been if I could have found information online with kids dealing with Insulin Resistance, Hypothyroidism, PCOS, etc.. But again, there isn't much out there.
When I was first diagnosed with IR when I was 6 years old, that was kind of unheard of back in 2000/2001. It was damn near a miracle that the doctor we found at the time was there, because no one even hardly knew what IR was in adults, much less young children/teenagers. There weren't really support groups for this kind of stuff (there still really isn't.) and I had no way of meeting other people with it, or talking to anyone, or knowing what it was like for anyone else.
So no. This isn't just about the weight loss surgery I had in August 2011. That was originally why I started the blog, but it's spread to a lot more than that.
I do informational posts, because through talking to people that have had surgery.. I've realized how privileged I am to have the knowledge I do about certain health-related topics. How lucky I was to see a dietitian at such a young age, and understand how your body processes food, what you need to stay healthy, what to eat to lose/maintain weight, etc.. I knew how to read labels when I was 8 years old. I learned portion sizes, etc... all before I was 10.
Not just diet, but exercise too. And the whole biological side of things? Through doctors explaining things to me, and doing my own research because I'm interested in my health, I understand a lot more than your average person about these kind of topics.. And to be honest? I enjoy researching and learning more, and sharing what I learn with other people. Writing has always been something I'm passionate about, and so has my health. Being able to mix those two things is kind of amazing. Education is a huge part of this whole process of trying to get healthy. Everyone is constantly learning, that's kind of just how this works.. and some times it's easier to learn things in plain English (given, if that's your primary language) rather than the technical terms a lot of doctors use.. Which is what I try to translate, in a sense.
So yeah. The informational posts certainly drive a lot of traffic to my blog. So do the pictures I post. And that's kind of my goal.. I want to drive people here. I want something to catch someones eye, and they spend a time reading even just one of my other posts.
I want people to learn more about these issues, how they affect younger people differently than adults, and the toll it takes on them.
I want to be able to have people to talk to, or that I know understand what I'm going through.. no matter what stage they're in. If they were just diagnosed with IR, if they've had it 10 years, if they were born with it, if they were looking into surgery, if they've already had surgery, if they're struggling with weight loss and maybe they don't understand why... all of it! There needs to be some sort of support network for these kind of things.. It affects so much more than just your physical health. and I know from experience it means/helps so much more, coming from someone who has gone through it.. compared to a doctor who has only studied it, or an adult who developed these issues/had surgery later on in life, etc..
I want people who have no clue what the hell any of this is, or who don't understand why the hell a surgeon would remove 85% of a 15 year old's stomach, to learn something.. to become more aware of these issues.
I want someone who is overweight looking for answers to stumble across this and be like "oh. maybe this is what's wrong." and even if it isn't, it may have given them the motivation to go to a doctor and get tested, and then even if absolutely nothing is wrong.. They went to see a doctor who could help guide them and get them on the right track to losing weight in a healthy way.
In all honesty, I was that desperate 13 year old looking for starvation-style diets online and going to pro-ana (pro-anorexia) websites when I was frustrated with everything doctors and dietitians had told me before, not working..This was before I got a grip and switched doctors, and got on the right medications, and looked into surgery. I knew I was IR.. I ate healthy, i exercised.. But I didn't know about everything else I had developed that was contributing to all of my excess weight. I wish I had come across something like this a few years ago.. it probably could have helped me a lot. But I didn't. Now I'm in a position where I've learned so much, it feels kind of selfish not to share it with anyone.. you know?
So yeah. That's it. I'm in the process of going through every single post I have and editing them, updating information, etc.. Because a lot of them haven't been updated since 2011 and a lot has changed. I never used to really pay much attention to my spelling/grammar errors simply because I never thought anyone would ever see this site. Which isn't true anymore. It's kind of embarrassing going back and seeing how many times I misspelled 'exercise' or 'vertical'. :P
I just wanted to post this.. More and more people are looking at this site now, and I figured I should mention what it's all about.
Bottom line is.. There is no support network for people who have all of these problems. Not just in-person support groups, because there usually aren't enough people in an area to start a support group. Everything these days is online, and I think if there was more information out there a lot of people would be a lot better off. I want to share everything I'm going through, because surgery-wise I want people to know what they're getting themselves into to make sure they're prepared, and metabolic-wise I want everyone to know they aren't crazy, these diseases are real, and with proper diet/exercise/medication combo they can be treated, or at least dealt with. People need to understand their options, and know what's out there. I'm a strong believer in doing your own research and getting more than 1 opinion from doctors. If you see something on here that catches your eye, google it, ask your doctors.. Clearly, I'm not a doctor, nor do I aspire to be one. I'm just a girl sharing what she learns with other people, hoping in some way it could potentially help someone, or make someone more aware.
Lastly, I just want people to know they're not alone.. I've felt alone my entire life, and sometimes still do, dealing with this. No one should have to feel like they're alone going through all of this, because you aren't. I promise.
---
I hope you're all having a good day, and I'll update again soon! (:
-Ashley<3
Truth is, it's a combination of it all.
When I was looking into surgery, I wanted to see how the whole process was from a (teenage) patients perspective. Not doctors. Not adults journeys. Someone near my age, that had been through similar things.. But because this is such a new thing, there isn't much documentation or anything like that online.. (not to mention not much research done at all long-term yet.)
Then I realized how nice it would have been if I could have found information online with kids dealing with Insulin Resistance, Hypothyroidism, PCOS, etc.. But again, there isn't much out there.
When I was first diagnosed with IR when I was 6 years old, that was kind of unheard of back in 2000/2001. It was damn near a miracle that the doctor we found at the time was there, because no one even hardly knew what IR was in adults, much less young children/teenagers. There weren't really support groups for this kind of stuff (there still really isn't.) and I had no way of meeting other people with it, or talking to anyone, or knowing what it was like for anyone else.
So no. This isn't just about the weight loss surgery I had in August 2011. That was originally why I started the blog, but it's spread to a lot more than that.
I do informational posts, because through talking to people that have had surgery.. I've realized how privileged I am to have the knowledge I do about certain health-related topics. How lucky I was to see a dietitian at such a young age, and understand how your body processes food, what you need to stay healthy, what to eat to lose/maintain weight, etc.. I knew how to read labels when I was 8 years old. I learned portion sizes, etc... all before I was 10.
Not just diet, but exercise too. And the whole biological side of things? Through doctors explaining things to me, and doing my own research because I'm interested in my health, I understand a lot more than your average person about these kind of topics.. And to be honest? I enjoy researching and learning more, and sharing what I learn with other people. Writing has always been something I'm passionate about, and so has my health. Being able to mix those two things is kind of amazing. Education is a huge part of this whole process of trying to get healthy. Everyone is constantly learning, that's kind of just how this works.. and some times it's easier to learn things in plain English (given, if that's your primary language) rather than the technical terms a lot of doctors use.. Which is what I try to translate, in a sense.
So yeah. The informational posts certainly drive a lot of traffic to my blog. So do the pictures I post. And that's kind of my goal.. I want to drive people here. I want something to catch someones eye, and they spend a time reading even just one of my other posts.
I want people to learn more about these issues, how they affect younger people differently than adults, and the toll it takes on them.
I want to be able to have people to talk to, or that I know understand what I'm going through.. no matter what stage they're in. If they were just diagnosed with IR, if they've had it 10 years, if they were born with it, if they were looking into surgery, if they've already had surgery, if they're struggling with weight loss and maybe they don't understand why... all of it! There needs to be some sort of support network for these kind of things.. It affects so much more than just your physical health. and I know from experience it means/helps so much more, coming from someone who has gone through it.. compared to a doctor who has only studied it, or an adult who developed these issues/had surgery later on in life, etc..
I want people who have no clue what the hell any of this is, or who don't understand why the hell a surgeon would remove 85% of a 15 year old's stomach, to learn something.. to become more aware of these issues.
I want someone who is overweight looking for answers to stumble across this and be like "oh. maybe this is what's wrong." and even if it isn't, it may have given them the motivation to go to a doctor and get tested, and then even if absolutely nothing is wrong.. They went to see a doctor who could help guide them and get them on the right track to losing weight in a healthy way.
In all honesty, I was that desperate 13 year old looking for starvation-style diets online and going to pro-ana (pro-anorexia) websites when I was frustrated with everything doctors and dietitians had told me before, not working..This was before I got a grip and switched doctors, and got on the right medications, and looked into surgery. I knew I was IR.. I ate healthy, i exercised.. But I didn't know about everything else I had developed that was contributing to all of my excess weight. I wish I had come across something like this a few years ago.. it probably could have helped me a lot. But I didn't. Now I'm in a position where I've learned so much, it feels kind of selfish not to share it with anyone.. you know?
So yeah. That's it. I'm in the process of going through every single post I have and editing them, updating information, etc.. Because a lot of them haven't been updated since 2011 and a lot has changed. I never used to really pay much attention to my spelling/grammar errors simply because I never thought anyone would ever see this site. Which isn't true anymore. It's kind of embarrassing going back and seeing how many times I misspelled 'exercise' or 'vertical'. :P
I just wanted to post this.. More and more people are looking at this site now, and I figured I should mention what it's all about.
Bottom line is.. There is no support network for people who have all of these problems. Not just in-person support groups, because there usually aren't enough people in an area to start a support group. Everything these days is online, and I think if there was more information out there a lot of people would be a lot better off. I want to share everything I'm going through, because surgery-wise I want people to know what they're getting themselves into to make sure they're prepared, and metabolic-wise I want everyone to know they aren't crazy, these diseases are real, and with proper diet/exercise/medication combo they can be treated, or at least dealt with. People need to understand their options, and know what's out there. I'm a strong believer in doing your own research and getting more than 1 opinion from doctors. If you see something on here that catches your eye, google it, ask your doctors.. Clearly, I'm not a doctor, nor do I aspire to be one. I'm just a girl sharing what she learns with other people, hoping in some way it could potentially help someone, or make someone more aware.
Lastly, I just want people to know they're not alone.. I've felt alone my entire life, and sometimes still do, dealing with this. No one should have to feel like they're alone going through all of this, because you aren't. I promise.
---
I hope you're all having a good day, and I'll update again soon! (:
-Ashley<3
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Side effects of Insulin Resistance: Hyperinsulinemia - Hunger.
A lot of people with Insulin Resistance don't like to talk about this. People automatically seem to assume that you just eat because you're bored, and you gain weight. I've had dietitians when I was younger say I just ate too much. My entire life revolved around food for so long. So I would never admit when I was hungry. I would force myself not to eat when I was younger, even though I was absolutely starving, because I was under the impression that food was toxic.
There are so many directions that I could go, with this post. So I'll probably continue this, or maybe turn it into a series of posts.. Explaining different aspects of Insulin Resistance, and how it can affect your life. -- But where I'm going to go for this post is; Hunger. Why you are so hungry. (Or most people, anyway. Obviously not everyone has the same side effects all the time.)
This doesn't necessarily apply to me anymore, because of the VSG I had last year. I'm never hungry anymore. But I have dealt with this my entire life. I completely understand where people are coming from when they say they're always hungry.
So here we go. (Side note: I am not a doctor. This is just my understanding of the condition and how it works.)
With IR, you have high insulin levels in correlation with high blood sugar, after you eat. Hyperinsulinemia is the technical term for it. What causes high insulin levels? Your body's cells not reacting to the Insulin hormone your pancreas produces to help break down energy from the food you take in.. (Therefor, all the food is just stored as fat instead of used as energy.. explaining the whole weight-gain with Insulin Resistance.). Then, your pancreas produces more.. that your body still doesn't react to efficiently So you have a lot of free-floating insulin.. and chances are if it hasn't already, your blood sugar is rising (and then will eventually drop rather quickly once your body realizes there is nothing it can do with it.)
One of the multiple side effects of high insulin levels, is hunger.
It's kind of a vicious cycle..
There are so many directions that I could go, with this post. So I'll probably continue this, or maybe turn it into a series of posts.. Explaining different aspects of Insulin Resistance, and how it can affect your life. -- But where I'm going to go for this post is; Hunger. Why you are so hungry. (Or most people, anyway. Obviously not everyone has the same side effects all the time.)
This doesn't necessarily apply to me anymore, because of the VSG I had last year. I'm never hungry anymore. But I have dealt with this my entire life. I completely understand where people are coming from when they say they're always hungry.
So here we go. (Side note: I am not a doctor. This is just my understanding of the condition and how it works.)
With IR, you have high insulin levels in correlation with high blood sugar, after you eat. Hyperinsulinemia is the technical term for it. What causes high insulin levels? Your body's cells not reacting to the Insulin hormone your pancreas produces to help break down energy from the food you take in.. (Therefor, all the food is just stored as fat instead of used as energy.. explaining the whole weight-gain with Insulin Resistance.). Then, your pancreas produces more.. that your body still doesn't react to efficiently So you have a lot of free-floating insulin.. and chances are if it hasn't already, your blood sugar is rising (and then will eventually drop rather quickly once your body realizes there is nothing it can do with it.)
One of the multiple side effects of high insulin levels, is hunger.
It's kind of a vicious cycle..
Make sense? -- Not the best chart type visual aid thing I've ever made.. But it'll do.
Your hungry, so you eat. Your blood sugar jumps, causing your pancreas to create more insulin (which your body resists.. It doesn't react to it. Insulin Resistance. The name is kind of self explanatory.) that wont work. Your blood sugar eventually drops, making you hungry again.. and it just repeats. and repeats. and repeats.
How is this stopped/treated? Well. Weight loss is the main goal. Because a lot of the time, weight gain is what causes IR. Obviously, there are a ton of other factors. Diet & exercise are two of the main ways of treating this. For a lot of people that isn't enough though, and medications are involved. Personally, I've always been on Metformin. Since i was 8 years old. But I know there are other medications, if you can't tolerate Metformin. Talk to your doctor about it all. They'd have more information.
So I hope this helps some people understand the hunger that is correlated with IR.
I'll probably continue these with other symptoms/side effects of Insulin Resistance because there are so many factors involved that a lot of people don't seem to understand or get explained to them.
Let me know if you'd like to see more!
Have a good day. (:
-Ashley.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Article on Insulin Resistance 2
http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/89/6/2526.full
I strongly suggest anyone interested in the topic of Insulin Resistance, whether it be you're recently diagnosed, your child or a family member has it, or you're just purely interested in learning about IR; checks out this article. It's absolutely amazing.
I (surprisingly) understand most of the medical terms used. If you don't, feel free to Google them. But in all honesty, although the article is extremely long, it's completely worth reading if you want to learn about the medical side of IR (aside from the fact that you need to diet and exercise to control it). There is a lot more to it that most people don't realize.
I've been on a research kick lately, and I'm really glad I came across this.
Let me know what you think?
Alright, have a good day. (:
-Ashley.
I strongly suggest anyone interested in the topic of Insulin Resistance, whether it be you're recently diagnosed, your child or a family member has it, or you're just purely interested in learning about IR; checks out this article. It's absolutely amazing.
I (surprisingly) understand most of the medical terms used. If you don't, feel free to Google them. But in all honesty, although the article is extremely long, it's completely worth reading if you want to learn about the medical side of IR (aside from the fact that you need to diet and exercise to control it). There is a lot more to it that most people don't realize.
I've been on a research kick lately, and I'm really glad I came across this.
Let me know what you think?
Alright, have a good day. (:
-Ashley.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
A great article about insulin resistance.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/prediabetesanddiabetes/a/insulinresistan.htm
I was just looking around and I found this.. It's one of the only articles I've found so far that explains it in, well, terms that are easier to understand... And that lists genetics as a big role in IR. So props to them. So I thought I'd share this. (:
Have a great day. <3
www.twitter.com/ashleyohara_ (don't forget the underscore)
www.facebook.com/justashley1637
ashleyellen1637@aol.com
I was just looking around and I found this.. It's one of the only articles I've found so far that explains it in, well, terms that are easier to understand... And that lists genetics as a big role in IR. So props to them. So I thought I'd share this. (:
Have a great day. <3
www.twitter.com/ashleyohara_ (don't forget the underscore)
www.facebook.com/justashley1637
ashleyellen1637@aol.com
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
it is possible to be born with insulin resistance
I would also like to point out I had a big question of mine answered today: "Is it possible to be born with insulin resistance...? And could I have been?" Because i showed symptoms at such a young age.. I've always assumed I was born with it.. but no one would ever confirm that for me untill today.. Where my endocrin said "Yes It's possible. and They havent identified a gene yet, but it's possible.."then she went on to ask what my birth weight was.. (8lbs 7oz i believe.. and i was like 21in long..?) and she said "yep.. that's it." my mom went on to ask about why my brothers are fine then.. they were all about the same weight/height.. But it's different for boys and girls.. Girls born that heavy.. aparently thats a tell tale sign of it. especially with such familial history.
So my questions have been answered. Thankyou thankyou thankyou.
If i find a foundation that is researching this.. or if anyone knwos of any that is checking babies for insulin resistance.. early onset obesity.. anything... Let me know.. I will donate as much money as I can to it.. And do as much as i can to support it..
They have made so mmuch progress in the past 8 years... When I was a baby everyone assumed my parents just fed me wrong so i was overweight... But that wasn't the case and everyone that knew my family knew it... And this would explain so much.
Anyone who says obesity is only a lifestyle disease or that insulin resistance isn't real canshove it up their shut up.. they don't know what they're takling about..
I wont name any names... But a few of my family members assume type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance are the same thing... and have flat out told me when i was younger that i aws only depressed because i was fat, visa versa... and assumed that just working out would fix everything... Because aparently I was just lazy and drugs are overrated.
Yeah. Education is the only cure for ignorance.. Educate yourselves.
Which reminds me. I need to find a new site to do this on, because they are far too expensive for my liking.. I may just start doing them myeslf.. but check out the 'merchandise' tab on the right side of my blogpage... i'm really trying to spread awareness about this. There are like 8 or 9 things there i think.. maybe 10.. that have a design i made on them. Spreading awareness about childhood/adolescent obesity and how it's not always a lifestyle disease. so check it out, and if you can do it, that's great. if not, thats fine. but still. let people know. don't just assume people do. because there is a good chance they don't.
Alright. I shall be researching this more now. <3
Bye. (:;
-ashley.
So my questions have been answered. Thankyou thankyou thankyou.
If i find a foundation that is researching this.. or if anyone knwos of any that is checking babies for insulin resistance.. early onset obesity.. anything... Let me know.. I will donate as much money as I can to it.. And do as much as i can to support it..
They have made so mmuch progress in the past 8 years... When I was a baby everyone assumed my parents just fed me wrong so i was overweight... But that wasn't the case and everyone that knew my family knew it... And this would explain so much.
Anyone who says obesity is only a lifestyle disease or that insulin resistance isn't real can
I wont name any names... But a few of my family members assume type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance are the same thing... and have flat out told me when i was younger that i aws only depressed because i was fat, visa versa... and assumed that just working out would fix everything... Because aparently I was just lazy and drugs are overrated.
Yeah. Education is the only cure for ignorance.. Educate yourselves.
Which reminds me. I need to find a new site to do this on, because they are far too expensive for my liking.. I may just start doing them myeslf.. but check out the 'merchandise' tab on the right side of my blogpage... i'm really trying to spread awareness about this. There are like 8 or 9 things there i think.. maybe 10.. that have a design i made on them. Spreading awareness about childhood/adolescent obesity and how it's not always a lifestyle disease. so check it out, and if you can do it, that's great. if not, thats fine. but still. let people know. don't just assume people do. because there is a good chance they don't.
Alright. I shall be researching this more now. <3
Bye. (:;
-ashley.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Fear of needles?
Personally, I don't have one.. I have absolutely no problem with needles.. I've grown up being stuck to test my blood sugar 3 times a day since i was 7 years old, and I have multiple piercings (currently I only have my nose, and 4 on each ear.. but total, i've had 7 on each ear, my nose,my bellybutton, and my lip.. 3 of which i did myself..) and a tattoo on my wrist... and i willingly get a b12 shot once a month, instead of a daily vitamin..
But I know a lot of people who do.. My little brother has to take a growth hormogne injection every day, because he has growth hormogne defiency.. and he still is terrified of them, even though he's taken them majority of his life.
And my best friend passed out getting her nose pierced.. she's terrified of doctors.. not sure how she managed to build up the nerve to even walk into the piercing place.. haha.
But anyways.. Basically with surgery, or metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, whatever... even just getting tested for it, a lot of blood is drawn, and what not.. so this is basically what happens, to ease the nerves of some people:
Getting blood drawn:
(keep in mind some nurses who draw the blood do these steps slightly out of order..)
*They'll put a rubber thing around your arm.. if you know you're going to have blood drawn, wear a shirt with sleeves thatcan berolled up, so they can put it over that.. otherwise it pinches your skin alittle bit.. if not, it's not that bad.. its bareable.. and definatley will distract you from the needle..
*they'll put gloves on, and wipe off the area with a rubbing alcohol pad... then pat it dry with gauze. they'll feel around for a good vain to use, too.
*they'll pull the needle/tubing out, and take a capoff.. they'll pull out a few tubes too, that the blood goes in...
*then they'll either count, or they'll just do it... they may ask you.. but they'll push it in.. and just leave it there... switching tubes out of the plasticthing that is hooked onto the needle.. (i don't know the terminology... sorry.. haha.)
*when it's done.they'll stop, they'll take gauze, press down, pull the needle, out, and put a bandage over it... and you're done.
Getting an IV:
*they'll put on rubber gloves, clean off your arm/hand/wherevertheivisgoing with a rubbing alcohol pad.. pat it dry with gauze, or let it air dry... they'll take the needle that is attached to tubing (usually... and the needle is usually a bitthinner than the one you get blood drawn with.) and takethe cap off.
*they'll feel around for a good vain t ouse,lightly pressing on your skin.. (although i'm not entirely sure why.. i can't imagine it helps much.. theres no way it's easy to feel any vains... unless you can see them like on your wrist.. in my experience, anyway.. haha.)
*they'll push it in carefully, and tape it down.. you honestly don't feel it unless you bang it against something orpresss on it.. unless it's in a really awkward spot where if you bend your elbow or wrist you mayfeel it a little.. but that's only happened to me a few times.
Taking blood sugar:
*This is something you do yourself, typically... but this is basically what you do:
*put a clean lancet in the thing that you stick yourself with.. test it to makesure its in properly..
*put a test strip in the meter.
*wash your hands.. some people wipe off their fingers with rubbing alcohol... i don't.
*press the tip of it to your finger(or arm or wherever you do it..) and don't press hard against it, don't ahve it too far away.. just keep it resting on your skin.. if onyour finger, like i do, have it towards the tip, on the side of the finger..
*hit the button. it'll prick you really quickly.. and thats it. pull it away and blood should be on your finger.. you only need a little dot.
*press the test strip to the dot of blood.. wait for it to fill up.. and in a few seconds the number will appear on the screen.
no big deal. (:
-------------------------------
Keep in mind no one is perfect.. if someone is drawing blood or putting an iv in, don't be surprized if they can't hit a vain the first time.. they may have to move it while it's in your arm, or try again. You want to try and do what they do? good luck!
Tips for getting through it:
*personally, it helps me if i watch... but i've been told that is borderline insanity.. peopel are surprized when i say that.. that holds true for not only blood drawing, iv's, etc.. but tattoos and piercings too.. haha. but... anyways..
*don't look. hold a conversatoin with someone, orlook at some small detail of something...
*don't hold your braethe either... remember to breathe.
*hold someones hand if you're really feeling anxious. squeeze if you need too.
*try and stay relaxed..they're not out to get you. remember why you're having it done and why it's important.
And if youra parent with a child going through this? If they want to look.. let them look. I have seen two other kids before who wanted to look, and the nurses didn't let them, or their parents didn't let them, and the kids spazzed out.... i was in the room with one of them.. i eventually just blurted out "let the girl look" and everything was perfectly fine.. and the girl (and mom.. and nurse..) thanked me for that, later.. --- but if your child isn't bordering crazy liek me? (; haha. i hate to say bribe... but it works... say they can get a cool sticker afterwards, or if they're a big girl or boy and let the nurse do what she needs to do (draw blood, iv, etc...) that they'll get to watch a movie with you when theyg et home... or oposite: say big girls and boys have t oget this done sometimes.. tell them if they're mature about it then it'll make them a big girl/boy.. (all of this depends on the age ofthe chidl, obviously..)
Hope this helps. (: have a great day/night.
-ashley.
P.S. sorry for any spelling/grammar errors.. it is 2:35am as i'm finishing this up now.. I can't sleep. I'm heading to the hospital tomorrow morning (or today i guess.) for a 6month follow up from my VSG and i have to get up at 6am anyways... so i'm not asleep now.. what's the point in sleeping? lol. alright. bye(:
www.twitter.com/justashley1637
www.facebook.com/justashley1637
www.justashley1637.tumblr.com
ashleyellen1637@aol.com (:
But I know a lot of people who do.. My little brother has to take a growth hormogne injection every day, because he has growth hormogne defiency.. and he still is terrified of them, even though he's taken them majority of his life.
And my best friend passed out getting her nose pierced.. she's terrified of doctors.. not sure how she managed to build up the nerve to even walk into the piercing place.. haha.
But anyways.. Basically with surgery, or metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, whatever... even just getting tested for it, a lot of blood is drawn, and what not.. so this is basically what happens, to ease the nerves of some people:
Getting blood drawn:
(keep in mind some nurses who draw the blood do these steps slightly out of order..)
*They'll put a rubber thing around your arm.. if you know you're going to have blood drawn, wear a shirt with sleeves thatcan berolled up, so they can put it over that.. otherwise it pinches your skin alittle bit.. if not, it's not that bad.. its bareable.. and definatley will distract you from the needle..
*they'll put gloves on, and wipe off the area with a rubbing alcohol pad... then pat it dry with gauze. they'll feel around for a good vain to use, too.
*they'll pull the needle/tubing out, and take a capoff.. they'll pull out a few tubes too, that the blood goes in...
*then they'll either count, or they'll just do it... they may ask you.. but they'll push it in.. and just leave it there... switching tubes out of the plasticthing that is hooked onto the needle.. (i don't know the terminology... sorry.. haha.)
*when it's done.they'll stop, they'll take gauze, press down, pull the needle, out, and put a bandage over it... and you're done.
Getting an IV:
*they'll put on rubber gloves, clean off your arm/hand/wherevertheivisgoing with a rubbing alcohol pad.. pat it dry with gauze, or let it air dry... they'll take the needle that is attached to tubing (usually... and the needle is usually a bitthinner than the one you get blood drawn with.) and takethe cap off.
*they'll feel around for a good vain t ouse,lightly pressing on your skin.. (although i'm not entirely sure why.. i can't imagine it helps much.. theres no way it's easy to feel any vains... unless you can see them like on your wrist.. in my experience, anyway.. haha.)
*they'll push it in carefully, and tape it down.. you honestly don't feel it unless you bang it against something orpresss on it.. unless it's in a really awkward spot where if you bend your elbow or wrist you mayfeel it a little.. but that's only happened to me a few times.
Taking blood sugar:
*This is something you do yourself, typically... but this is basically what you do:
*put a clean lancet in the thing that you stick yourself with.. test it to makesure its in properly..
*put a test strip in the meter.
*wash your hands.. some people wipe off their fingers with rubbing alcohol... i don't.
*press the tip of it to your finger(or arm or wherever you do it..) and don't press hard against it, don't ahve it too far away.. just keep it resting on your skin.. if onyour finger, like i do, have it towards the tip, on the side of the finger..
*hit the button. it'll prick you really quickly.. and thats it. pull it away and blood should be on your finger.. you only need a little dot.
*press the test strip to the dot of blood.. wait for it to fill up.. and in a few seconds the number will appear on the screen.
no big deal. (:
-------------------------------
Keep in mind no one is perfect.. if someone is drawing blood or putting an iv in, don't be surprized if they can't hit a vain the first time.. they may have to move it while it's in your arm, or try again. You want to try and do what they do? good luck!
Tips for getting through it:
*personally, it helps me if i watch... but i've been told that is borderline insanity.. peopel are surprized when i say that.. that holds true for not only blood drawing, iv's, etc.. but tattoos and piercings too.. haha. but... anyways..
*don't look. hold a conversatoin with someone, orlook at some small detail of something...
*don't hold your braethe either... remember to breathe.
*hold someones hand if you're really feeling anxious. squeeze if you need too.
*try and stay relaxed..they're not out to get you. remember why you're having it done and why it's important.
And if youra parent with a child going through this? If they want to look.. let them look. I have seen two other kids before who wanted to look, and the nurses didn't let them, or their parents didn't let them, and the kids spazzed out.... i was in the room with one of them.. i eventually just blurted out "let the girl look" and everything was perfectly fine.. and the girl (and mom.. and nurse..) thanked me for that, later.. --- but if your child isn't bordering crazy liek me? (; haha. i hate to say bribe... but it works... say they can get a cool sticker afterwards, or if they're a big girl or boy and let the nurse do what she needs to do (draw blood, iv, etc...) that they'll get to watch a movie with you when theyg et home... or oposite: say big girls and boys have t oget this done sometimes.. tell them if they're mature about it then it'll make them a big girl/boy.. (all of this depends on the age ofthe chidl, obviously..)
Hope this helps. (: have a great day/night.
-ashley.
P.S. sorry for any spelling/grammar errors.. it is 2:35am as i'm finishing this up now.. I can't sleep. I'm heading to the hospital tomorrow morning (or today i guess.) for a 6month follow up from my VSG and i have to get up at 6am anyways... so i'm not asleep now.. what's the point in sleeping? lol. alright. bye(:
www.twitter.com/justashley1637
www.facebook.com/justashley1637
www.justashley1637.tumblr.com
ashleyellen1637@aol.com (:
Monday, February 20, 2012
Blood Sugar Test Results
Alright. I'm pretty sure if you click on it, you can zoom in if you can't read the notes.. My handwriting isn't the best. Sorry :x haha.
So... Yeah. Summary: I was messed up,hadn't taken my metformin in 10 days.. The day beforeistarted it back up, i recorded my blood sugar (day 1... 2-13-12on the list.)... and then started it back up the next day.. then for the next 6 days i took my blood sugar,making sure i took my metformin and logged it.. Here are my averages:
Average fasting blood sugar: 81.
Average 2hr after lunch blood sugar: 92
Average 2hr after dinner blood sugar: 87
I found a paper that my endocrinologist gave me at my last appt.. in september i believe. She wanted me to keep it between 70&140.. it only went over 100 once. so I'm really happy. (: I don't think my blood sugars have ever been this great.
I love you Chewbacca<3
Alright. bye(:
-ashley
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
What is insulin resistance?
I've been asked this a few times lately, and I realized I've enver actually posted about what it is... So here we go. (:
(side note: other names for insulin resistance: metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, syndrome x, IR, being insulin resistant.)
"Insulin Resistance (IR) is a physiological condition where the natural hormone insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. The resulting increase in blood glucose may raise levels outside the normal range and cause adverse health effects, depending on dietary conditions. Certain cell types such as fat and muscle cells require insulin to absorb glucose. When these cells fail to respond adequately to circulating insulin, blood glucose levels rise. The liver helps regulate glucose levels by reducing its secretion of glucose in the presence of insulin. This normal reduction in the liver’s glucose production may not occur in people with insulin resistance.[citation needed]
Insulin resistance in muscle and fat cells reduces glucose uptake (and also local storage of glucose as glycogen and triglycerides, respectively), whereas insulin resistance in liver cells results in reduced glycogen synthesis and storage and a failure to suppress glucose production and release into the blood. Insulin resistance normally refers to reduced glucose-lowering effects of insulin. However, other functions of insulin can also be affected. For example, insulin resistance in fat cells reduces the normal effects of insulin on lipids and results in reduced uptake of circulating lipids and increased hydrolysis of stored triglycerides. Increased mobilization of stored lipids in these cells elevates free fatty acids in the blood plasma. Elevated blood fatty-acid concentrations (associated with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus Type 2), reduced muscle glucose uptake, and increased liver glucose production all contribute to elevated blood glucose levels. High plasma levels of insulin and glucose due to insulin resistance are a major component of the metabolic syndrome. If insulin resistance exists, more insulin needs to be secreted by the pancreas. If this compensatory increase does not occur, blood glucose concentrations increase and type 2 diabetes occurs."
Thankyou Wikipedia.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance
Now.. Lets break this down.
Insulin.. a hormogne that is used to break down all the food/liquid we take into our body, to use as energy... The pancreas makes it.
With Insulin Resistance, the Insulin doesn't work properly. It has trouble breaking down the food and drinks that we take in, and the body notices this. so the pancreas continues creating insulin to use.. and none of the insulin works. So its just free-floating in your blood, while everything you take in... is basically just stored as fat, in your body, because your body doesn't know what else to do with it.. resulting in you not getting the energy you need from the food, and your blood sugar is raised.. which causes a whole bunch of other issues, in itself.
Signs and Symptoms of IR?
**Fatigue.
**Having a hard time focusing.
**Bloating
**Feeling tired, especially after eating.
**Weight gain, fat storage, and difficulty losing weight.
**High blood trigliceride levels.
**Hypertension (high blood pressure)
**Depression (because of a messed up metabolism with IR, depression isn't uncommon.)
**Increased Hunger
**Acanthosis Nigricans (dark patches of thick velvety-feeling skin onyour neck, chest, back, groin, or underarms.. caused by high insulin levels in your blood.. I have pictures of this in a post about signs and symptoms of metabolic syndrome, here: http://ourfightnow.blogspot.com/2011/12/metabolic-syndrome-signs-and-symptoms.html )
and here are Risk Factors:
Genetic:
**Family history of Type 2 Diabetes
**LMNA mutations
**African American's, Hispanic;s, American Indian's, and Asian-American's are at higher risk for IR.
Physiological and Enviromental:
** age 40+
**Obesity
** central obesity (again, look at this post i made a few weeks ago: http://ourfightnow.blogspot.com/2011/12/metabolic-syndrome-signs-and-symptoms.html )
**Lack of much exersize, not a very active lifestyle.. "Couch Potato".
**Hypertension
**Low levels of 'Good Cholesteral" (HDL)
**Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy
**Giving Birth to a baby more than 9lbs.
Causes? There isn't any one specific cause for IR... poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle and/or obesity have been known to cause it. Other causes:
Cellular, Molecular, and Disease..
"Recent research and experimentation has uncovered a non-obesity related connection to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. It has long been observed that patients who have had some kinds of bariatric surgery have increased insulin sensitivity and even remission of Type 2 diabetes. It was discovered that diabetic / insulin resistant non obese rats whose duodenum has been surgically removed also experienced increased insulin sensitivity and remission of Type 2 diabetes. This suggested similar surgery in humans, and early reports in prominent medical journals (January 8) are that the same effect is seen in humans, at least the small number who have participated in the experimental surgical program. The speculation is that some substance is produced in that portion of the small intestine that signals body cells to become insulin resistant. If the producing tissue is removed, the signal ceases and body cells revert to normal insulin sensitivity. No such substance has been found as yet, so its existence remains speculation." Thankyou wikipedia, yet again..
(side note: I had the Verticle Sleeve Gastrectomy.. Which doesn't mess with your intestines at all... Which is why i'm slightly worried my type 2 diabetes won't be fixed, like i had thought before.. I guess we'll just have to wait and see..)
HCV has also been known to increase the likelyhood of getting Insulin Resistance.
and PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) has been linked to IR being known to cause it, or be caused by it..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of that is on the wikipedia page that i posted before, but i tried to make it a little easier to understand... If any of this concerns you at all, bring it up with your primary care doctor.. See what they have to say, and they'll probably order some bloodwork.. but a quick way to tell?
If you have access to a kit, check your fasting blood sugar on one or more occasions.. if its higher than 80-90 you should call your doctor. that is a pretty tell tale sign of insulin resistance.
So, I hope this helped whoever's reading this. Have a good day, anddd i'll talkto you all later. (:
If you have any questions or comments feel free to comment me n here, or talk to me on facebook, or email me! i'd be glad to help in any way i can. (:
-Ashley
Sources: Wikipedia & Google & own knowledge.
(side note: other names for insulin resistance: metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes, syndrome x, IR, being insulin resistant.)
"Insulin Resistance (IR) is a physiological condition where the natural hormone insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. The resulting increase in blood glucose may raise levels outside the normal range and cause adverse health effects, depending on dietary conditions. Certain cell types such as fat and muscle cells require insulin to absorb glucose. When these cells fail to respond adequately to circulating insulin, blood glucose levels rise. The liver helps regulate glucose levels by reducing its secretion of glucose in the presence of insulin. This normal reduction in the liver’s glucose production may not occur in people with insulin resistance.[citation needed]
Insulin resistance in muscle and fat cells reduces glucose uptake (and also local storage of glucose as glycogen and triglycerides, respectively), whereas insulin resistance in liver cells results in reduced glycogen synthesis and storage and a failure to suppress glucose production and release into the blood. Insulin resistance normally refers to reduced glucose-lowering effects of insulin. However, other functions of insulin can also be affected. For example, insulin resistance in fat cells reduces the normal effects of insulin on lipids and results in reduced uptake of circulating lipids and increased hydrolysis of stored triglycerides. Increased mobilization of stored lipids in these cells elevates free fatty acids in the blood plasma. Elevated blood fatty-acid concentrations (associated with insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus Type 2), reduced muscle glucose uptake, and increased liver glucose production all contribute to elevated blood glucose levels. High plasma levels of insulin and glucose due to insulin resistance are a major component of the metabolic syndrome. If insulin resistance exists, more insulin needs to be secreted by the pancreas. If this compensatory increase does not occur, blood glucose concentrations increase and type 2 diabetes occurs."
Thankyou Wikipedia.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance
Now.. Lets break this down.
Insulin.. a hormogne that is used to break down all the food/liquid we take into our body, to use as energy... The pancreas makes it.
With Insulin Resistance, the Insulin doesn't work properly. It has trouble breaking down the food and drinks that we take in, and the body notices this. so the pancreas continues creating insulin to use.. and none of the insulin works. So its just free-floating in your blood, while everything you take in... is basically just stored as fat, in your body, because your body doesn't know what else to do with it.. resulting in you not getting the energy you need from the food, and your blood sugar is raised.. which causes a whole bunch of other issues, in itself.
Signs and Symptoms of IR?
**Fatigue.
**Having a hard time focusing.
**Bloating
**Feeling tired, especially after eating.
**Weight gain, fat storage, and difficulty losing weight.
**High blood trigliceride levels.
**Hypertension (high blood pressure)
**Depression (because of a messed up metabolism with IR, depression isn't uncommon.)
**Increased Hunger
**Acanthosis Nigricans (dark patches of thick velvety-feeling skin onyour neck, chest, back, groin, or underarms.. caused by high insulin levels in your blood.. I have pictures of this in a post about signs and symptoms of metabolic syndrome, here: http://ourfightnow.blogspot.com/2011/12/metabolic-syndrome-signs-and-symptoms.html )
and here are Risk Factors:
Genetic:
**Family history of Type 2 Diabetes
**LMNA mutations
**African American's, Hispanic;s, American Indian's, and Asian-American's are at higher risk for IR.
Physiological and Enviromental:
** age 40+
**Obesity
** central obesity (again, look at this post i made a few weeks ago: http://ourfightnow.blogspot.com/2011/12/metabolic-syndrome-signs-and-symptoms.html )
**Lack of much exersize, not a very active lifestyle.. "Couch Potato".
**Hypertension
**Low levels of 'Good Cholesteral" (HDL)
**Gestational Diabetes during pregnancy
**Giving Birth to a baby more than 9lbs.
Causes? There isn't any one specific cause for IR... poor diet, and a sedentary lifestyle and/or obesity have been known to cause it. Other causes:
Cellular, Molecular, and Disease..
"Recent research and experimentation has uncovered a non-obesity related connection to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. It has long been observed that patients who have had some kinds of bariatric surgery have increased insulin sensitivity and even remission of Type 2 diabetes. It was discovered that diabetic / insulin resistant non obese rats whose duodenum has been surgically removed also experienced increased insulin sensitivity and remission of Type 2 diabetes. This suggested similar surgery in humans, and early reports in prominent medical journals (January 8) are that the same effect is seen in humans, at least the small number who have participated in the experimental surgical program. The speculation is that some substance is produced in that portion of the small intestine that signals body cells to become insulin resistant. If the producing tissue is removed, the signal ceases and body cells revert to normal insulin sensitivity. No such substance has been found as yet, so its existence remains speculation." Thankyou wikipedia, yet again..
(side note: I had the Verticle Sleeve Gastrectomy.. Which doesn't mess with your intestines at all... Which is why i'm slightly worried my type 2 diabetes won't be fixed, like i had thought before.. I guess we'll just have to wait and see..)
HCV has also been known to increase the likelyhood of getting Insulin Resistance.
and PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) has been linked to IR being known to cause it, or be caused by it..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Most of that is on the wikipedia page that i posted before, but i tried to make it a little easier to understand... If any of this concerns you at all, bring it up with your primary care doctor.. See what they have to say, and they'll probably order some bloodwork.. but a quick way to tell?
If you have access to a kit, check your fasting blood sugar on one or more occasions.. if its higher than 80-90 you should call your doctor. that is a pretty tell tale sign of insulin resistance.
So, I hope this helped whoever's reading this. Have a good day, anddd i'll talkto you all later. (:
If you have any questions or comments feel free to comment me n here, or talk to me on facebook, or email me! i'd be glad to help in any way i can. (:
-Ashley
Sources: Wikipedia & Google & own knowledge.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Dietary Guidelines for people with Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes.
My entire life I battled with Insulin Resistance.. In June 2011 I found out it had progressed to Type 2 Diabetes, and in August I had the VSG (Verticle Sleeve Gastrectomy) and since then it hasn't been too much of a struggle to control my blood sugars, as it was before.
But For fifteen years of my life.. Controlling my blood sugars, my weight, my blood pressure,all that... Was a daily part of my life.
I guess I thought I had tried every diet possible.. But I missed one big one.. High Protein. I realized this after I started going to my montly appointments pre-op at the Hospital where I had my surgery.. Why hadn't anyone ever told me about this? Or why didn't any of my past doctors reccomend it?
The endocrinologist i'm seeing now, well, thefirst appointment i ever had with her she sent the referral for weight loss surgery.. we never really discussed it. Although a dietitian there gave me a 'carb counters' book.. which honestly really helped meout.. i beleive its calorieking.com you can get one.
But yeah. So pre-op i was on a high protein-lowcarb diet.. like i am now, post op. And I can honestly tellyou, i feel so much better. I have so much more energy.. Its insane.
I've come to realize how wrong the food pyarmid is for so many people.. Sure, if you have a ridiculously high metabolism you can handle 6-12 servings of grains/carbs a day.. but the average person? no. absolutely not. especially not someone with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes..
So I figured I could modify the diet i'm on now.. if i had neverhad surgery? just be on a similar diet.. and i'd still see weight loss.. I had a 30 pound weight loss pre-surgery.. because i changed to this diet (and I was on a lot of medications that got changed.. that helped too.)
So here is what I was doing before I considered surgery:
**Not eating enough, causing my body to go into 'Starvation Mode'.
**Not enough protein, when I did eat.
**Not many vitamins.
**I was exersizing, however, because I was in 'Starvation Mode' it did absolutely nothing. I actually gained weight.
**Not enough fluids.
What I followed most of my life:
**45 carbs and sugars for a meal..
**15 for a snack..
**eat a vegetable and fruit with every meal, and no more than 2 snacks a day..
**only 2 'sweet treats' a week.. meaning a scoop of icecream or 2 or 3 cookies one night..
**1 hour of aerobics 5 days a week, aside from all the sports i already played.
Now?
**60+ grams of protein a day..
**64+oz of water/sf liquids..
**I try to keep my carbs under 50 a day.
**Protein first. Eat all protein, then vegetables, then carbs last.
**I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago at the gym.. for awhile i was just wakling 10-20 minutes each day.. then i got my gym membership and sprained my ankle.. but i plan to go to the gym 40 minutes 3-4 days a week.. and walk 10-20 minutes the other days.
So.. I figure.. Why wouldn't a modified version of what I'm doing now, work for someone else who just has more of astomach than I do?
If your looking for anew diet to try.. maybe try something along the lines ofwhat i'm doing? Hers an idea of what I'm talking about"
**60-80+ grams of protein a day.
**64+ Sugar Free Fluids. (Water, SF Jello, SF popsicles, Crystal Light, Flavored Water, Diet Soda, etc..)
**4-5 small meals a day, rather than 3 big ones.. maybe keep carbs under 40 at each meal..? give or take alittle.
**It's okay to have something sweet once in awhile, a few times a week.. Just make sure you eat protein with it.. If you're going tohave a donut, or a cookie, or a piece of candy.. Have milk, or yogurt, or apiece of string cheese with it.. The sugar will hook onto the protein, and your blood sugar will not rise as much as it would without the protein.. Make sense?
So an ideal dinner: Maybe.. 6oz grilled chicken, a small side salad, and maybe half a cup of rice or pasta or something, and a glass of skim milk or water.. Eat chicken first, then salad, then if your not full, have some of the rice or whatever carb you choose to have with it.. or fruit even, before the carbs.
I did this for a few months before Surgery.. and I lost weight. Given, the higher dose of Metformin, starting Aldactone, and synthroid probably had something to do with it.. (Side Note: I'm off the aldactone andon half of the metformin i used to be on, now...) I think it helped. especially eating more frequetly rather than less.. My body didn't feel the need to cling onto every ounce of me, because i wasn't eating enough.. because i was eating more frequently..
I hope this makes sense.. I'm writing this out pretty quick.
I'll probably expand on this further, later on.This is just a quick post.. It came to mind when i was eating chipotle earlier today.. Haha. (:
Have a great day/night. (:
<3Ashley.
www.facebook.com/justashley1637
www.twitter.com/justashley1637
ashleyellen1637@aol.com
www.formspring.me/justashley1637
(:
But For fifteen years of my life.. Controlling my blood sugars, my weight, my blood pressure,all that... Was a daily part of my life.
I guess I thought I had tried every diet possible.. But I missed one big one.. High Protein. I realized this after I started going to my montly appointments pre-op at the Hospital where I had my surgery.. Why hadn't anyone ever told me about this? Or why didn't any of my past doctors reccomend it?
The endocrinologist i'm seeing now, well, thefirst appointment i ever had with her she sent the referral for weight loss surgery.. we never really discussed it. Although a dietitian there gave me a 'carb counters' book.. which honestly really helped meout.. i beleive its calorieking.com you can get one.
But yeah. So pre-op i was on a high protein-lowcarb diet.. like i am now, post op. And I can honestly tellyou, i feel so much better. I have so much more energy.. Its insane.
I've come to realize how wrong the food pyarmid is for so many people.. Sure, if you have a ridiculously high metabolism you can handle 6-12 servings of grains/carbs a day.. but the average person? no. absolutely not. especially not someone with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes..
So I figured I could modify the diet i'm on now.. if i had neverhad surgery? just be on a similar diet.. and i'd still see weight loss.. I had a 30 pound weight loss pre-surgery.. because i changed to this diet (and I was on a lot of medications that got changed.. that helped too.)
So here is what I was doing before I considered surgery:
**Not eating enough, causing my body to go into 'Starvation Mode'.
**Not enough protein, when I did eat.
**Not many vitamins.
**I was exersizing, however, because I was in 'Starvation Mode' it did absolutely nothing. I actually gained weight.
**Not enough fluids.
What I followed most of my life:
**45 carbs and sugars for a meal..
**15 for a snack..
**eat a vegetable and fruit with every meal, and no more than 2 snacks a day..
**only 2 'sweet treats' a week.. meaning a scoop of icecream or 2 or 3 cookies one night..
**1 hour of aerobics 5 days a week, aside from all the sports i already played.
Now?
**60+ grams of protein a day..
**64+oz of water/sf liquids..
**I try to keep my carbs under 50 a day.
**Protein first. Eat all protein, then vegetables, then carbs last.
**I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago at the gym.. for awhile i was just wakling 10-20 minutes each day.. then i got my gym membership and sprained my ankle.. but i plan to go to the gym 40 minutes 3-4 days a week.. and walk 10-20 minutes the other days.
So.. I figure.. Why wouldn't a modified version of what I'm doing now, work for someone else who just has more of astomach than I do?
If your looking for anew diet to try.. maybe try something along the lines ofwhat i'm doing? Hers an idea of what I'm talking about"
**60-80+ grams of protein a day.
**64+ Sugar Free Fluids. (Water, SF Jello, SF popsicles, Crystal Light, Flavored Water, Diet Soda, etc..)
**4-5 small meals a day, rather than 3 big ones.. maybe keep carbs under 40 at each meal..? give or take alittle.
**It's okay to have something sweet once in awhile, a few times a week.. Just make sure you eat protein with it.. If you're going tohave a donut, or a cookie, or a piece of candy.. Have milk, or yogurt, or apiece of string cheese with it.. The sugar will hook onto the protein, and your blood sugar will not rise as much as it would without the protein.. Make sense?
So an ideal dinner: Maybe.. 6oz grilled chicken, a small side salad, and maybe half a cup of rice or pasta or something, and a glass of skim milk or water.. Eat chicken first, then salad, then if your not full, have some of the rice or whatever carb you choose to have with it.. or fruit even, before the carbs.
I did this for a few months before Surgery.. and I lost weight. Given, the higher dose of Metformin, starting Aldactone, and synthroid probably had something to do with it.. (Side Note: I'm off the aldactone andon half of the metformin i used to be on, now...) I think it helped. especially eating more frequetly rather than less.. My body didn't feel the need to cling onto every ounce of me, because i wasn't eating enough.. because i was eating more frequently..
I hope this makes sense.. I'm writing this out pretty quick.
I'll probably expand on this further, later on.This is just a quick post.. It came to mind when i was eating chipotle earlier today.. Haha. (:
Have a great day/night. (:
<3Ashley.
www.facebook.com/justashley1637
www.twitter.com/justashley1637
ashleyellen1637@aol.com
www.formspring.me/justashley1637
(:
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