For better or for worse, I am not one to back down. That is sometimes labeled as stubborn. As long as it is monitored and kept in check, I don't think it is necessarily a bad trait. But when it comes to medicine and health, having a stubborn or persistence problem is a real pain.
You might be thinking the results of my latest six week blood test was all doom and gloom. Well that is not the complete case. Let's start with the good:
-Glucose Levels continue to be normal range and excellent
-Blood Pressure best yet. Keep meds the same
-Cholesterol panels still good
-Thyroid OK. Keep same meds
-Liver and Kidney functions are good ~ this is really important because of all the medicine and supplements I am taking.
-B12 is perfect. Keep taking same dose of supplement
Now for the semi OK news. At first, this will seem like Kermit the Frog, throw your hands up in the air, and scream news, but then, let me explain:
-Weight has seemed to stabilize and has even slightly decreased.
I know what you are thinking. This is what your regular doc was so perplexed about in the first place, so actually loosing a little weight is super good. Well my specialist doc thinks this is from the drug Topiramate. If you remember from an earlier post, this is a drug that triggers a receptor in the brain and then works with your digestion (smoking can sometimes trigger the same receptor a little bit ~ But smoking is really really bad). To really deal with the Metabolic Syndrome we need to tackle what has not been really been conquered yet. Now for the not so good:
-Insulin Resistance is very strong
-Leptin resistance is still ongoing
-Testosterone is elevated and Estrogen levels are low due to PCOS and insulin resistance
Oh yes! A new diagnosis! Many ladies with Insulin resistance also have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (they are not sure which one causes the other). You may remember I was taken off birth control 12 weeks ago because my doctor believed I had it, but birth control is used to treat the condition (wow! This drug used for something other than non-pregnancy!). The results are positive. Boo.
So what is next? We are upping the Topiramate a little bit because that does seem to be working. We are leaving all other meds the same. I had a lot of trouble with Metformin causing an upset tummy/digestion with the added morning doses. So my doc wanted me to try and take more with my evening meal; three and maybe four pills because I had no troubles with the dinner pills. She said it did not matter taking all at once. Well, I have been taking three pills for a few days and all seems good. I will take four pills on Monday.
I have been experiencing some nasty lady trouble with PCOS, but I can't go back on birth control with treating Metabolic Syndrome. Well I could have a few months ago, but the FDA took all estrogen only birth control off the market for a while (I will go into this outrage in another post ~ Losers). So she is having me try a supplement called Inositol. There are two types. The one to try and help PCOS is the myo form. I am supposed to take 1000mg, but Super Supplements only had a pill form of 750mg. My doc thought they would have a powder. They were sold out of a powder that came in 500mg packets, but they were not sure if it was the myo form.
The last little potential hiccup (more of a pain in the butt for me) has to do common colds. One of my cabin mates on the cruise got a common cold during our trip. In turn, all the other cabin mates got a cold when we got back. Well, I am not allowed to take any over the counter cold or pain medicine through treatment. It is very bad for your blood pressure and even your liver. If things get uber bad, I can once during the cold take Afrin and maybe one other time at night take a 'drowsy' formula that does not have sudafed. But that is only as a last resort. As a teacher and former science museum employee, this is a sad state of affairs. Cold medicine has my been my trusty companions through the years. But I survived this cold and can survive others. So far, this has been the only cold in 8 months I have gotten since I have started treatment. I will keep my fingers crossed.
There is possible light at the end of the tunnel. We are making slow progress, but the concern is money, time, and what happens if there is a set back. I.E. something happens to me and I get put on Prednisone and gain weight. But there are some human studies being wrapped up that if all safeness is shown, could be a green light for me in six weeks. We talked a very long time about this and I am sure we will talk more if it is a go.
Capt Mel
Showing posts with label Obesity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obesity. Show all posts
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
And I Thought I had it Bad
One of the most demoralizing things that happened in the last year was after I completed my first half marathon and was starting training for my second half marathon. It was actually the tipping point for my general medicine doc to send me to specialists (so I guess it had a silver lining). It was the fact that I had gained 30 pounds.
A little back story. I do not weigh myself anymore. Only once since I stopped figure skating have I attempted to do so and it was as bad as when I was figure skating. I become obsessed. How low can I get the number to go? When I figure skated, we had weekly weigh ins. They were horrible events where you stepped on a scale in front of a whole group of people in a little leotard. I have numerous little tales about abuses that went on during these weigh ins that I think I will keep to myself.
But back to my 30 pounds gained story. I was completely shocked when she gave me this news. I knew I had not lost as much weight as I thought I would with all the training and cutting of food, but never had I thought I had gained weight. I was eating so little at that moment, I did not think I could cut anymore food without getting a completely light-headed feeling that makes you almost feel like you could pass out. That gives you an idea of how much I could cut food out of my life.
Fast forward to meeting with my Metabolic Doctor and relaying these events to her. Once I got through the whole story with a few more details, she started chuckling. Not the reaction I would expect from someone who is an expert in this type of field. And she had been so sensitive before. And then she said, "You think you have it bad? I have another patient who was sent to me because she was training for an Iron Man competition and gained 80 pounds."
Well that pulled all the wind out of my self pity sails. I can only imagine how frustrating that would feel. It is easy to be down in the dumps when you see no one around you having the same troubles you have. Leave it to the doc to give you some perspective!
Capt Mel
A little back story. I do not weigh myself anymore. Only once since I stopped figure skating have I attempted to do so and it was as bad as when I was figure skating. I become obsessed. How low can I get the number to go? When I figure skated, we had weekly weigh ins. They were horrible events where you stepped on a scale in front of a whole group of people in a little leotard. I have numerous little tales about abuses that went on during these weigh ins that I think I will keep to myself.
But back to my 30 pounds gained story. I was completely shocked when she gave me this news. I knew I had not lost as much weight as I thought I would with all the training and cutting of food, but never had I thought I had gained weight. I was eating so little at that moment, I did not think I could cut anymore food without getting a completely light-headed feeling that makes you almost feel like you could pass out. That gives you an idea of how much I could cut food out of my life.
Fast forward to meeting with my Metabolic Doctor and relaying these events to her. Once I got through the whole story with a few more details, she started chuckling. Not the reaction I would expect from someone who is an expert in this type of field. And she had been so sensitive before. And then she said, "You think you have it bad? I have another patient who was sent to me because she was training for an Iron Man competition and gained 80 pounds."
Well that pulled all the wind out of my self pity sails. I can only imagine how frustrating that would feel. It is easy to be down in the dumps when you see no one around you having the same troubles you have. Leave it to the doc to give you some perspective!
Capt Mel
Friday, June 15, 2012
12 Week Check up! Insulin Resistance Factor
Tuesday was my 12 week checkup, but 'all things work' has consumed my time. First piece of news is that nothing is bad. And that is really good news. So here is the updated list of info after 12 weeks of treatment:
- My Cortisol is much lower (this is good)- This improves metabolism a tiny bit, but also helps reduce excess fluid retention.
-Reproductive hormones look OK, but still need to monitor in next few months and watch for PCOS.
-Fasting Glucose best yet and average glucose in normal range (no where near pre-diabetes). This is very very good!
-Vitamin D is getting much better
-B12 and K are very good
-iron levels are much better
-Thyroid is good
- Blood Pressure is a little better
-Insulin resistance is very strong. Test results are showing a need for aggressive medication to untangle the kinks in metabolic machinery. (This is the not so good part of the results).
First, let's go back and investigate Insulin Resistance because people have no clue what it is all about (and don't worry, I will attach my resource links as endnotes because I don't plagiarize). Wikipedia gives us a nice overview. It is a physiological illness where insulin (a hormone) is less effective at lower blood sugar levels. Seems simple on the surface, but how is it different than diabetes? Well Type 2 deals with insulin deficiency (which if insulin resistance is left untreated over time can turn into Type 2 Diabetes, and Type 1 deals with the body not being about to produce insulin.
Marcelle Pick (OB/GYN NP) also has a nice explanation of Insulin Resistance. She talks about if insulin spikes too often by high carbs than your cells and brain will prevent and decrease the amount of insulin receptors. And then "eventually, this prevents glucose from getting into your cells, leading to high blood sugar and depriving your cells of the energy they need to function. This is why many women with insulin resistance experience carbohydrate cravings, fatigue and weight-gain — their cells are literally starving for energy, even when plenty of glucose is available in the blood" (Women to Women). Unfortunately, what she fails to address is other factors that can cause insulin resistance besides just having a lifestyle of unhealthy food and no exercise. Doctors have known for over 20 years there are also genetic factors, environmental factors, and even lack of food, and extreme exercise factors that can cause insulin resistance. Maybe I will save the stuff I have been told about starvation and your mind choosing not to burn energy, but to store fat for a later blog. I hope that helps with insulin resistance.
So what is on the docket for my next 6 weeks (18 weeks of treatment)?
1). Step up treatment approach for insulin resistance
-Add Topiramate (have an interesting story on this drug and Pharmaceuticals and diet pills from the 1970s for a later time).
-This helps lower a NPY neurotransmitter that signals starvation and directly slows the metabolism.
2). Keep increase Victoza to maximum dosage in next 2 weeks. This is the hardest to do because every increase causes nausea for me until my body is used to it.
3). Keep my Metformin the same until Victoza to maximum level then 1 week later start adding in a morning dose.
4). Reduce B12 from 3,000 IU to 2,000 IU daily
5). Reduce Vitamin K from 4,000 IU to 3,000 IU daily
6). Don't change anything else. So keep taking a multi-vitamin, 10,000 IU of Vitamin D, 1,200 IU Omega 3, prescription Iron supplement, Blood Pressure med, and Thyroid Med daily.
Phew.
And modifications will probably happen again. Most of the 6 week checkups are to find out what is working and what needs modification. While the Victoza is definitely helping with my digestion of food, if we can't get it to start helping the insulin resistance, we have another med I will have to try. Breaking the insulin resistance is what is going to be the trickiest, but is what will start having me loose weight (which I know some people are waiting for with bated breath).
It is funny. When someone has a broken arm and is in a cast, no one ever states, "well, it doesn't look like it is being fixed," or right after it is taken out of the cast someone usually does not bellow out, "Oh my, your arm does not look that healthy!" But something my doctor and I talked about is how to deal with naysayers who don't believe I am sick. It is hard when my only improvement has been internally and not externally. Even though I have said from day one that this will take 3-4 years to work out, they think they will see some kind of miracle weight loss over night. This is not the first time my doc has had this conversation. It is one she has had to have time and time again with her metabolic syndrome patients that have obesity as a symptom. Believe it or not, she has metabolic syndrome patients that are not obese, but have a symptoms I thankfully do not have: high cholesterol and clogged arteries. And that is something to be thankful for!
Until next time... when I will have lots of funny tales and anecdotes,
Capt Mel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus
http://www.womentowomen.com/insulinresistance/default.aspx
- My Cortisol is much lower (this is good)- This improves metabolism a tiny bit, but also helps reduce excess fluid retention.
-Reproductive hormones look OK, but still need to monitor in next few months and watch for PCOS.
-Fasting Glucose best yet and average glucose in normal range (no where near pre-diabetes). This is very very good!
-Vitamin D is getting much better
-B12 and K are very good
-iron levels are much better
-Thyroid is good
- Blood Pressure is a little better
-Insulin resistance is very strong. Test results are showing a need for aggressive medication to untangle the kinks in metabolic machinery. (This is the not so good part of the results).
First, let's go back and investigate Insulin Resistance because people have no clue what it is all about (and don't worry, I will attach my resource links as endnotes because I don't plagiarize). Wikipedia gives us a nice overview. It is a physiological illness where insulin (a hormone) is less effective at lower blood sugar levels. Seems simple on the surface, but how is it different than diabetes? Well Type 2 deals with insulin deficiency (which if insulin resistance is left untreated over time can turn into Type 2 Diabetes, and Type 1 deals with the body not being about to produce insulin.
Marcelle Pick (OB/GYN NP) also has a nice explanation of Insulin Resistance. She talks about if insulin spikes too often by high carbs than your cells and brain will prevent and decrease the amount of insulin receptors. And then "eventually, this prevents glucose from getting into your cells, leading to high blood sugar and depriving your cells of the energy they need to function. This is why many women with insulin resistance experience carbohydrate cravings, fatigue and weight-gain — their cells are literally starving for energy, even when plenty of glucose is available in the blood" (Women to Women). Unfortunately, what she fails to address is other factors that can cause insulin resistance besides just having a lifestyle of unhealthy food and no exercise. Doctors have known for over 20 years there are also genetic factors, environmental factors, and even lack of food, and extreme exercise factors that can cause insulin resistance. Maybe I will save the stuff I have been told about starvation and your mind choosing not to burn energy, but to store fat for a later blog. I hope that helps with insulin resistance.
So what is on the docket for my next 6 weeks (18 weeks of treatment)?
1). Step up treatment approach for insulin resistance
-Add Topiramate (have an interesting story on this drug and Pharmaceuticals and diet pills from the 1970s for a later time).
-This helps lower a NPY neurotransmitter that signals starvation and directly slows the metabolism.
2). Keep increase Victoza to maximum dosage in next 2 weeks. This is the hardest to do because every increase causes nausea for me until my body is used to it.
3). Keep my Metformin the same until Victoza to maximum level then 1 week later start adding in a morning dose.
4). Reduce B12 from 3,000 IU to 2,000 IU daily
5). Reduce Vitamin K from 4,000 IU to 3,000 IU daily
6). Don't change anything else. So keep taking a multi-vitamin, 10,000 IU of Vitamin D, 1,200 IU Omega 3, prescription Iron supplement, Blood Pressure med, and Thyroid Med daily.
Phew.
And modifications will probably happen again. Most of the 6 week checkups are to find out what is working and what needs modification. While the Victoza is definitely helping with my digestion of food, if we can't get it to start helping the insulin resistance, we have another med I will have to try. Breaking the insulin resistance is what is going to be the trickiest, but is what will start having me loose weight (which I know some people are waiting for with bated breath).
It is funny. When someone has a broken arm and is in a cast, no one ever states, "well, it doesn't look like it is being fixed," or right after it is taken out of the cast someone usually does not bellow out, "Oh my, your arm does not look that healthy!" But something my doctor and I talked about is how to deal with naysayers who don't believe I am sick. It is hard when my only improvement has been internally and not externally. Even though I have said from day one that this will take 3-4 years to work out, they think they will see some kind of miracle weight loss over night. This is not the first time my doc has had this conversation. It is one she has had to have time and time again with her metabolic syndrome patients that have obesity as a symptom. Believe it or not, she has metabolic syndrome patients that are not obese, but have a symptoms I thankfully do not have: high cholesterol and clogged arteries. And that is something to be thankful for!
Until next time... when I will have lots of funny tales and anecdotes,
Capt Mel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_resistance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diabetes_mellitus
http://www.womentowomen.com/insulinresistance/default.aspx
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Proof is in the Pudding
As I start to push back on people's beliefs about obesity, some people get huffy. The best one I've gotten so far was someone saying that maybe I was just not as active as I thought. I had convinced myself (i.e they mean lying) that I was doing more than I believed. And then, along with that, maybe I eat more than I think (I wish my nutritionist was there for that one). So if I really just watched my portion sizes and exercised more, I would not need medicine and all this doctor stuff.
Unfortunately for this person (and the others thinking, but keeping their mouths shut), I do have data to support my claims. In April of 2011, I bought the Fitbit: http://www.fitbit.com/. What I like about these folks is that they do not claim you have to become an iron man to stay fit. They believe if you can average 10,000 steps a day/70,000 steps a week, you can be a healthier person. The device is small and you can wear it on your bra strap. This is great for me because I swore off wrist watches on June 1, 2005.
It can record up to seven days of activity before having to be charged, and it syncs with your computer without having to put it on the charger. You can even wear it at night and it will record your sleep. You can also enter in your food. There is a new scale to measure body weight and mass. But since I don't weight myself (and you really should not either), I don't know too much about that.
So I have data. Boat loads of data. Over a year of data. So take a look:
Life Time Distances starting from April 17, 2011:
April 30, 2011 = Earned a total of 50 miles since purchase
June 17, 2011 = Earned a total of 250 miles since purchase
August 29, 2011 = Earned a total of 500 miles since purchase
October 26, 2011 = Earned a total of 750 miles since purchase
December 20, 2011 = Earned a total of 1,000 miles since purchase
As of this writing post, I have earned 1,540.5 miles since purchase. Another official data point will be recorded when I hit 2,000 miles. I will help you with some of the math:
I earned 1,000 total miles in 247 days. That is an average of 4 miles a day, every day.
Since December 20, I have averaged 3.4 miles a day (remember I am on exercise restriction).
I know my average will start to go down even more because of promising to keep close to under the 10,000/70,000 average, but it goes to show you that I am no lazy oaf. In fact, my numbers are a tad inaccurate because there have been days I have failed to wear the fitbit, it doesn't record biking accurately (though I have done little of that) and it doesn't account for swimming (not water proof). There was a week in May 2011, where my fitbit encountered a crushing accident and it took me that long to replace it. Also, in July 2011, I did not take my fitbit to Hawaii and we did a lot of walking, etc there. I also question the accuracy when I am curling because I slide on my slider a lot and I don't think it counts that correctly. In late October 2011, I suffered my first curling injury and tore a muscle on the front of my right calf. I did a half marathon on a torn muscle.
So again... with this little of data, do you still want to question my activities levels? I am not some lone weirdo medically. I am pretty tenacious and like to be active, but there are lots of people like me. We are shamed into silence because of fat jokes and criticism about fat people just being lazy and eating lots of food. Though we are reassured that is not us because of the acquaintance factor.
Maybe proof is not in the pudding, but in the data because I eat so little pudding! :-)
Capt Mel
Unfortunately for this person (and the others thinking, but keeping their mouths shut), I do have data to support my claims. In April of 2011, I bought the Fitbit: http://www.fitbit.com/. What I like about these folks is that they do not claim you have to become an iron man to stay fit. They believe if you can average 10,000 steps a day/70,000 steps a week, you can be a healthier person. The device is small and you can wear it on your bra strap. This is great for me because I swore off wrist watches on June 1, 2005.
It can record up to seven days of activity before having to be charged, and it syncs with your computer without having to put it on the charger. You can even wear it at night and it will record your sleep. You can also enter in your food. There is a new scale to measure body weight and mass. But since I don't weight myself (and you really should not either), I don't know too much about that.
So I have data. Boat loads of data. Over a year of data. So take a look:
Life Time Distances starting from April 17, 2011:
April 30, 2011 = Earned a total of 50 miles since purchase
June 17, 2011 = Earned a total of 250 miles since purchase
August 29, 2011 = Earned a total of 500 miles since purchase
October 26, 2011 = Earned a total of 750 miles since purchase
December 20, 2011 = Earned a total of 1,000 miles since purchase
As of this writing post, I have earned 1,540.5 miles since purchase. Another official data point will be recorded when I hit 2,000 miles. I will help you with some of the math:
I earned 1,000 total miles in 247 days. That is an average of 4 miles a day, every day.
Since December 20, I have averaged 3.4 miles a day (remember I am on exercise restriction).
I know my average will start to go down even more because of promising to keep close to under the 10,000/70,000 average, but it goes to show you that I am no lazy oaf. In fact, my numbers are a tad inaccurate because there have been days I have failed to wear the fitbit, it doesn't record biking accurately (though I have done little of that) and it doesn't account for swimming (not water proof). There was a week in May 2011, where my fitbit encountered a crushing accident and it took me that long to replace it. Also, in July 2011, I did not take my fitbit to Hawaii and we did a lot of walking, etc there. I also question the accuracy when I am curling because I slide on my slider a lot and I don't think it counts that correctly. In late October 2011, I suffered my first curling injury and tore a muscle on the front of my right calf. I did a half marathon on a torn muscle.
So again... with this little of data, do you still want to question my activities levels? I am not some lone weirdo medically. I am pretty tenacious and like to be active, but there are lots of people like me. We are shamed into silence because of fat jokes and criticism about fat people just being lazy and eating lots of food. Though we are reassured that is not us because of the acquaintance factor.
Maybe proof is not in the pudding, but in the data because I eat so little pudding! :-)
Capt Mel
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Oh The Things You Say To Your Kids
I am always amused at parents who tell me to watch what I say around their little kids. I am fully aware that a swear word will become the delight of that three year old. People forget that I have a lot of verbal self control due to the nature of my employment.
But do parents really think about what they are saying to their kids? Case in point:
When I was about 5 years old, I had my first dance recital. It was in the Old Gym of the high school in my rural town. It had these old wooden bleachers that circled the gym floor. Yes. Circled in a U shape. It was a very nice gym that was unfortunately remodeled and half the bleachers were taken out to become classrooms. And just this year, it was torn down. But I digress again.
I think I had two or three numbers. We had one costume change. I did tap, ballet, and maybe one other little thing. We did not get our costumes until that day. Some of them were one size fits all. I think I wanted the red sparkly top, and so did another little girl. Somehow, I ended up with the blue sparkly top and was quite disappointed. I had just turned five. It makes sense.
Instead of kind, but firm words from my mother, she belted out, "You don't want the red one anyways because it makes you look fat. Blue is more slimming."
Here is a pic of about when I was 5 with my dad. I do wish I had pants like that now. And hmmm... I just realized I am wearing a blue top!
Now sit back and imagine telling this little girl she is fat? I can't. I think it is awful.
And that folks, was the first time I can remember my mother mentioning how fat I looked. And very soon after that recital, I started figure skating. Another sport that is not forgiving when it comes to weight. And it was at that moment, that you could have probably said goodbye to any normal functioning metabolism. Because when you have a kid doing hardcore exercise training, it is disastrous to the body. But more on that later.
Words do hurt. And it is better to say something nice or not say anything at all. Especially when dealing with young children.
Capt Mel
But do parents really think about what they are saying to their kids? Case in point:
When I was about 5 years old, I had my first dance recital. It was in the Old Gym of the high school in my rural town. It had these old wooden bleachers that circled the gym floor. Yes. Circled in a U shape. It was a very nice gym that was unfortunately remodeled and half the bleachers were taken out to become classrooms. And just this year, it was torn down. But I digress again.
I think I had two or three numbers. We had one costume change. I did tap, ballet, and maybe one other little thing. We did not get our costumes until that day. Some of them were one size fits all. I think I wanted the red sparkly top, and so did another little girl. Somehow, I ended up with the blue sparkly top and was quite disappointed. I had just turned five. It makes sense.
Instead of kind, but firm words from my mother, she belted out, "You don't want the red one anyways because it makes you look fat. Blue is more slimming."
Here is a pic of about when I was 5 with my dad. I do wish I had pants like that now. And hmmm... I just realized I am wearing a blue top!
Now sit back and imagine telling this little girl she is fat? I can't. I think it is awful.
And that folks, was the first time I can remember my mother mentioning how fat I looked. And very soon after that recital, I started figure skating. Another sport that is not forgiving when it comes to weight. And it was at that moment, that you could have probably said goodbye to any normal functioning metabolism. Because when you have a kid doing hardcore exercise training, it is disastrous to the body. But more on that later.
Words do hurt. And it is better to say something nice or not say anything at all. Especially when dealing with young children.
Capt Mel
Monday, May 14, 2012
Let's Get Everyone Scared of Fat
As I was trying to shop for my groceries today, I was horrified by a magazine on the rack. I didn't pay much attention to which one (It was Newsweek or something like that). And the premise of the main pic and title was shock and awe scare tactics.
The photo was of a cute little baby boy and the title said something like "In 20 years, he will be 300 pounds."
What an awful article. I wanted to yell out, "No he won't if you get the proper medical care! He is probably insulin resistant and just needs treatment." But you never hear that from people or the doctors. Is fat the new group we persecute and ignore? Are we scared to fight the diet establishment because it is such a money maker?
In the last 12 weeks, I have learned so much more about hormones and digestion and brain chemistry. But you can't just find this stuff on the internet. All you see on the first many pages is stuff about just loose weight. Eat less, exercise more.
People.... this is a failing solution. It is like saying a broken arm happened just because you were clumsy. It doesn't fix the broken arm. There are doctors out there that can help and if you are overweight or over exercising to try and keep weight off, you need to get tests done!
The photo was of a cute little baby boy and the title said something like "In 20 years, he will be 300 pounds."
What an awful article. I wanted to yell out, "No he won't if you get the proper medical care! He is probably insulin resistant and just needs treatment." But you never hear that from people or the doctors. Is fat the new group we persecute and ignore? Are we scared to fight the diet establishment because it is such a money maker?
In the last 12 weeks, I have learned so much more about hormones and digestion and brain chemistry. But you can't just find this stuff on the internet. All you see on the first many pages is stuff about just loose weight. Eat less, exercise more.
People.... this is a failing solution. It is like saying a broken arm happened just because you were clumsy. It doesn't fix the broken arm. There are doctors out there that can help and if you are overweight or over exercising to try and keep weight off, you need to get tests done!
Monday, May 7, 2012
A Different Kind of Journey
Recently, I have had many acquaintances and co-workers give me a sheepish look and very quietly and politely ask if I have a life threatening illness and if I am going to die. I know some of them are just nosy, but many others are truly concerned.
And then I wonder if a person can be labeled as nosy if you are not trying to keep a secret. I digress.
In the past 5 months, I have been given such a different outlook on my life. An outlook that is amazing, scary, hopeful, and depressing all at the same time. And about what!? Weight. Hence the title of the blog: Weighing In. If you or anyone you know has ever made the following statements, this is the blog for you:
I have thought or said out loud many of these statements and more. This is my story on the struggle of weight loss, and this should be the path people take before they start fad diets, extreme exercise, or gastric bypass surgery. It is a long and complicated story, but I will start with the most recent history.
In June of 2011, I trained and completed my first official 1/2 marathon. My goal was under 4 hours and I made that goal. In the fall, a few of my friends wanted to do their first 1/2 marathons and I agreed to join them. We started training together. It was during this time, I had my annual physical and my doctor gave me that 'I have something very serious to say' look.
You see, I had gained another 30 pounds over the last year. And after all this exercise and training I was doing. She really wanted me to start seeing a nutritionist. In the next two months, I completed my second 1/2 marathon (again just under 4 hours) and started to see a nutritionist.
My nutritionist was horrified at my eating. And not how much I was eating, but how little. She put me on a plan. I told her right there I would gain more weight. No matter how much she talked about carbs being a log that keeps the fire going and protein being the kindling, I knew that with that much food (eating every 3-4 hours) would equal weight gain and not weight loss. We tried this for two months and those were exactly the results. More weight gain. I thought all hope was lost, but she was only encouraged. She then sent me to my current doctor who specializes in metabolic disorders (among other things).
At my first meeting, I laid everything out on the table. And surprisingly, the doctor had even more questions about my life. She was 99.9% sure I had a whole score of things wrong, but I was not to worry because with treatment, it was guaranteed I could get back to a normal weight and have a healthier life. I was scheduled for my first blood test. Here were the results:
For too long, all people have heard from the general population and media is that obesity is a three pronged approach: Eat Less, Eat Healthy, and Exercise More. But what happens when that doesn't work? In fact, 95% of all people who decide to try and lose weight by eating less and exercising more will fail to keep it off long term. Doesn't that tell you something is not working? It does. And many doctors know about it. It has been known for over 20 years. I have a hypothesis on why we don't know about it. First, it would ruin the weight loss industry. Second, it costs money to fix this problem.
Here is some outside reading until I write next time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/health/research/pairing-of-food-deserts-and-obesity-challenged-in-studies.html?_r=1&src=tp
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/04/biggest-loser-destroys-participants.html
So, I welcome you all in joining me on my journey and discover where I have been and where I am going!
Capt Mel
And then I wonder if a person can be labeled as nosy if you are not trying to keep a secret. I digress.
In the past 5 months, I have been given such a different outlook on my life. An outlook that is amazing, scary, hopeful, and depressing all at the same time. And about what!? Weight. Hence the title of the blog: Weighing In. If you or anyone you know has ever made the following statements, this is the blog for you:
- When I look at a hamburger, I gain five pounds.
- If I could work out 4 hours a day, I would not have any weight problems.
- I believe that people think I go home and eat buckets of ice cream every night.
- I wish I could eat like other people. If I do, I gain lots of weight.
- Eating less and exercising more is not giving me any results.
- I wish I had a new body. What I want to do in my mind, is hindered by my size.
- I exercise more than anyone I know, but I am still the largest.
I have thought or said out loud many of these statements and more. This is my story on the struggle of weight loss, and this should be the path people take before they start fad diets, extreme exercise, or gastric bypass surgery. It is a long and complicated story, but I will start with the most recent history.
In June of 2011, I trained and completed my first official 1/2 marathon. My goal was under 4 hours and I made that goal. In the fall, a few of my friends wanted to do their first 1/2 marathons and I agreed to join them. We started training together. It was during this time, I had my annual physical and my doctor gave me that 'I have something very serious to say' look.
You see, I had gained another 30 pounds over the last year. And after all this exercise and training I was doing. She really wanted me to start seeing a nutritionist. In the next two months, I completed my second 1/2 marathon (again just under 4 hours) and started to see a nutritionist.
My nutritionist was horrified at my eating. And not how much I was eating, but how little. She put me on a plan. I told her right there I would gain more weight. No matter how much she talked about carbs being a log that keeps the fire going and protein being the kindling, I knew that with that much food (eating every 3-4 hours) would equal weight gain and not weight loss. We tried this for two months and those were exactly the results. More weight gain. I thought all hope was lost, but she was only encouraged. She then sent me to my current doctor who specializes in metabolic disorders (among other things).
At my first meeting, I laid everything out on the table. And surprisingly, the doctor had even more questions about my life. She was 99.9% sure I had a whole score of things wrong, but I was not to worry because with treatment, it was guaranteed I could get back to a normal weight and have a healthier life. I was scheduled for my first blood test. Here were the results:
- Cortisol High
- Leptin lower than predicted
- Insulin resistance (genetic, but reversible)
- Average Glucose over 3 months elevated (pre-diabetic levels)
- 2 of 3 components of Metabolic Syndrome
- Seems to be no Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) but birth control could be masking it.
- Thyroid is low
- Vitamin D is low
- Vitamin B12 low
- Vitamin K and Zinc ok for now
For too long, all people have heard from the general population and media is that obesity is a three pronged approach: Eat Less, Eat Healthy, and Exercise More. But what happens when that doesn't work? In fact, 95% of all people who decide to try and lose weight by eating less and exercising more will fail to keep it off long term. Doesn't that tell you something is not working? It does. And many doctors know about it. It has been known for over 20 years. I have a hypothesis on why we don't know about it. First, it would ruin the weight loss industry. Second, it costs money to fix this problem.
Here is some outside reading until I write next time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/health/research/pairing-of-food-deserts-and-obesity-challenged-in-studies.html?_r=1&src=tp
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/04/biggest-loser-destroys-participants.html
So, I welcome you all in joining me on my journey and discover where I have been and where I am going!
Capt Mel
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