#serotonin plus

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to answer this!! Life has been bonkers and thinking takes too much energy.  Anyway, answer:

I just started a program called Serotonin Plus, which is basically portion control, very low carb, high protein and high veggie with medical supervision and some supplements.  This is the first thing I’ve ever tried in the 15 years since my PCOS diagnosis that’s actually worked.  The supplements help make the transition easier but the food plan is actually really solid and not that hard to maintain.  Basically you want to eat more protein than you think you need, like 6 servings of veggies a day, minimal carbs and about two servings of fruit.  Most everyone just says “low carb” for PCOS and any other insulin resistance based condition but personally that by itself isn’t enough information for me.  So try to up your protein and veggies, cut some carbs, and limit processed stuff and see how that does for you.  

As far as working out goes that’s always been easy for me as I’ve always been athletic and enjoyed physical activity.  For PCOS, make sure you start some kind of strength training, either body weight or with weights.  Cardio is good but too much cardio and no strength won’t give us cysters the best results.  

If I can help with anything else please let me know!  PCOS is a confusing diagnosis but luckily you have a lot of resources available and a really kickass online community to help you figure things out :-)

I’m about halfway through my second week on the new food plan, and for the most part I’m still doing pretty well.  I did cheat this weekend, but not a lot.  I had a small popcorn at the movies last night and today I ate half of a cornbread muffin that came with my lunch.  I’m not going to cheat at all the rest of the week.  

I had those two little bits of carbs because it’s period week.  As any of you who menstruate know, the food part of life gets weird around your period.  My cravings were very minimal, probably thanks to the serotonin supplement, but I just really wanted those two things and I just needed a little bit to satisfy the craving.  Oh, and I also had one bite of my friend’s chocolate ice cream on Friday.  

This period has actually been unusual for me, which is good.  Normally I start Monday or Tuesday after I finish a BC pill pack.  This time I started on the last Friday of my pill pack.  My period has also been heavier, I’ve been cramping more and I’ve been less emotional.  Backstory:  I’m one of the PCOS girls who has a REALLY hard time ovulating on my own.  If I’m not on the pill the chance of my having a period is slim.  It can happen, but usually not so much.  Also my period is normally very very light, I don’t have many physical symptoms outside of some nausea and appetite changes, and I get EXTREME mood swings.  In the past when my PCOS has been better under control I’ve gotten more “normal” period symptoms: heavier flow, cramping, less mood swings.  Back to the story.  So this period has been a more “normal”, after only a week of changing my eating habits.  That’s a REALLY good sign, if it can improve my body’s menstruation after only one week what can happen after a month?  Or a year?  I’m SUPER excited to find out.  I feel more hopeful about this than anything else I’ve ever tried to control my PCOS.  

So I just realized why I had such a hard time getting in all of my veggies yesterday.  I mean I got them in, but it was RIGHT at the bare minimum requirement.  I felt like I was eating a giant pile of produce, so as I was just sitting here eating breakfast (at 1pm.  I sleep late, don’t judge me) I was looking through my notebook again and damn it if I wasn’t measuring my produce portions wrong.  I was counting 1 cup of cooked veggies as one serving, when it’s 1 cup of uncooked veggies.  Cooked veggies are measured in 1/2 cup servings.  I ate double the amount of cooked veggies I needed to.  No wonder I was freaking stuffed.  

I did end up having a drink tonight at work.  Tonight was our monthly dance party at the studio and we always have a cocktail (or three) from the bar at the end of the night.  Oh and my boss and I have a new ritual of taking a rattlesnake shot before the party starts.  Classy broads.  Anyway, I did have both drinks.  I didn’t get my usual cocktail though.  Normally I drink Crown and Coke, but tonight in an effort to cut down on sugar consumption (since I’m not supposed to have any this week) I got Crown with seltzer water and a lime slice.  It was still good and a much better choice.  

Oh but I have to tell y’all the exciting part about today!!!!  So part of the whole dance party thing is the snack table.  Our students will bring food for refreshments and it’s rarely healthy stuff.  I knew this, and I knew I would have to snack throughout the night to keep my energy level up so I packed my lunchbox full of approved snacks to take with me.  It must be the serotonin supplement, but I did not have a single craving for any of that other food tonight.  At once point I was standing right by the snack table eating my deli ham and cucumber slices while just looking at this giant chocolate cake and I wasn’t tempted in the least.  It was really quite exciting.