pcos weight loss Archives -

Self love and Social Media

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby 3 Comments

I may be dating myself by saying this, but the closest I had to social media when I was in high school was AIM. ( I had some killer away messages, let me tell you.) I was messed up enough in those socially formative years. I can’t even imagine if I was worried about how many followers I had or if someone was sending my high school boyfriend Colin DM’s on Instagram. In my younger years, I was impressionable. Hell, 3 years ago I fell for the whole “I have to tell you it works in the brand name to overcompensate for the fact that its just Saran Wrap and water weight you’re losing” bit. So yea, it still lingers. (News Flash- if they have to name it ‘ this shit really makes you lose weight’ or something similiar, it probably doesn’t)

It’s human nature to want to put your best self out there. It’s ingrained in most of us from birth to succeed. Win. Be liked. We are raised idolizing celebrities and sports stars that get paid to run and throw a ball or lay in bed and take a perfect selfie. But this idolization has grown. It isn’t just mainstream celebrities or limited to your 8pm shows or drive to the work on the radio. Hell, Kim Kardashian makes millions for… do we even know yet? Has this mystery been solved? (Seriously though- what the fuck does she do? )We strive to obtain the social norm of perfection.

In a day where everyone is constantly connected and flooded with pretty square pictures or the most craftily stringed together words the 140 character limit will allow, everyone wants to be popular. Get one more like. Gain one more more follower. There is article on top of article telling you what you should believe and what you should wear and how you should eat and when you should blink. Everyone has become a fitness expert. Everyone knows how to tell you what you are doing wrong and what you can improve and why you aren’t good enough. We spend our days comparing. It’s hard not to. But, my friends, comparison is the thief of joy.

So when I talk to younger girls, my heart breaks. I am on the last leg of my 30th year, and I still have to dig deep to find my self love and confidence every morning when I wake up. Then dig even deeper throughout the day. I’m like the archaeologist of digging for that self worth, yall. (Minus the degree and ugly brown get up they wear. Or is that just in the movies?) Not only are they worrying about what to wear, remembering their dance team tryout dance or their speech for student council, but they are constantly connected. I can’t imagine how I’d find ways to love myself, if every morning I wake up to my Instagram feed to perfect bodies. Or stepped away from my computer to, you know, LEARN at school, and came back to 2398 tweets, DMS and Facebook messages. I get overwhelmed when I set my phone down to go fill up my wine glass and have 2 notifications.

This is a recipe for self worth destruction.

So when I get asked,

“Why are you so real? You really put EVERYTHING out there. You’re brave.”

I usually smile or emoji politely and simply say,

“I strive to be an example of a real woman in a real world. That’s all.”

But the long hand version of that answer is this:

This world is scary. Especially for young girls. Especially today. I was one of those young girls. Cutting out the Victoria’s Secret swimsuit pictures and putting them on my fridge to stop me from eating. Buying the same outfit as Tonya, the cool girl, so people would like me more. Thinking I needed better boobs to be pretty. Now today’s it all about butts, who knew? But my point- No one is as perfect as their social media feeds. They all wake up with morning breath. And wear leggings on days they are bloated. And cry. And struggle. They just don’t show it. And it’s a shame. A damn shame. I needed someone to show me my mess wasn’t abnormal. My body was like 90% of other women. I needed someone to show me what it’s like to fail. I needed examples of women who have gone through some shit. Some really hard, down in the gutter, dark and twisty stuff- and survived. Because that’s all any of us are trying to do. Survive. Feel less alone. Accepted. Supported. And I don’t think you have to be a size two, living in suburbia former high school cool girl who married the hot guy to feel that. So here’s to the girls who don’t have their shit together. The ones who have cried in a bathroom. The one’s who have fought battles no one knows about. The one’s who keep working on themselves. The one’s who aren’t afraid to show the real them. The non highlight reel. Because those are the examples we need to see. That’s who fills my feeds. Who runs in my circle. Because real is so hot right now.”

So to you, the girl who just picked herself apart after endlessly scrolling your feeds- Stop. Stop this. Stop right now.

Unfollow anyone who doesn’t make you feel good about yourself. Online and in real life. Rid yourself of the obnoxiously unattainable “perfect”. Because, you my friend, kick ass. So go out into the world and keep doing that. Every. Damn. Day.

Originally posted 2016-03-19 19:07:05.

Dietbet-1 Shelby-0

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby Leave a Comment

So I just finished my second Dietbet.

Spoiler alert: I didn’t win.

But that’s okay. You want to know why?

I stayed motivated because of it. I lost 5 of the 6 pounds I was supposed to lose.

It connected me with other women dealing with the same issues as me.

And I created a new one to start April 1st. (That way if the number is scary on the scale we can just say April Fool’s Fool! Just kidding, health is serious. So is my desire for King’s Hawaiian rolls sitting on my counter. They are so damn delicious. Longest side track thought ever. I digress.)

Because I am team Screw the Scale. (I need a shirt with that one it!) But it’s the motivation factor I enjoy. I stay a lot more accountable when I know 12,000 people are peeping my progress. And when I put money into it. I want my money back.

So tally so far:

January dietbet-0 Shelby-1

February Diet bet-1 Shelby-0

April Diet bet- I’m coming for you. And I will lose those pounds. And the Hawaiian rolls I just ate while typing this. We are all human, right?

If you want to join, come on down!

http://diet.bt/VOfkbz

Originally posted 2016-03-14 14:09:55.

Bloated or Bangin'

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby 2 Comments

Oh, Monday. How you mess with my emotions. I usually like Mondays. I am the weirdo who thinks of them as a fresh start. Everyone always starts something new on a Monday. A diet. A workout routine. A new job. They quit a bad habit.

Because, Mondays are our fresh start. It doesn’t matter what you did before then- they are your fresh piece of diary paper. Rewrite your story. Starting now.

So for me, Monday’s rock. Because when I slip up, and I do- alot- I can start fresh.

But today I was just not feeling it.

I had a great weekend. But it was filled with all the really bad stuff that is so delicious. Beer. Mexican food. Staying up too late. Skipping the gym. NOT skipping the queso dip. Cookie Crisp at midnight, because WHY NOT? You get my point.

So waking up, I was the epitome of bloating. Not even my leggings were having it. Try again later when you’re not filled with salt and poor life decisions. We ain’t THAT stretchy girlfriend.

I felt exhausted. My body hurt. I regretted all the fun choices I made. And then I remembered it was the half way point of our Dietbet.

Shit. I have to take my progress pictures. What am I going to wear? I think the internet would frown upon a pantsless progress picture.

So I found the stretchiest pair of leggings I owned. I talked myself up.

It doesn’t matter what you look like, girl. It matters how you feel.

Oh right. I feel like shit.

I’m not doing this. I’ll take them later.

And then I immediately said

Get your ass in front of that mirror.

I was not going to put off progress pictures today. Because I am going to own every part of my journey. The good. The bad. And the bloated.

And let me tell you, I stress all the time don’t overthink what you see on the internet. Especially when it comes the weight loss and fitness pages. All those girls you follow on instagram? They took 2348235 pictures before finding that perfect lighting, perfect angle picture.

The results of my progress pics? Not great. But, not bad either.
I took them, took a quick glance at them, and then put my phone away.

I refuse to pick myself apart anymore. I have stretch marks. I have excess skin and fat pads. I have flaws.

But I also have things that no one can see in that progress picture. I have self love. I have self forgiveness. I have self acceptance.

And those things, are more important to me than how I look half naked after too many tacos.

So with that, I put on my running shoes, I turned on my gangsta rap, and I got outside. Sunshine is the cure for so many things. It’s my crack. (Crack is whack, kids.) It energizes me. Makes me happy. Makes me feel like I get accomplish anything.

I woke up not wanting to move off my couch let alone work out. But I changed my perspective, and put in 5 miles.

So here’s to Mondays. To fresh starts. To starting new. Starting over. Starting over AGAIN. Here’s to fresh diary paper. Here’s to forgiving your past, and focusing on your now, while moving toward the future.

Originally posted 2016-02-29 12:38:52.

The Habitual Quitter

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby 1 Comment

Hi, I’m Shelby and I’m a recovering habitual quitter.

Well that felt good to get off my chest.

I am was the girl who quit. My older sister was pretty and popular. My younger sister was smart. And I was the quitter. It was my thing.

I quit Daisy scouts before even going in because I was too afraid to go in the classroom filled with blue vests. I quit dance team one year because I felt like I would never be as good as the other girls. I’d quit jobs. Quit relationships. Friendships. I was a full blown quitter.

And once you get labeled something, you almost feel like people expect it from you. So many times I would want to sign up for a new activity and my mom would say,

“Now Shelby, if I pay for this, you’re not going to quit again, are you? ”

Well yes, mom. I probably will. The minute it gets scary or I feel inferior, I’m gone.

“Of course not, Mom.” Rolls eyes.

Two weeks later I quit.

I mean it’s like riding a bike. Once you have quit something, it gets easier and easier.

And I am not just talking about jobs or relationships or daisy scouts. I quit on myself.

Maybe it was because I was insecure. Maybe it was because I didn’t like myself. Maybe because I was scared.

But for whatever reason, I couldn’t stop.

When it came to my health, I was the typical yo yo dieter.

Try this magic shake. *Drinks one sip and checks if i’m skinny* Shit, this doesn’t work.

Do this workout dvd. *Can’t breathe or jump or move my body* Screw it. This is a joke.

Calorie restrict for 2 weeks to fit in a dress. *Dress doesn’t fit* Eat the entire kitchen.

See it’s so easy to give up. But eventually, you get tired. You get tired of people expecting you to fail. You get tired of failing yourself. You get tired of starting over. It’s just fucking exhausting.

It wasn’t some grand epiphany. Nothing significant or monumental happened to make it happen. But one day, I just got tired of my own bullshit. I thought to myself,

What will happen if I stop quitting on myself? What if I forgive myself for my mistakes? What if when a lightbulb burns out in my house of life, I don’t try to burn the whole thing down?

And I just stopped giving up on myself. It didn’t happen overnight. It was tiny choices and decisions made each day, each hour each minute.

*You can finish this mile, Shelby. Move your ass*

*Answer your damn phone. Your anxiety is not winning today.*

*So you didn’t lose this week. But you feel better, don’t you? You are not stopping.”

*So you ate a whole cheesecake? That doesn’t mean you don’t get your ass up and work out. You fell down. You aren’t staying down.*

*Share your story. Don’t let the people who don’t understand it make you stop sharing your heart.*

And just like that, I started realizing how strong I am. Strength truly comes from within. Proving the nasty mean voice in your head that tells you you aren’t good enough, wrong.

I am making big changes in my life. I am pursuing my dreams of helping others in their health journey-mentally and physically. I would have never in a million years thought I’d be 3 weeks away from completing what needs to be done to do that. I would have been on the wine wagon drinking away using the unused study flashcards as a coaster.

I am not perfect. I have a past. I have my failures. My flaws. My shortcomings.

I am a lot of things.

But I am NOT a quitter.

Originally posted 2016-02-26 14:32:09.

Look ma, I got my hair done!

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby Leave a Comment

Oh, hey friends! Look who was a big girl and got her hair done (since the first time in September)? This girl right here.

I am so picky about my hair. I am not that obnoxious client. But I have had my share of hair traumas. You know, the kind where you say, ” I don’t care what you do as long as it’s not red!” And you walk out of the salon with fire engine red hair.

So after moving, I hesitated. Hesitated is too light of a word.

Avoided completely.

I avoided completely finding and trying a new hair girl.

Until I met my girl, Corbin. She’s in my facebook PCOS group. We met for what was supposed to be a big Georgia girls meetup and turned into me and her day drinking wine and eating calamari.

That’s a story for another time but I now call her one of my BFFs.

So I spent the day driving up to see her to get my hair done and have a girls night.

I went from this.

To this.

She’s amazeballs.

(If anyone is in Hiawassee, Ga and needs a good hair girl- let me know and I’ll get you in touch.)

What has everyone else been up to?

My son is off school all next week so I will spend it meal prepping and blogging and starting our dietbet. ( Cheat meal going downnnnnn tonight.)

I’ll be back soon!

Just had to pop in with this bomb dot com hair!

Originally posted 2016-02-14 11:05:28.

" Just be brave. And be kind. That's all you ever need to be."

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby 1 Comment

I’m gonna hit you with all the feels right now.

In our PCOS FB group, we’re doing a #positivitypause to take a break from all the sad and fill our wall with happy.

And I feel we need some perspective.

God knows I do lately.
I haven’t felt good. I have 2 cysts causing a lot of pain. And when I’m in pain, I’m a mean grumpy carb eating, not so nice words saying troll.

And I know it. But sometimes it’s hard to reel in. You get caught up in the negative. The pessimist mind set. Moaning. Complaining. Blaming others and life for all your misery.
And then last night, as I rolled my eyes and said something not so nice under my breath, which then made me star crying as I noticed my son watching my terrible behavior, he said to me…

” It’s okay momma. Just be brave. And be kind. ”

That was it.

My snap back to reality breaking point to get me out of the chunky dunk funk pool I was swimming in.
You see, I I haven’t yet talked on this blog about my sons health struggles, but if you follow me on Instagram or are in the Facebook group you’ve heard my sons story. The health struggles he’s endured. The life threatening condition hes lived with and handled with grace and dignity of an old soul is an amazing thing for this mama bear to see.

Throughout the rough years, the blood transfusions, the hospital stays, the fear- I was clueless. I didn’t know how to make his world better. And he’d ask me with his little 2 year old voice ” momma what do I do? ”

So I just kept telling him “Just be brave. And be kind. That’s all that ever matters”. And it’s become my mantra to him.
Over the last six years, I didn’t think he was listening.

They’re always listening.
And sometimes it takes your six year old to remind you to get your shit together, suck it up, life can be a lot tougher. harder. Scarier.
So today I will remember to just be brave and be kind.

Because, in the end- that’s all you ever need to be.

( This is one of my favorite pictures. Not just because of his damn chubby cheeks from lots of steroids. But because it reminds me if he can be that strong, GOD damn it- I can, too)

Originally posted 2016-02-09 08:28:11.

Goodbye Dietbet. Hello Wine.

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby 2 Comments

This month, I ran a Dietbet. I also must have been smoking crack or high on Christmas spirit, but I also committed #noboozeJanuary. And this month has felt like one long ass Monday without my wine. It’s been hard reintroducing the scale back into my life. I had broken up with her so long ago, and for good reasons. I was using it as the sole measurement of my success, and the truth was, it was hindering my progress. I gave it up and started using progress pictures and measurements and how I felt overall as gauge of my progress.

But I wanted to challenge myself. Not only to lose the weight, but also to break the mental mind game I had with the scale. I wanted to prove to myself that even if the number didn’t change, and I lost my 10 dollar buy in, I was still okay with myself because my success is not dictated by a number.

And most importantly, I wanted to help others. Even if I didn’t win, and didn’t drop a single pound, if it helped and motivated someone else to succeed, that was enough for me.

Pre Dietbet weigh in: up 6.4 pounds from the holidays

So the first weigh in happened right at prime chubby time- post holidays and all the carbs and wine and Christmas candy. I really gave literally no sh*ts about what I put into my body over the holidays. And the scale showed. I was up 6.4 pounds. And I was responsible for every single one.

Seeing the number on the scale, as well as the motivation I got from the 5oo women participating with me was enough to get my ass back on track. I got back in the gym. Not just when I felt like it. Every day. I tracked my marcos meticulously. I hit them most every day. And most importantly of all, I gave up the mommy juice.

I didn’t step on the scale for the first time until a week into it.

I have been kicking ass. The scale is DEFINITELY going to reflect it.

WRONG.

I am only down 1 lb? ONE?

And I knew it. Old habits were sneaking back in. I started doing the scale dance. ALL.THE.TIME.

*Step on scale*

Shit. This can’t be right.

*Step on scale again*

HELL NO. This thing is straight up lying to me.

*Go pee*

Okay this is ridiculous.

*Trims split ends*

You get my point. The scale dance took over my life. And it controlled how I felt. So two weeks in, I finally did what was best for me. I put that thing back in the closet. I was not going to let it control how I felt about my progress. I knew I was kicking ass. I knew I was feeling good and healthy and making progress. I am not going to live in a state of being controlled by a plastic electronic device. Screw you, scale. You don’t know me. You don’t know my life.

This past week, I stepped it up. I started drinking all my water. I was getting extra time in at the gym. I ate cleaner than a ever. And most importantly I didn’t get on the scale.

Last time I checked, I still had 1.5 lbs to go.

I worked my butt off to try to get it off, but I also accepted that it might just not happen. PCOS can make weight stubborn and act like a rude houseguest that doesn’t get the hint to get the hell out. I had to be okay with it if it wasn’t where I wanted it to be.

So I woke up this morning, fully prepared for my goal not to be reached. I just chalked it up to a good motivation for the month, and was determined to keep on pushing.

I hyped myself up to get on.

I can't believe it! — I can’t believe it!

*149.8*

For real? Let me just double check.

*149.8*

Oh man, scale. You just made my life. I hit my goal by the skin of my teeth (0.2 lbs)

I quickly snapped a picture and sent it in for verification.

I was ecstatic.

And I promptly went about making myself a plate of celebratory chocolate chip protein pancakes. I deserved the treat for this past month. And I started pulling down which bottle of wine I wanted to crack open tonight.

Until I remembered,

Shit. I am not verified yet. I might have to reweigh. And I won’t be where I was this morning after that glutinous pancake feast. Fool.

And I’ve been sitting here, stressing all morning. Waiting for the verified email to come through. Because I know if I got on that scale again it might not be as nice. I had pancake bites this morning that weighed 0.2 lbs. That .2 lbs stood between being a winner and being a loser.

And then I got my shit together, and realized- I’m not a loser at all. I kicked ass. I feel amazing. I helped others lose. I am proud of myself. So whether I have to reweigh or not, I know who the real loser is. The scale. Because it does not control how I feel about myself. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

I'm coming for you, Pinot Grigio. See you tonight. — I’m coming for you, Pinot Grigio. See you tonight.

If you are interested in joining my next dietbet, let me know and I will get you the link! We will start February 15th, just in time to bypass the Superbowl snacks and Valentine’s chocolate.

Originally posted 2016-02-01 14:19:24.

Stop Being a B*tch To Yourself: Why Flaw-Focused Fitness Fails

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby Leave a Comment

It never fails, every time I start talking to women about why they’ve decided to commit to one of my programs, it starts out with a negative:

My stomach is poochy…

My butt is too small…

It’s impossible to lose weight…

I hate X body part…

…always negative. Don’t get me wrong. I know my job as a coach is to help women achieve their fitness goals. But what I’ve discovered is flaw focused fitness NEVER works. It’s essential to incorporate an proactive approach to digging deeper.

You aren’t born hating your body. You are taught how to. Unlearning self-hate is hard. When we start valuing ourselves in the present, our goals become more love driven. The way you think about your body has effect on what your actions and motivations on rooted in.

I want your goals to be rooted in positive self love motivated goals: work out and eat good because you love your body, not hate it.

My whole life I’ve been on the weight gain and loss roller coaster. Dieting for all wrong reasons, spending my life on the treadmill to the point of fatigue, skipping as many meals as I can- and despising my body and myself the entire time. To me, fitness and health was a form of punishment for not being good enough now.

When I struggled to lose even one pound, it became all consuming. When I didn’t lose it in the timeline I had planned ( i.e. drop 3 lbs for next months party, get down a size by summer) I’d say SCREW IT, and go right back to the self-destructive, self-loathing behaviors that got me here in the first place.

No wonder I was miserable and depressed. I hated me, and every action I took to correct myself was based in hate.

Looking back, after a lot of work to refocus on loving my body and actively focusing on treating my body like I love it, I have shifted my entire life. Sure, I still have moments of picking myself apart. I work on letting those go everyday. Self-love isn’t a one stop destination. It’s a continuous life long journey. It took a long time learning to hate my body, it’s not going to be unlearned overnight.

When I shifted away from flaw focused fitness and grounded my habits in health and happiness in the present, I’ve achieved something more than just a smaller jean size or weight. Ive achieved peace.

I know setting fitness and nutrition goals and working hard is important, but it’s not life consuming. It’s important to set goals that aren’t based on a timeline, number or reflection in the mirror. Those changes are a happy side effect of adopting this new mindset.

It’s time to unlearn the self hate and body shaming. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. You’re worth it.

So how do I do that shelby?

Stop being a bitch to yourself.

I mean it. Next time you catch yourself standing in the mirror, pause. That nasty thing youre about your body, call your friend and say it to her.

Oh, you wouldn’t dare tell Karen her stomach is disgusting and her arms are too jiggly? No. You’d be friendless AND a new membership to the mean girl club.

So why do we talk this way to ourselves? Why are we such bitches to our own body?

Instead, set a goal that’s based on making you feel strong and brave? What goals will make you feel GOOD while achieving them?

Set those goals.

You are worthy now! Got it?

Let me repeat that. You are SO worth it.

Those negative thoughts that we kicked out the door, now need to be replaced with positive, motivating ones. Can’t find one?

Start small. What’s one tiny thing you think is bad ass about you? You have an amazing smile. You are incredibly kind. Anything. Come up with a list of them to readily sub in when your mean girl creeps in.

this creates a mind shift into self forgiveness and self- acceptance. All those amazing things you do or say for BFF Karen, do for yourself. Because you love yourself and are worthy. It’s time to start accepting you are and acting like it.

Working hard is important..

Now that we’ve committed to keeping our goals coming from a place of love and worth, you have to commit.

For many, this is the hardest part. In a society focused on convenience and moving fast, we want to believe that there is a simple quick solution.

THERE’S not. I know, ridiculous right? You mean you actually have to work at something and commit to achieving your goals? blasphemy.

But really, you have to be ready. This is why the self love and acceptance is so important. When you understand that health and happiness is a lifelong journey, and not a 21 day quick ‘fix’, you are more prepared. When you accept that your worth isn’t coming from your weight or size, you are more self-forgiving. |When your work is put in because you love yourself, you are unstoppable.|

No one can do this for you. No magic shake or pill with teach you to take care of yourself and make you healthy. Thats on you, boo boo.

Health doesn’t have to feel like torture.

Exercise because you love your body-fitness isn’t punishment. When you first start, it may feel that way. Give it a few weeks. It may take trial and error to find what you enjoy doing.

Eating ‘right’ shouldn’t make you miserable. There is no one size fits all for nutrition. That’s why all these nutrient eliminating or severely restrictive diets are so detrimental. You have to find the balance and plan that works for you and YOUR life. Eating is about fueling your body.

Practice self-forgiveness.every.damn.day.

Relax. I mean it.

Your body and health didn’t get to where they are right now overnight. Unhealthy and unhappy are developed and grow over years of negative habits.

So if it took you your whole life to get to this current state of feeling unhealthy, why do we expect to wake up one day and be perfect and the shining example of health??You’re putting unrealistic and unfair when you expect to change over night.

Change comes from working hard for success, being patient while you learn new positive habits, and forgiving yourself when you are human and struggle.

Set some goals. Love yourself. Be brave and get Strong.

Originally posted 2016-11-05 19:24:51.

PCOS and Dieting= a fatal combination

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby Leave a Comment

PCOS sucks. There. I said it. It is the most common endocrine disorder among women, and it doesn’t just affect one area of your body. It takes over the whole damn thing. It can cause infertility, facial hair, male pattern baldness, anxiety and depression, infertility, insulin resistance that can lead to diabetes and the best part- it makes you more prone to being overweight, especially in your stomach.

Fun stuff, right?

Well add this into the mix. Society hates fat people. I said it. The society we live in tends to judge overweight people as being lazy and lacking self-control.

Can I tell you something? I am a woman with PCOS, and I have tried and fought to lose weight my whole life. Spoiler alert, it didn’t work most of the time. I tried every extreme, quick fix, straddling the fine line into disordered eating, only to see the scale budge a few pounds. After a while, your body can’t continue in that extreme state and quite frankly, it makes your body more prone for other issues. So I couldn’t figure out how to lose weight. It wasn’t due to lack of self-control, or being lazy and unmotivated. I just couldn’t understand why I couldn’t lose or keep weight off.

Well, I was dieting. All well and great, right? Wrong. Because with dieting I have found a cycle of stages we often find ourselves stuck in.

I am sure you are reading this and you can relate. Whether it was a 30 day magic shake diet or a year long one. I am sure you have gained weight back, or have felt like you failed your diet.

Here’s a secret: Diets Don’t Work!

In fact, I am case in point that goes to show dieting can lead to disordered eating. Let me explain.

I spent most of my life hating my body. Here I am: overweight, unable to lose it, not understanding why I could work out and eat like other women and not lose, and being judged by a society that’s flooded with weight stigma and pressure to be thin. Yea, I disliked my body. And I wanted to change it. So I wanted to try anything to change it. ANYTHING.

Fun fact I didn’t know before my diagnosis of PCOS and my education and research: Most women with PCOS have insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes it extremely difficult to lose weight. (See my last post about this.) Also, high levels of insulin in the blood turn off the satiety trigger ( the feeling of being full) which leads to tendencies to binge.

Here’s the lethal combination:

PCOS making weight loss difficult+pressure from society to lose weight and be thin= birth of my eating disorder.

Did you know of all mental illnesses, eating disorders has the highest fatality rate? True story. But we aren’t here to discuss ED. Another day. Let’s get back to why we are here. The dirty word- Dieting.

This constant cycling of dieting to binge is disastrous on our bodies. The yo-yo dieting cycle causes higher insulin levels and higher inflammation levels in the body. With PCOS, you already are at a disadvantage with your predisposition to insulin resistance.

When insulin levels are high, so are carb cravings. Ever find yourself saying, ” I need some freaking bread or I’m going to hurt someone!!” ?You can thank your body insulin for being a raging bitch.

So what do some in the PCOS world suggest? GET RID OF ALL CARBS ! THEY ARE THE DEVIL!

Let’s slow down. We don’t want to break up with carbs before we have to, right? I wouldn’t. For most, removal of all carbs is not necessary and in some cases, unhealthy. For myself, when I abstained from carbs I found 3 things:

I was more likely to binge> raising insulin levels
I felt restricted and limited> lead to disordered eating tendencies
Continued my cat and mouse game with the cycle of dieting. ( see above.)

So what the actual heck do you do with PCOS if diets don’t work?

On my next post: The non dieting guide to PCOS

Originally posted 2016-11-01 21:23:50.

PCOS, Insulin Resistance and Carbs: The non scientist’s scientific explanation.

July 9, 2017 by coachshelby Leave a Comment

Listen. I hear every day from someone in some form about carbohydrates. I have waited a long time to post this discussion because it is such a hot button topic in the PCOS community. But before I talk about my thoughts and theories on Carbs and PCOS, I want to make sure everyone understands what they are, and how they work in our bodies.

Carbohydrates are one of your three major macro nutrients ( the others being fat and protein). Carbohydrates are found in foods including fruits, vegetables, grains, potatoes, pastries, and candy. Carbs are broken down into sugar, or glucose, by the body once they are digested. This, in turn, stimulates the release of insulin.

Here are some examples of how you may have heard carbs described:

healthy vs. unhealthy
good vs. bad
slow vs. fast
simple vs. complex

No wonder people get so confused!

However you want to describe them, you need to understand a little bit of the science of what they do in your body to understand which ones to eat.

Let’s talk about what happens when you eat carbs.

As carbohydrates are broken down and enter the bloodstream, they raise the amount of sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream. As you eat carbs, your blood sugar level rises, which activates the hormone insulin. Insulin’s job is to carry the sugar away from the blood to be stored

Insulin= Fat Storage hormone

Here’s where PCOS starts to come into play.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome interferes with the way a woman’s body uses the hormone insulin. This condition, known as insulin resistance, can cause a build-up of sugar-glucose in the woman’s bloodstream. Your body may not be producing enough insulin to meet needs, so some glucose can’t get into the cells. Glucose remains in the bloodstream, causing high blood glucose levels.

What does that mean for us and what the heck does it have to do with carbs?

The presence alone of insulin in the bloodstream sends message to body that extra fuel is available and goes into storage mode. You can’t be in storage mode and fat burning mode at the same time. The more “insulin sensitive” your muscles are, the more readily they will suck in sugar instead of having that sugar get converted to fat.

(PCOS lifehack : a great way to make your muscles more insulin sensitive? Strength training of course!)

Yum! Let’s talk food.

So we have said when you eat carbs, they are broken down into sugars. Women with PCOS often have insulin resistance, leading to elevated blood sugar levels. If your blood sugar is already elevated, and your body is in storage mode, intaking more carbs is bad, right?

Not exactly. Let’s go back to the types of carbs.

When you eat carbs, they are broken down at different rates. ( Carb breakdown rates are measured on the glycemic index.) Carbohydrates that cause your blood sugar level to rise rapidly are generally considered bad, or unhealthy carbs while those that are absorbed slowly and have little effect on blood sugar levels are considered good, or healthy carbs.

So back to the burning question…

This is where non scientist science lesson turns into my personal opinion after my education and working with so many women with PCOS…

My thoughts on carbs? Don’t let it overwhelm and confuse you. Simplify!

If you are eating whole, natural, unprocessed carbohydrates, you can consider them a good carb
If it was made in a lab or has been processed such as soda, candy, or white bread, it’s a “bad” carb, or better yet – not ideal. (I don’t like using the word bad for anything.)

There are a few other things I advise my clients to do when thinking about how and what carbs to eat. (That is for another post.) But here are my Coach Shelby carb rules.

What are your thoughts on carbs? What is your experience with carbs and PCOS?

Until next time!

Originally posted 2016-10-31 14:28:53.