The facts:
I eat the following every work day: a) either a small plate of eggs and sausage or a large cup of oatmeal that I dump about half a cup of brown sugar in, b) either a bag of Fritos or Dorritos or a small can of Pringles, c) either Nutter Butters, Ferrero Rocher, See’s Candies or a small tub of ice-cream. In addition, I have whatever I’m craving that day for lunch and whatever Dean happens to make for dinner.
I do not engage in any form of physical activity whatsoever. Instead of walking to work (which isn’t far), I take buses and cable cars and use that time to check emails before getting into the office.
I currently weigh close to what I did on the day I graduated from high school back in 1993 which was 78 pounds. I’m 4’10”.
All that said, the point is that my body naturally became healthy the unhealthier I became. When I tried to lose weight, by running and working out and dieting and eating healthy, I couldn’t. But when I stopped trying, that’s when I became skinny. Is this explainable? Does this phenomenon make any sense?
A friend of mine told me that he started seeing a nutritionist recently because even though he swims all the time (trains daily and competes), he cannot shed a single pound. He said, in fact, he’s gained weight despite all his training. And no, it is not muscle because the guy is seriously pudgy. When he told me this, I wanted to blurt out, “Stop being active!” But I don’t have as good enough a friendship with him and didn’t want to hurt his feelings.
This year, I am committed to getting my body naturally healthy to conceive a child. I started by cutting out soda from my diet. That was the easy part. Pretty impressive, though, for someone who used to drink a Diet Coke a day.
Next up: eating healthy. That means:
No sugar – since sugar seems to play a role in my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) disorder
Consuming organic – since so much of what we eat has hormones that can really screw with your system
No alcohol – this will be a toughie
No caffeine – this will be easy
I’ve been told that being underweight may be prohibiting us from getting pregnant, or at least play a role in our difficulty. God, we both have a shitload of fertility issues. Here’s my concern: if I start eating healthy and cut out all the cookies and ice-cream and chips that I’m used to eating every single day, then I am going to be 70 pounds before you know it!
Ironically, women who have PCOS tend to be obese. Even my doctor said, “Well, looks like you are the rare skinny person who has PCOS.”
How am I the rare anomaly on 2 fronts.
1) I’ve gone against the grain when it comes to my hormonal disorder. I should be fat, yet I’m skinny.
2) I am the most disgusting eater (often asking waiters “What is the most caloric thing on your menu?”), yet I’m skinny.
Any health experts or nutritionists want to help me understand?
Blond Duck
Popped in from SITS! I totally understand. I’m a 28 year old writer and we’re trying for kids and they’ve told me I have everything from PCOS to hypthalmic annemorhea. I quit being as active and gained 5 lbs and the few periods I was having stopped. I’m so frustrated!
Catherine
Hi Miranda, I’ve been meaning to respond to you. Sorry it took me so long. It helps to read comments like yours, it makes me feel less alone. The weekly acupuncture appointments, the multitude of pills, vitamins and herbs I pop on a daily basis, and the high expense of everything is starting to take its toll. Probably contributed to me getting the flu! I can’t remember the last time I had the flu. Too much stress, a depleted immune system, and exhaustion. Thinking good thoughts for you and conception 🙂