As a teen, my relationship with my body was not so great. Despite being active and on my feet, I was never slim in my opinion.
As you may remember, this relationship with my body started in 6th grade (see that blog here). It is only natural that I wished my body looked like that of my peers. I hated my thigh size the most.
I was a size large when most of my age group was a size small or a medium. Adding spandex to the mix did not leave me feeling the best when it came to dressing for performances in school.
I allowed this frustration to lead me down the path of dieting and trying to “spot correct” my body. You know those thighmaster tools you used to see on info-mercials? Yea...I had one!
The positive in all of this frustration is that it did lead me to taking action. I tried and failed and kept at it.
While it did take me a lot of time to stumble, fall, and get back up, I kept redirecting. Including figuring out that I had PCOS was key in realizing that unlike most of my peers, this journey to feel good in my body was not going to be so simple.
I was going to have to change some of my perspectives as well as give myself some grace. In my youth, giving myself grace was not easy. Especially when I was comparing myself to others.
Having my PCOS diagnosis led me to a rabbit hole of figuring out what would work best for me. I was able to put myself on a fair playing ground. One that is much more complex than I first realized, but it helped being in a group of women that were more like myself.
As you go on a similar path, you will gather resources, people, and opportunities. Two mistakes many people make is we go for the “quick and easy but short term” result or we keep building up the pile of resources because we want it to be a perfect journey.
Imperfect, over time, action is necessary to utilize frustration and resentment to your benefit! Your journey will neither be perfect or quick and easy...real changes rarely are.
To create this action, we are naturally directed to utilize a tool called SMART. If you are not familiar it refers to Specific, Measurable, Accountable, Realistic, and Timely.
If I am real honest, the acronym makes me want to roll my eyes. For one, it does not always work. For two, it is so overused. For three, sometimes we do not always utilize it in a way that is most beneficial.
These loopholes and challenges can make you wonder why people set things up in this structure in the first place. Making lifestyle changes is not so ridge. So in this video, I run you through some tips and tricks to allow this format to be of service instead of frustration for you.
As you can see, making changes for a lifetime is more of a journey instead of a boxed acronym. Sometimes we forget these tools are guidelines instead of a strict method.
What we set to achieve does not have to be set in stone, but does require some inspiration, support, grace, and motivation. That is what gets us through the hard times. This is what gets us back up, opens the door to pivots and adjustments.
If reading this resonates with you and you would like to speed up your learning curve on thriving in your health, come join us in the Thriving with PCOS community. We have trainings in the guide section that will help you take action in determining which lifestyle adjustments will serve you best.
Though no matter what you decided about joining us, I wish you all a healing journey well traveled.
Terra
A girlfriend once told me, “I am not worthy of good health. Look at what I did to myself!” I looked her square in the eye and said, “You did not know what you did not know. Now you do and you are working to do something about it. That is what makes you worthy!”
There were a lot of tears over this conversation...from both of us.
There is a study that discusses PCOS patients diagnosis journeys. It states that 16 percent of PCOS patients were happy with the information and education that they received regarding their PCOS!
That seems like an extremely low number to me! How about you?
For this reason, I feel like we need to give ourselves grace. If you do not know that what you are eating, drinking, and using on your body are factors that make your condition worse, then how can you know what you are doing to yourself?
While, yes, I agree that many of us realize that a soda and fast food on the daily do not serve our bodies. However, if you did not know that your condition involved insulin resistance, then how can you know that you probably should do more than just take an oral medication?
There are many more interesting stats that come from that study. In this video on advocating for yourself, I reference more about that study.
I personally fell into the other 84 percent that was not happy with the information I received and education I was given.
To be honest, I am not upset by it. I am driven by it. To make sure that other PCOS women do not fall into the same issue, I have created a community. Helping PCOS women thrive with this condition and understand it, is a passion of mind.
If you fall into the 84 percent like me, come join us!
Your PCOS is not your fault. You are worthy of good health. The choice is yours.
Cheers to you!
Terra
Working in modern day medicine, I have become disenchanted with the way chronic and complicated cases are handled. As a woman working on her healing journey with PCOS, I feel like there is a better way.
There are a lot of things I have seen, but even with my working knowledge, I have even been treated in a similar way.
Have you ever been told to take a medication just because of your diagnosis?
I know I have! I was told to get back onto birth control.
I had regular cycles. I was told that because I had PCOS, it would be a good idea to get back on them.
This was 1 year post pregnancy and we were planning to have more children at that time. I was not educated on why it would be important, and my lab results did not show a need for it.
Maybe you have had this one happen to you too...my physician wanted to up a medication strength.
It was based on my weight...again post pregnancy. I had labs taken, but at no point were the labs considered in the decision making process. Had the lab results reflected the need for this, I would have complied.
To me, this sounds like textbook protocols. Last time I checked...which I can attest to as something that happens with orthopedic injuries...we are all made different. There is not one cookie cutter approach that works on all people.
After receiving my lab results, I knew I had to start doing my own homework on my PCOS!
Here are some more thoughts on the Bandage Approach…
My PCOS was not just an inherited condition I would have to live with for the rest of my life. I did not have to allow it to progress and become worse over time.
I did not need to be on these masking agents just to keep my symptoms at bay.
It was something that I could work on. I could make improvements by better understanding my body, what supports it, what hinders it, and how to get it to and beyond the wellness line.
Thereby improving my quality of life and becoming less symptomatic or even asymptomatic (being asymptomatic does not mean I am healed...I can go right back into the condition by going back to my old lifestyle).
Health is something that I hold a great value in. Something that we all deserve. It is something that many of us do not realize we can have.
It is simple to achieve, but it is not necessarily easy. I promise you, the alternate path is well worth taking. Your quality of life is waiting for you!
Allow me the opportunity to support you along the way. Here is a way to grab my free guide on how I Thrive with PCOS.
You are in the driver’s seat and should always be allowed to rip the bandage off when your body truly thrives!
You are worthy,
Terra
I love potatoes...like I am a third generation American from Ireland (father’s side)...love potatoes! So when summer time comes around, potato salad is a regular feature in our home.
However, in working to clean up the way that I eat a bit, I was in search of an alternative.
While potatoes are a great source of carbs, I was looking for a way to cut back on them a bit.
Again, nothing wrong with potatoes, and nothing wrong with carbs. For me, I needed this recreation of my favorite summer dish.
You can watch my son and I recreate this dish to see for yourself how it works.
Recipe
2 medium sized Cauliflower Heads
Oil of choice (for roasting cauliflower..we use Olive Oil or Avocado Oil)
8 to 10 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
4-6 hard boiled eggs
Salt and Pepper
21 Seasoning Salute (optional)
½ c Mayo (we use Primal Brand or make our own)
Random splash of Pickle Juice
½ c or more of Mustard
¼ c of Relish
Smoked Paprika (also optional)
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F
Chop up cauliflower into pieces and place on a parchment lined sheet pan
Drizzle oil over the cauliflower and season with salt, pepper, and 21 Seasoning Salute
Roast in oven for 30 to 40 minutes to desired roastedness...not a word, but it is today!
Cooking and crumble bacon
Chop up Hard boiled eggs (we love making ours in a instant pot)
Mix together all remaining ingredients but the paprika in a bowl
Once the cauliflower is done, allow it to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes
Once cooled, add cauliflower, bacon, and hard boiled eggs together in a bowl with your sauce
Mix until everything has an even covering of sauce
Then sprinkle paprika on top if you are choosing to use it
This recipe is great for anyone who is low carb, keto, Whole 30, or just looking for another way to enjoy cauliflower.
Whole 30 was the way I figured out what foods served my body and which ones did not. If Whole 30 is something you are considering, grab my free guide for 4 Reasons to Give Whole 30 a Shot.
Happy Eating!
Terra
There is so much advice out there am I right?
This person says give up dairy and gluten. The next says Keto. Another says eat Paleo. Go low carb. Or, kick all of those ideas to the curb and Intuitively Eat. Oh and do not forget to Intermittent Fast while doing all of this!
Which one do you do? Which one will work? Well the answer is they all work, but which one will work best for you. That is the key!
What worked for Sussie may not work for Samantha. We all have different types of PCOS, mental relationships with food, and dietary limitations.
This is why I am actually going to throw another idea into the ring of suggestions. Why am I doing this to you? Because it has been the most helpful tool in figuring out how to clean up the way my family eats and it helped me find foods that do not serve my body.
See if I were to do traditional Keto, my body would be in a world of hurt! I would conclude that the bloating and constipation I would experience would be enough reason for me to count that as a failure and quit.
If I went all Paleo, I would miss out on great fiber sources from legumes. I love green beans cooked in bacon you all, so that would be tough for me. Plus I make fantastic black bean brownies!
While I do believe there is something to the intuitive eating, just because I am craving that lasagna in front of me does not mean I should eat it because I am feeling it. I know my body does not do well with both gluten and dairy.
I do not believe followers of this style are saying eat things that do not serve you. They are just trying to rebuild a positive relationship with food. I am always down for that.
I just know for me, I have to have ground rules. For me, those Cheetos and Soda will never be on the menu! However, if I eat a couple of potato chips, I will not hate myself later.
Lastly, I am a fan of intermittent fasting. Though I know it is not for everyone.
I always suggest to people to take baby steps. Also if your body is telling you to eat that breakfast or dinner (depending on when you start and end your time off from eating), then you should probably eat at least something.
So why Whole 30? This video will break it down for you.
Does this sound like something you would be interested in? Would you like to test this out?
I am doing a trial run of Whole 30 which will be turned into a bigger challenge in August. Let’s test the waters together and see if this is doable for you.
Let's connect and I will send you a guide with reasons why Whole 30 is a critical tool to your PCOS journey.
Most importantly, I will also get you hooked up with a group to help support you through this process. Support is important when making potential lifestyle shifts.
Are you in?
Terra
