Two Steps Forward, No Steps Back: My Health Focused Log

[UConnJulie]

Roland came up with a great title for my log, but I am not brave enough to use it. He suggested Snatched from the Jaws of Adrenal Fatigue, or: How I Stopped Whining and Quit Being a Puss in the Gym. I guess after the drama of that Adrenal Fatigue thread, I just didn’t want to attract any drama. (But thanks Roland for the great idea!! )

I’ve spent some time looking for a cool quote like Roland has in his new log that describes my plan in a succinct fashion, but to no avail. So you’ll have to deal with my ramblings …

So to those who are reading this, whether you believe in it or not, I have some serious health issues which have affected nearly every aspect of my life. My adrenal glands are not functioning optimally, and I am under the care of an MD who treats with lifestyle change recommendations and bio-identical hormones. She labeled it severe Adrenal Fatigue. Call it whatever you want.

I am seeing progress with my treatment, although it is slower than I would like, and I have come to the somewhat belated realization that as unhappy as I am with how I look, I NEED to make my health my number one priority, and that changes my plan somewhat. Getting healthy has become my number one priority … and that may mean that I gain some weight which does not make me happy, but if in the long run it means that I am healthy, then so be it. As my dear hubby states, more of me to love.

My doctor has told me to expect some weight gain as my body heals. She says that the weight will come off when my hormones are in better balance. But for now, focusing on fat loss will only dig me into a deeper hole with my health.

So, I am starting this new log as the focus of my journey is changing … no longer for fun challenging workouts, or fat loss … but for continually progressing my recovery in the right direction. Health focused. NOT taking three steps forward and two back.

Some things you will not see here …
1. Crazy strenuous workouts. Why? I love to do them, but they are one of the things that can set me back. How? By altering the balance between adrenaline and cortisol.
2. A super low carb diet. Why? I do feel good eating low carb, but there is some evidence when looking at hormone production, that very low carb upsets the adrenaline/cortisol balance. I will not be timing my carb around workouts because one of the things that helps to restore this balance is a balanced diet containing protein/real carbs/veggies/fats in each meal.
3. Any justification about my diagnosis. If you want to debate it, do it somewhere else.

So my plan is as follows …

DIET:

Balanced. Based upon principals set forth in Diana Schwarzbein’s book The Schwarzbein Principal II: The Transition. Other than generally counting my carbs and protein portions, I am not tracking anything. I will aim for 5 meals daily, but if I am hungry I will have a sixth. No specific cheat meals/days, but an OCCASIONAL deviation is okay. This is my health we're talking about, so it needs to be consistent and permanent.

1. 5-6 meals daily.
2. Mostly unprocessed whole foods.
3. Balanced meals only. (ie no protein only meals)
4. Protein is the foundation (2.5 oz/18 g per meal).
5. Healthy fats only, avoid damaged fats.
6. REAL carbs only (whole grains, legumes, starchy veggies, fruits) (20 g per meal)
7. Non-starchy veggies. Lots and lots of them. Aiming for 7 cups minimum.

TRAINING:

Too much stimulating exercise will set me back by using up the precious cortisol that I am making. So I need to lay off on things like HIIT and intervals. I need to incorporate more rest periods into my circuits/lifting program to make them more adaptive. I also need to incorporate more calming exercises like yoga, mobility work, and stretching. So this is my tentative schedule …

Resistance Training

• 30 minutes max, 3x per week
• Can include TRX, KB, DB, BB, GPP, BW stuff

Mobility Training

• Yoga 2x per week
• Mobility and stretching 3x per week
• Walking 1-2x per week

So … for now (this will somewhat change every 4 weeks … the exact exercise prescription is still in the works)

Monday=TRX and mobility
Tuesday=Yoga
Wednesday=KB and mobility
Thursday=Yoga
Friday=GPP/BW and mobility
Saturday=Walking
Sunday=off or walking

This will be a big change for me as I generally like my workouts to be strenuous and leaving me feeling like a wet noodle. For now this needs to change. It’s all about getting the hormones back in balance.

I also need to incorporate a better stress management plan. Now that Matt is back to work, I am alone a lot more and dealing with the kids solo a lot more. So Mama needs to chillax a bit.

1. Meditate DAILY!!! It takes less than 20 minutes and it will do me a world of good.
2. Do one thing each week just for me.
3. In bed nightly by 10:00 pm so that I can get the 8-9 hours of sleep that I need.

So, that’s my plan … nothing super exciting … kinda boring really … but I will be measuring progress by how my symptoms are and my labwork when I have it done. The main symptoms I will make note of are:
1. Fatigue
2. Bitchiness/moodiness
3. Cravings
4. Joint achiness
And anything else that crosses my mind …

I’ll just have to live vicariously through Jill and Tina’s crazy workouts!!

I have a tracker in the works ... to track my compliance with diet and exercise and meditation and sleep and also to track my symptoms ... I'll link it once it's done.

Thanks for stopping by ...

[RedWifey]

Now update your blog!!

Good focus, Jules! Find your mantra: "My health means more than my fat" or "I love my body!" (hehehehe) or "Giving my kids what they need: a healthy Mama" or something else and just keep repeating it! You'll do great!

[Lost Dog]

Nice. Looks like you got a good plan there.

And, there's plenty of time to use one of my log names later one. When you're not a puss anymore.

That woulda been one sweet log name. It had it all. Something for everyone. Snatch. Puss. Some contention. Some drama. It was rebellious. And, it was somewhat reminiscent of the title to Dr. Strangelove, a movie that can be quite inspiring to the health minded. In fact, here's a quote you might like. You know, since you've been lookin'

"Uh, so let's get going, there's no other choice. God willing, we will prevail, in peace and freedom from fear, and in true health, through the purity and essence of our natural... fluids. God bless you all" -- General Jack D. Ripper

[RobLL]

"Crazy strenuous workouts" et al, they can be fun, but looks like you really have thought out what you need to do. I will enjoy watching and anticipate your progress. Good luck. God bless.

[gobbla]

good luck

[Victoria]

Julie, I love your new log and the title...though I like LD's too. It sounds very positive and your philosophies and goals are very well thought out, indeed! This is all about you and your health right now. Even though you think you are scaling back with workouts, it still would blow away most of the general population. I would dare most people to try to keep up with you! I know the thought of gaining weight is a little unsettling for you, but what have you got to lose (no pun intended)? It's worth a try if it means getting you back to "normal" gain. You just have to trust the process and just keep taking care of yourself and it will come!

Originally Posted by UConnJulie

I’ll just have to live vicariously through Jill and Tina’s crazy workouts!!

Or you could just keep writing killer programs for the rest of us suckers!!!

Best of luck, Jules...we'll be with you the whole way!

[Egham]

You obviously put a great deal of thought into this and have developed what is , by all appearances, a solid program. Your title is excellent......far better than the incredibly insipid one I used after giving up my struggle to come up with something more creative and descriptive.

I will be watching your journey with great interest and will be right there with you as you continue to move forward. You've got a good solid base to start from and I'm certain, given your drive and determination, you'll achieve your goals.

[bigDman]

good luck Julie

[laurawd]

Hey Julie! Glad to see your new blog! Sounds like you're strong and ready to progress even further.

I had a question about your new program. A couple months back, we chatted briefly about our similar predicaments and adrenal fatigue. When I saw that your diet was very low in "real" carbs (whole grains, squash, etc.), I mentioned that Schwarzbein recommends that you don't cut out all carbs 'cause it's hard on the adrenal system. At the time, you said that your doctor and everything you'd read hypothesized that carbs in the form of vegetables were sufficient.

So I am just curious as to whether your doctor had a change of mind, whether you weighed what you read with what Schwarzbein has written and decided to go another path, or what?

Also, you mention that hormonal balance may be off. I guess you've had your sex hormones tested? Can I ask where the imbalance is? (Asking to compare it to my own imbalances.)

Thanks, and Very best wishes to you,

Laura

[UConnJulie]

Originally Posted by laurawd

Hey Julie! Glad to see your new blog! Sounds like you're strong and ready to progress even further.

I had a question about your new program. A couple months back, we chatted briefly about our similar predicaments and adrenal fatigue. When I saw that your diet was very low in "real" carbs (whole grains, squash, etc.), I mentioned that Schwarzbein recommends that you don't cut out all carbs 'cause it's hard on the adrenal system. At the time, you said that your doctor and everything you'd read hypothesized that carbs in the form of vegetables were sufficient.

So I am just curious as to whether your doctor had a change of mind, whether you weighed what you read with what Schwarzbein has written and decided to go another path, or what?

Also, you mention that hormonal balance may be off. I guess you've had your sex hormones tested? Can I ask where the imbalance is? (Asking to compare it to my own imbalances.)

Thanks, and Very best wishes to you,

Laura

Laura,

I guess in reading ALL of Dr. Schwarzbein's books I finally understand the science behind why she recommends carbs ... also going to her website and watching the videos of her on different talk shows explaining the whys of her recommendations. Really, 20 g per meal is next to nothing ... it's still only 100 g per day (not counting fibrous veggies) which is considered low carb (just not very low carb).

My doctor didn't specify the amount of carbs I am allowed to have ... she said that some people feel better eating very low carb and some do okay with some carbs. It depends upon whether he/she is insulin-sensitive. And I am, so some carbs are okay. The only stipulation she has is absolutely no sugar, otherwise she didn't really care if I eliminated non-veggie carbs ... she wants me to eat lots and lots of veggies. She did say that I might feel better with some carbs ... she wants me to go with how it makes me feel.

I KNOW my hormone balance is off ... but it is improving. When I had my saliva tests done the first time, every single hormone was out of normal range... I don't have my paperwork with me right now (we're away at our summer home) but estrogen was slightly low, progesterone was practically nil, DHEAS was very very low, cortisol was non-existent in the morning and very very low the rest of the day. The only hormone that was slightly above normal was testosterone. It has since dropped below normal too. My subsequent tests have shown improvement in all areas but still way below normal (my doctor DOUBLED my progesterone at my last visit to 400 mg daily which is a very large dose from what I understand). My free T3 is also low (while free T4 is normal) and she suspects that much of it is rT3 which the body cannot use. So I am also taking Armour Thyroid twice daily. No real change in some of those symptoms yet (my hair is still falling out for example) although I think my energy level is slightly better with it.

How have you been doing?

[galya]

Glad to see a log with a great focus Will be supporting you on the way! If you need any cooking ideas to incorporate carbs, I have become quite good recently!

[fitzy21]

good luck Julie

meditation is awesome - hope you have much success with it...you can learn a lot through it

[laurawd]

Hi Julie! Thanks for filling in on the hormones. Wow. So low! I'm glad you're addressing that. Strange about testosterone being high and then dropping off. Mine is subnormally low, and my estrogen is a bit low. But I'm still menstruating regularly, so doc isn't too worried about that. But I am taking estriol twice weekly and testosterone a couple times a week, also.

Funny about hormones. I have a good friend visiting me at the moment from the UK. She's 30. She asked about my recent doctor visits, and I said all my hormones are out of whack and all this stuff comes up as you get older. (I just turned 38). And she said, "oh. So you're telling me that I have all this to look forward to and it's all downhill from here?" I said hopefully she won't have to go through the same stuff. But I didn't even think about my hormones when I was 30, and now, all of a sudden, I'm like HEY, what are you guys doing?? !

Anyway, I really hope you see some good progress from this. I know it's tough. I'll be looking forward to reading about it. You sound so determined!

Take care and enjoy the rest of summer. I am jealous! (I live in Hong Kong, and it's always boiling here. And polluted to boot. )

Laura

[SpacecityPaula]

Okay... so I'm here a little late.... Looks like you have a good plan in place and a caring doctor to boot - that helps loads!

[lance02]

Good luck with your new plan Julie -- looks really solid.