She-Groks Only.......... cuz it works different for us page 9

[mamacaz]

Hi there Ladies!

Great idea for a thread. I've only joined up recently but have been reading and learning for quite a while now and have been feeling a little disengaged from much of the discussion around the boards as it really doesn't apply to my body/situation.

I'm 40, SAHM to two DDs - 6 and 3. I have been a sugar burner my whole life with a racy metabolism so have been able to eat anything and really not worry. However, my mental health suffers badly with high carbs and unless I eat constantly my blood sugars plummet and all hell breaks loose. About 10 yrs ago I switched to a high protein/low GI diet which developed into organic whole foods etc and was really well and fit. Then after my first child was born I got sucked dry and shed loads of muscle and (I suspect) bone density. I still 'ate well' but with a hugely needy breastfeeding (3yrs - 12mths exclusive) baby/child my weight went right down and energy levels with it. So sugary/starchy snacks became my go to foods.

Went vego for ethical reasons for almost 2 yrs and got fat and anemic then surprise pregnancy with DD 2. Horror pregnancy inc pelvic instability so bad I was in a wheelchair for the last month. And since then (3yrs) more b/feeding, cosleeping and snacking on all the chocolate and quick pick me ups I can find. Have put on 5kg that makes my Dr happy (I'm at 62kg, 170cm - hang on will convert that... 5'7" and 136lbs) but its bloody FAT and that $Hit$ me beyond all because it looks crap (on my thighs and waist) and I don't have the muscle to shift it. I have terribly low Vit D and iron is just hanging in there. I'm terrified of developing a thyroid disorder like my mum has.

So when I read about PB it made perfect sense and after a month I am feeling very good (lmore energy and no cravings) but can't see any improvement flab-wise (don't own scales). The description of 'skinny-fat' is exactly me - my friends protest that I have 'nothing to worry about' but if your clothes are not fitting right then it doesn't matter what the size label says. And if you're weak and flabby you feel crap when you look in the mirror even if you look OK in clothes.

Zoebird is SO right - I have just had this with my last period and ate some crap chocolate that I don't even like but this week didnt even touch the Ferrero Rocher yummies my DH brought home.

I think for me I will be interested to hear how mums manage to fit exercise stuff into their days. It would be nice to be a young single male but I'm tipping that won't be coming my way THIS lifetime! We walk to school (6kms for me each day) but I don't do anything else. I need to start off easy coz my joints/ligaments are dodgy as (esp my SI from the pregnancy). Would LOVE at PT but can't afford the $$ or time right now.

Anyway, nice to meet you all and looking forward to getting to know you and being inspired!

[StarryEyedSarahJ]

Regarding yeast infections and garlic....

My friend swears by crushing a few cloves of garlic and putting them inside a panty liner with the inside "gel/absorption" stuff ripped out. She wears it to bed and around the house for a couple of days (changing the garlic once a day). She says it usually starts clearing up after just one night. I've never had a YI, but it seems terrible so I'm glad to have this easy and cheap method to try if it ever happens!

[sbhikes]

Mamacaz it sounds like you've been nutritionally deficient for a really long time. It may take a long time to build your bones and muscles back up. You probably get enough exercise chasing after your kids, so I wouldn't worry too much about it until you find yourself wanting more exercise. Keep your protein up and let the nutrients work on you for a while. A month isn't very much time. I didn't see any change for a month and was pretty bitter and disappointed and certain I must have hormonal problems. I think now that I'm perfectly healthy and just impatient.

[kkratz57]

Hi!

I'm 38, mother of two (a ten year old and a 15 mo old). 5'10", 215lbs. "Big Nordic Frame" body type.

I'm back on MDA after a stop/start/stop/start primal journey.... figured I'd chime in after lurking around a bit.

Been primal for 14 solid days now, with a couple 'cheats' here and there (mochas, chocolate...). I feel as though I've finally figured things out a bit more, and the keys to my success have been to have no alcohol of any kind, and to actually track the carbs I've taken for granted.

I had an 'a-ha!" moment a couple of weeks ago as I looked at the # of carbs in my favorite Trader Joe's vanilla yogurt, and realized I was well into the 200+ mark. Also realizing that I was drinking about 2k worth of calories of wine in a week.... Not good! The worst part was my moods, holy crap, I was going from giddy to morose in a matter of minutes. Both sides of my family have a long history of alcoholism and depression - GEE I WONDER WHY! The two go strongly hand in hand. Add sugar and excess carbs and it's a time bomb. I can easily eat tons of meat and vegis and more 'real' foods, but throw in my 'I've been a good girl today, I think I'll have some wine' sessions (after having a mocha at 3pm) and I packed the lbs around my waist and upper hips.

The first few days were so rough, I actually felt physically ill. Night sweats, the whole bit. Then I made a great discovery - I actually could drink my morning espresso without sugar! And it tasted wonderful (found a great local roaster). That was a breakthrough, as sugary coffee drinks have been a staple of mine for years. For some reason that was the last wall that crumbled for me as far as habits go. (then I discovered bulletproof coffee and things got even better). I was associating the 'no sugar' with 'huge change' and for some reason it was freaking me out in a bad way. I thought 'I can never do this'. Silly now that I think about it.

After that I read more about the Leptin Reset - which I won't attempt until I'm primal for at least a couple more months. I'm ovulating and have been dreaming about hot, fresh, crispy french fries for several days now. The german dill pickles from Trader Joe's get rid of that salt craving though!

I'm not in this to lose a ton of weight on the scale, I just want to be in control of my 'temple'. I don't mind if the scale reads 190lbs, as long as I've got the muscle to show for it - which I can easily do, as lifting heavy things is one of my favorite things to do. However I could never truly master my mind, moods, or cravings with out drastically altering my sugar and alcohol intake. For now I'm keeping the workouts to a minimum to let my body heal. I love exercising and working out, but always did it in order to eat or drink more. Not good.

One note as far as 'girly' stuff goes - yesterday I had one of my 'cheat' mochas, prob. about 50g of sugar by itself - and I felt it quickly. I got bloated within an hour, and my uterus felt tender and sore. I've never had female problems in the past, but I'd noticed that towards my periods this was happening more and more aside from the usual cramps. I thought it was just from the glories of A.G.E. and such. But it persisted after I had my second daughter and I knew it had to be my diet, I just decided to ignore it.

I can't wait to see how things feel after a few months. I've already noticed a change in my body mass, even though I've only gone from 217 to 215 lbs. My legs lean out first, then my arms, and lastly my waist. But I can see it in my face and neck. I'm going to take before pics tonight so I have reference for the future.

Keep up the great work, ladies!

That's exactly the way I lose weight!!! I always look like a freaking bowling ball until the waistline catches up. And yes, I'm trying to conquer my beer tooth (much like your wine tooth). ...

[zoebird]

i have a three yr old. Dh and i go to the park with him once a week and alternate who does sprints (i watch DS, DH does sprints; DH watches DS and I do sprints). DH does his body weight training in the am before DS wakes up. I do mine mid-day when i'm in the office.

our lifestyles are overall active, too, which helps.

[Redflame]

Great thread, I read it when it was first posted, and someone jumping in saying women did not need their own thread....I thought it was going to get ugly so I avoided the thread.......(some people can be so rude) BUT I just had to read through it and theres such great support here!

(Also I am just amazed with the whole garlic thing? Who originally decided to try to use a clove of garlic as an 'insertable' medication substitute?? Made me want to make a joke about birthcontrol for those dating vampires.....but I decided not too LOL)

So 46 yr old here, 2 teen age kids, full time worker (50 hours a week) I did Primal in 2010 for 4 months and did pretty well, then fall hit and my vitamin D levels were not built up yet and I crashed, gave up on everything, gained the weight back.......and here I am.
We are technically starting the first of the year, but we are ramping up right now. When I say we I mean the whole household, although my 19yr old will buy some of his own food which will be junk laden!

[namelesswonder]

^Don't knock supplementing Vitamin D! I started off taking 10,000 IU daily for a month and then moved down to 8,000 IU (8 drops from my liquid VitD bottle). I'll move down to 6k starting in January and should be getting my levels re-tested around then too. I was very very low so I started at a high dose to build up my reserves. I DEFINITELY notice the difference because rainy days don't bring down my moods anymore!

I think I effectively kicked Seasonal Affective Disorder in the butt.

BTW My YI slowly fizzled out over a few days after my original postings about it. I took Diflucan from my doctor and continued with the probiotics (orally). My doctor said there actually wasn't much that showed up under the microscope, but I was very red (and VERY itchy). I'm wondering if it was a reaction with a detergent plus a YI?

[Redflame]

could easily be a detergent issue. Even if you had not changed anything, if the laundry load was especially heavy and the undergarmets did not get rinsed properly it could cause a serious issue!

Vitamin D is a huge issue for me, especially since I have had skin cancer I am dont allow myself to be out in the sun for very long any more.

[sbaquera]

I just joined this forum today and found this thread a really interesting mix of what other women are doing. I am 33 and a stay at home mom to a seven year old DS whom I also home school. I keep fairly active as we live in Arizona right now and spend about an hour outdoors almost daily. I have been experiencing issues with cold uticaria (basically I get hives when I get cold.....weird I know). After tons of research on the internet it seems some people have had some relief by cutting out gluten from their diets so I figured what the heck I will give it a try. I have eaten lower carb for about six years, but now have cut out anything that has to do with gluten and will stick with whole foods. I have been at this for a week now and actually notice I am not so tired at night, but I know I will have to give it much longer to see if it has any effect on the hives.

I currently weigh 143 and would like to drop down to about 130 as I am 5'4".

[Sanctus Real]

Mamcaz - You must excuse me. I've been MIA on this forum for quite a few days. Christmas, and I have 2 kids on holiday right now. I'm sure you understand, lol.

You and I are alike in many ways. I just turned 40, too, and I have 2 DDs, but they're 5 and 7. You did a little better in spacing them out than I did! I'm also a reformed vegetarian, except I did it because I thought it was healthier. No ethical issues for me. But, I also had zero muscles when I started this, because I was injured in a car accident years ago (was comatose for a couple weeks, spent months in hospital) and never worked at getting my muscles back after.

My children are both in school right now, but I'm planning on schooling them at home next year, so I've put a lot of thought into how I'm going to continue working out, and I've been experimenting with different ideas on breaks from school. What's worked best for me so far is finding a gym with child care, lol. But, when child care is closed, I've found ways to work out at home around my kids.

It's fairly simple, get them started on an activity, and even if I need to be there to supervise, I can fit in the 5 EMs while they do their thing. I'll get their papers out for painting, do a quick set of push-ups behind their chairs, work with them a little, do an exercise, then work with them again, etc., until my workout is complete. The only thing I can't do at home right now is pull-ups, because I don't have a pull-up bar yet, but I'm planning to put one in the doorway of the room where they'll be doing their lessons, and I should be able to fit those in while they're working on school work. And everything will be shiny and happy. I hope, lol!

For MS, I plan to include the girls, and I think we can all have fun that way. Playing tag, taking them to a local park to hike for an hour, practicing yoga, which are all things that they've done with me in the past, so I'm pretty sure they won't have issues with it. Crossing my fingers, anyway!

sbaquera - I hope that dropping gluten does it for you. Going gluten-free has help many members of my family with various health issues, but it takes time for your body to repair itself from the damages grain can do. Give it a month to 6 weeks, and you'll probably be like my husband. My initially unenthusiastic but desperate husband. He used to suffer from chronic migraines. At the end of a month, I asked him to assess his experiences, he said that he'd been getting fewer migraines (he's been migraine-free for awhile now), but even if it hadn't helped them, he'd still want to eat grain-free, because he felt so much better.