Yes, I am very bad at blogging. We all know this. Clearly, I'm also very bad about sticking to things I decide to do. We all know that, as well. So why am I blogging again? As you may have guessed from the title I gained 50 pounds since my last post! Can you really tell? No, not really, I carry it well and wear baggy clothes. But the scales do not lie. So what happened? Not making habits for one. Not sticking with it through the withdrawals for two. And for three, thinking, "Oh, well, a little sugar, or a little pasta won't kill me!" Boy was I wrong! Clearly, that was exaggerated as I am not dead, just 50 pounds heavier, despite exercise. So what exactly makes me think I can do it right this time? KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!
For women with PCOS the two main things you want to avoid is Sugar and Bad Carbs, ie...pasta, potatoes, bread, RICE, etc. Funny, I always considered white rice to be fine. For the last 4 months I have had ups and downs. But I have always eaten rice. It's a staple. Chinese people eat it all the time and have no problem. About a month and a half ago, Carlos and I watched about movie called Vegucated. We decided to cut out our meat, with the rare exception of some fish or chicken once a week. It started well enough but I was eating a lot of rice. And I mean a lot of rice. Not brown rice. White rice. The thing that creates a problem in women with PCOS is that we are insulin resistant. Our bodies can not eat sugar or bad carbs because it raises our blood sugar too quickly, then drops it. This causes an array of problems. Anyway, I was Hyvee the other day and I looked down at my cart. (Cookies, hawaiian punch, sour cream, cream cheese, some fish, and bread.) I decided to talk to the dietician, noting that I had gained 50 pounds, though apparently not concerned enough not to buy the crap in my cart. Normally a consult costs 40 dollars for a half hour but she agreed to walk around the store with me. I found out that they do sell the Maca Root Powder their which made me happy. Thankfully, she was very familiar with PCOS and was able to walk me through my cart. I began putting things back and was left with just the fish. I told her I loved rice and pasta and often had them with every meal. She asked if I was open to suggestions and I said I was. She first recommended Chia Seeds. Yes...just like Cha CHA Cha CHIA! They are really awesome! You can get a big jar for about 12 dollars. She also recommended that I do lots of fruits and vegetables. Mainly vegetables, but that I make sure I am getting plenty of protein. She recommended, the Chia Seeds, (excellent choice for protein), lentils, beans, fish, etc. Then she asked me if I had ever heard Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-WA). I said no and she took me to the correct aisle of their health food section. (It's also found in the normal aisles.) I bought a 2 pound back for about 10 dollars. (It's about 4.59 a lb but the grains are super small so you don't use as much.) It has a low glycemic index which is what women with PCOS should be watching for. (It's about a 51 as compared to white rice's 91). It is also a great source of protein, etc!!!! And guess what! It's super easy to cook and tastes incredible! Okay, maybe not incredible by itself, but if you pair it with stuff, it REALLY works! Tonight I was bored so I, sticking to my resolve not to eat sugar or bad carbs, boiled 2 pieces of chicken, made a cup of Quinoa (this makes 3 cups of cooked Quinoa so make sure you know how much you will be serving) and just a small handful of cheese and corn. (These are on the bad list but if you pair them with something like quinoa then they level each other out and keep your blood sugar from rising too fast.) I then burned some Annaheim peppers so I could peel off the skins. Once they were ready I slit them and cut out the seeds and layed them on a cookie sheet. I then "Stuffed" them with the mixture, sprinkled them with a little more cheese and baked them for about 10 minutes. They were mouthwatering with my salad. Though, I will admit I could only eat about half of my actual chile. I gave the rest of the actual chile to my husband, but stuffing the chiles gave the mix just the right bite! I am so happy I found this information. I will keep updating, now I have a reason to. :) Quinoa Queen Out!
