Newbie- with P.C.O.S. and Celiac Disease

[Size8Wannabe]

Hi There,

I have been lurking for a few days now since stumbling on this site. I am 41/female married with two children. This is my 2nd time trying Atkins but I feel that I am truly committed this time around. I first tried Atkins two years ago and it worked like a charm. I lost about 20 pounds but did not keep it off. The problem was two-fold: allowing myself to listen to nay-sayers who criticized Atkins' plan (including someone in my family who is a nurse) and just plain-old yielding to temptation to eat fruit and desserts. Eventually all of the original weight returned plus an additional ten pounds.

To make things a bit complicated, I am dually diagnosed with Celiac Disease and P.C.O.S (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I was in denial about the Celiac Disease for about ten years but finally got a diagnosis and have been wheat-free for several years now. I don't eat any bread but have occasionally given into a slice of pizza; it's just not worth it. The price I pay is too high so I'm pretty good about staying away from all wheat products . The P.C.O.S. was diagnosed at age 17. It was not easy for me to get pregnant but worth all the effort! I have many P.C.O.S. symptoms but am not as overweight as some P.C.O.S. women.

My temptation foods are: fresh fruit (constantly- I used to eat fruit 3-4 times a day), potato chips (when I first came home from work), ice cream (as dessert) and breakfast cereal (the non-wheat kind, breakfast and late night snack). I also enjoyed one Corona Extra beer with lime after work-----no more of that now. Giving up rice, potatoes, corn and other starchy veggies is a pretty easy for me. It is hard for me to watch my husband and kids eat my temptation foods. Sometimes I have to walk into the kitchen with blinders on and remind myself that I do not want to mess up Induction. However, I must say that my cravings are so low right now only 4 days into Induction that I am AMAZED! No cheats yet. Negative symptoms so far: feeling a bit antsy at times and trouble sleeping.

I have read Dr. A's Diet Revolution book from cover to cover and refer to it often. I have also educated myself about Celiac Disease and P.C.O.S. (through Dr. A's book and several books and internet sources). During my 1st pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes and my child was just over 9 lb. Every fasting glucose test I have taken since has been negative, however, I am thoroughly convinced that I am insulin resistant as Dr. Atkins discusses in his book; I have every symptom including the "apple shape." So far, I see no correlation between having P.C.O.S. and Celiac Disease. If you are aware of a link please share.

Everyone else in my biological family is thin. I have not been thin since age 20 when I was about 124 lb. Although I am on the tall side (5' 7") I am small boned and therefore feel my ideal weight is about 130, which is what I weighed ten years ago when I got married. I know that my BMI is not in the "Obese" zone (it's on the borderline for "Overweight") but I am "apple shaped" as mentioned, and always feel bloated. Before starting Atkins this time, I joined a gym and have been doing cardio and weight lifting an average of 2 to 3x a week for about a month. Yesterday one of the personal trainers in the gym gave me a big lecture about the dangers of low-carbing (she had asked what I was doing lately with workouts and diet). I am so tired of people criticizing Atkins when they don't have the facts and do not have experience with hormonal imbalance and insulin resistance. I have to remember to tune certain people out and instead focus on what I know: low-carbing is the only way for me. I saw a professional dietician at my local hospital a few months ago who confirmed that I am correct about this fact. Low-fat diets rarely help P.C.O.S. patients. Also, the heavier we get, the worse our symptoms become so it's a vicious cycle. I need to take care of my weight problem now before it's really out of hand.

Upon starting Atkins, my weight was 163 (dress size 12). It is now down to 155-158. Probably just water weight loss but still I am thrilled to see the change. I am considering joining the boot camp on this forum and for the last few days have read almost all of the postings under the P.C.O.S. section. Very happy to see that other "cysters" have had long-term success with low-carbing.

I look forward to being an active member of this board. If you are a P.C.O.S. cyster and/or Celiac sufferer, I would love to correspond! Please write. So far, I have never met someone like me who has both disorders.

Height: 5' 7"
Starting weight: 163; BMI 25.5 (Overweight but not Obese) size 12
Current weight 4th day of Induction: 158
Goal weight: 130 (perfect size 8 ) ; BMI 20.4
Pounds to lose: 28

Question 1: Does anyone know how to change the setting on Mozilla to allow a copy and paste from the tickerfactory.com site? I keep getting a message saying that I must change my Mozilla config file. I don't know what this is. Can't find it.

Question 2: Will the insomnia get better soon? What is the cause of the insomnia during Induction? What can I do about it? Normally, I sleep very well.

Question 3: Does anyone know of a link between P.C.O.S. and Celiac Disease?

[sillygirl]

Hey size 8. Welcome back to atkins and to this board! There is a PCOS forum on this board, have you checked it out yet:
http://www.atkinsdietbulletinboard.c...splay.php?f=59

Youve done it before, you certainly can do it again! Best of luck!

[courtney19]

Best of luck to you with this WOL, we're all behind you, keep us posted and hope to see you around!

Sorry I cant help about your disorders..

[sallyseachange]

Hiya and welcome aboard! Thks for posting such a comprehensive introduction. Sorry to hear your issues with PCOS and Celiac. As Silly says, you might hop over to the PCOS forum for some support there.

As for insomnia on induction... yes, occasionally people get a bout of this. It usually settles down after your body gets used to the new "routine" and you'll find you sleep better. Insomnia is a real pain, as I know from being a lifelong (well almost) sufferer.

Post lots and let us know how you're getting along!

EDIT

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