Hey, Cyster!

As I've mentioned a few times in my previous posts, I have been on a journey to improved health, which has made a gigantice impact on my day-to-day life, and which I am very grateful for.  I keep referencing my "Cyster Diet," but I know not everyone knows what that means, so I thought I'd explain just a bit.

I'm pretty sure everyone who knows me (and I don't think any strangers read my blog, lol) knows that I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS.  I've always been very open & vocal about it, sharing my struggles & explaining it to anyone who cares to learn more.  So, just to summarize: PCOS is a hormonal disorder, which most commonly causes infrequent/prolonged menstrual periods, which are often anovulatory, and/or excess male hormone levels.  The ovaries fail to release eggs, which can form small pockets of fluid in those follicles - those are the cysts that give PCOS its name.  Other symptoms include infertility, gestational diabetes or pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, miscarriage or premature birth, high blood pressure, high blood sugar / type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, sleep apnea, depression & anxiety, and even endometrial cancer!  The tricky part about PCOS is that the exact cause of it is unknown, and there is no cure.

Because there is no cure, a lot of doctors just use "band aid" treatments to cover up the most egregious symptoms - most of the time, this means putting the woman on hormonal birth control to "regulate" the cycles, and telling her to lose weight (which is extra challenging due to the hormonal issues at play).  There's been a huge increase in PCOS research over the past few years, though, so I have high hopes for a cure soon, and in the immediate, there's a lot of helpful info for really treating or "reversing" the symptoms!

About 6 months ago, I stumbled across the first piece of exciting research: a study showing that going dairy-free lessens the symptoms in PCOS sufferers (AND calms a different, unrelated dermatological issue I deal with, to boot!).  Basically, dairy products stimulate Insulin Growth Factor, which raises the body's insulin levels.  Normal bodies can handle this; PCOS bodies cannot, because we are "insulin resistant."  This is really new information, and a lot more research has to be done to really "prove" it.  But the correlation was enough to inspire me to try it, so despite my love affair with ice cream, I went dairy-free in August.  The dermatological condition went away within a month, which gave me hope that the change was positively affecting my PCOS as well, but I continued looking into what else I could do.

In late September, I came across a website that changed.  my.  life.  The PCOS Nurse is a woman named Amber who is a registered nurse (and a personal trainer), as well as a PCOS sufferer (she uses the term "cyster," get it?), who used a diet change to reverse her PCOS symptoms, lose weight, and get pregnant naturally.  Most doctors/nutritionists/fellow-PCOS-ladies-on-the-internet will tell you that the best diets for PCOS are low-carb, like South Beach, Atkins, or Keto.  And, following this idea, I had been doing a high-protein / low-carb plan my mom follows for her diabetes.  It was ok, but I wasn't really losing weight or feeling any better.  So, after reading Amber's website and seeing how successful so many of her clients were, I dove in head-first, all-in on this new "Cyster Diet."

The Cyster Diet is based on the idea that it's not important to be low carb, but that it's more important to choose the right carbs - whole grains, fruits, etc.  And, most importantly, it is dairy-free (which I was already doing), and meat-free.  Both dairy & meat contain hormones, which mess up my already fragile endocrine system.  Even organic, non-GMO, "hormone free" products still have the naturally-occurring hormones from the animal, and even those small levels can affect a PCOS sufferer.

I started this dairy-free, meat-free, plant-based whole foods diet October 1st, and felt the amazing benefits within just a week or so!  My skin was clearer, I wasn't as exhausted/lethargic all the time, and the pounds started melting off.  I was nervous that going essentially vegan was going to be too tough for me, but boy, the tangible results were just so motivating!

The most important thing, more than any weight loss, is how this change in lifestyle has reversed my PCOS symptoms & helped me have a regular, ovulatory menstrual cycle - for the first time in my life!  After just 2 months of the diet, I had normal periods, with appropriate hormone levels, confirmed ovulation, and sufficient luteal phases.  And they've been regular ever since, 4 months in a row now!  Just typing that made me teary-eyed, I swear... it's just so damn amazing!  I am definitely staying vegan for the long-haul, as I just feel so much better, and I am healthier than I have ever been in my life!