So I’ve been at my BIC Syndrome makeover challenge for almost two months now, and I thought it was about time I give you the promised update. To be honest, I’ve been putting off doing so, because it has been way more of a challenge than I anticipated…and frankly, I’m not impressed with my results so far.
But — and that’s an important but — I’m not giving up. In fact, I’m more determined than ever (turns out there’s a useful side to my stubbornness after all, lol!). I am also, however, substantially tweaking my approach. Here’s why.
After six weeks on a diet of 1200-1400 calories a day, I found myself fatigued, cranky, sleep-deprived, and generally miserable. The insomnia that had plagued me these last couple of years (related to hormonal changes, I’m told) had become unrelenting; I wanted a nap every day and was ready for bed at 7:00 every night; my exercise efforts were slowly falling by the wayside as my energy levels spiralled ever downward; and I was hungry. All. The. Time. (I suspect that’s what was making me cranky, and yes, I’ve apologized to my husband. 😉 )
I might have been willing to tolerate feeling that way if I’d seen results, but to add insult to injury, the scale had barely budged. Clearly, I was doing something my body wasn’t on board with. So off to Google I went…and I came up with a two-pronged plan that I’m going to try for the next 30 days.
- First, I’ve started taking thyroid and adrenal support supplements. According to the research I did (and a blood test done by my doctor), I suspect I have a slugglish thyroid. What does this mean? In a nutshell, my thyroid test results fall within “normal” as dictated by doctors, but I still have all of the symptoms of a low thyroid (and I’m not willing to accept the medical verdict that this is all just a part of getting older). Canadian health and nutrition researcher Lorna Vanderhaeghe has written several excellent articles on the topic, one of which you can find at Vista Magazine.
- Second, I’m a huge proponent of using nutrition to improve health, and so I’ve taken on the Whole 30 challenge for eating. Whole 30 is basically an extreme version of clean eating, and it promises a wealth of benefits, including improved sleep, less joint/muscle pain, more energy, and much more. So now, instead of starving myself, I’m eating huge quantities of fresh vegetables, lots of quality proteins, healthy fats, and some fruit. No sugar, no additives, no dairy, no grains, and no legumes (beans, peas, peanuts). While this may sound tough, I’m actually adapting very well to it for three reasons: (1) I was already eating grain-free, low dairy, and mostly sugar-free; (2) it’s a sheer joy to eat something other than salads and zero-fat yogurt; and (3) amazing bloggers such as Melissa Joulwan make it easy to get started by posting things like a weekly whole-meal plan.
Now, I know I can’t realize my fitter, healthier-me goals without the exercise component, but I’ve had to admit that launching myself into too many things all at the same time may not have been the smartest way to go about things. So until my energy levels improve through diet and supplements, I’m willing to compromise…and to exercise smarter rather than harder. To this end, I’m keeping my daily walks with Giant Dog (he’d never forgive me if I gave those up!), and I’m trying the 30-30-30, a negative resistance training plan designed by Ellington Darden that requires me to do my weight training just twice a week. I’m also keeping some yoga in my routine, because that just feels plain good. 🙂
So there you have it: the BIC Syndrome Challenge, take 2. Now, who’s with me? Because we can totally do this, right? Right?? 😀
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