FertilehealthyAiming for success, not perfection…

I’m loving the Fab Fatties’ Challenge and had an awesome first day…  Something that really adds value to my day is getting up from the computer around lunch time and going for a quick walk.  I try to time it to when the sun breaks through the clouds so that I can at least get some sunlight on my skin.  This little mini-break  gets the blood pumping and stretches out the muscles.

I’ve been enjoying the aqua aerobics classes enormously and thought that since I’m already in the pool five days per week, I should start swimming.  What does it matter if I can only do half a length right now?  If I keep working at it, I’ll be able to do a full length in no time.  And then two lengths, three, four, ten, twenty, etc.  You have to start somewhere!

I had a good laugh in the aqua class yesterday.  I think there’s a general perception that this is just some “old lady and fat people thing”.  Well, yesterday two buff young men joined us “old ladies” and they groaned and gasped more than we did!  They said afterward that they’d never realized how hardcore this form of exercise was.  Interspersed with my swimming, I’m going to be jogging some extra lengths as well.  So much less jarring than on land!

When we visited my parents my parents on Tuesday, my sister asked me to help her work out her husband’s BMI.  He’s going for a shoulder operation and if his BMI is over 35, the anesthetist charges almost double the normal rate.  I knew he wouldn’t be over 35, but I was surprised to see that he was at 30!  My dad, who looks great, also has a BMI of 30.  My husband, who’s the fittest of us all, measures 32, but he’s short and muscular.  My sister was about 29 and my mom 26.   This made me rethink my “goal weight”.  A weight of 155 would bring me to a BMI of 22.5.  That just seems very unrealistic, especially if you take the size of my frame into consideration.  I’m an Amazon!  So, I’ve adjusted my ticker to show a goal weight of 165, which would give me a BMI of about 24.  But once again, this is not cast in stone and I don’t think that BMI is the final word on this issue.

The beauty of the way of I live now, which is most emphatically NOT A DIET, is that my body gets to decide when it will stop losing weight.  I’ll be eating like this for ever.  There is no maintenance, just living a healthy life, doing exactly what I’m doing now, which is nourishing myself with fresh, whole foods – 99% plants – and taking care of myself by exercising, sleeping, sunning and avoiding toxins.  I’ve already done the hard work, which is making the change.  From here it’s up to my body to adjust, detox and heal.  I trust the process completely!  I’m no longer at war with my body.

My period started this morning, with nary a symptom.  Remember to check in for next Friday’s Fertile Friday post – Explaining Estrogen Dominance: Part 3, where I will tell you how I managed to overcome those nasty PMS symptoms.  I’m not even bloated and weighed less on the scale today than yesterday!  And I used to suffer really badly before…

I’m very sad right now…  This morning 55 pilot whales beached themselves on Kommetjie Beach, not far from where I live.  The National Sea Rescue Institute, marine biologists and volunteers have been trying for hours to get them back in the water and keep them alive.  They just beach again.  I’ve just heard an unconfirmed report that they’re going to start euthanizing them, which is beyond tragic, but unfortunately inevitable.

Skinny Latte had an awesome post yesterday -  A Mirror We Should All Have.  If you’re feeling a bit down and need some fresh perspective, this is the post for you!

And, finally, if you’re a blogger and you’re not twittering, you’re missing out on a whole lot of fun and interaction!  Get thee to twitter post haste and let the weight loss community come alive for you!  But first leave a comment – also known as some bloggy love!

PS.  Have a great weekend!  Hope it’s warmer where you are!

Now that we know what estrogen dominance is, let’s take a look at what causes this all too common, disruptive and ultimately dangerous condition.

Estrogen dominance can present in two ways and they usually go hand in hand:

Too little progesterone

In women, progesterone is made by the corpus luteum (the area from which the egg was expelled) after ovulation has occurred.  After menopause this function is taken over by the adrenals.  In men progesterone is made in the testes and adrenals.

When an egg is fertilized it secretes a hormone known as hCG (human Chorionic Gonadotrophin).  This hormone ensures that the ovary continues to make large quantities of progesterone to prepare the uterus for pregnancy.  Progesterone matures the endometrium (womb lining) so that the fertilized egg will be able to implant and form a placenta, which will then also start producing progesterone.  It is this vital role in promoting pregnancy that gives the hormone its name – “pro” meaning in favor of, and “gestation” meaning pregnancy.

An ever-increasing number of women do not ovulate.  This leads to a progesterone deficiency, resulting in a month-long exposure to unopposed estrogen with all its attendant side-effects.  In addition to that, women today spend far less time pregnant than their ancestors did, which further deprives them of adequate progesterone over the course of their lifetime.

There is also a clear link between progesterone loss and stress.  Stress, combined with a bad diet, can induce cycles where ovulation does not occur.  The consequent lack of progesterone interferes with the production of stress-combating hormones, worsening stressful conditions that give rise to further anovulatory cycles and thus the vicious cycle continues.

Too much estrogen

Another major factor contributing to this imbalance between estrogen and progesterone is the industrialized world we now live in, immersed in a sea of chemicals.  They are in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink and wash in.

These chemicals are called xeno-estrogens and they have the uncanny ability to mimic natural estrogen. This allows them to be taken up by the estrogen receptor sites in the body, where they seriously interfere with natural biochemical activity.

Let’s take a look at the sources of these xeno-estrogens and how we are exposed to them.

• Pesticides sprayed on fruit, vegetables and grains.
• Commercially raised meat.  These animals are fed hormones that mimic estrogen in our bodies and antibiotics (25 million pounds per year in the USA) that disrupt our hormones.  This serves to promote rapid growth – it now takes only six weeks to grow a chicken to full size, instead of the usual four months – and keep the animals alive (but not healthy) in the confined spaces allotted to them on factory farms.  The synthetic hormone DES (Diethylstilbestrol), given to women in the 1950′s and 1960′s to (ineffectively) prevent miscarriage, with cancerous results, is still widely used in the meat industry as a feed supplement to put weight on animals before slaughter.  Furthermore, the feed of these animals has been heavily contaminated with pesticides.  These substances are highly fat-soluble, not biodegradable or well excreted, and accumulate in the fat tissue of the animals. Take into account that, just as we have hormones coursing through our bodies at all times, so do the animals we eat.  So when we eat animal products of any kind, we are ingesting hormones that will upset our own delicate hormonal balance.
• Commercially raised dairy.  Our mammary glands are glands of excretion, which is why we have to be so careful what we eat when we breastfeed our babies.  Similarly, what the cow ingests will show up in her milk. Apart from the pesticides and antibiotics from their feed and the cows’ own hormones, dairy cows are given rBGH, an artificial hormone developed to stimulate dairy cows into producing more milk.  Pasteurization does not remove any of these xeno-estrogens.
• Freshwater fish, coastal fish and large deep-sea fish.  These all have high concentrations of pesticides.  The safest fish to eat are small cold-water fish.
• Exposure in utero.  When a pregnant woman is exposed to toxic chemicals that resemble estrogen her female baby may incur damage to her ovarian follicles, which are extremely sensitive to toxins.  This problem may only become apparent years later when she reaches puberty and experience fertility problems.
• Petrochemical compounds.  These are found in general consumer products such as creams, lotions, gels (petroleum gel), soaps, hair spray, cosmetics, sunscreen, room deodorizers, even candles wax and in exhaust fumes from cars.
• Solvents and adhesives such as those found in nail polish, nail polish remover, glues, dry-cleaning chemicals, varnishes, paints, cleaning products, carpet, processed wood and paint removers.  These can be absorbed through the skin and accumulate in our fatty tissues.
• Virtually all plastics, including soda and water bottles, baby bottles, food wrap, Styrofoam and toys.
• Industrial waste such as PCBs and dioxins.
• Synthetic estrogen from HRT and birth control pills that is flushed down the toilet and eventually finds its way back into the water supply.

Obesity also has a profound effect on estrogen levels in the body as estrogen is produced in the fat cells.

Poor diet is also a major contributor to estrogen dominance.  Not only can it cause problems with the body’s pH balance, but it can lead to vitamin B6 and magnesium deficiency, which interferes with the neutralization of estrogen in the liver.

Caffeine consumption has also been conclusively linked to excess estrogen.  Research has shown that women who consumed more than one cup of coffee per day had significantly higher levels of estrogen during the early follicular phase of their menstrual cycle.

Since the liver is the organ that removes estrogens, a weak or sluggish liver may lead to their accumulation.

If by now you’re thinking that the modern world is out to kill you, you may not be far from wrong! But there is a lot we can do to limit our exposure and exacerbate these factors, so prepare to be empowered next Friday!

I went back to gym today after recovering from my cold.  I was supposed to go yesterday, but sabotaged myself.  Some old habits are hard to kill, like that guy in Die Hard who stumbles out of the building with murder in his heart, after being beaten and hung by his neck from a chain.   Every time I see that scene I think, “Only in the movies…“  Shows you how much I know, because nasty habits have a knack of doing the same…  But fortunately I nipped this sabotage thing in the bud.  Yippee-ki-yay!

I've always had a soft spot for Bruce.

But I digress.

Today I went to aqua aerobics class.  I mentioned before that this class is hardcore, unlike the classes at my previous gym.  We really work hard and half the time I’m struggling to keep my head above water, breathe and follow the instructions at the same time.  But I love this class!  It is so much fun and incredibly rewarding.

This morning there were only four of us in the class.   Must be the rain.  One of the older ladies, a regular,  is very slow and hesitant, but she does try.  She really struggled with one particular exercise this morning, but eventually she got it right.  Ruth, the instructor, praised her profusely, to which she laughed self-deprecatingly and said, “But I only really did two strokes“.  I chimed in and said, “But tomorrow you’ll do four strokes!  That’s how we all progress.”

That was Lesson #1:  We each progress at our own rate.  We are not competing against one another, we are challenging ourselves.

When I got out to of the pool I thanked Ruth and told her that I had missed the class while I was ill.  She replied that she’d wondered where I was and that she’d missed me.  Then she paid me a huge compliment.  She said she really loved having me in her class, because I give my all.  I jump as far as I can, or as high as I can, lunge as low as I can and try my best with everything and she greatly admires my enthusiasm and determination.  She said that she will help me in any way possible when it comes to training.  We ended up having a lovely conversation and I told her how much I admire her energy and physique.

Lesson #2 was:  Enthusiasm goes a long way.  Always try harder.  And smile.

After that I sat in the steam room for a while, where I was joined by a lady of more or less my age.  Her body wasn’t perfect, she had a flabby belly and some loose skin, but later when I saw her dressed she looked fabulous.

Lesson #3 was:  You don’t have to have a perfect body to look good.

All in all I’d say I had a very productive morning!

PS.  You have until midnight tonight to sign up for the Fabulous Fatties’ Challenge.  This is a good one, since it rewards your habits and behavior and not only the results on the scale.  So check it out and mention my name!

I continue to make good choices.  It’s becoming second nature for me now. And it’s highlighting some of my previously unhealthy behaviors and the justification I had for them.

For instance, I used to “reward” myself for going to the grocery store, bank or doing any errand by buying  myself a treat.  Usually it would be a sandwich (or two) or something from the Hot Foods section of the grocery store, but it could easily be a few samoosas or meat pies from a convenience  store.  I hate doing errands!  So I deserved these rewards, damn it!

I even used to reward myself for going to the gym.  They had these wonderful sandwiches at the kiosk at my previous gym.  They were devilishly expensive, but what the heck, I’d just work so hard!  I deserved something fabulous!

But these days I eat at home.  I plan my excursions around my meal times, so that I don’t get too hungry, or I slip a few carrots, celery sticks or bananas into my bag.   Nothing I can buy “out there” can match the sheer deliciousness of my own food.  Plus, because I make just about everything from scratch and check the ingredients on all food labels, I know exactly what’s in my food.  And I like it that way!

When we go out for meals, we tend to go to Kauai, the healthy fast food place.  They serve fresh, whole foods that have not been fried (no french fries here!) and contain no harmful additives.  There are some excellent vegan, wheat-free and dairy free options.  Their smoothies are to die for!

But yesterday was another kettle of fish… It was my mom’s birthday and we decided to just plan our visit so that we weren’t there at a meal time and we were going to decline any and all cake.  My biggest problem is not cake, but rich food!  So we arrived just after lunch, Craig with his rifles and targets in tow (they live on a farm).  We got suckered into the cake!.  My mom had made milk tart and tipsy tart and we had a small piece of both.  And it was delicious!  And then we ended up staying for dinner (my sister and her family came too) – a wonderful chicken stew with loads of vegetables and brown rice.  A good time was had by all!

Mary-Ann Shearer, my health-guru, said that in their house they have a tradition that the birthday girl or boy could choose any meal, no matter how unhealthy.  In the beginning they used to choose pizza and other unhealthy treats, but after a year or two the choices became much, much healthier.  I like that approach.  In fact, I have no problem with traditional fare on feast days either.  But only on the actual day, not for three weeks before and after Christmas (which is really the only feast related to food in our country).  So, I’m not going to fret about family birthdays and feast days.  They don’t come around that often.  But the rest of the time I’ll give this my all!

I had my hair cut yesterday and I am so pleased with the result.  I feel years younger!

So, what is new in your life?

PS.  Shannon and Angie, the Fabulous Fatties (and they really are!  Fabulous, I mean.) have announced a wonderful new challenge that will start on Friday.  You earn points for healthy habits, so do join!  It looks like a lot of fun and a great way of staying accountable!  Check it out and if this is the first place you’ve heard about it, mention my name and help me earn some extra points.  Pretty please…

I had an awesome week!  I can’t begin to tell you how pleased I am with myself… (which won’t stop me from trying, of course!)

I lost 3.1 pounds, which is all good and dandy, but the real reason I’m so pleased is that I ate really, really well all week.

That, my friends, is the real victory here!  I’m enjoying my food and resisting the things that used to tempt me.  I wonder if it wasn’t often the idea of the “treats” that appealed to me more than the “treats” themselves?  It’s starting to look like it.  And that, to me, is a huge mental breakthrough.

I had some setbacks this week.  Hubby came down with a streaming cold last weekend and I followed suit on Tuesday.  That put a spoke in the wheels of my exercise program, but I’m hoping to be back on track with that by Wednesday.   I supported my system through this by staying on track with natural, additive-free, non-dairy, gluten-free, fresh and mostly raw foods and herbal teas.  It really made a difference!  In fact, I realized this morning that while the cold is almost over, I’m detoxing quite heavily at the moment.  Interesting times!

In a little break from my usual schedule I had oatmeal for breakfast on Saturday.  I love oatmeal!  Within hours I had an angry rash behind my knees…  Oatmeal, or more precisely the gluten in oatmeal, does not love me back.  Or in the language of our time, gluten is just not that into me… It tries to get out of me through my skin!

I wasn’t perfect this week, but I was close!  I’d say about 95+%.  The biggest problem came from overeating.  My food was just so good!  I kept going back for second helpings even though I was certainly not hungry any more.   That will change in the weeks to come, as my brain and my body get the message that I’m being adequately nourished.

My kitchen has been turned into THE FERTILEHEALTHY TEST KITCHEN.  I have hundreds of recipes that I’ve collected over the last few years and never tried.  So, I’m going to try them all.  We will eat something new every day, even if it’s just a new salad dressing!

Last week I told you what my plans for exercise are in the next few months and today I’m giving you a sample of what I eat and drink every day and the order in which I take it.

• 2 glasses warm water, lemon juice and cayenne pepper
• 1 glass barley grass juice and some Spirulina
• 3 pints green smoothie
  
• large fruit salad with ground flax seeds and tahini OR raw vegetables with dip and some raw nuts OR a large fruit and nut shake
• 1 glass of carrot juice with any of the following:  ginger, celery, apple, beetroot
• a large mixed garden salad with beans or lentils OR a vegetarian soup OR a vegetarian stew with brown rice
• 2 cups of herbal tea

I drink water during the day, but not all that much, since my food has a high water content already.  This works really well for me, and it’s actually very easy.  I’ll be sure to take some fruit with me to gym, in case I get hungry between workouts, but I doubt I’ll need it.

This is all slow food, not when it comes to preparing and digesting, but when it comes to eating.  I spend an hour drinking those smoothies!

I heard a great expression from a blogger I discovered this week via MizFit (you should read her awesome guest post, When is a Calorie Not a Calorie), Summer Tomato.  She says it’s not about changing our lifestyles, it’s about upgrading our lifestyles.  Now I don’t know about you, but I love me some upgrading.   And this new way of life is definitely an upgrade!

How did  you do this week?  What did you upgrade?