The Menstrual Report

My period ended today.  During the entire period, I needed Excedrin Migraine just three times.  And all three times I had a headache I'd rate as a 3 or 4.  All three times, the pain went away quickly.

If that was a benefit of not eating carbs, then I'm in.

Typically during a menstrual period I have a 7-8 headache from the day before it begins until the day after it ends.  Excedrin Migraine does no good.  Aleve is slightly better, as it reduces the cramping.  I usually need Axert.  I'm fatigued and uncomfortable for the entire period, no matter which drugs I use.

But this last one...wow.

Why would anyone believe that eating fat makes you thinner?

You may be wondering why I'm so willing to believe Gary Taubes.  Why I'm so eager to abandon sugar and Nutella and breakfast cereal and cinnamon toast.  And pancakes.

I began 'dieting' (which I'll use as 'trying to lose weight') when I was in high school.  My clothes were getting tighter, and I didn't want to buy bigger clothes.  A friend had an eating plan from her doctor, so I copied it and followed along.  I believe the goal was to eat about 1400 calories per day.  It was an easy 'diet' because I wasn't really overeating.  I'd essentially give up fat and sugar for a few weeks and lose five to ten pounds.

Of course, I gained weight in college.  I gained weight after college.  So after I was married, I decided to get into shape once and for all.  I joined a gym with my sister-in-law.  I abolished fat from our home.  I ate more fresh fruit, more yogurt, more vegetables.  I started at about 150 lbs and got as low as 137.  At 137, my hip bones protruded in a most unattractive way.

But at 137, Dave and I decided to have a child.  I didn't know a person could be so hungry or so tired.  Pregnancy took over every moment of my life.  I drank gallons of milk, ate everything in sight, and gained weight until I weighed about 180 when Kirsten was born.  So I started my weight-loss effort again.  Only this time, nothing happened.

I walked hundreds of miles with Kirsten in her stroller.  I joined a new gym, and worked out in the mornings before going to work.  I think I got down to 165 before deciding I'd just eat healthy--low-fat and high carbs healthy--and try not to gain any weight.

I weighed at least 180 when I got pregnant with Graham four years later.  Oddly, I lost weight early in that pregnancy.  People didn't believe I was pregnant because I appeared to be shrinking.  When Graham was born, I weighed over 200 pounds.

After his birth, however, I lost weight without even trying.  I could eat anything and lose weight.  Graham was a much more vigorous nurser than Kirsten, and I got to breastfeed him for much longer.  And once he was bottle-fed, the pounds came back.

I observed many things during these efforts to lose weight.  First of all, except for during pregnancy, I seldom ate any more than anyone else in the room.  I'd be at lunch with two or three significantly slimmer colleagues, and we'd have the exact same entree.  Yet they were thin and I was fat.  I also thought it was strange that in my childhood, when I was underweight, I ate a steady diet of roasted meats, gravy, whole milk, and lots of butter.  Why was I skinny then, but heavy now?

In 1996 I quit my job at Microsoft and became a stay-at-home-mom.  My first priority was to join a gym and lose all that extra weight.  For six months, I wrote down every morsel of food that passed my lips.  For six months, I went to the gym five times each week, and then walked three miles on the weekend.  After six months, I had lost nine pounds.

I took my steno pad to my doctor, who agreed I should have lost more.  She gave me a prescription to Phentermine for two years.  Phentermine worked *great* and I got down to about 170.  But once I went off the Phentermine, the weight came roaring back...and then some.  I weighed 230 and wore a size 1X.

For the next several years, I just ate what I felt like eating.  And to my surprise, I remained the same size for fifteen years.  I lost a little weight taking Topamax and gained it all back when I switched to Nortriptyline.

So there I was, convinced that low-fat, high carb diets don't work.  I knew that I wasn't overeating, or lying about what I ate.  My mom would come visit and insist I had to do something about my weight.  I'd ask her what I should give up.  I'd eaten exactly what she'd eaten during her stay, and in fact, I'd eaten much more than usual because she always either buys or makes us a luscious dessert during her stays.  She also likes to sit down at 3:30 or 4 for a cup of coffee and something sweet.

So when I read in "Why We Get Fat" that I've been overeating *because* I'm heavy, I'm interested.

No weight loss yet.  Stay tuned.

After a week...

After one week of not eating carbs, I've gained a pound.

But that's not all bad.  I also started my period.

Here's what's good:  I haven't had a migraine during my period.  I felt minimal pain in the night once, got up and popped a couple of Excedrin, and went back to sleep.  That's it.

If eating no carbs means I can have headache-free periods, I'm all for it.

Another good thing:  typically, when I have my period, I'm tired and have awful cramps.  I'm not having any trouble with fatigue this time, and I've had really minor cramps.

Finally, one more good thing.  I've had more energy.  This could be a sort of psychosomatic thing, that I'm doing household chores to keep my mind off of food, or to prove to myself the diet is helping.  But I definitely feel like jumping out of the recliner more often.

No more carbs for me

Today marks this blog's re-birth.  Formerly it was simply an accounting of one migraine-related incident:  my NSAID ulcer.  Now, it will chronicle anything and everything related to my headaches.

The big story today is that I've decided to avoid not just sugar, not just gluten, but all carbs.

I came to this decision after reading the book "Why We Get Fat," by Gary Taubes.  In this remarkable book, he cites study after study after study clearly showing that we must eat fat to burn fat.

What?

For eons, we've been told to eat high fiber carbs and low-fat foods.  Turns out that's exactly the wrong thing to eat.

And it may be why I gained so much weight eating high fiber and low-fat.

Guess what else he disproves?  That notion that we must eat fewer calories than we use up each day.  Bad science.

I'm willing to give it a try. 

Starting weight:  246 lbs.  I am obese.

It's back!

The pain of the ulcer is a specific, easy-to-identify feeling. It's not a stomach-ache. There's no buildup. There's just this intense feeling that my stomach is expanding and cracking along its surface.

I felt these pains a few times after the ulcer 'healed' in June. Once I tried taking an Aleve, felt the pain, downed a few antacids and a Prilosec. The pain ceased, and I swore of Aleve for good. Next, I ate a particularly greasy Patty Melt at a diner. (Yes, it was delicious.) And 30 minutes after eating, the pains hit. Once again a few antacids and a Prilosec made them stop (after about 30 frightening minutes). There was a third incidence, very similar. And then last Saturday, it happened again. Only I couldn't get the pains to stop.

And I couldn't identify a particular culprit. I concluded I'd just eaten too much. So now I'm back on Nexxium and will see the doctor on Monday to discuss.

How do I know when this thing is cured? Will I ever be able to take Aleve again? If not, what alternatives exist?

On the bright side, I am enjoying another batch of Nilla Wafer pudding. Yum.

Freedom from Caffiene

I didn't think I was consuming that much caffiene. (For the record - one cup of coffee in the mornings. One glass of diet soda at lunchtime. One or two mugs of strong black tea in the afternoon and/or evening.)

Maybe the amount is irrelevant; maybe I just have problems with it. But drinking just the one cup of black tea each morning yields some surprising results. First, I'm tired by 9:30 p.m. Second, I sleep extremely well. And third, I think my headaches are milder. I still get them, but nothing severe lately. Fourth, when I do get a headach, I'm not sleeping the day away trying to get rid of it. Finally, I'm getting up earlier and earlier and have much more time for my daily activities.

I'm in my last few days of treatment and feel great. No more sore throat and no stomach upset. I don't know if I will be taking Prilosec daily or just with Axert - need to call the doctor's office and ask.

Things I CAN eat....

The Internet is full of helpful tips about what I can't eat....but not so great about what I can eat. So here are some things I've figured out.

Mushrooms figure prominently in the approved recipes. So tonight was Beef Stroganoff (no garlic, no worcestershire sauce); later this week we'll have the chicken baked with mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup. Turkey sandwiches with Swiss cheese and just mayo for a condiment.

Tonight I'm also making some vanilla wafer banana pudding. I don't normally even eat dessert, but my appetite has returned and the dinner options are few.

This week I have frozen peaches for my smoothies. About a peach worth of frozen slices, a cup of lactaid milk, half a banana, and some sugar/cinnamon makes a lovely breakfast.

Still drinking just the one cup of tea each morning. At other times I have apple juice (with lots of ice so it gets watered down) or water.