My Little Program (aka How I Did It...)

A dreadful photo from 1999, the lingering effects of PCOS clearly visible both on (and in) my face.

STEP ONE: CHANGING FOOD CHOICES TO MAINTAIN BLOOD SUGAR

New research began to suggest that PCOS was the result of insulin resistance, and some studies indicated that the symptoms could therefore be relieved through dietary changes. About this time, my sister's doctor had recommended several books to her on the subject, which she in turn shared with me. Now deep down, I had a lot of trouble believing that my weight was due to anything but bad habits and a genetic luck of the draw, but I decided that it couldn't hurt to put some of these principles into action. All of these books stressed keeping tabs on the glycemic index of the foods we eat in order to keep insulin levels constant. Many were variations on the controversial high protein, low fat programs, and some were more sensible than others. I decided to take bits and pieces from each program, using the common threads to develop a food-combining program of my own. But I knew that wouldn't be enough.

STEP TWO: PORTION CONTROL

By this time, I also had a serious problem with portion control. As I've mentioned, I had long since been conditioned to clean my plate. A good intentioned habit that was very hard to break! As a non-coffee drinker, I had also developed a very nasty five Coca-Cola a day habit. That was more than a thousand calories of pure sugar! Not good for my insulin levels at all. Sadly, I was addicted, so I knew that I had to go cold turkey. There was no room for negotiation here. But that didn't solve the rest of my portion control problems. Because in addition to everything else, I considered myself a gourmet cook who loves real food. I make just about everything from scratch. So I had to find a way to make some serious dietary changes that I could live with beyond staying away from Coca-Cola. So I tried Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers is a sensible eating plan that stresses balance, moderation, and lifestyle change. I had tried it before and liked it, but was too discouraged by other areas of my life to stick to anything, so I didn't stay with it. But I agreed with the plan's sensible philosophy and quickly realized that anyone could adapt it to his or her eating preferences. It simply is a matter of portioning out how much you eat. So I could eat the real, whole foods that I liked so long as I budgeted for them in my daily allotment. I was determined to make it work for me.

STEP THREE: EXERCISE

I had set a personal goal of getting back into the 501 jeans I'd worn in college. It stood to reason then that in order to get there I should probably go back to what had worked for me when I last wore them, and that was the FIRM. But I was too out of shape to jump right back in. So the first six to eight weeks of my program, I eased my way back into exercise, setting a small goal of three 20-minute sessions per week on the low-tech elliptical trainer I inherited from my sister, and some sit-ups. I gradually increased my time on the trainer, and after a few weeks felt I was ready to begin with some light strength training, so I started doing the old Cindy Crawford workout. Weight Watchers sets an initial goal of a 10% weight loss to keep you motivated, and the exercise helped get me there quickly. I lost 15 lbs. my first month, 14 the second. I hit my 10% goal in seven weeks.

That 10% weight loss may not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference to your joints, muscles, heart and lungs. I was now ready to retire Cindy and the elliptical trainer (which was now set on maximum tension) and start FIRMing once again. I began with Volume 6, which is a low-impact tape, a set of 3, 5 and 7 lb. dumbbells, 3 lb. ankle weights and a 15 lb. barbell. It nearly killed me the first time through, but I kept at it, FIRMing three times a week and supplementing with two days of TaeBo basic for extra cardio.

With the fabulous Joan Boadway just after hair and makeup at the FIRM Infomercial II shoot, in Columbia, SC in October of 2002.

After a few weeks, I began to become bored with my routine, so I started to rotate in the rest of the "classic" FIRM volumes. Then I hit the internet in search of new tapes. I discovered the FIRM website, and found new motivation on the FIRM forum. I learned that Anna Benson had left to form her own company, FitPrime, and that new workouts from both companies were on the way. I joined the FitPrime forum, bought as many tapes as I could get my hands on, and preordered the first two FitPrime tapes, which I now love. The added variety kept my workouts interesting, and the weight kept melting off. I waited for a plateau to hit, but it never happened. Eventually I increased my FIRM workouts to four days per week, dropped TaeBo to pick up running and pilates two days per week, and on the seventh day, I rested.

THE RESULTS

I averaged a 2-3 lb. per week weight loss during the first seven months, until a busy business travel schedule made me a little lackadaisical with my weekend eating habits. But even this proved to be the most amazing change of all. I had always had a laundry list of obsessive rules when it came to dieting, and that always seemed to set me up for failure. Diets always had to start on Monday, and if I blew a meal, then the whole day was blown, which meant the week was blown until the next Monday... etc. But for the first time in my life, I could just keep going without guilt, without panic, and without beating myself up.

If I overate at mealtime, I just picked up with the next scheduled meal and/or snack as though the slip-up never happened. I got up in the morning and did my workout even if I'd eaten chocolate cake with dinner the night before. I just kept going. So when I began my "weekend slip-ups" this spring, I didn't beat myself up, and I didn't gain back the weight I'd lost. I simply didn't lose as quickly. I worked through this period, kept exercising, and eventually got back on track. And while the weight loss isn't showing on the scale as quickly as it did in the beginning, the pounds are still coming off and the inches continue to melt, so I know I have now "transformed the composition of my body"... as FIRM instructor Jen Carmen likes to say.

Best of all, I found a way to modify my eating habits without denying myself real food. I still use butter, but just one teaspoon at a time. I eat real cheese and use real salad dressing, just in smaller amounts. I cook with olive oil, and often eat my roast chicken with skin, because I like it that way. I make adjustments elsewhere to make the plan work for me, because for me, it's all about flavor. Food is fuel, food is nutrition, food is chemistry and food is celebration. Food is not the enemy.

MY DIETARY GUIDELINES

Increase lean protein intake to fuel muscle development, and maintain blood sugar. I try to eat protein at every meal, usually a dairy source (such as skim milk) at breakfast and a meat or legume source at lunch and dinner. I DON'T go overboard with this.

Reduce overall carbohydrate intake and switch to complex carbohydrates whenever possible. I don't avoid carbs altogether, I just try not to eat too many of them. I do try to eat as many whole grains as possible, and avoid as many starchy foods as I can. Potatoes and corn have a high glycemic index and don't do great things for insulin, so I try to limit my intake (though I do partake on occasion). I also try to eat my carbs earlier in the day to metabolize them more efficiently, usually at breakfast and lunch. Dinner is usually a protein and at least one vegetable.

Increase fruit and vegetable consumption. I get at least five a day, and have at least one serving at every meal. At least one of my two snacks per day is a fruit or vegetable. I also try to eat at least one serving of leafy greens per day, when possible.

Fat is a necessary nutrient, but some fats are better than others. I cook with olive oil and often eat nuts or seeds as a snack. I just watch portion sizes. Avocados are not evil, but must be eaten in moderation. Fat is also flavor, and I cannot go through life without it. Why should I? So I eat smaller portions of fats I love to satiate my taste buds without increasing my waistline. There is no point in depriving myself to be fit, only to turn around and stop living once I get there. Balance in all things.

Avoid as many packaged, diet or "lite" foods as possible. Convenience foods make Americans unhealthy. I make some exceptions, such as fat free chocolate pudding cups and skim milk, both of which I prefer to the whole milk alternatives. But for the most part, I say find a way to get by with smaller servings of the foods you love. Make room for them in your daily allotment rather than set up a deprivation. More to the point, many lite and low-fat products use sugar derivatives as fillers, such as corn syrup. Sugar is fat free, but doesn't do great things for your insulin levels.

Goodbye Coca-Cola. I really miss it. Like any addiction, I know once I start, I cannot stop.

Eat chocolate every day. Not a lot, but some. Ghirardelli makes great little .375 oz single serving squares that give you a taste without undoing all of your progress.

Water, water, water! I get eight to twelve glasses every day, four of those with my workout alone.

Don't eat out very often. Most restaurant portion sizes are at least double (if not triple!) a proper single serving. I find this hardest to stick to on the weekends. Which leads us to:

Portion control, portion control, portion control. Weight Watchers had some excellent guidelines and visual cues for this, and their points system helps you allocate the amount of food you eat each day.

Eat to fuel my activity level. As I said, I use Weight Watchers for portion control, but I am not certain it was designed for truly athletic people, which is what I've become. I have discovered that even though my weight range indicates I should be eating less, my activity level requires I eat more. Why? Because I need to fuel my activity. I wasn't eating enough to maintain my workouts, and my body went into starvation mode. I stopped losing, and ended up overeating on the weekends. Just a slight increase in points per day made an enormous difference, and the weight (and inches) began to come off again. So listen to your body and do what works best for your individual needs.