week 9 -- insulite labs

two months down, 4 more to go!

i started dance lessons. i almost didn't go. i was literally in the parking lot of the dance studio and i was ready to leave. i noticed multiple couples entering the building and i worried that i would be the only single person in the class. (originally i didn't care that i was going alone. but things changed within me when i started seeing the pairs.) i ran the description back through my head and it never mentioned being a couples-only class, so i figured i would be ok on my own as there had to be other single people there as well. i made my way into the studio and saw multiple couples and a few single people in the lobby crowd. a teacher came out and called role for the tap class. tap class?! one by one the single people left the room...except for me.

there i was all by myself amongst the couples. then the salsa teacher came to the lobby and asked the rest of us to make our way into the studio. i followed the couples into the room and felt completely exposed. i felt like i had a huge spotlight on me. "hey, look at the girl all by herself. she had no one to come with her." so i walked out of the studio and back to the front desk where i asked the attendant if there were other single people signed up for the class. she then went and asked the director who came out and said, "the teacher needs a partner. go in there and try it out." oh, ok. (i'm sure i had a scowl on my less-than-enthused face.) so i get to dance with the teacher. yes, i will get better instruction this way, but the teacher is a woman and i'm used to dancing closely with men.

so i pulled myself up by my big girl panties and went back into the studio to meet the couples. i stood in the back as the teacher moved the couples around, making sure they had ample dance space around them. sticking out in my singledom she asked me to come to the front of the class and dance with her. yay, more spotlight! there i was in my overly baggy t-shirt and workout pants amid the couples still wearing their work/street clothes. i came to dance, dang it! and to get sweaty. (i don't know what they were expecting but i'm sure they will be wearing something different next class.) it didn't help that i had to take the masculine role most of the time. i guess my elevated levels of testosterone were put to good use! lol

(i did go purchase new workout clothes so that i don't feel so manly. thank goodness for old navy! i was able to get comfortable, yet form-fitting tank tops and workout capris for cheap.)

as the music started i began to let myself relax and do what i came to do -- have fun, get exercise and learn salsa in a more formal environment, regardless if i was dancing with the female teacher. and i wanted to stick it to the couples in the room and show them that the single girl in the overly baggy t-shirt can shake it. the teacher was proud of my skills.

as class let out i asked the teacher if i should continue with the class or if dancing with me would limit her instruction to the other people in the class. "not at all," she said. "you are a great partner and i hope that you will stay. plus i really like the fact that you are an independent woman and don't need a man. please come back."

enough said and a good kick in my big girl panties.

week 6 -- insulite labs

patience is definitely a virtue that i'm lacking in (i want instant gratification!). i'm thrilled that my body is responding, but i'm wishing it was responding more quickly. it has only been 6 weeks but i wish that i had lost more than just water weight. that's what i'm guessing i've lost, anyway.

since my energy has increased some i've begun exercising more frequently. i'm using an inflatable workout ball to do squats and crunches, and arm bands for arm exercises. in fear of looking like "helga" i'm doing low reps and keeping it to every other day. i hope to tone and slim rather than bulk up. i've also been shaking it to nintendo wii's "just dance 2" which has been working up a good sweat. i'm looking into joining the local parks & rec athletics center to utilize their lap pool. i love to swim so that would be a great way to exercise and relax at the same time.

the parks & rec also offers dance classes so i have signed up for their summer swing dance series which will explore both east and west coast swing. i've ordered my mary jane dancing shoes and white cuff socks in preparation for the lindy hop.

i can't wait -- bring on the big band!

week 4 -- insulite labs

i am happy to report progress! i have hair growth on my head and my body is starting to let go of some weight. it's thrilling to finally see a change after so many years of trial and error.

i've still got some things to work on -- i haven't been as active as i could be and i definitely am still struggling with my sugar addiction, but i have stayed away from potatoes!

i'm excited to see what is to come in the next few weeks!

week 2 -- insulite labs

another week done. no new changes to report but i am still thrilled that my sleep has become deeper and is lasting longer.

insulite labs suggests that i eat small meals multiple times a day. i've noticed that the supplements have suppressed my appetite a bit so i am not as hungry (and i already eat like a bird). i wonder if my body has been in starvation mode for who-knows-how-long and this added lack of hunger is only making it worse. i'm going to have to force myself to eat midmorning / afternoon snacks in addition to the other meals and see what happens. maybe eating a little more throughout the day will trigger something within my metabolism. carrying around this pregnancy weight (no, silly body, you are not pregnant!) is getting old. i know it is going to take time for my body to heal, but i do wish there was a magic wand somewhere in the mix.

ok, enough whining.

week 1 -- insulite labs

1 week down and many more to go on the 6-month system that i chose. i thought that taking many pills multiple times a day would be arduous, but it has not been much of a bother. i have yet to go cold turkey on all of my vices -- all containing sugar to which i am addicted -- but i have stayed away from potatoes! the exclamation point serves a purpose: it has been HELL staying away from those delicious roots. it became very clear to me during the last week that every side item on the menu at a restaurant is potatoes in some form. french fries. chips. mashed. baked. as soon as i read the "p" word i remind myself that they are no good. evil. rotten. thankfully i am not dreaming about them like i am of my favorite boutique grocery store that i now have to go without having moved out of state. but i digress.

having read various threads in pcos-related chat rooms i've kept note of what many women have experienced while on the insulite labs system in a short amount of time: they saw hair growth (the good kind on the head), less facial and body hair, weight loss, better moods, better sleep and brighter skin. it has only been 1 week, and i am impatient by nature, but i have noticed that i am sleeping better and that i am not loosing as much hair on a daily basis. hey, if those are signs of things to come, i am totally game!

my backstory

many women rarely experience all of the symptoms of pcos but the absence of menstruation is a key symptom. however many women such as myself continue to menstruate and sadly go misdiagnosed despite the overt appearance of other symptoms.


i've experienced symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome in varying degrees for many years. it was not until my twenties during a toxic relationship that the symptoms of pcos really began to run their course. prior to pcos, during my teenage years, i was diagnosed with endometriosis / adenomyosis. like pcos endometriosis and adenomyosis are hormone-related. 


both endometriosis and adenomyosis are caused by uterine tissue growing outside of the uterus. endometriosis tissue growth typically occurs in the pelvic area. along with the uterus it can also occur on the ovaries, bowel, rectum, bladder and the lining of the pelvis. these tissue implants can grow in other areas of the body as well. adenomyosis tissue growth occurs within the muscular wall of the uterus. the usual result of both is painful menstruation. i, however, have pain before, during and after menstruation. it can feel like anywhere from a dull ache to a sharp stabbing pain. it can last a few seconds or a few hours.


i was 19 when i was formally diagnosed with endometriosis / adenomyosis. i began seeing a specialist to help with the symptoms and was put on birth control to help alleviate the pain. thankfully the pain decreased significantly but my mood changed and anxiety and depression set in. my body also started to change and extra weight began to creep on. i exercised more, ate more protein, did whatever i could to lose the unwanted weight. i did weight training and noticed that my body mass increased. i remember wondering why am i getting bigger? aren't women supposed to have lean muscle mass? why was i starting to look like a male body builder? blood tests were done to check hormone levels, but labs and doctors all have different ideas of what is "normal", and because i was still menstruating the diagnosis of pcos was ruled out. to combat the anxiety and depression i was put on an anti-depressant. nothing changed and the weight kept creeping on. the specialist changed the birth control and anti-depressant medication and still nothing changed other than my thick hair was falling out in droves. it didn't matter what i did -- eat more, eat less, exercise more, exercise less, read self-help books, seek counsel -- nothing worked to alleviate the negative changes physically and mentally.


down and out but holding onto hope, i began to research symptoms that i had been experiencing up to that point, many of which started before puberty:

• acne
• heavy periods
• excessive facial / body hair
• insomnia
• hair loss
• fatigue
• difficulty / inability to loose weight
• skin tags
• changes in mood
• changes in memory / concentration
• borderline high cholesterol

research lead me to pcos. appointments with internists and endocrinologists lead me to disappointment, devastation and tears. the doctors ignored my blood tests and my symptoms which were screaming "pcos!" because i was still menstruating. they ignored my muscular body shape and only looked at the numbers on the scale in reference to the suggested weight for my height, insulting me with suggestions of lap-band surgery. my body increased in size (a few to be exact) but i did not have a problem with the quantity of food i was eating. it didn't matter what i said to doctors -- they didn't care to hear it. they were set in their diagnosis.

screw them! i weaned myself off of the medication (although not recommended, i did this on my own), began to eat clean and started to notice that my spirt and body felt lighter. but my symptoms were still there. the hair was still falling out (down to 1/4 of the thickness it used to be). the weight didn't shift much. i still could not sleep. 

i then found an "out of the box" hormone specialist and figured i'd give it another go -- although i expected to walk out of her office in tears. after reviewing my blood tests she revealed that i have high levels of good estrogen and high levels of testosterone. my body thinks that it is pregnant, which accounts for my curves. my body also thinks that it walks like a man, which accounts for the heavy muscle that lies beneath the curves. no wonder i get bigger when i weight lift! she also said that although i menstruate i do have pcos, and the reason my mood changed while on birth control was because of my already-high estrogen being further increased by the added hormone provided by the pill. instead of leaving in tears i walked out of her office with renewed hope and relief that i wasn't completely crazy. 

to combat the symptoms of pcos i was placed on metformin and spironolactone. unfortunately after giving the medication a year i did not notice a difference in my symptoms and found that i had actually gained a bit of weight (my body does not seem to do well on man-made pharmaceuticals). i threw in the towel and eating clean went out the door. it's hard to say, but maybe i didn't give it enough time. my body changed slightly after coming off of the medication and i realized that i truly did feel much better when eating clean (lighter body, lighter spirit). such a bummer that grease doesn't have the same affect! after a few months of all-out laziness i began research on alternate medicine options for pcos and came across insulite labs. after much consideration i am starting their nutraceutical-based system. 

fingers are crossed that this will do the trick in helping alleviate many of my symptoms physically, mentally and spiritually!

symptoms of pcos

what is polycystic ovarian syndrome (pcos)? it's a female endocrine (hormonal) disorder typically characterized by multiple abnormal ovarian cysts. most ovarian cysts are harmless, but multiple cysts, with a typical appearance of "a string of pearls", are indicative of pcos.  


the symptoms of pcos are:

• obesity
• absence of menstruation
• light and infrequent menstrual flow
• abnormal / excessive hair growth
• oily skin
• acne
• infertility
• hair loss
• skin tags
• absence of ovulation
• depression

other symptoms that appear during diagnosis / blood analysis are:

• ovarian cysts
• elevated testosterone level
• elevated insulin level
• insulin resistance
• elevated luteinizing hormone
• depressed sex-hormone-binding globulin (shbg)
• abnormal lipid profile