TechieWife

As you know I am on a site for my weight loss management. We share a lot - tricks to help with food, recipes, healthy tid bits and advice. My friend Candy posted a bit about Vit D today - it is an amazing write up. WIth obesity, PCOS and now MS in my household, I am overly sensitive to anything related to Vit D. I of course take multi vitamins every day thanks to my new "friend" around my tummy because I dont eat enough food to make sure I get these supplements through food. Anyway - these studies seemed pertinant not just to my fellow PCOS friends who occasionally read this site but also to family members who may have similar issues - Thanks to Candy for putting this together!

 
http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx

If you live in a region above latitude 40 (a horizontal line that runs from
just below New York City west to northern California), then the sun is only
strong enough between May and September to trigger the vitamin D conversion
(or the converse in the Southern Hemisphere). This means that a large
percentage of the population is at significant risk much of the year for
vitamin D deficiency. For all these reasons we recommend 2000 IU per day for
anyone at or above this latitude, at least from the fall through the spring
months. But the ideal course of action is vitamin D
testing<http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamindtestingandtreatment.aspx>,
since there is so much individual variation. You would really need to see
your practitioner and have your vitamin D levels tested before upping your
supplemental dose beyond 2000 IU per day.

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms

Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak
bones/fractures, low energy and
fatigue<http://www.womentowomen.com/understandyourbody/symptoms/fatigue.aspx>,
lowered immunity, symptoms of
depression<http://www.womentowomen.com/understandyourbody/symptoms/depressed.aspx>and
mood
swings<http://www.womentowomen.com/understandyourbody/symptoms/moodswings.aspx>,
and sleep irregularities<http://www.womentowomen.com/understandyourbody/symptoms/insomnia.aspx>.
Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as
IBS<http://www.womentowomen.com/digestionandgihealth/ibs.aspx>or
Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither
absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient.
Vitamin D and weight loss

Moreover, people who have a reduced capacity to mobilize vitamin D often
weigh more and have more body fat than those with full capacity. In the past
20 years multiple studies have shown a correlation between higher blood
levels of vitamin D and leaner body mass.

To my thinking, what seems essential for us to understand here is the
vitamin D connection with insulin
resistance<http://www.womentowomen.com/insulinresistance/default.aspx>.
Vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the wide set of disorders associated
with metabolic syndrome (syndrome X), as well as to PCOS. In a study
published in 2004, the authors saw a 60% improvement in insulin sensitivity
in healthy, vitamin D replete adults — and concluded vitamin D was more
potent than two prescription medications commonly used to treat type 2
diabetes! But the cadres of drug reps spread out across America are not
likely to be reminding your healthcare practitioner about this study. They
are not likely to have heard about it!

Clearly, vitamin D seems to be very important in regulating our weight, but
we don’t yet understand the mechanism involved or how it relates to our
environment and individual biochemistry. Still, there seems to be a
correlation between rising rates of obesity and vitamin D deficiency. If you
are having difficulty with insulin resistance or weight gain — or can’t keep
the pounds off once you lose them — you may want to have your vitamin D
levels checked by your healthcare practitioner.

We just returned for our several weeks in Germany! What a blast! I am still shell shocked from jet lag though - easier coming home my left foot. Still it was amazin'! We were there for the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall and my kids put together a little video in areas for their class video log (an assignment to document all they learned)...it was pretty fun and just plain insane the night of the celebration - we got to see it up SO close as you will see...

 

enjoy!

 

 

I know this topic has been around and around. I got the below attachment today and realized we all might benefit from these simple preventative measures. I am still looking for the H1N1 vaccine before we go to Europe this November - wish me luck!

 

While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu):
       
 1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications).
       
 2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe.)
    
 3. *Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide if you don't trust salt).  *H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.
       
4. Similar to 3 above, *clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water, or hydrogen peroxide. *Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti (very good Yoga asanas to clean nasal cavities), but *blowing the nose softly once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.*
       

5. *Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (Amla and other citrus fruits). *If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.
                
6. *Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. *Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Good luck all -

Hey all -

I am sorry I have been out of it...again..I try to post, but FB is fast, easy and instantly gratifying so I have fallen out on my blog space....

My family is having a LOT going on...again. Life has a way of catching up with you. I am happy to say that some of the measures I put in place have been seriously coming through for me.  For instance...Even when I dont want to, I meet my trainer. That is a huge investment, I know, but if I left it up to me I would listen to the headache or the sore back or the warm bed or whatever tries to keep me from my training sessions. Because someone is counting on me (besides me counting on me) I make it there. In this sense, my desire to please others works to my advantage. My trainer is working on my core balance. Have I mentioned I am uncoordinated on land? Put me in the water, I am a fish, I can do anything and can swim long distances for long periods of time (I once was in deep water doing rescue drills for over 12 hours no problem) but on land, I fall, I stumble, I get hurt. I am just a mess. I have very little balance on land. It is truly sad. SO she is having me do stuff that is so hard! I am so thankful - pushing me outside my comfort balance is a good thing. I have also learned a lot about myself - I really am good on the fly. I listen to her adjustments and follow direction well. I need to remember to make a note of these possitive things as they come because all too often I focus on the negative self talk.

 

That said, I can honestly say working on my core balance has been an amazing thing. I stand taller, I breathe more deeply and my self esteem is increasing. I can feel it on the inside - I am changing.

 

So, my dear friends, if you go to a gym (and I suspect most of us are) please consider a class or a training session to work on your balance. See if you dont feel better, more relaxed and more equipped to handle what life is throwing at you afterwards. That is my possitive plug for today.

Julianne Pierson
275/255/248.8/185/145
start/consult/surgery (june 08)/ NOW!/ my goal - it changed from 150.... I have confidence I can get to 145 by summer? Here's hoping!

The Hormone Guide Women will understand this! Men should memorize it! Every woman knows that there are days when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his hands! This is a handy guide that should be carried like a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker or significant other! DANGEROUS SAFER SAFEST ULTRA SAFE What's for dinner? Can I help you with dinner? Where would you like to go for dinner? Here, have some wine. Are you wearing that? You sure look good in brown! WOW! Look at you! Here, have some wine What are you so worked up about? Could we be overreacting? Here's my paycheck. Here, have some wine. Should you be eating that? You know, there are a lot of apples left. Can I get you a piece of chocolate with that? Here, have some wine. What did you DO all day? I hope you didn't over-do it today. I've always loved you in that robe! Here, have some wine. 13 Things PMS Stands For 1. Pass My Shotgun 2. Psychotic Mood Shift 3.. Perpetual Munching Spree 4. Puffy Mid-Section 5. People Make me Sick 6. Provide Me Sweets 7. Pardon My Sobbing 8. Pimples May Surface 9. Pass My Sweatpants 10. Pissy Mood Syndrome 11. Plainly, Men Suck 12.. Pack My Stuff and myfavoriteone: 13. Potential Murder Suspect Forward this information to all of your friends and those who might need a good laugh... and men who need a warning. And, have some wine.

As I have mentioned, I am on a support group on line and here was the topic for today. It was so pertinent to me (seeing especially that I have more than one of these trigger issues as a problem for my weight loss journey) that I thought I would share. I know that some people read my posts about weight loss and am flattered. Many people, especially fellow PCOS gals have many of these issues, as I do myself. I just thought it was worth sharing -

 

Katie Jay (a bypass patient) has this paper called "the 10 most common
mistakes weight loss surgery patients make."

http://www.nawls.com/public/333.cfm

She also has a pamphlet called "the 21 most common mistakes weight loss
surgery patients make." Those are:

1. Assuming you are cured of obesity

2. Putting others needs before your own

3. Not taking vitamins, supplements, or minerals

4. Not setting loving limits with yourself

5. Not tracking your own labs (not such a big deal for band patients)

6. Approaching life as a victim

7. Grazing

8. Saying mean and heartless things to yourself

9. Eating the wrong carbohydrates

10. Settling for low self esteem

11. Drinking alcohol

12. Blaming other people for your problems

13. Not eating the right amount of food

14. Not finding new ways to nurture yourself

15. Not drinking enough water

16. Ignoring the food-mood-weight connection

17. Drinking with meals

18. Quitting when you have failed

19. Not exercising consistently

20. Isolating

21. Drinking soda

I would venture to say that about 99% of the time when people are having
problems it's one of those things. There's more; you can order it from
www.nawls.com <http://www.nawls.com/> . However, it's mostly common
sense.