Hi, Beth. I'm glad you're looking for success stories because I think that, even though I am not yet "thin," I am a success story. This is a long one...
Before I started following TSP (January 31, 2002), I had spent 30 years (since I was 14) with PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). I didn't know it then, but I probably became insulin resistant as a preteen -- at least my hormones were way out of whack from the beginning because I had never had a regular period.
When I started TSP, I had been "bleeding" for over a year, which was a major change from a "cycle" of 1 to 3 years before that. I was feeling more and more run down, I ached all the time, had no energy, and could barely walk down the hall at work, and I was having so much trouble staying awake after lunch that it was emabarassing and affecting my work. I was afraid I was going to have to have an hysterectomy or worse.
I finally went to my doctor (an internist) and she ordered a bunch of hormone and glucose tests and put me on BCP to control my bleeding -- it did that but brought on incredible cramping.
About a year previously, my aunt Janet, who is a patient of Dr. Schwarzbein's, had given me TSP, but I shelved it and went on suffering. During that time, I had also started to read more and more on the Internet about "cures" for PCOS, mostly to eat more protein and cut down on carbs.
While waiting for my test results, I finally read TSP and started on the program. Within a week I started to feel so much better that I knew I was on the right track. But I was in for a blow. When I went in to see my internist and get my test results, I was told that I was on the verge of diabetes with a fasting blood sugar of 138, she also said that my hormone tests did not indicate PCOS, but she ordered an internal sonogram to be sure. After discussing the situation with my internist, we agreed that I would continue with my low-carb approach a la TSP to try to control the diabetes, that I would see a gynocologist to determine if I needed an hysterectomy that she thought I probably would need, and that I would have my blood sugar tested again in 3 to 6 months.
Within a month of starting TSP, I was feeling so good that I was starting to exercise and enjoying it. This was a first for me, since whenever I had started an exercise program before, I became so tired and exhausted by it that I quickly quit. To this day, I am still exercising regularly and have added such activities as dancing and hiking.
I went to see the gynocologist and she confirmed that I did have PCOS. It had been suggested 6 or 7 years previously by another doctor, and I was not surprised to have it officially confirmed. My gynocologist put me on a different BCP that was known to be more effective for PCOS and it did make my life much more comfortable by reducing the cramps considerably. My gynocologist was not too pleased with my determination to limit my carb consumption, but she didn't fight me on it and said that I could go off the pill when I felt like it and might find that my periods had regulated because of weightloss.
Through the years, until I met the first doctor who, 6 or 7 years ago, told me I had PCOS, doctors have told me that all I needed to do was lose weight and my menstrual problems would go away. Well, I did lose weight the "usual" way with a low-fat, high-carb diet, and my menstrual problems never went away.
So, I was retested in 3 months, as requested by my internist, with the addition of a cholesterol test. My fasting bloodsugar had only come down to 135, but my internist had also ordered an hA1c test that showed I was starting to control my bloodsugar at 6.7. And my cholesterol was picture perfect at 113 LDL, 55 HDL and 60 Triglycerides. My internist was very pleased with me.
About weightloss: When I started TSP, I lost weight quickly in the first two weeks, as if I were on a much more limited-carb regime. Then it equalized to about 2 to 3 pounds a week for the next 2 or 3 months, then slowed down gradually until I had dropped about 30 pounds. I stalled at that point and have remained there. However, the health benefits have not stopped with the weightloss and I expect the extra weight to come off eventually. My start weight was about 245 and my current weight oscilates between 215 and 220.
Now to the really good news: 4 months after being put on the new BCP and 6 months after starting TSP, I went off BCPs and have been regular ever since with a 31- to 35-day cycle. In addition, my cramps have been considerably less intense and of less duration and the facial hair that I had developed through the years is slowly dimishing as well -- so much so that I no longer have to wax my face.
My bloodsugar was tested a third time in November (2002). According to my doctor, I am no longer on the verge of diabetes. She said that my hA1c indicated that I have an average bloodsugar of 109. (I know the numbers are different and I haven't been able to get a copy of the tests to see what they really are, but assuming 6.7 was a high average and 138 is high for a fasting blood sugar when your system should be pretty low, I figure that 109 for an average is pretty darn good.)
Physically, I am not the person I was a year and a half ago. With the 30 pounds drop I also dropped from a size 26/28W to 16/18W. I no longer fall asleep after lunch every day. I have the energy and stamina to make it through a whole 3-hour dance party and I'm learning to Swing dance. I go on group hikes of 5 to 10 miles once or twice a month. I walk 3 to 4 miles most days for exercise. When I get home from work I have the energy to cook a nice meal and to clean up after it. I am no longer lazy!
I would like to thank Dr. Schwarzbein for writing her book that helped me become the person I am today. I am now looking forward to a long healthy happy life. And thanks, Beth, for giving me the opportunity to put it all down in one place.
;-Deb