My Cysters!!! I have to share this with you!!!

chubsmcgee · 05-29-2009, 12:56 PM

I was diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 16. I have not menstruated without the assistance of hormones since the age of 17. I'm now 27.

I am obese and wanted to figure out how to cure my body through diet, so I started a long process of research and found myself suspicious that I am allergic to dairy. I have asthma, allergies, skin problems, pcos (hormonal problems), was a bed-wetter until the age of 13, all of these endless symptoms which have been attributed to the consumption of dairy.

One month ago, I decided to go on a vegan diet. One month. Not long at all. I even cheated, a few times. Probably once a week.

Two days ago, I began menstruating on my own. After TEN YEARS of no periods. Dairy was my culprit.

I wanted to share my story with you. I am tired of being sick. I am tired of being bitter about not being able to conceive. We can heal our bodies. We can save the planet. We can end cruelty to animals.

Please consider veganism.

carrottop · 05-29-2009, 01:35 PM

Congrats on your period! Is it the vegan diet or just dairy free that gave you the results? When you say you cheated did you eat dairy or just something else excluded in a vegan diet? I am curious why you decided to go vegan based on the hunch you could not tolerate dairy. Why not just kick out all dairy? Would you not have gotten the same results?

**EricaNicole** · 05-29-2009, 01:48 PM

omg...thats amazinggggg...just the thing i needed to read :]

JoyannaWants2BaMommy · 05-29-2009, 01:57 PM

chubs, what kind of diet are you following? what do you use for protien? i don't like tofu, i can't stand the texture. are you eating eggs? or no? i have tried to cut out dairy before after reading a book by Marilu Henner, in the hopes that it would help my face. have you seen any results regarding acne(if you had any)?
i don't know if i should do it now though, i am consuming large amts of skim milk and occasional ice cream to help with the baby heartburn.
btw, that is totally awesome that your body is getting on track! and good for you for not eating animals. i have tried in the past but i always fail. i love animals, and if i think too much about where my food comes from i can't eat it. im in denial LOL

chubsmcgee · 05-29-2009, 05:28 PM

Joyanna: I am on a vegan diet. Nothing that contains animal products, no dariy, no eggs. For protein I eat lots of beans on salads, in soups or in pastas like cous cous. Nuts have a lot of protein too, of course, but I try not to eat too many of them. I hate tofu too! The texture is disgusting. I find it completely unecessary. I have eaten more variety of delicious and interesting foods in the past month than I ever did as an omnivore! As far as acne, my face has cleared up some. My best friend told me today I looked "brighter" like I was "glowing"...that could just be excitement from finally menstruating, but I think my skin looks a little better. I have read quite a few studies that say dairy can contribute to acne even without pcos.

Carrottop: I am attributing the change to the dairy, although it very well could be a combination of things. I have been eating a vegan diet but I've been very careful about eating a vegan diet with no processed foods (oreos are technically vegan) so just the whole-food approach could have helped my results. Seeing as I think I'm allergic to dairy, I think that was the biggest contribution to the changes in my body. I initially tried for months to just get rid of dairy but I found it incredibly hard. If I'm going through the drive thru for a burger, I'm going to go ahead and get the cheese on it, you know? Unfortunately, my health has never been enough for me to change my habits. However, once I shifted my mind toward a more activist stance in diet, it helped me develop the will-power necessary to succeed. I'm one of those all or nothing people

I've thought about going vegan since I was a teenager but always thought that I would never have the power to do it. Well, it turns out I do have the power. And it worked.

Thanks everyone! I'm not saying that dairy will cure everyone's PCOS but I say it's worth a shot. It is loaded with hormones. Hormones that are intended for baby cows, not for adult humans. No other species drinks milk from another species AND no other species continues to drink it past infancy. Why are we dumping hormones into our already hormone-frazzled bodies?

I just wanted to share my experience. If you're curious, just give up dairy for one month and see what happens. It can't hurt! In my case, it helped tremendously!

katt_:) · 05-29-2009, 06:57 PM

I hope you are not actually suggesting eating soy...which is what tofu is. PCOS is characterized by too much estrogen. Soy has plenty of estrogen in it. I have never heard of PCOS being linked to milk allergies. After 10 years of not having a period I would suspect you would be in big trouble. The uterus automatically sheds it's lining every so often.

JoyannaWants2BaMommy · 05-30-2009, 02:25 AM

thanks for the info chubs. in the book i read Marilu was saying that she was either allergic or coulnd't process dairy so her body was trying to get rid of it in other ways such as acne, and dr's have told me it can cause too much mucus and mess with your sinuses. i think for alot of people they can't process it and it clogs up their bodies, kinda like white carbs do to a lot of us. i love love cheese, and milk, and ice cream. i am scared to do any changes right now but it's something for me to think about again.

katt, i have never had my hormones levels drawn or anything, but i think when i was having lots of probs with my pcos acting up, i think i didn't have enough estrogen. i would bleed non stop and the only way to get it to stop was give me estrogen pills. i have read that on a lot of sites, and in books(that pcos is too much estrogen), but i think some of us might have to much progesterone, cause a lot of ladies have the nonstop bleeds. i guess it could go either way. and i thought the estrogens in soy was ok as long as you don't eat a whole lot. i thought the plant hormones help flush out our excess hormones.

chubsmcgee · 06-01-2009, 10:39 AM

Katt: Actually, I don't consume soy. Not a fan of tofu, and I put almond milk on my cereal. It's really good!

Obviously if someone wants to alter their diet and their life they should do research prior, and I wouldn't expect less of the incredibly intelligent, capable women who use this board. Unfortunately, my uterus does not automatically "shed its lining"...I used to take birth control pills to force myself to bleed, as it is very important, but then I got married and wanted to conceive so I started taking hormones just once a year to make sure I was shedding. Just naturally "shedding its lining" though, no never. Not a drop, unfortunately. Not until I got rid of dairy in my diet.

**EricaNicole** · 06-01-2009, 11:14 AM

what about calcium? Dark leafy veggies right? Im seriously considering this, its gonna be difficult seeing as i live in a house with 2 meat eaters, but I think this will work!