Week 35, Day 6

Oh man, hormones are nothing to mess around with! I just found out today that I have a SEVERE hormonal imbalance. Yes, it's important to eat. Or you will end up like me. Depressed, not sleeping, lacking energy, crying ALL day, unable to think clearly, and unable to lose weight in spite of the lack of eating. I'm so glad I got so desperately sad that I finally went to the doctor in a last-ditch effort to find relief before giving up completely and resorting to plunging myself off a bridge. I heard once that if you can't be a good example, at least be a horrible warning. Yup, that's me, and this is your warning. Eat, and make darned sure it's a well-balanced diet. Your life truly depends on it.

Soooo...what to do to fix this? No hormone supplements yet. We'll see in a few weeks after I've been on antidepressants for a bit. This way, if there are any side effects, we'll know for sure what's causing the problem. Aside from the antidepressants to lift me as quickly as possible out of this dangerously low mood, my doctor suggested the following steps, which I think are good to do on a regular basis anyway:

• Eat a well-balanced diet EVERY day. Keep a diary to make SURE it is balanced -- particularly important until everything in the body is in balance again and eating right becomes a habit again.

• Take a multi-vitamin EVERY day.

• Consider supplementing diet and a multi wtih vitamin B, C, and D and with Omega-3 complex.

• Exercise, preferably something like walking, which engages most of the body. Exercise helps elevate the mood and regulate hormones.

I went from the doctor's office to the pharmacy to pick up my happy pills to the first day of my new job. Yup, that's right -- the job I didn't want and am pretty sure they made a mistake in hiring me. They may think so, too, if they had known I had a new prescription of happy pills in my purse. Oh well. Too late now! At least with fresh drugs in my system, it is easier to slap a happy smile on my face and pretend to be happy to be there. And I am pleased to be earning money again. We had the 2-mile tour today, and I didn't keel over. Yayee for 60 pounds of weight lost and better fitness! This week is training, and we get tested at the end of each day to see if we are worthy to come back the next day for more training. So far, so good; I'm allowed to come back tomorrow.

Today's Tip:
Jillian Michaels (one of the trainers from NBC's Biggest Loser) has written a book about hormones. I have the book, but I haven't read it all yet. I probablly could have avoided a lot of grief and my current problems if I had. If you're interested, here's a link to Amazon. You'll get a better price here than you will at a bookstore. Just click on this link Master Your Metabolism: The 3 Diet Secrets to Naturally Balancing Your Hormones for a Hot and Healthy Body!
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