What Is a Calorie And Why Am I Fat?

"Cold Front" classic pinup by artist Gil Elvgren

By Caitlin Seida

It's so simple in theory, when you see it in black and white: eat a 2,000 calorie diet and you'll be healthy, maintain a good weight and all will be well in the world. But how often do we stop to think just what these numbers - these calories - mean? A calorie is the amount of energy it takes to heat one cubic centimeter of water by one degree.

Huh? Read that again. In English: A calorie is a unit of energy measurement. And yet, something so small and insignificant can play a very large part in our lives - sometimes to the point of ruling them. We count them, we watch them, we try to burn those suckers for all we're worth. And there's a ton of misinformation out there.

And the biggest whopper of all? The old faithful "Calories in vs. calories out." Nothing could be further from the truth. Sure - it all looks good on paper. But have you ever met a body that read the paper? Me neither. I recently was asked by a Twitter follower how I could be fat if I ate right and exercised - the fact of the matter is: YOUR BODY plays a big role in how your body processes what you put into your mouth.

First of all, not all calories are created equal. A University of Florida study and a study performed by Wake Forest University both found that people who consume quality foods maintain better overall health - and lower weight. 500 calories of fast food is not the same as 500 calories of fruit and veggies, or 500 calories of whole grain carbs and lean meat. A cubic zirconia and a diamond both look the same, but are they? Nope.

Let's say you're like me - you eat very little fast food and maintain a pretty good nutrition level. What then? Well, calories can come from three sources: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Your body needs a balance of these things, and skewing that balance can lead to disaster. And not every BODY is the same: those of us with insulin resistance (a comorbid condition that often walks hand-in-hand with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) need fewer calories from carbs and more from proteins and healthy fats. It's highly individualized - which is why you should speak to your doctor and a nutritionist before changing the way you eat. Your body is not everyone else's body and your body has it's own individual needs.

But what about the math? Numbers can't lie - right? Nutrition isn't as simple as 2+2 = 4. It's more like theoretical physics: 2+2 can sometimes equal 6, 12, or 1,409 if the right conditions are met. And just what do I mean by that? The mathematical formula used to determine calorie values is 100+ years old. And while an apple is still an apple, the way we understand how that apple gets turned into energy has changed.

Used under a CC License from Tomas Sobek

A Harvard professor explained in depth how digestion impacts the absorption of nutrients - and how that, in turn, effects the number of calories we take in. If you have stomach issues, or even just don't digest certain things all that well, some foods pass right through your system to be excreted as waste instead of being stored, burned or used as energy. Some foods are easier to absorb and thus do the opposite: pack more of a caloric punch by increasing your metabolic rate. That damn new math.

Next, if you're counting on your labels to give you accurate information, think again. By United States law, most products have a 30% wiggle room in stating the caloric content of the meal or food on their packaging. So a lean frozen "diet" meal that claims to contain 300 calories could just as easily contain over 350 calories or more. If you opt for convenience over whole, home cooked foods more often than not? That's a lot of unexpected calories!

But, you're probably wondering, how do you end up fat if you eat a solid, quality diet where you KNOW you're restricting calories and exercise a lot? Plain and simple, hormones can really mess things up. Things like insulin (which affects how the body breaks down food into energy), cortisol (which affects how much fat we store), serotonin (the "happy" hormone, which is actually found majorily in your gut and can play a part in signaling your "I feel full" receptors) and even the good old standbys of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone can play a part in how and whether your body uses the calories (energy) from food, stores it as fat or excretes it as waste.

Used under CC License from Francois Meehan

For someone with insulin resistance, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and Hashimoto's disease of the thyroid? More often than not, our hormonal imbalances (yes, more than one) trigger the body to start storing potential energy (calories) as fat instead of using them as energy. That's also part of the reason why one of the main hallmarks of all of those illnesses is fatigue: your body isn't letting you use the energy you're consuming in the form of food. It's storing it for a later date instead.

So the bottom line? For most people whose hormonal systems are firing normally, following the dietary recommendations set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture should be fine. But you are an individual and your body is unique to you - so be sure to double check with your healthcare practitioner if you experience sudden weight gain or weight loss or before changing your diet radically - including how many of those pesky calories you take in.

Caitlin Seida has been writing since 2006, with her work appearing on various websites including Livestrong.com, TypeF.com, Salon.com, Dogster.com and The Daily Puppy. A Jill-of-All-Trades, she splits her workday as a writer, humane society advocate and on-call vet tech. What little free time she has goes into pinup modeling, advocating for self-acceptance, knitting and trying to maintain her haunted house (really!). You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter, and of course here on I Feel Delicious!

Putting Your Mustache to Good Use: An Interview with Miss Movember, Jeanette Martin

By Caitlin Seida

Jeanette Martin, used with permission

The human body is a weird thing - sometimes we're given features we really would rather not have. Some women regularly pluck stray hairs from our bodies. But too many "cysters" (women with PCOS) know the pain that comes of being cursed with the ability to grow a lush beard or mustache that would be the envy of many a man. Not every woman with PCOS has unwanted facial hair, but for those that do it can be embarrassing, sometimes to the point of making it hard to leave the house without being on the verge of tears.

One cyster is standing up and kicking ass and using what Mother Nature gave her for the power of good. Jeanette Wilson-Martin, 32, of Bremerton, WA is doing exactly that. Last year Jeanette committed to growing out her facial hair for Movember, a movement that encourages men to grow out their facial hair in the month of November to raise funds and awareness for prostate and testicular cancer and other men's health issues. And she's doing it again this year.

" I heard about Movember on our local radio station the put out a call for any woman who would be willing to grow a mustache for Movember," she says. She reached out to them and joined their team. "A few weeks earlier my (now) husband was watching football, and I noticed all the pink for breast cancer awareness...I figured if they can wear pink I can wear my mustache!"

Jeanette's struggle with polycystic ovarian syndrome is a story that rings true for many cysters. Jeanette tells us "I was 22 when I was finally diagnosed with PCOS, but my symptoms started showing at 16 along with puberty." Since symptoms are different for every woman, she elaborated and explained some of the other issues she has to contend with on a daily basis: "I have the facial hair and excessive body hair, weight gain, and depression, I have fertility issues. I have been borderline diabetic." She says she's been lucky with the borderline diabetes, but managed to develop gestational diabetes when pregnant with her daughter.

And her daughter - so lucky to have a mom who is unafraid to be who she is and show her beautiful

Jeanette Martin and her daughter, used with permission.

face to the world, is something of a miracle. As with many PCOS women, the fertility issues experienced made it hard for Jeanette to bring her vivacious and wonderful daughter into the world. "My daughter was my 7th pregnancy, and the only one to make it past 6 months along." My heart broke for Jeanette when she told me this - pregnancy loss is never easy, and can really do a number on your life when you have a diagnosis that basically says your body will do all sorts of things that aren't "textbook normal" - it's frustrating to no end when your body does not behave the way it's supposed to.

"I was on over 100 days of bed rest and had to go to UW in Seattle to have her, I went into labor 3 times with my daughter, and the final time, she was 5 and a half weeks early. I was life flighted from Bremerton to have her in Seattle." Like mother like daughter, Jeanette's little girl was a fighter from the start. "The two times I went into labor before this, they gave me steroids to strengthen her lungs and get her ready if they couldn't stop my labor, so when she came we were prepared for the worst and got the best anyone could have expected. She was 4 lbs 7 oz, 17.5 inches long, and was very close to perfectly healthy, she had a few issues keeping her body heat, and eating, but we only stayed 4 days in the hospital and i was able to bring her home."

For women with PCOS who have fertility issues, Jeanette's story is a beacon of hope. Many women with PCOS, especially those who are diagnosed later in life or don't have access to proper medical care but want a family, have an incredibly hard time starting one.
Speaking of access to medical care, I asked Jeanette what her doctors were doing to help her. Many of the symptoms of polycystic ovarian syndrome are invisible - the cysts, the insulin resistance, the depression, but those that are visible like the weight gain around the middle and the hair problems are the only indicator to the world that there's a problem. Treatment of PCOS usually consists of working with different medications to correct the insulin resistance and mediate the hormonal imbalance that causes the signs and symptoms of the syndrome.

"I am uninsured at the moment and have not seen a doctor since shortly after my daughter was born," says Jeanette, a story that is again all-too-familiar to many American women.  "When I did have a regular doctor, they put me on metformin (Glucophage) and (hormonal) birth control." Like PCOS, which is not a one-size-fits-all disorder, the standard course of treatment did not work for Jeanette. "The metformin made my sugars drop and scared me because I am not diabetic, and the birth control did not help the facial hair as they thought it would." Again, a frustration that many cysters know firsthand. It can take a long time to find the right combination of things to mitigate the symptoms of the disorder.  

As for her now iconic mustache, I asked Jeanette if she'd ever tried to get rid of it. She says: "I have had every treatment for my hair that I can think of: laser, electrolysis, waxing, and now I just shave every day." True to the I Feel Delicious motto, Jeanette doesn't let her facial hair stop her from trying to feel and look her best.

"I like to play up the features I like about myself, I do crazy colors and bold eyes," she says of her beauty routine. "I try to dress for my body type, and not the body type I wish I had, and be comfortable." She offers this advice for other PCOS sufferers with the same problem:  "You gotta work with what you have; find your strengths, and highlight those."

She doesn't just try her best to look good, but also feel good. "I am not really a fitness kinda person," Jeanette says. But as new moms know, we get a lot of physical activity whether we want to or not. " I guess my favorite exercise is running after my two year old!" And with a firecracker like Jeanette for a mom, I'm sure that keeps her busy 24 hours a day!  

"I do try to eat a home cooked balanced dinner every night." Jeanette tells us, making me wish I could ask for an invite to dinner because my cooking skills are horrid and I admire her dedication to making sure her family gets proper nutrition. We're all only human though, and Jeanette confesses that she, her husband and daughter eat out once a month. No harm in having a treat now and then, and Jeanette says it's mostly when they're on the go and away from home. I hate the fact that Jeanette feels the need to justify a meal out, but sadly many PCOS sufferers do feel a need to explain their dietary choices, even though it is nobody's business but their own and their doctors'.

Jeanette at the Movember gala, used with permission

Becoming Miss Movember hasn't been the easiest thing in the world and Jeanette faced her own share of cyberbullies when she first participated in 2012. "On a few websites some of the comments did get pretty mean, but every time I was about to defend myself I would see many post from others defending me, and saying how brave I was, it seemed for every negative there was a lot more positive," she tells us. Maybe there's a little faith in humanity, because unlike my own story, Jeanette mentions "I even had some (people) apologize for their remarks, and they took the time to read about PCOS, and they learned a little."
The participants in Movember made Jeanette feel welcome though - despite the fact that she's not the gender of the typical participant. "When I was nominated for Miss Movember, I had to get on stage and next to some fairly thin, very pretty girls, but I did it, and the crowd roared for me, and accepted me for me, it was the most awesome feeling."

And as for her family's thoughts on her growing out her mustache for a good cause? "My husband

Jeanette and her husband, used with permission.

was super supportive. He did Movember with me last year and now this year too, but tries to get everyone to donate and see my page, and encourages me to keep going when
it gets a little long, and the stares start coming."

Although last year was only the first year Jeanette participated in Movember, she's doing it again this year (2013) and says she plans to do continue doing so. "I have said I will keep growing my Mustache out until I reach $1000, in a single Movember." After that? "I will still participate just not grow."

Despite garnering some overwhelming attention from both the press and the public at large, Jeanette says it's been a pretty positive experience. "Last year at the Seattle gala I won Miss Movember, and became the first woman to ever win Man of Movember," a pretty big achievement! In today's society of pink ribbons and breast cancer support, it's not uncommon to hear of men sporting pink apparel or "Save the TaTas" t-shirts, championing for what is typically considered a "woman's disease" (despite breast cancer's insidious ability to affect anyone, regardless of gender.)  But rarely do you hear of a woman becoming a figurehead for men's health and testicular and prostate cancer - possibly because the causes don't get nearly as much attention as breast cancer or possibly because women just don't think it's of their concern.  

I would not hesitate to call Jeanette a role model, and she would be someone I would be very proud to have my own daughter of a similar age look to for inspiration. When asked what she would like to tell her daughter, Jeanette says: "Every person is beautiful, and different, and to embrace your uniqueness. I was given a curse, and for many years, I hated my facial hair, and would walk around with my head down hoping no one would notice, but then I heard opportunity knocking and a chance to use this as a gift and make my negative into a positive."

"So many people said I was brave, but really I was more afraid than I was willing to show, and if it helps just one person to look and the mirror and see something different then what everyone has told them to see, it was and is worth it." I think Jeanette has more than accomplished her goal - from those who apologized for their cyber harassment to those who took the time to learn a little more about PCOS to those who have donated to her Movember campaign, she's making a BIG difference in the world. And for all the girls and women ashamed of their facial hair, Jeanette is showing that you can still be beautiful, even with your mustache. This strong and, yes, courageous woman is beautiful both inside AND out.
You can donate to Jeanette's campaign to raise funds for Movember here at her "MoSpace" page. Let's see if we can try to help her reach her $1,000 goal! Caitlin Seida has been writing since 2006, with her work appearing on various websites including Livestrong.com, TypeF.com, Salon.com, Dogster.com and The Daily Puppy. A Jill-of-All-Trades, she splits her workday as a writer, humane society advocate and on-call vet tech. What little free time she has goes into pinup modeling, advocating for self-acceptance, knitting and trying to maintain her haunted house (really!). You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter, and of course here on I Feel Delicious!

PCOS: My Ovaries Are So Classy They Wear Pearls

By Caitlin Seida 

To anyone who’s read my story on Salon.com, I’m already speaking what you know: I have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). A lot of women have written me telling me they have the same. An equal number of women have written me asking for more information on the syndrome and wondering if they should ask their doctors for tests because of their symptoms. Today, you’re going to get the nitty gritty about PCOS, what it looks like and what you should do if you think you might be one of the estimated 350 million women (source) affected by this disease.

What it Is 

Cysts are little fluid filled sacs. With polycystic ovarian syndrome, cysts can accumulate on your ovaries. Sometimes women with PCOS have no cysts at all (wrap your head around THAT one!), sometimes the
number of cysts reduces or increases based on hormonal changes. Sometimes the cysts burst in a painful bout of misery that leaves you crying for your mother and cursing your female anatomy. One of the first clues women with PCOS have may be highly irregular or missed periods - going more than 28 days without a period, skipping a month, or going far less than 28 days between periods. Again, it all comes down to hormones. Speaking of hormones, women with PCOS almost always have high levels of androgens - these are erroneously called “male” hormones (like testosterone), but women make them too, just in smaller amounts. When you’ve got PCOS, the levels of testosterone, estrogen and progesterone (the latter two being typically “female” hormones) are all out of whack.

What it Looks Like 

Copyright Tony Alter, Used under a Creative Commons 2.0 License

 The bitch of it is, PCOS looks and feels different for every woman. As I mentioned, some women never experience the (ahem) joy of ovarian cysts. Some women have painful, heavy and long periods. Other women have short, light and almost non-existent periods. Thanks to the androgen levels, some women experience excess hair growth in areas where there isn’t typically any - on the upper lip, stomach, chest or back for example. Other women find that they’re losing hair in a way that makes them look like they have male pattern baldness. A lot (but not all) women notice extra and sudden weight gain - especially around the midsection. Acne, oily skin, dry skin, and dandruff are all possibilities. Some women suffer from skin tags (little blips of skin that pop up, usually where body parts rub together like the armpits, neck, or bra line.) Anxiety and depression, if not already present, can get worse. Some women experience a symptom called acanthosis nigricans - where patches of skin around the neck, arms, breasts, thighs or knees look thick, dark brown or black and are velvety to the touch. Because it’s all related to YOUR individual hormonal balance (or imbalance, as the case may be), the symptoms are so widely varied from person to person.

Best Friends 

The bad news is, PCOS often (but not always) comes with co-morbid conditions. What this means is that PCOS has a bunch of little buddy syndromes that hang out with it. Insulin resistance is a common one. Insulin is hormone that helps regulate blood glucose levels. Your body becomes tolerant of the normal dose your body produces, and your body has to make even more of it to keep your blood sugar levels regular. So you end up with this excess store of insulin in your body. It can make you feel tired after eating, generally fatigued and yes - it can make it feel almost impossible to lose weight. This puts you at risk for diabetes in the future, if not managed properly. Women with PCOS are at a higher risk of having high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and heart problems. Although the link is shaky, a lot of women with PCOS also experience hypothyroidism

Let’s Talk About Sex (Babies!) 

Copyright flickr.com/Agryopoulos, used under a Creative Commons 2.0 License

Women with PCOS usually figure out they have the condition when they’re trying to conceive - but as I’ve explained, the syndrome has much more to do with your overall health than whether or not you can get pregnant. But for a woman who dreams of having a family, a diagnosis of PCOS can seem like the end of the line. The good news is, there are treatments available to help women with PCOS get pregnant, and the sooner you seek help, the better your chances are. Young women who are diagnosed with PCOS are often - erroneously! - told they’ll never have kids. It’s just not true folks - I’ve got a “surprise” 17 month old daughter who, according to doctors, never should have existed. If you’re not one of the PCOS “cysters” who wants children - ALWAYS USE BIRTH CONTROL! And if you are wishing to be a mama, it’s important to keep tabs on your PCOS even after you get your little bundle of joy - your health depends on it. Really.

So How Did I Get It? 

You didn’t catch it from sex, or a dirty toilet seat, or eating the wrong kind of ice cream. Simply put: Nobody really knows what causes it. There’s a suspected genetic component - my mother and I got diagnosed at the same time - and there’s a thought that hormones in food, or changes in diet, or stress, or exposure to a million and one things theorized to cause PCOS. But really? Nobody has a clue. So don’t beat yourself up over it and don’t let your doctor (or anyone else) make you feel like this is YOUR FAULT. It’s not. If you want to blame anyone, blame those damn hormones that are out of whack.

Diagnosis 

Copyright Walt Stoneburner, used under a Creative Commons 2.0 License

Getting a diagnosis is as simple and as complicated as visiting your doctor. She or he will take a physical exam, family history, do a pelvic exam, an ultrasound of your ovaries to see if cysts are present and take
some blood to check your androgen levels, blood glucose levels and insulin levels (taking care of the insulin resistance buddy, as well!). It may take several visits to get things sorted out - some women notice their doctors brush off their concerns. if that happens, seek a second opinion and don’t stop until you get answers. If you have the ability, speak with an endocrinologist about your suspicions.

Treatment 

Since PCOS is so varied in symptoms and severity, treatment depends on your individual case. Women not wishing to get pregnant find their symptoms can be controlled by hormonal birth control pills. Women looking to get pregnant have an array of fertility treatment options, but it’s important to keep treating PCOS even after your childbearing time is over - this is a life-long condition. Insulin resistance is treated in much the same was as non-insulin dependent diabetes, with a pill called metformin. If you’ve got high blood pressure or high cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medication to lower those. But the big thing across the board is diet and lifestyle change. Insulin resistance and PCOS respond well to a low carb (not Atkins!) dietary regimen and lots of exercise. The bitch of it is, you might not see any weight loss from these things, but they’re the right things to do to help your overall health - even though it’s not reflected in the scale or the mirror.

Where to Get More Information
Obviously your first stop should be your general practitioner, gynecologist or endocrinologist. But if you'd like to do some research on your own in case your doctors aren't familiar with the problem (and many aren't!), these sites should be of some help: 
National Institutes of Health: PCOS
The Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Awareness Association
PCOS at the Mayo Clinic
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association
PCOS Foundation

Caitlin Seida has been writing since 2006, with her work appearing on various websites including Livestrong.com, TypeF.com, Salon.com, Dogster.com and The Daily Puppy. A Jill-of-All-Trades, she splits her workday as a writer, humane society advocate and on-call vet tech. What little free time she has goes into pinup modeling, advocating for self-acceptance, knitting and trying to maintain her haunted house (really!). You can find her on Facebook, on Twitter, and of course here on I Feel Delicious!