PCOS and low carb?

meg_balh

I was recently diagnosed with PCOS and have been doing quite a bit of research since then about it. I saw that low carb diets are most commonly reccommended for women with pcos because of insulin levels. Does anyone on here have it or have done low carb because of pcos?

meg_balh

I have normally gone vegan/vegetarian while trying to get healthier. So this is a whole other ball park for me.

4bettermenow

I have PCOS...diagnosed about 3 months ago. What has worked for me is low sugar/low carb. I don't count sugar in fruits, but do limit breads and such with higher sugar content. I have also stayed at 1200 or less calories a day. That is not for everyone, but is certainly works best for me. I have found that with PCOS, there is a lot of trial and error.

wkwebby

Going vegan/vegetarian while going low carb might be a huge challenge. I am low carb, but not ultra low (like keto diet or anything like that). I am insulin resistant, but I don't have PCOS. I've seen similarities in the threads though. If you aren't vegan/vegetarian by any other choice than being healthier, I would switch back because your protein intake will be really hindered without the meat aspect. Perhaps you can be a pescatarian so you can eat at least fish? If not, maybe eggs?

Protein should be your focus. I'm doing this for around 4-5 months and I still struggle some days to meet my protein goal of at least 100g. My carb cravings have calmed down dramatically which helps a lot, but I have to watch my numbers every day.

jemhh

I have PCOS. I eat lower carb but not super low. My diet includes lots of veggies and fruit but not a lot of grains or added sugar. I eat plenty though--have generally averaged 1750-1850 while losing this year. Eating fewer grains/refined sugars helped a lot and had the benefit of getting rid of my sugar haze. I had blood tests over the summer and my results for everything were stellar (can't find the numbers now of course.)

mehwhatever

I have PCOS. I've done low carb before and it does work pretty well. But I'm also on Metformin so I tend to eat moderate carbs. One thing you should try to start off with is just picking foods that are low glycemic. So basically just replace simple carbs and sugars.

aSaltandBattery

wkwebby wrote: »

If you aren't vegan/vegetarian by any other choice than being healthier, I would switch back because your protein intake will be really hindered without the meat aspect.

Totally agree with this. I've been diagnosed with PCOS for about 3 years now and for about 3 months a couple years ago I did go total vegan. It made me feel better, but I think that was more because of the weight loss rather than the food choices I made. It also was not sustainable at all. This time around I have been doing better overall trying to be as low carb as possible (I consciously make choices not to choose bread, starchy vegetables, cake, etc). I've been having a rough time this holiday because the cookies are getting the best of me, but I can definitely tell the difference between when I'm eating less carbs and when I start to get the crampy feelings in my lower abdomen again.

Also my calories are set at 1200 and without eating back exercise calories it is totally rough to me. Eating back exercise calories is a bonus and exercising (especially cardio) has made me feel a lot better too. The calorie thing is very individual, but exercise is something I'd definitely recommend if that is an option for you!

Another thing that I have found helpful is vitamins/supplements. Researching these could be beneficial too

jemhh

Yes, I eat above the MFP protein recommendation. I aim for 1g per pound of lean bodyweight, or more (so 120g +.)

RodaRose

It is possible to go low-ish carb on a plant based diet: lentils, beans, nuts, broccoli, kale, romaine, spinach, swiss chard, mushrooms, avocados, hemp seeds, . .

hazleyes81

I found out I have PCOS this past summer. I put on 30 pounds suddenly (I mean, within 6 weeks) a couple of years ago after going off of BCP for the first time in 16 years. No matter what I tried I could not lose it; plus I was tired, anxious, extremely depressed, had irregula cycles and lost interest in my husband, as well as life in general.I finally went to the Dr to discuss my issues and after bloodwork and other tests I was diagnosed and put on BCP with the intention of trying to normalize and regulate my hormones. It helped my mood and my cycle, but I still struggled to lose weight. Then, I lost my pills right after refilling (3 month supply) and thought I was screwed. Lo and behold suddenly the scale started creeping down. It was like going on the BCP jolted my hormones or something. Once I added in low carb high fat after doing some research on my own, it has been smooth sailing.

The weight is coming off and I have minimal anxiety/depression plus I have more energy which is making it easier to stick with exercise. My cycle seems a little heavier, longer, and crampier but I only have two months to go by so that may be a fluke. I also have endometriosis so that may be causing those problems.

I average 1200-1300 calories a day with a 1000 calorie deficit (2# a week goal). I lost 12 pounds in the first four weeks and now I am at 18 pounds lost so far (started Nov 6). Next month I am planning to start creeping that back up toward maintenance.

The food is very satisfying and now that I have curbed my addiction to carbs it is easy to avoid "cheating." I do worry about maintenance a bit and am trying to plan for that so that I don't fall back into old habits and bring around my old symptoms. I'm not vegan, though I was previously pescatarian, so I don't know how to help with food options. I found some high fiber edamame and mung bean pasta the other day that is almost all fiber and protein and I thought it was quite delicious, so there are foods out there that you can eat, you just may not be able to do <50 net carbs. Personally I strive for around 50-70 net carbs and 25-35g fiber a day and it works just fine (as per the pee strips) but I know its different for everyone.