PCOS Sufferer looking for a success story

Stefapee

I am 40+ with PCOS. I can't get a health care provider where I live to take this seriously. They gave me Metformin and basically told me to be happy how I am. I will never loose weight. I have researched online a bit but there is so much to take in it's hard to know where to start. I'd there a success story out there that would help me to control this and finally loose weight? Sick of being big.

jenika127

Yes! Me! I was you 2 years ago until I finally was sent to an endocrinologist. I have to drive 3 hours to get to the closest endo but it is well worth it! She is the super hero in my life! I've now lost 52 lbs and still losing. Everyone is different but I will tell you everything I have found that works for me. I have alway eaten healthy and was always very active ( I'm a farmer/ snowboard instructor so im always moving) but no matter what I did I was always very over weight. I would go to the gym for 2 hrs a day 6 days a week and eat 1200 calories and still not lose even a lb. I did this for years will no results. I'm sure you know that this was very disheartening. The first thing the endo said to me was that I needed to adopt a ketogenic diet, basically a very very low carb diet. For years I thought that I was doing good by following the government recomened low fat diet but this was actually during my body hard because of the pcos. I now eat 15 grams of net carbs a day ( net carbs are carbs minus the fiber and sugar alcohols) this diet can be hard to stick to but it has changed my life. My macro nutrients are 5% carbs 25% protein and 70% fat. Atkins, south beach, and Mediterranean diet are all similar but a little less strict. Many woman with pcos have trouble sticking to a keto diet so they just eat as low carb as they can manage. For me I have to stay under 15gr of carbs or I simple do not lose any weight. Basically the lower the carbs the better for us. Carbs raise insulin and lots of woman with pcos have high insulin levels, that's why we take metformin. The next thing the endo told me was my testosterone levels were high so she put me on spironolactone, this is common in woman with pcos. This cleared up many of my symtoms. Next was that I am always going to have to eat low calorie. She told me that basically we don't have a normal medibolic system so I was alway going to have to stay around the 1200 calorie range and that for me I could go as low as 800. I do not recomened you go below 1200 without talking to an endocrinologist! I am not a doc! the last major thing she told me was that cardio is very good for me but not necessary however 2-3 days a week I should do resistance training or light weights. This helps make the body more insulin sensitive and helps reverse insulin resistance. If You do want to do cardio interval traning is best. Lots of woman with pcos say they can walk 5 hrs a day and not lose weight but if they do a few short sprints or jump rope and get their heart rate up they do lose weight. Also I take a few supplements: cinnamon, b complex, cromium, and a good multivitamin with minerals. Once again this is just me, it is alway best to talk to a doctor that knows a lot about pcos before you change your diet or start any suplements. It will always be harder for most pcos woman to lose weight but it just makes it that much more satisfying when you do lose even a lb! There is great websites out there for pcos including www.soulcysters.com and www.pcosupport.org. The best thing you can do for yourself is find a doctor that knows about pcos, (way easier said than done I know) there are still many doctors out there that know very little about it and will even advise you against a low carb diet. Before I saw a endocrinologist my family doc told me I was eating to little and that was my problem, she set me up with a diet to follow and I gain 21 lbs in one month!! haha needless to say I was very mad, she then sent me staright to the endo. If you would like to do your own research pubmed.com has many many studies done on low carb diets for pcos woman I have also read many good books and article I can refer you too but I don't want to overload you with information, Im afraid I have already done this if you have any questions feel free to message me anytime or add me on here hope this helps!

jenika127

Haha please excuse all my typos and spelling mistakes! Typing on an iPad and aparently I am not very good at it!

cspurpdx

great info!

kethry70

FWIW, I have found that Calories in, calories out work to a point for me- we don't defy the law of physical. But, IR definitely plays a role.
I started by logging everything I ate. And I started weighing and measuring everything. It was eye-opening for sure - I had lost all sense of what a portion was!
I set myself a reasonable calorie deficit (500 a day to start or 1 lb a week) I usually keep around 25% of my calories from carbs. I eat a lot of protein and fat to help me keep full and try to eat lots of fruits and veggies for the same reason - high fiber and nutrient dense. I have also added exercise and strength training. I have lost over 40 lbs and 3 pants sizes
I do "budget" for occasional grains and sweets to avoid feelings of deprivation - basically, if I can't see giving it up for life, I haven't given it up completely. But, knowing the caloric "cost" has been empowering and has amde it easier for me to say no because the cost was too high, KWIM?

Anyway, it is doable- it's just a little harder! Good luck!

jenika127

I agree completely Kethry, I too bought a kitchen scale a few years ago and I still use it. It really does help knowing exactly what you are putting in your body, and entering everything mfp helps keep me accountable. It was so easy in the beginning for the carbs to creep up thought out the day! Haha I used to think that weighing food was for crazy fanatic people, but then I realized that I had to become slightly fanatic to keep myself on track. And congrats on your 40lb weight loss, that's awesome!

Stefapee

Jenika127 thank you so much for the information. Sorry it took me so long toreply. I had back surgery and am finally getting back to try g to be active. I have been using that diet for quite some time but obviously have issues with staying on the wagon. Stupid yummy sugar!! Thanks for replying.