Fighting a losing battle with PCOS

gennieeexo

Hi Everyone.

I'm just wondering if people with PCOS who have managed to lose weight have experienced similar symptoms?

I have successfully managed to lose just slightly over 2 stone mainly due to becoming regular at the gym and changing my eating lifestyle. I don't diet but I do conciously eat and try to follow my macros. For the last 3 months however my weight loss has seems to have slowed down and slow down to the point I've been the same weight for weeks now. I haven't changed my diet, I do even more in the gym (I run at least 5k a week and attend 2 metafit classes and 2 kettlebell classes weekly) ive cut as much sugar and carbs out of diet as I can but my weight is just not shifting. It's like my PCOS has gotten worse. Anyone else experienced this? Anybody know what I can do to get out of this weird plateau?

I've also noticed if I allow myself to have a cheat meal I can gain 4 lbs easy the next day and not lose it, so I have to spend the next week losing the same weight.

I've always allowed myself cheat meals throughout my weight loss so this is nothing new.

Someone please help!

jemhh

Have you reduced your calorie intake at all? Tried not having a cheat meal? (BTW, do you log your cheat meals? It is very easy for a cheat meal to negate a low caloric deficit.) Has your non-exercise activity level declined?

azulvioleta6

You have to work with the reality that you face.

I have PCOS AND FOUR OTHER METABOLIC DISEASES. It's just the way it is--I have to work harder and I can't ever slip up, or I gain weight.

Why are you consuming any sugar at all? What is your carb intake like right now? How many minutes of exercise are you getting per day/week?

strong_curves

Do you use a food scale at all to weigh/measure out your portions?

LernRach

the thing with cos is that your body isn't as efficient at breaking down food! its as though you eat an extra chocolate bar a day for your body to burn. if you don't reduce your calories the weight cannot come off, its as simple as that! I would highly recommend logging every teeny tiny thing that goes in your mouth, reduce calories (to a sustainable amount) n the weight will come off...

lorrpb

You might consider reframing your outlook. It does not sound to me that you are "fighting a losing battle." You've lost 2 st and you are able to lose the weight you gain each week from your cheat meals. You are able to exercise more than I am or a lot of other people. All of that is great because it means you are WINNING this battle. Since you are experiencing new or increased symptoms of PCOS perhaps you should consider seeing your doc, if you are referring to something other than a slow down in weight loss. Then consider tightening up your eating and logging as others suggest. Maybe it's time to reduce the amount of "cheats". I wish you the best.

jemhh

lorrpb wrote: »

You might consider reframing your outlook. It does not sound to me that you are "fighting a losing battle." You've lost 2 st and you are able to lose the weight you gain each week from your cheat meals. You are able to exercise more than I am or a lot of other people. All of that is great because it means you are WINNING this battle. Since you are experiencing new or increased symptoms of PCOS perhaps you should consider seeing your doc, if you are referring to something other than a slow down in weight loss. Then consider tightening up your eating and logging as others suggest. Maybe it's time to reduce the amount of "cheats". I wish you the best.

I would agree with all of this.

I have PCOS and know that it has had some effect on my weight loss/maintenance efforts, but it's far from the overriding theme of it all. I actually don't even think of it much until I see a PCOS post on here. As azulvioleta wrote, "it is what it is." I know that I need to exercise more (because I don't like to eat less) than some other women at my size so I just do it.

Obviously we are all different, but I do think it can be helpful to reframe things a bit and not describe yourself as "fighting a losing battle."

Also, I just noticed that in your OP you say "I don't diet." What do you mean by that? Is it that you don't like to use the term "diet" or are you not counting calories or something else?

nvmomketo

Have you considered a LCHF diet? Those with issues related to insulin resistance, like PCOS, tend to do well on a LCHF diet

middlehaitch

Have you recalculated your caloric needs recently? If you have lost 2st you will not need the same number of calories as you did at the beginning.

Also use a digital scale to weigh all your food. The closer to your goal you get the harder it is to lose.

Cheers, h.

ahoy_m8

lorrpb wrote: »

You might consider reframing your outlook. It does not sound to me that you are "fighting a losing battle." You've lost 2 st and you are able to lose the weight you gain each week from your cheat meals. You are able to exercise more than I am or a lot of other people. All of that is great because it means you are WINNING this battle. Since you are experiencing new or increased symptoms of PCOS perhaps you should consider seeing your doc, if you are referring to something other than a slow down in weight loss. Then consider tightening up your eating and logging as others suggest. Maybe it's time to reduce the amount of "cheats". I wish you the best.

Excellent post.

gennieeexo

jemhh wrote: »

Have you reduced your calorie intake at all? Tried not having a cheat meal? (BTW, do you log your cheat meals? It is very easy for a cheat meal to negate a low caloric deficit.) Has your non-exercise activity level declined?

Yep I reduced it but because I do a lot high intensity exercise I can't reduce it too greatly otherwise I don't have enough energy to go to the gym.

I generally at first tried to stick to 1800 call but I barely reached that I had to struggle as that's too much for me.

LKArgh

gennieeexo wrote: »

Hi Everyone.

I'm just wondering if people with PCOS who have managed to lose weight have experienced similar symptoms?

I have successfully managed to lose just slightly over 2 stone mainly due to becoming regular at the gym and changing my eating lifestyle. I don't diet but I do conciously eat and try to follow my macros. For the last 3 months however my weight loss has seems to have slowed down and slow down to the point I've been the same weight for weeks now. I haven't changed my diet, I do even more in the gym (I run at least 5k a week and attend 2 metafit classes and 2 kettlebell classes weekly) ive cut as much sugar and carbs out of diet as I can but my weight is just not shifting. It's like my PCOS has gotten worse. Anyone else experienced this? Anybody know what I can do to get out of this weird plateau?

I've also noticed if I allow myself to have a cheat meal I can gain 4 lbs easy the next day and not lose it, so I have to spend the next week losing the same weight.

I've always allowed myself cheat meals throughout my weight loss so this is nothing new.

Someone please help!

Why do you think this is in any way related to PCOS? Are there other symptoms? In general weight loss slows down as you approach your goal weight. This is normal and nothing to feel discouraged about.
What is your current weight? How much is there still to lose? If this is a recent photo, it cannot be much, so it is normal for weight loss to be very slow. Also as you approach your goal, errors in calorie estimation matter. It is very easy to eat close or even above maintenance while thinking you have e.g. a 300 calorie deficit.

Sued0nim

gennieeexo wrote: »

Hi Everyone.

I'm just wondering if people with PCOS who have managed to lose weight have experienced similar symptoms?

I have successfully managed to lose just slightly over 2 stone mainly due to becoming regular at the gym and changing my eating lifestyle. I don't diet but I do conciously eat and try to follow my macros. For the last 3 months however my weight loss has seems to have slowed down and slow down to the point I've been the same weight for weeks now. I haven't changed my diet, I do even more in the gym (I run at least 5k a week and attend 2 metafit classes and 2 kettlebell classes weekly) ive cut as much sugar and carbs out of diet as I can but my weight is just not shifting. It's like my PCOS has gotten worse. Anyone else experienced this? Anybody know what I can do to get out of this weird plateau?

I've also noticed if I allow myself to have a cheat meal I can gain 4 lbs easy the next day and not lose it, so I have to spend the next week losing the same weight.

I've always allowed myself cheat meals throughout my weight loss so this is nothing new.

Someone please help!

Count your calories

Weigh all your food and log it accurately

Your cheat meal will be carb and sodium heavy so water weight - it's a fluctuation nothing more

Kalikel

You did well with your plan, but now that it's not working, it's time to try something new! You don't have to change the foods you eat, but it's sounds to me like it's time you start dieting.

Count your calories. Plug your info into the MFP and follow the instructions.

If you want that weekly "cheat meal," then just save calories up during the week so that you can eat it.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

jemhh

gennieeexo wrote: »

jemhh wrote: »

Have you reduced your calorie intake at all? Tried not having a cheat meal? (BTW, do you log your cheat meals? It is very easy for a cheat meal to negate a low caloric deficit.) Has your non-exercise activity level declined?

Yep I reduced it but because I do a lot high intensity exercise I can't reduce it too greatly otherwise I don't have enough energy to go to the gym.

I generally at first tried to stick to 1800 call but I barely reached that I had to struggle as that's too much for me.

Ok you answered my first question. What about the other three?

gennieeexo

Hi Everyone and thank you for replying.

Firstly I know things can come across unintended but I feel as if some of you think I don't know what what PCOS is or the symptoms - I've been suffering with it since 16 and I am now 26 so I'm aware of what it is and what it does. Secondly I have recently made the decision to ween myself off the Prozac I have been taking for 5 years so I don't know if this any way contributes. I came to this board for help, support and advice not to feel slightly attacked.

My story may not be a battle to someone else but it's MY personal battle. And I'm well aware I have been blessed with the little symptoms I have experienced in comparison to others.

I am well aware I need to be eating a deficit which I have been. I get at least 60 mins of exercise a day when I'm out of the gym by walking. I don't weight my food but my daily diet consists of 90% of the time;


Breakfast - Protein shake

Mid morning snack - Belvita breakfast biscuits (4 in a pack)

Lunch - chicken grilled with either rice or egg noodles and a salad.

Dinner - Beans on toast or soup.

I drink 2 litres of water a day and have managed to cut out crisp / chocolate out of my lunches.

After losing a a stone someone at my gym advised I eat 1800 calories based on how active I was which worked (I never eat that much I struggled). I have used an IIFYM calculator online which calculated I should now be eating 1680 calories a day. Again I have tried to stick to this.

I don't consume pop as I don't like it, and barely touch chocolate as i have more of a savory tooth. If I don't consume something with sugar in it during the day however I get dizzy.

I usually eat a cheat meal at the weekend once I've had my usual 5k run. To which I can easily gain 3lbs and keep it on.
Throughout my weight loss I have always ate a cheat meal and still lost weight.

But I have noticed about 3 months ago as I started to reach my 2.5 stone loss mark my weight suddenly started creeping back up and I haven't been doing anything different and was wondering if any fellow PCOS suffers had expended the same thing?

LKArgh

gennieeexo wrote: »

Hi Everyone and thank you for replying.

Firstly I know things can come across unintended but I feel as if some of you think I don't know what what PCOS is or the symptoms - I've been suffering with it since 16 and I am now 26 so I'm aware of what it is and what it does. Secondly I have recently made the decision to ween myself off the Prozac I have been taking for 5 years so I don't know if this any way contributes. I came to this board for help, support and advice not to feel slightly attacked.

My story may not be a battle to someone else but it's MY personal battle. And I'm well aware I have been blessed with the little symptoms I have experienced in comparison to others.

I am well aware I need to be eating a deficit which I have been. I get at least 60 mins of exercise a day when I'm out of the gym by walking. I don't weight my food but my daily diet consists of 90% of the time;


Breakfast - Protein shake

Mid morning snack - Belvita breakfast biscuits (4 in a pack)

Lunch - chicken grilled with either rice or egg noodles and a salad.

Dinner - Beans on toast or soup.

I drink 2 litres of water a day and have managed to cut out crisp / chocolate out of my lunches.

After losing a a stone someone at my gym advised I eat 1800 calories based on how active I was which worked (I never eat that much I struggled). I have used an IIFYM calculator online which calculated I should now be eating 1680 calories a day. Again I have tried to stick to this.

I don't consume pop as I don't like it, and barely touch chocolate as i have more of a savory tooth. If I don't consume something with sugar in it during the day however I get dizzy.

I usually eat a cheat meal at the weekend once I've had my usual 5k run. To which I can easily gain 3lbs and keep it on.
Throughout my weight loss I have always ate a cheat meal and still lost weight.

But I have noticed about 3 months ago as I started to reach my 2.5 stone loss mark my weight suddenly started creeping back up and I haven't been doing anything different and was wondering if any fellow PCOS suffers had expended the same thing?

You are attributing something that happens to everyone to PCOS. No one is doubting you have PCOS. But what you are experiencing, it happens to everyone.
When you have a lot of weight to lose, you can be less accurate at your estimations and still lose, and lose fast. As you approach your goal, accuracy matters. And it is hard to be accurate. If you are gaining and losing the same weight, you are at maintenance. Which could mean that you are not burning as much as you hope, you are not eating as low as you think, or a combination. If you are 100% sure about your logging accuracy (log everything, use a food scale, log treats and cheat meals etc), then try eating less of your exercise calories back. If you are not sure abut logging accuracy, focus there.

RoxieDawn

The are thousands of woman with PCOS that loose weight everyday. I am the one going to be blunt here, but woman use PCOS as an excuse why they cannot loose weight.. There are a ton of threads on MFP that cover this topic.

You may have tighten up your calories a bit to make sure you are not overeating or eating more than you think and your exercise calories burned are not way over estimated..

Jbarbo01

I have a lot of success with low carb eating and I know you are saying you are eating low carb, but from your sample diet I do not think that is the case. I lose weight fairly easily not eating pasta, toast, or added sugar in sodas or a lot of processed foods. It's a sad life us PCOSers lead unfortunately. Either way everyone is different so others may have more helpful advice, but this has helped me. This is a sample menu of my day. Give this type of eating a try and see if it helps.

Breakfast-2 hard boiled eggs, 100% vegetable juice like V8 low sodium vegetable juice
Lunch-2 skinless chicken drumsticks, a large helping roasted broccoli, half a sweet potato, raw baby carrots, and greek yogurt
Dinner- Beanless turkey and veggie chili poured over a sweet potato and a side salad
Snack-Apple and banana

Some low carb on the go snacks are things like nuts or cheeses with 100% vegetable juice rather than breakfast biscuits or a protein shake that has sugar or fake sweeteners added.

Produce was a game changer for me, i tried weight watchers and that has helped. The plan pushes produce by having fruit and veg being 0 points. I still log on here but WW has also helped me a ton.

jemhh

Nobody here has attacked you. We're attempting to give you help and advice. If you don't like the delivery, fine, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

You need to start weighing your foods. Loosey goosey not weighing works well for a lot of people in the beginning but, in general, most people (not all but most) need to tighten up their logging accuracy at a certain point. Furthermore, you may have "always ate a cheat meal and still lost weight" in the past but you aren't now. What you did to get to this point no longer works. Time to try something new. Look at past posts on this board and you'll see that the overriding suggestion for the "something new" once a person gets stuck is to be more accurate by weighing your food and logging using very good entries in the MFP database (USDA entries or entries that match food labels, for example.)

Mary_Anastasia

We are in a similar boat, I feel ya. My endocrinologist told me we simply have to work harder than most people do. Good luck.

gennieeexo

I genuinely do appreciate all the comments I think I'm just a little bit overly sensitive at the moment sorry!

carr3107

Maybe a stupid question, but what about PCOS makes it hard to lose weight? Lower metabolisms in general?

Colorscheme

carr3107 wrote: »

Maybe a stupid question, but what about PCOS makes it hard to lose weight? Lower metabolisms in general?

Lower metabolism and insulin resistance, usually.

Look at Jillian Michaels. She has PCOS. PCOS doesn't mean you can't lose weight, but it does mean weight loss might not come as easy as it does for the rest of the population.

OP, maybe try lowering your carbs a little and see if that helps.

carr3107

How does insulin resistance affect weight loss?

Colorscheme

carr3107 wrote: »

How does insulin resistance affect weight loss?

Because people who are insulin resistance have inappropriate responses to insulin. To combat this, the pancreas releases more insulin, creating high blood sugar. If you eat carb heavy foods like bread and pasta, then you can make 5x the amount of insulin compared to a regular person. Higher insulin = more body fat. This is why people who are insulin resistant should b careful with carbs and focus on higher protein instead.

carr3107

I really am trying to understand. If PCOS means lower metabolism, it means you have to reduce the number of calories you can eat. But how does insulin resistance impact CICO?

kami3006

carr3107 wrote: »

I really am trying to understand. If PCOS means lower metabolism, it means you have to reduce the number of calories you can eat. But how does insulin resistance impact CICO?

It doesn't change the principle of CICO but makes the balance between CI and CO a bit more challenging.

Colorscheme

carr3107 wrote: »

I really am trying to understand. If PCOS means lower metabolism, it means you have to reduce the number of calories you can eat. But how does insulin resistance impact CICO?

As the other poster said, it doesn't. PCOS has more to do with carbs, fat and protein and how your body processes them.

nvmomketo

kami3006 wrote: »

carr3107 wrote: »

I really am trying to understand. If PCOS means lower metabolism, it means you have to reduce the number of calories you can eat. But how does insulin resistance impact CICO?

It doesn't change the principle of CICO but makes the balance between CI and CO a bit more challenging.

Insulin resistance lowers CO. That's the only way it affects CI<CO. Those with insulin resistance tend to lose weight better on a LCHF diet. It appears LCHF raises CO some how, and it can lower appetite (lowered CI).