PCOS and weight loss

diwijo13

I have PCOS and the last time I tried to make a lifestyle change, I quit after a year due to discouragement and personal issues. It was so hard to lose my stomach fat. It took me 1 year to lose 30 lbs and 10 of those lbs were in the first month. For those who have PCOS, what's the most weight you were able to lose in the least amount of time? How did you accomplish that? What were your macro settings, especially carbs, what exercises worked for you, etc?

hlcavalieri

Hello! I too have PCOS. Unfortunately everyone loses weight at their own pace, and PCOS can sometimes make it a little more tricky! I'm currently down 27lbs, I started my lifestyle change in June, so I'm moving relatively slowly.
Slow and steady wins the race though! I changed my eating habits, by eating healthier options, and smaller portions. I also try to work out at least 20 minutes a day.Any healthy changes you make is going to be beneficial, and will help with the PCOS symptoms! Good luck to you!

seska422

I wouldn't worry about the time it takes to lose weight. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

If I'm not gaining weight, that's a win.

If I'm losing weight, that's 2 wins.

Mexicanbigfoot

I have PCOS. I have been at this (seriously) for 8 months now and I have lost 77 pounds. I have not lost all stomach fat, it's impossible to target certain areas but I have gone down 5 pants sizes and 1-2 shirt sizes. I weight and log ALL my food. I cook once a week and package meals for the whole week; breakfast lunch and snacks. I pre-log every day so there is no guess about what I will be eating. I work out with a personal trainer 3 times a week for 1 hour (a mix of cardio and lifting weights) and I do cardio workouts on my own 5-6 days a week. I still have about 110 pounds to go, but it's not impossible. You just have to be dedicated and diligent! Good luck!

Nell8i8

I too have PCOS when I was younger I lost 70 lbs with diet and exercise but unfortunately I let a knee injury keep me from being active and within the last 3 years I've gained 50 of it back. I let myself become lazy and a bit depressed but I'm now fighting it back off. It can be done but there is no short cut. Good luck. Feel free to add me.

wkwebby

Stomach fat is stubborn for all females, but more so than others (due to genetics). Do the best and don't get down on yourself. A year is a long time, reevaluate your methods after a month at a time (if you're not losing, change something after reevaluating what you're doing). Doing the same thing after a year and getting nowhere would be frustrating for anyone. Good luck!

diwijo13

Thanks for the replies. I knew that it would take me longer; it just seemed to take too long. Lol 20 lbs in 11 or so months was crazy (after 10 lbs the first month). I was even lifting weights. I'm in it for the long run now. I just want to make sure that I'm doing everything I can. I bought a scale last time but it wasn't digital. So to Walmart I go today to get me one. Is anyone taking metformin or any other type of PCOS medication? If so, did it help? Thanks again.

Deena_Bean

There really isn't a perfect formula for ladies with PCOS...what each of us responds to may be entirely different from another. There are many variables as well that will make a difference in what your body responds to. My experience and education point to the most effective way of eating is low carb for PCOS. Almost all women who eat that way, to my knowledge, have success. Yes, the rate of loss and success is variable, but because of the many aspects to PCOS, low carb seems to be a thumbs up. It's what I do and I can tell you that the level of feeling hungry has gone SO far down. That's huge for me. I've come across many other benefits while eating this way as well. The weight is coming off fairly slowly, but it's coming off. Yes it's up and down, but the overall is down.

That aside, the first and largest chunk of weight I lost was after about 9 or so years ago. I lost about 50 pounds in one year doing weight watchers. Some came back, but not a lot. Since that loss I'm down about 10-15 more and this next 15-20 is the end of the loss journey. I feel like it will never happen because it's been 15-20 "more" for like 7 years. Uphill battle...the only way to lose the battle is to quit it, though. So I just keep fighting...

KatEmmaMarie

I've only been recently diagnosed with PCOS but have struggled with it and the symptoms of it my entire life. I was very overweight for as long as I can remember, as early as middle school. I finally found the motivation/dedication to make a change about 4 years ago. Within roughly 10-12months I lost a total of 75 pounds by joining weight watchers (to track what I was eating) and working out 6 days a week. The weight came off super fast, I was consistently losing 2-3 pounds a week. This I believe happened because I was super strict about what I was eating and making sure I worked out 6 days a week. My work outs consisted of mainly cardio, running on the treadmill or using the elliptical. I was also a college student living on my own (8 hours from my family) so I controlled any food that I bought/had around my room. I also had a very active job, on my feet walking for the entire shift. That definitely helped.
Fast forward to 2 years ago when my lifestyle changed a lot (graduated from school, left the really active job for a very much sedentary job) I gained about 15 pounds within the year and have maintained at that 15 pound gain.
Fast forward to now and I am trying to get that final 15 back off. Within the 2 years I've managed to go down, but then back up always plateauing at the 15pounds gained point. But I finally put my foot down and joined MFP to track my food and have actively gotten back into working out. I now make sure I do cardio 5 days out of the week and cross training the other two. I've lost about 7 pounds and have about 8 pounds left to get back to my "happy" weight.
It's definitely coming off more slowly than it did 4 years ago, I have been losing around 1lb a week. It can be a bit discouraging when I remember seeing those 3lb weight losses and not understanding why it's taking longer now. But I've come to accept that things are very different now than they were 4 years ago, so I am happy that I am just finally getting back control over my body.
As far as the stomach issues, I have the same problem. My stomach (and thighs too) is my main trouble area. It definitely doesn't come off that area in ways that I want it to. Don't get my wrong, my stomach is smaller than it ever was 4 years ago, but I definitely have awkward pudge around the belly button that actually causes my belly button to almost get lost in the pudge. My two younger sisters have both always been super skinny and they have that "typical flat stomach" and I've always been jealous of it. I've come to accept the fact that I will most likely never see a naturally flat stomach.

LKArgh

diwijo13 wrote: »

I have PCOS and the last time I tried to make a lifestyle change, I quit after a year due to discouragement and personal issues. It was so hard to lose my stomach fat. It took me 1 year to lose 30 lbs and 10 of those lbs were in the first month. For those who have PCOS, what's the most weight you were able to lose in the least amount of time? How did you accomplish that? What were your macro settings, especially carbs, what exercises worked for you, etc?

I have PCOS, diagnosed more than 20 years ago. Never been overweight. It is true that whatever fat I have on my body is in the tummy area. But PCOS does not mean it is impossible to be at a normal weight. Actually it works the opposite: the more overweight you are, the worst PCOS becomes. For me, variations within the normal BMi range make a huge difference in symptoms.
Limit your calories, increase your physical activity and be patient. Do not have crazy expectations. 20 lbs loss in a year is actually a very good pace, PCOS or not.

pineygirl

I'm down 19lbs in a little over 3 months. I have never really been overweight as I have lean PCOS, but I put a little too much weight on with my son and kept it on for more than a year. I had another miscarriage (two before my son in 2013 and one in early October of last year), and it made me want to change. So I decided to get healthy and part of that meant getting back in shape and losing the 15lbs of baby weight I was hanging on to.

I eat about 30% carbs, 35% protein and 35% fat. It varies from day to day but it's pretty close to that.

I try to eat whole grains and veggies for carbs, and a little bit of fruit. And I always part carbs with protein so they don't raise my blood sugar so much.

On the day of my miscarriage I was 130lbs. I'm 110.8lbs today. Going to stop losing once I get around 107 to 108lbs...then switch to maintenence and probably put back a couple pounds from getting back my stored glycogen....and hopefully be around 110lbs when I concieve the next one.

Gerbsxyng412

I have lost 70 lbs so far.. hormones are normal again and I am tons healthier... I have another 100 lbs to lose ...before I am at my goal weight !

touraymm82

I have pcos as well... I'm wondering what calorie range others go for. Mfp suggests 2620 for me but I do not lose weight at that... Even 2000 seems like too much. The scale does not move

3AAnn3

I have PCOS and hypothyroidism. It's more difficult for us to lose for sure. You need to balance your hormones, which obviously makes things better. Make sure you're getting healthy fats in your diet, like coconut and avocado. Don't cut calories too low. Eat high quality foods like grass-fed or pasture raised meats, organic milk, lots and lots and lots more vegetables and fruits. Cut out the processed crap. Limit any processed sugar or carb. Those are killers for women with PCOS. I have healed my body so much through diet and exercise. I do lots of weight training and a decent amount of cardio. PCOS is pretty much caused by our modern lifestyle and diet and can be reversed (though maybe never eliminated) by changing those things.

kshama2001

diwijo13 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. I knew that it would take me longer; it just seemed to take too long. Lol 20 lbs in 11 or so months was crazy (after 10 lbs the first month). I was even lifting weights. I'm in it for the long run now. I just want to make sure that I'm doing everything I can. I bought a scale last time but it wasn't digital. So to Walmart I go today to get me one. Is anyone taking metformin or any other type of PCOS medication? If so, did it help? Thanks again.

My girlfriend with PCOS had good success with metformin and eating low carb. She loves her endocrinologist.

new_fit_2016

I too suffer from PCOS, was diagnosed last year after having suddenly gained 20 pounds in 3-4 months, all while eating healthy and exercising. It's been tough, but I always feel better when eating low carb and exercising, haven't lost much weight though. Any tips??

wkwebby

The suggestions from MFP are all based on the average person. So there are no adjustments for your medical condition. You need to identify what your baseline TDEE is (what you would normally spend in calories throughout the day or week) and subtract an adequate number of calories to be in deficit to lose weight. From the forums I've heard that women with PCOS will need less calories than an average healthy woman without PCOS. So if 2000 calories is what MFP allowed (without adjustments), then you should shoot for lower than that and figure this number is your maintenance number (at the best case and hope you don't gain on that number). Everyone is different and will expend more or less energy. Please carefully consider these things. You definitely don't want to starve, but try a little of each of the methods. Low carb (so you feel fuller on less calories), exercise a little, and keep strict track of your calories. You should be able to lose the weight. Metformin is one way to go, but it is a crutch that you will have to keep taking if you don't change the other factors in your life.

new_fit_2016

Great advice, thanks. I was put on metformin as soon as I was diagnosed and it only made me gain more weight. Plus the negative side effects of nausea, headaches and belly ache made me stop taking metformin. I did however manage to lose the 5+ pounds I gained with metformin.

srv524

@jessicaloves7

suz_z_q

My doctor suspects i have pcos as well. This was discovered after a false positive pregnancy test about 3 months ago. I have been working out for about 3 months now and i am down almost 20 pounds. I have not changed much with my eating yet, but i did increase my workouts. I just downloaded the mfp app on my new phone to start tracking my food so that i can better manage my good and exercise.
I will be starting metformin this week as well. Im not a fan of the idea of medications forever but if it help gets everything back to normal, then i will give it a try!
I am searching for some friends to motivate me and keep me positive that i can deal with this disease and still be a mommy someday soon!

cafeaulait7

Metformin helps balance other hormones than just the insulin, so I don't think it's a crutch even if you do lose weight (when needed), go low carb and exercise. One of the worst effects of PCOS is male-pattern facial hair problems (not to mention infertility), so I wish I'd taken the metformin way, way back when it was first suggested to me. It does help balance the androgens (although I also need Prometrium to further cut down the extra estrogen from PCOS).

For me, that's also aside from the fact that it might have prevented my worsening IR problem I did not have to lose weight (was quite skinny for most of those early years) and my yearly fasting blood glucose didn't show diabetes, so I did not take the metformin back then. Now I definitely do --after the facial hair growth and hyperglycemia, dammit. I never tried to have kids.

The side effects of Metformin go much, much better if you wean on slowly and take the met with food. Mine does great now. I dropped weight really quickly for no reason for a few months when I first started, too, so that was pretty cool since I was trying to lose the last few lbs of a 30-lb weight gain.

ETA: Oh, and Metformin made a change in how I finally lost my lower tummy pooch! I never, ever lose this certain amount of pooch, yet I did last year after getting on Metformin and losing those last lbs. I've been at this weight before, often, and the composition was different. The only problem was that I have a teeny bit of loose skin at the bottom because I've had that little pooch since puberty, lol. It's not many inches at all, but I swear I did nothing different except for met and lower carbs (for the hyperglycemia I now have).