Weight loss with PCOS
ccyoda14
Posts: 5 Member
Hello all!
I'm 20yo and was diagnosed with PCOS when i was 16 which means I have unbalanced hormones, fertility issues, and insulin resistance. I find is extremely difficult to lose weight unless I'm literally eating 1200 calories a day and doing cardio for an hr 5x a week. I'm weighing in at almost 290lbs and am desperate to lose weight to alleviate my symptoms and be healthy. I just want to know if any of you have PCOS and can share some of your struggles and how you have overcome or are attempting to overcome them. Any advice or support is much appreciated!
Much love,
Casi
I'm 20yo and was diagnosed with PCOS when i was 16 which means I have unbalanced hormones, fertility issues, and insulin resistance. I find is extremely difficult to lose weight unless I'm literally eating 1200 calories a day and doing cardio for an hr 5x a week. I'm weighing in at almost 290lbs and am desperate to lose weight to alleviate my symptoms and be healthy. I just want to know if any of you have PCOS and can share some of your struggles and how you have overcome or are attempting to overcome them. Any advice or support is much appreciated!
Much love,
Casi
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Replies
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I have PCOS and have struggled with losing weight and getting pregnant. I find that cutting out simple carbohydrates makes a huge difference. I LOVE bread and pasta so it is hard for me, but when I can do it it pays off. What have you tried?0
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With PCOS you still lose weight, do not panic. Losing the weight will help with PCOS symptoms and insulin resistance. Track calories with a reasonable goal (not 1200 calories, set your goal to 1-2 lbs per week) and exercise. With 290 lbs starting weight, you should not be eating 1200 calories, it is so low it will not be sustainable. But make sure you use a food scale, and track every single thing you eat, at least at first, until you can get a better idea about calories per food item and portion. Physical activity, regardless of weight, is key to controlling PCOS, so try to do some sort of exercise daily (walking is enough, no need to become an athlete or up the intensity to the point you are exhausted). Just choose something you like, and commit to it.0
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Yep - Low-carb possibly even Ketogenic diet is your only choice. Start by keeping carbs under 100 grams/day, and continuing your calorie deficit. It's the only way you will burn the fat.0
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juliethebean wrote: »I have PCOS and have struggled with losing weight and getting pregnant. I find that cutting out simple carbohydrates makes a huge difference. I LOVE bread and pasta so it is hard for me, but when I can do it it pays off. What have you tried?
I've stayed away from processed foods and tried to stay away from carbs as well. What I think is the issue though is not that I'm eating less carbs but the way in which I eat them. I'm thinking of trying to learn the GI in order to balance meals so that my insulin resistance can be kept in check. Im also a sucker for bread and sweets. One of my biggest fears is infertility which is why I'm trying so hard to lose weight and become healthy: for better odds later on.0 -
With PCOS you still lose weight, do not panic. Losing the weight will help with PCOS symptoms and insulin resistance. Track calories with a reasonable goal (not 1200 calories, set your goal to 1-2 lbs per week) and exercise. With 290 lbs starting weight, you should not be eating 1200 calories, it is so low it will not be sustainable. But make sure you use a food scale, and track every single thing you eat, at least at first, until you can get a better idea about calories per food item and portion. Physical activity, regardless of weight, is key to controlling PCOS, so try to do some sort of exercise daily (walking is enough, no need to become an athlete or up the intensity to the point you are exhausted). Just choose something you like, and commit to it.
Yes I found out that 1200 calories was way too low. I'm not eating between 1400 and 1600. I've gotten really good at tracking everything I eat because sometimes I don't notice exactly how much more I'm eating than I should. After talking to my doc, he told me I need intense cardio, not just walking. I've been doing about 45min intense interval cardio and 15min strength training 5x a week and have been doing it for almost 3 weeks now. I'm feeling good, I just need to stick with it, but I feel like with pcos my motivation waivers just because of everything going against me. I know that sounds like an excuse and maybe it is but its a tough problem to overcome for me.0 -
Even at 1400-1600 calories I'd say you're not eating enough which normally makes weight loss plateau. I think you should aim for at least 2000 calories a day considering your weight and how much you exercise. You're going to exhaust yourself at this rate- you're not giving your body enough fuel for all that exercise. as you lose weight you can slowly start cutting calories more but I definitely think you need to increase and I reckon you'll find you will start losing more weight. Good luck!
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I'm quite lucky because i havent had the weight problems common to pcos. Although i am trying to drop a bit after a lazy period. So I'll leave that to the great advice youve already been given!
I just thought I'd add that cutting carbs (mostly sugar) and upping protein helped me with some of the other issues. I dont sugar crash anywhere near as often, and generally time of the month has been better. I think partly because cutting sugar massively improved ibs symptoms.
And actually thats how i stayed motivated despite my love of cake. Because i feel so much better most the time. I think 1200 cals might be too low, because if you knackered you'll find it harder to get the willpower to stick with it.
But obviously thats a personal experience, and might not work for you.0 -
I have PCOS and wasn't diagnosed until I was 35. My mother, who's been constantly badgering all my life to lose weight, asked my fertility specialist about my weight, and he told her what I've told her all along, "She's going to battle this all her life." BUT you can lose weight.
Make sure you take the metformin or glucophage. That will help immensely.
Track your food intake. A nutritionist once told me that if you watch your proteins, the fats/carb's will take care of themselves, and I've found that to be pretty much true.
If you're going to have a snack, make sure you have a protein with it and eat that first. Proteins take longer to digest than carb's.
Make sure you get in enough fiber.
If you get stuck, it might be a good idea to talk to a nutritionist.0 -
Recently, I went to a holistic nutritionist about my PCOS weight issues. He put me on a nutrition plan and I lost 20 lbs in 6 weeks.
Basically, our insulin resistance stems from an overworked pancreas. This happens because it's trying to digest foods our body was never made to eat:
Dairy
Refined sugar
Processed foods
By cutting these out and eating 100% vegetable and lean protein diet (no nuts or fruits for the first 3 weeks), I was able to lose crazy fast. It's all about getting rid of bad yeast called Candida. That stuff is literally stopping your body from behaving normally. Our overworked pancreas is a symptom of this problem. Candida feeds off of sugar, so the more sugar you eat, the more you let your candida yeast thrive. It's gross.
Good luck!0 -
I stopped taking Metformin because of the horrendous gastrointestinal issues. I was only on 1000 mg/day. I'm now wondering if that's my only hope for weight loss....0
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With PCOS you still lose weight, do not panic. Losing the weight will help with PCOS symptoms and insulin resistance. Track calories with a reasonable goal (not 1200 calories, set your goal to 1-2 lbs per week) and exercise. With 290 lbs starting weight, you should not be eating 1200 calories, it is so low it will not be sustainable. But make sure you use a food scale, and track every single thing you eat, at least at first, until you can get a better idea about calories per food item and portion. Physical activity, regardless of weight, is key to controlling PCOS, so try to do some sort of exercise daily (walking is enough, no need to become an athlete or up the intensity to the point you are exhausted). Just choose something you like, and commit to it.
Yes I found out that 1200 calories was way too low. I'm not eating between 1400 and 1600. I've gotten really good at tracking everything I eat because sometimes I don't notice exactly how much more I'm eating than I should. After talking to my doc, he told me I need intense cardio, not just walking. I've been doing about 45min intense interval cardio and 15min strength training 5x a week and have been doing it for almost 3 weeks now. I'm feeling good, I just need to stick with it, but I feel like with pcos my motivation waivers just because of everything going against me. I know that sounds like an excuse and maybe it is but its a tough problem to overcome for me.
Realistically, no one ever gained hundreds of lbs because of PCOS. 10 lbs, maybe. So yes, this part is an excuse. It sounds like you are on the right track, so do not let your mind play tricks on you. Be patient, it sounds like you have a good plan.0 -
I have PCOS. You CAN lose weight with PCOS!!
Have you looked into a low GI diet? I personally don't stick to it rigidly, but I have swapped to wholemeal bread and grains rather than white. I have found a great difference since using this. Carbs and sugar both cause spikes in insulin. Keeping these to a minimum in my diet helps me.0 -
Research Ketogenic diet. My sister suffers from PCOS and follows a ketogenic diet. Basically it is low carb, high fat and moderate protein (no sugar, breads/grains). It works wonders for her and she has been eating this way for 30+ years now and is a mother of two children.0
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Ive lost 7 stone so far in total. With PCOS. I too at the start was eatin 1200 and exercising every day God gave me but soon realised it wasn't healthy. I eat between 1400-1500 cals and exercise at gym every other day for 60-90 mins and walk on the nights im not at gym! I use fitbit which is a great help too! It is possible and wish I could write more but Im in work and wary of my manager noticing a change in my typing speed and pattern lmao but feel free to add me or pm me and I can chat further after work 0
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I have PCOS and started at 260lb and now down to 185lb. I did it by going down to 1500-2000 calories a day, having protein rich breakfasts and dinners, saving my carbs for lunch. I do light exercise most days for 30-60min, either walking or cycling on a stationary bike. Then a couple of days a week I'll do running or a dance class. This has taken me 2 years to do, with a few plateaus of 3-4months before I started recording and weighing food to kickstart myself again. My symptoms started to improve massively after losing the first 2 stone. I don't know if it's particularly harder for me to lose weight with PCOS though. I think I'm lucky in that I was never put on any long term medication to manage it and I'm glad as the diet control is better. The big trick for me was switching all white pastas, rice etc to wholegrain and making sure I weigh it!0
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I have PCOS, and never have trouble losing weight if I stick to my calorie limit. I dont pay any attention to macros, but I have read that low carb/GI diet can be helpful.
My problem is sticking to plan, I seem to get derailed, binge and never find my way back until I've piled all the weight I have lost back on, and then some. Whether this is due to PCOS or my lack of self control, I'm not sure but my gut says its the latter.0 -
Just wanted to chime in here as well. I also have PCOS and was diagnosed at 20. At 26 my doctor told me I would probably not have kids and I spiraled up to 268lbs, after getting down to 207lbs I got pregnant back to back and now have two beautiful babies 2-3 yrs old. After the pregnancies though I gained all the weight back plus some. I started out at 280lbs. I've worked my way back to 234lbs so far but it's different this time because I'm not fad dieting. I'm eating healthier with less processed food and more exercise so I know this time it WILL stick. You can do this and like @aggelikik said don't let your mind play tricks on you. Acknowledging and understanding that it is harder but achievable is the first step.0
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I was diagnosed with PCOS 10 years ago while ttc my daughter. I thought the PCOS only affected my fertility. I began seeing a new family doctor this past October and she told me my PCOS was out of control. My heavy periods caused severe anemia. She prescribed iron shots, daily iron supplementation, and a low carb diet. My daily carbs are under 35 and sugars under 60. Three months later I went down 2 sizes but my weight loss was only 3 pounds. I asked for metaformin and we will re-evaluate in two months. Now that my iron levels are going up I'm planning on adding a workout routine.0
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I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19. Heavy periods (My periods could and would last up to 3 months continuously) caused severe anemia, but that's about it for me. I'm eating 1800 calories daily and still losing 2+ pounds per week. I eat as many carbs as I like since my doc hasn't told me to do otherwise.0
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I have PCOS and I haven't been below 160 since I hit puberty. I dodged a lot of the serious symptoms, and but I have that hard-to-lose weight one and infertility. I used to kill myself doing the same thing you're describing. I was eating 1200 a day and doing cardio 5x a week. EXACTLY what you said you were doing. It worked, but it wasn't a lifestyle I could maintain...I injured myself, so I fell off it and shot back up to 191 over a year.
Pay attention to these forums. These folks have a lot of really good advice, and you'll notice that the time frame for all these things happening isn't 5 weeks and 4 months ect. This isn't the biggest loser and this isn't from Fit to Fat to Fit. The weight didn't go on in 5 weeks and it sure as hell ain't coming off that quick either. Be patient with yourself and be gentle with yourself. Don't go cry in the bathroom if you have a moment of weakness and eat that massive bowl of buffalo chicken mac n cheese at a restaurant with your friends even though you had a cheat meal already that week. If you're consistent with your logging and exercise it ultimately wont matter if you slip up every few weeks and have an extra cheat in.
It may seem like an exercise in frustration, but I log my weight every day. It goes up and down willy nilly and sideways, especially after I work out, but after about 45 days you can look at that neat chart and see that all the dots are very slowly getting lower. It actually kinda became encouraging.
Find exercise that's not at the gym to break things up. Join a dance class (belly dancing is GREAT for muscle isolation), get your yoga on, or join a roller derby team. Whatever floats your boat. Something that's fun and doesn't even feel like exercise. I take a martial arts on saturday and sunday, and only go to the gym three days a week during the week...sometimes two.
Oh, and one more thing. Pick a goal that's not "be sexy." We all want that, and if you're suffering from any sort of down days it's a lot easier to be like "*kitten* it I love who I am the way I am," and give up. Nothing against loving yourself now, but it's not conducive to being motivated. If you pick something like "I want to play basketball with my son" or "I want to go on a 7 day backpacking trip through the Arizona bush with 3 friends and don't want to slow them down." or "I want to get a black belt in Judo." Well, that's something that's a lot less daunting, more attainable, and doesn't depend on other people's opinions of you.
I am losing weight to become a police officer. That's what drives me. Find something that drives you besides the number on the scale and the dress size. Then everything becomes easier to start.
[edited for a typo]0 -
I have PCOS as well and have just started my own weight loss journey. I'm doing low carb (like super low 20-35 carbs a day) and high protein, I'm down almost 6 pounds in one month. I basically force my body into ketosis. Where keystones in my blood are forced to burn fat stores for energy because I'm not giving by body the carbs it's used to making energy from. It's not for everyone and those predisposed to diabetes should definitely not try it. But it's working for me. I also started Couch to 5K. Because if there ever where a couch potato...it's me. You should add me as a friend. I'd like to keep up!0
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Even at 1400-1600 calories I'd say you're not eating enough which normally makes weight loss plateau. I think you should aim for at least 2000 calories a day considering your weight and how much you exercise. You're going to exhaust yourself at this rate- you're not giving your body enough fuel for all that exercise. as you lose weight you can slowly start cutting calories more but I definitely think you need to increase and I reckon you'll find you will start losing more weight. Good luck!
You don't fail to lose weight because of a lack of calories. You don't lose more weight by eating more calories.0 -
Recently, I went to a holistic nutritionist about my PCOS weight issues. He put me on a nutrition plan and I lost 20 lbs in 6 weeks.
Basically, our insulin resistance stems from an overworked pancreas. This happens because it's trying to digest foods our body was never made to eat:
Dairy
Refined sugar
Processed foods
By cutting these out and eating 100% vegetable and lean protein diet (no nuts or fruits for the first 3 weeks), I was able to lose crazy fast. It's all about getting rid of bad yeast called Candida. That stuff is literally stopping your body from behaving normally. Our overworked pancreas is a symptom of this problem. Candida feeds off of sugar, so the more sugar you eat, the more you let your candida yeast thrive. It's gross.
Good luck!
If you have a yeast infection, get treated for a yeast infection. Candida is not what causes people to gain weight.
It honestly doesn't even make consistent sense. If the yeast is eating the sugar, you aren't. Saying a yeast overgrowth is eating up your sugar causing weight gain would be like saying you gained weight from getting a tapeworm.0 -
Ugh, PCOS is the WORST.
I feel ya.
It took me 2 years to lose 80lbs and it was hard and strict as heck! No processed foods, very light (natural) sugar, light dairy, amped up protein, daily exercise (usually an intense walk 45 mins a day) and no meat (though I've been vegetarian for a while anyway). Absolutely no cheating or wiggle room.
So, it's possible, but I've gotta be stringent about it.
My period came back after I shed about 45lbs and I noticed a reduction in body hair at about -60lbs. I've gained 45lbs back and am struggling to lose 'em again.
Someone mentioned that when we have PCOS, this is a life long battle. Sadly, I believe that's accurate.0 -
I had PCOS and just ate whatever I wanted within my calorie count, my weight loss was roughly on track for what I was estimating (I had a lot of guestimated meals and guestimated cardio calorie burns; now that I'm no longer doing excessive cardio, my weight loss is even easier). I've lost 72 pounds in about a year's time, I went from obese to healthy weight, my cysts are gone and no other symptoms remain.0
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It can take a while for your body to adjust to metformin--my doctor started me on 500 mg once a day, then twice a day after a couple of weeks, then gradually increased it over a month. It really helped me tolerate it, especially because I make a point of only taking it with a meal. It's really the only thing that made me finally feel FULL instead of feeling like I was always starving no matter how much I ate! I thought: gee, so that's how people without PCOS feel.I stopped taking Metformin because of the horrendous gastrointestinal issues. I was only on 1000 mg/day. I'm now wondering if that's my only hope for weight loss....
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i'm losing weight with PCOS and hypothyroidism - i currently take metformin 1500 mg/day and synthroid 100 mcg/day. i have not cut out any specific food or food groups (should add that i'm not insulin resistant). i workout 5-6/days a week, lifting heavy and doing moderate amounts of cardio. it is possible, but definitely takes time.0
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Low carb, high healthy fat, no processed foods, no soda (even diet), cut out that fake sugar junk, lots of exercise. I mean, exercise will be your 2nd job.
Find a sport/activity that you LOVE and do it a lot. Those of us with PCOS tend to do better when we put hours a day into fitness. I laugh at my doctor when she says to try and get 30 minutes a day. More like 10 hours! 10 hours of working at the barn every day and riding got the weight off for me and I'd definitely rather spend 10 hours doing something I like than spending that much time on a treadmill >.>
Join roller derby. It torches calories and is also great for social stuff too!
Losing in your 20's is far easier than being 44 and losing it (again). ugh! When you lose it, keep it gone!!! 0 -
I was diagnosed with PCOS in my 40s and was well over 330 pounds. At age 60 I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 and lost 100 pounds with diet and exercise. Metformin helped because it made me lose my appetite and I ate low carb and exercised a lot. I am now 66 years old and last August I again began my weight loss journey again and have lost 65 more pounds. During that time I have gone from morbidly obese to just a bit into the overweight BMI category. I have 35-40 pounds more to go to get to the weight I want to be.
I have PCOS, am hypothryoid, have insulin resistance, am short (5'4") and old and all of these work against me. LOL I am also determined. And that's what you have to be when you have these kinds of things to deal with. Do not let people whether they are family, friends, or health professionals discourage you. My motto is "small progress is still progress". Good luck on your journey. Believe in yourself!0
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