PCOS and exercise

diwijo13

I have PCOS and am having a hard time with my stomach. I know that you cant spot reduce but it seems like the smaller my stomach gets the smaller my legs and other parts get which still makes my stomach stand out just not as bad as before. Im trying to stick to 150 carbs a day, no more than 50 per meal (a coworker who was recently diagnosed as diabetic was told this by her dr). I am prediabetic so Ive decided to give it a try. I do not know if I am insulin resistant (I have an appt. in August) but Ive lost 27 lbs since April 6, 2013, 20 in the first 2 months so it hasnt been that hard to lose weight as others with PCOS but my stomach still sucks! Ive heard that some exercises work best with women who have PCOS and I would like to know which ones. My question is what exercises work best for those who suffer with PCOS and how has it helped you? Also, it can be diet or medicine related but Im most interested in exercises.Thanks.

pluckabee

Any sort of resistance training is meant to help, as well as HIIT (high intensity interval training). These kinds of exercises are meant to be the best for helping with insulin resistance.

So you might want to look into weightlifting, kettlebells or crossfit.

also, the lower the carbs the better, so you could try lowering your carb intake a bit more. you can do this slowly over time though

CysterWigs

I have PCOS and am having a hard time with my stomach. I know that you cant spot reduce but it seems like the smaller my stomach gets the smaller my legs and other parts get which still makes my stomach stand out just not as bad as before. Im trying to stick to 150 carbs a day, no more than 50 per meal (a coworker who was recently diagnosed as diabetic was told this by her dr). I am prediabetic so Ive decided to give it a try. I do not know if I am insulin resistant (I have an appt. in August) but Ive lost 27 lbs since April 6, 2013, 20 in the first 2 months so it hasnt been that hard to lose weight as others with PCOS but my stomach still sucks! Ive heard that some exercises work best with women who have PCOS and I would like to know which ones. My question is what exercises work best for those who suffer with PCOS and how has it helped you? Also, it can be diet or medicine related but Im most interested in exercises.Thanks.

A few things:
- You're right; you can't spot reduce. However, the fat in your abdomen is usually "white fat" which is worse for you (compared to "brown fat") but is often shed more readily. Hang in there. It sounds like you're making good progress. Just be patient with the process.
- You ARE insulin resistant. If you are prediabetic, you are also insulin resistant. The two are almost interchangeable terms. You most likely have non-alcoholic fatty liver as well (which is asymptomatic for the majority of people and very common in obese people - it is the precursor to metabolic problems).

What kind of exercises do you generally do? I am doing Insanity right now and I LOVE IT. I also do Hip Hop Abs, Yoga, and hiking with weights. There are also some wonderful Jillian Michaels work outs available on YouTube, if you want something to do in your home that isn't pricey. I recommend doing HIIT or another form of cardio that makes you sweat. If you're not huffing, puffing, red, and sweaty, you are probably not pushing hard enough. Get a HRM and keep tabs on your HR so you know that you're working yourself hard enough. Do that for 45 - 60 minutes/day 5x a week. You should also start strength training at least 3x a week. There is a controversy around here about lifting heavy - but IMHO - as long as you start somewhere you'll be in better shape for it, either way. Strength training won't make you bulky. It will help you retain muscle mass as you lose weight and prevent injury during your cardio routines.

diwijo13

Thanks for the replies! Now I have even more questions to ask my endocrinologist in August I get bored so I switch exercises a lot. My main 3 are walking/jogging, doing 30DS, zumba dvd or going to the gym and using the treadmill. Ive been reading up on stronglifts 5x 5 and want to give that a go really soon. Tomorrow may be the day!

kristyb1982

I know you wanted exercise tips, but I have diet help. I have PCOS and my dietician says to keep my carbs at 40%. She said that the fat/protein ratios aren't as important, but it is lower carb than a diabetic diet. Consider lowering your carbs. She suggested no more than 30 carbs per meal. An appointment with a dietician might really be helpful for you.