PCOS and Losing

srevans1102

Hello! I'm new to MFP and to actually trying to lose weight, but not to PCOS. Is there anyone else out there who has PCOS and is using MFP to lose weight? If so, I'd LOVE tips, advice, and really any positive words on this. I'm only 36 hours into a 100 - pound weight loss journey, and struggling, to say the least.

happyauntie2015

Hi there. I have PCOS as well. I have been working on getting healthier since April. Sure weight loss is a bit harder for us but it can be done. I'm staying away from things like white bread and sugar and started using whole grain pasta and bread. I weigh everything I eat as well. You can do this! I also have 100 pounds to loose. You can add me if you'd like

srevans1102

I'd love to! How do you keep track of how much sugar is In everything? (I realized tonight there's even sugar in milk....lol) I don't want to turn health freak but I don't want to miss the important stuff! I am starting starting to cut out bread and pasta as much as I can.

snl121805

Hi ladies!! I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2014 after trying to get pregnant and a miscarriage. It took 3 different doctors to find out what was going on. I am currently 288lb at 5'7". I have tried to loose weight in the past with little to no luck. I have a 9yr old son and after trying for 4 1/2 yrs we now have a 1 yr old daughter. I am on birth control which has help a lot with my PCOS symptoms so I am hoping I can loose weight too. It would be awesome to team up on this with other ladies that understand the struggle us cycters go through to loose weight.... feel free to add me!!!

GraceJohnson83

GM! I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2011. I suffered two miscarriages back to back but now I have a healthy 9 month old son My doctor put me on metformin to help with the weight loss. And metformin worked wonders for me.

melodydee66

Good morning Ladies,

I also have PCOS and when I started at 268.7 lbs, I had over 100 lbs to lose as well. I started in March with MFP and have found that it helps the most when I track my foods and recognize the patterns on what has the most sugars and what doesn't. I'm sometimes shocked by what I find! I try to keep my sugars and carbs down as it's harder for women with PCOS to digest them properly. That's not to say I do low carb or anything, but I still make better choices. I will choose whole wheat bread over white, brown rice over white. I'm avoiding things like pasta and sweets when possible and limit my fruit intake to only a couple choices a day. I also have noticed through tracking that sodium plays havoc with me and causes major water weight gain! So far I've lost 63 lbs and have about 45 lbs more to go. I'll reevaluate once I get to that point. It does get easier as the time goes on. It's true what they say about building things into a habit and the more you do them, the easier it will get. Anyone can feel free to add me as a friend and hopefully we can support each other. It's still a struggle for me and every day is hard work. But we can all do this!

azulvioleta6

A low-to-moderate carb diet and TONS of exercise are the solution.

I find that around 100G carbs/day is a good maintenance point for me, but to lose, I need to be at 75G or under. Almost all of my carbs come from veggies, fruit and the occasional whole grain.

Track very carefully and over time you will start to see what works for you.

Good luck...it certainly CAN be done.

cathipa

I have PCOS. I have lost not just with MFP, but by eating a higher protein diet and keeping my carbs 150 or less. I find when I consume more than that my PCOS symptoms tend to return. Feel free to add for support. I have an open diary as well.

chrissjourney

Hello. I'm 39 and even though I wasn't diagnosed until my late twenties I know I have had PCOS since puberty. I have been overweight most of my life and losing is always a struggle. Had 2 miscarriages and after 10 years of no birth control I finally have my 6 year old daughter. Doc has me on Metformin (which was recently increased to 850 twice a day) and this seems to help with the cravings and also on Spiro to help ease some symptoms. He just set me up with a nutritionist who by chance has PCOS herself and while she is slender she struggles herself to keep that way. She told me that we do not want to cut carbs out (as I've been told many of times) rather we just need to balance them. She said food is in 3 groups....carbs, fat & protein. Each time you eat you must eat at least two of the 3 groups and when eating a carb you must ALWAYS pair it with a fat or a protein because a carb cannot be in our(pcos gals) bloodstream alone. Most of us are insulin resistant and we cannot process them alone. She said it's all about being able to pair the correct food together so our bodies know what to do with it. Sorry for rambling but feel free to add me.

srevans1102

I love all these replies! Makes me feel not so alone. Lol

My biggest problem right now is figuring out what has what in it (I learned yesterday that bananas are high in calories). I just started seeing a new OB on Monday, and she put me on a strict 1500 calorie diet. She said carbs should be low, but other than bread and pasta, I'm not sure what all is a carb, If that makes sense. She also mentioned low sodium. Is MFP Premium the only version that will let you track more than calories?

Tea_A_Holic

srevans1102 wrote: »

I love all these replies! Makes me feel not so alone. Lol

My biggest problem right now is figuring out what has what in it (I learned yesterday that bananas are high in calories). I just started seeing a new OB on Monday, and she put me on a strict 1500 calorie diet. She said carbs should be low, but other than bread and pasta, I'm not sure what all is a carb, If that makes sense. She also mentioned low sodium. Is MFP Premium the only version that will let you track more than calories?

I can answer about the Carbs bit with what I have leaned lately, I have PCOS and Diabetes and have to keep my carbs low. The dietitian I have been seeing has said that we are allowed them, just in small amounts, The ones to watch out for are Potatoes, Bread, Pasta, Rice, Breakfast Cereals.
There are carbs in other things like some veggies but not as much as in the obvious ones I have already mentioned. I was told by my Dietitian that for breakfast to have 1 slice of toast or bread with an egg or 40g cereal, light meal 2 slices of bread with low fat protein and some salad or other veg and main meal up to 200g of potato with unlimited veg and some protein. You may find less works better for you, I have 115g of potatoes with my main meal and have slightly more lean/low fat protein than she suggests.
Anyone care to add to this? Please feel free.

HaleCry

I'm also a fellow cyster! I haven't cut anything out of my diet (originally tried low carb but it wasn't sustainable for me). I have lost 21lbs so far with MFP. Another 20 or so to go.

jessiferrrb

srevans1102 wrote: »

I love all these replies! Makes me feel not so alone. Lol

My biggest problem right now is figuring out what has what in it (I learned yesterday that bananas are high in calories). I just started seeing a new OB on Monday, and she put me on a strict 1500 calorie diet. She said carbs should be low, but other than bread and pasta, I'm not sure what all is a carb, If that makes sense. She also mentioned low sodium. Is MFP Premium the only version that will let you track more than calories?

even the standard version will let you see your macros (carbs, protein, fat, sodium, sugar) you can customize which ones you want to see in the settings. if you log in on a pc it shows up, if it's on your phone turn the phone sideways for a wide angle view to see your macros.

i'm another cyster who doesn't do low carb, it makes me irritable and hungry all the time. i've accepted that i'll lose slower but be happier overall if i manage calories alone. i try to track protein more than any other macro because i want to maintain muscle during fat loss and fuel my workouts. i keep track of sodium because i'm super sensitive to it (bloating not medically). but really my focus has been calories. i've lost 13 lbs so far and have a long way to go, but i feel like the way i am eating is very sustainable long term.

mychelle344

I've struggled with pcos since my teen years. Never had periods unless on BC, infertile, so on. When I lost 32 lbs, I started bleeding. Bled for nearly 2 months... augh. Finally stopped about 3 weeks ago during a plateau. Kept trucking, busted through plateau this past week (now 42 lbs fown). Pcos is the devil yall!

kandy_canelane

Hi everyone, I am 24 years old and was diagnosed with PCOS in 2015. I have always struggled with my weight and have difficulty losing any. I never understood why I had to try twice as hard for half the result as my peers until my diagnosis.

I am currently 213lbs and aiming to lose at least 43lbs. I feel terrible on birth control. I am hoping to regain some normality in my cycle (or even have a cycle for that matter) by reframing my lifestyle and taking control of my PCOS.

Feel free to add. I have an open diary

srevans1102

My OB told me to weigh myself at least twice a week. I feel like that's excessive.....and when I don't see a weight change I get discouraged easily. Am I crazy for not wanting to weigh more than once a week? Also, any If you please feel free to add me. I need some accountability! Lol

VickyLosing

Hi girl, I can tell you: you can do it.
I was diagnosed with PCOS lemme think... 8 years ago. My doctor never told me, though, that this had to do with insulin resistance, food and weight. I started reading into the topic only this August and lost 25 pounds since then (just entering healthy BMI area). So yes, it's quite possible!
I hear some confusion from your side, so I've listed the most important things I've learned:

1. If you're PCOS and overweight the underlying problem is probably that you're insulin resistant, at least to some degree. You have to restore your insulin sensitivity to help your PCOS. The most effective way to do that is losing weight and sports!

2. To boil things down, the state of being insulin resistant means your blood is filled with free fatty acids even though your body doesn't need them. This blocks the insulin's signal, meaning your cells don't react to insulin anymore. Things worsen as you put on more weight, especially belly fat (or "visceral fat"). Weight loss helps, because your blood won't be flooded with fatty acids anymore. The insulin's signal will "come through" again. Sport also helps a great deal because your muscles actually FEED on these fatty acids and REMOVE them from your blood. Same result: the insulin's signal will come through.
Studies support this: while doing sports AND dieting seems not to significantly boost weight loss in PCOS women compared to only dieting, the study subjects who added sport to their diet lost significantly more belly fat - which is the bad guy here! They also had better insulin sensitivity. You see, you don't have to go hardcore, just make sure the fatty acids are being "used up" from time to time. Rather do it regularly than high-intensity.

3. Your diet... There's a lot of confusion around and you'll hear often to go low carb or no carb as the only option. Truth be told, certain foods DO influence your insulin sensitivity. Going on a no-carb diet makes your body produce veeery little insulin- however, this does NOT heal the problem beneath (how your CELLS react to insulin!). It just delays it. It doesn't reverse your insulin resistance (it even makes it worse temporarily). Once you add in carbs again the body still doesn't know how to react to the insulin. BUT weight loss does help, as I explained above. Soooo, a low carb diet CAN be useful because it's effective for losing weight, NOT because it helps the problem itself. It is not required nor the only option- but it is an option. (You can look up a study where a person regained full insulin sensitivity by only eating rice- that's a 100%-carb-diet!! And it still helps, so yeah). Just in case you struggle with low carb, any healthy diet that makes you lose weight helps your insulin sensitivity.

4. Try to avoid eating a diet that made you insulin resistant in the first place. That is, try to avoid a "cafeteria diet": eating food high in carbs AND fat AT THE SAME TIME. You can have an oatmeal/fruit breakfast for example which is very high in healthy carbs. Then a low carb lunch and dinner which can be high in fats. DON'T (often) eat a cheeseburger with loads of fat and a sugary wheat bun. Or a Pizza with a carb-loaded dough and tons of fatty cheese. Potato chips: very bad idea, they're carb roasted in fat. This is what makes us sick, as a society. You should also choose good carbs over bad carbs: oatmeal, vegetables, fruits (berries are best) and whole grain in moderatio are good carbs (they differ on a biochemical basis and have a lot of fiber, in case you wonder about the difference). Sugar, wheat and potatoes contain different, "bad" carbs and little to no fiber. Sugar is the worst by far, so if you have to cheat, rather have a bowl of pasta than a cake. You'll hear of this concept as "slow carb", read about it. It doesn't mean the foods I named are off limits, just try to reduce them as far as you can.

5. When it comes to fats, try to watch your cholesterol. Saturated fatty acids as they come with fatty meats, eggs and dairy (exception: butter and cream) are raising your "bad" cholesterol, avoid them. Dairy also contains sugar as you stated, so it should be avoided anyways. Oleic acid and other monounsaturated fatty acids raise your "good" cholesterol (boiling things down again). Polyunsaturated fatty acids don't affect your cholesterol but are important for other things, you shouldn't consume too little, but more doesn't help more. Some oils loose their good properties as you heat them, so be careful. My rough guide is to use butter or coconut oil for frying, olive oil for salads and cold meals and have fatty fish at least once a week (they're to only natural source of omega-3 fatty acids that our body can efficiently use).

6. Supplement if you feel like it. There are studies that support some supplements as effective treatment against insulin resistance and PCOS. Examples are myo-inositol, NAC, apple cider vinegar, Magnesium etc. Fiber also helps your gut bacteria and your overall hunger, especially since all the fiber you usually consume with wheat is missing. You can add whole psyllium husks t your diet, drink them in water half an hour before your meals.

About weight-ins, well.. Weight jumps, a lot. I feel you get less sensitive to these natural changes if you do it more often. But to each their own! Always do it at the same time of the day, I prefer to in the morning before eating and drinking anything to avoid major jumps.
I hope that helps and doesn't confuse you! I just remember how hard it was to get all that (sometimes deceptive) information, but once you know what to eat, you'll lose weight and improve your health in no time

srevans1102

VickyLosing wrote: »

Hi girl, I can tell you: you can do it.
I was diagnosed with PCOS lemme think... 8 years ago. My doctor never told me, though, that this had to do with insulin resistance, food and weight. I started reading into the topic only this August and lost 25 pounds since then (just entering healthy BMI area). So yes, it's quite possible!
I hear some confusion from your side, so I've listed the most important things I've learned:

1. If you're PCOS and overweight the underlying problem is probably that you're insulin resistant, at least to some degree. You have to restore your insulin sensitivity to help your PCOS. The most effective way to do that is losing weight and sports!

2. To boil things down, the state of being insulin resistant means your blood is filled with free fatty acids even though your body doesn't need them. This blocks the insulin's signal, meaning your cells don't react to insulin anymore. Things worsen as you put on more weight, especially belly fat (or "visceral fat"). Weight loss helps, because your blood won't be flooded with fatty acids anymore. The insulin's signal will "come through" again. Sport also helps a great deal because your muscles actually FEED on these fatty acids and REMOVE them from your blood. Same result: the insulin's signal will come through.
Studies support this: while doing sports AND dieting seems not to significantly boost weight loss in PCOS women compared to only dieting, the study subjects who added sport to their diet lost significantly more belly fat - which is the bad guy here! They also had better insulin sensitivity. You see, you don't have to go hardcore, just make sure the fatty acids are being "used up" from time to time. Rather do it regularly than high-intensity.

3. Your diet... There's a lot of confusion around and you'll hear often to go low carb or no carb as the only option. Truth be told, certain foods DO influence your insulin sensitivity. Going on a no-carb diet makes your body produce veeery little insulin- however, this does NOT heal the problem beneath (how your CELLS react to insulin!). It just delays it. It doesn't reverse your insulin resistance (it even makes it worse temporarily). Once you add in carbs again the body still doesn't know how to react to the insulin. BUT weight loss does help, as I explained above. Soooo, a low carb diet CAN be useful because it's effective for losing weight, NOT because it helps the problem itself. It is not required nor the only option- but it is an option. (You can look up a study where a person regained full insulin sensitivity by only eating rice- that's a 100%-carb-diet!! And it still helps, so yeah). Just in case you struggle with low carb, any healthy diet that makes you lose weight helps your insulin sensitivity.

4. Try to avoid eating a diet that made you insulin resistant in the first place. That is, try to avoid a "cafeteria diet": eating food high in carbs AND fat AT THE SAME TIME. You can have an oatmeal/fruit breakfast for example which is very high in healthy carbs. Then a low carb lunch and dinner which can be high in fats. DON'T (often) eat a cheeseburger with loads of fat and a sugary wheat bun. Or a Pizza with a carb-loaded dough and tons of fatty cheese. Potato chips: very bad idea, they're carb roasted in fat. This is what makes us sick, as a society. You should also choose good carbs over bad carbs: oatmeal, vegetables, fruits (berries are best) and whole grain in moderatio are good carbs (they differ on a biochemical basis and have a lot of fiber, in case you wonder about the difference). Sugar, wheat and potatoes contain different, "bad" carbs and little to no fiber. Sugar is the worst by far, so if you have to cheat, rather have a bowl of pasta than a cake. You'll hear of this concept as "slow carb", read about it. It doesn't mean the foods I named are off limits, just try to reduce them as far as you can.

5. When it comes to fats, try to watch your cholesterol. Saturated fatty acids as they come with fatty meats, eggs and dairy (exception: butter and cream) are raising your "bad" cholesterol, avoid them. Dairy also contains sugar as you stated, so it should be avoided anyways. Oleic acid and other monounsaturated fatty acids raise your "good" cholesterol (boiling things down again). Polyunsaturated fatty acids don't affect your cholesterol but are important for other things, you shouldn't consume too little, but more doesn't help more. Some oils loose their good properties as you heat them, so be careful. My rough guide is to use butter or coconut oil for frying, olive oil for salads and cold meals and have fatty fish at least once a week (they're to only natural source of omega-3 fatty acids that our body can efficiently use).

6. Supplement if you feel like it. There are studies that support some supplements as effective treatment against insulin resistance and PCOS. Examples are myo-inositol, NAC, apple cider vinegar, Magnesium etc. Fiber also helps your gut bacteria and your overall hunger, especially since all the fiber you usually consume with wheat is missing. You can add whole psyllium husks t your diet, drink them in water half an hour before your meals.

About weight-ins, well.. Weight jumps, a lot. I feel you get less sensitive to these natural changes if you do it more often. But to each their own! Always do it at the same time of the day, I prefer to in the morning before eating and drinking anything to avoid major jumps.
I hope that helps and doesn't confuse you! I just remember how hard it was to get all that (sometimes deceptive) information, but once you know what to eat, you'll lose weight and improve your health in no time

I love this! This definitely makes more sense than what my OB told me. We're going grocery shopping tomorrow, so I've been putting a lot more thought into what I buy. So another question: I like to bake. Is any better to use sweetener and whole wheat flour for stuff? (I've been using no-calorie sweetener in our tea, but haven't necessarily figured out how to incorporate it into baking.)

kar328

Welcome to MFP. I'm living proof weight loss with PCOS can happen. I started at 248 lbs, currently down 107 with a few more to go. Lots of good advice given in this thread. I check in with a dietician when I have any issues/questions (doctors do not get any real nutrition education in med school, so I'd hesitate to use one of them as a main resource in this journey - and I say that both as a nurse and working in Labor and Delivery). I think my success doing this now and here is by educating myself here in the forums, I read as much as I can, click on all the links, see what works for people and incorporate that into my life. I've lost weight before but it always came back because I didn't understand all this.

As for the PCOS aspect, I do a high fat, moderate protein, lowER carb diet. (I call it lowER, since it's between 80-120 grams, mostly on the lower end). I wasn't aware that artificial sweeteners exacerbate PCOS (learned that from the dietician) so I read labels and avoid them (diet soda). She's okay with me using products with Stevia. I've definitely limited a lot of the "bad carbs" - ice cream, pasta, potatoes etc, but once in a while is okay. As in any type of weight loss journey, you have to make this a permanent lifestyle change, one you can live with.

Exercise is great, most of mine has been walking, but I've added gym classes, strength training and have even been known to run a bit without someone chasing me

Friend requests welcome. Good luck.

kandy_canelane

srevans1102 wrote: »

My OB told me to weigh myself at least twice a week. I feel like that's excessive.....and when I don't see a weight change I get discouraged easily. Am I crazy for not wanting to weigh more than once a week? Also, any If you please feel free to add me. I need some accountability! Lol

If weighing yourself twice a week is going to steamroll all of your progress, then don't do it. Sometimes weighing yourself too often can really be really discouraging! Especially for us PCOS women who's hormones aren't wired like other people.

Your self esteem is important, as is accuracy and consistency. If you are only able to weigh yourself once a week, make sure it is the same day and same time of day for the most accurate results. You could even program an alert in your phone as a reminder for the same weekly weigh in.

VickyLosing

Wow kar328, congrats to your success! That's such a crazy loss.
srevans1102, just saw your response, I'm glad I helped. Unfortunately, baking isn't really the best idea (for anyone), because it usually combines a lot of "bad carbs" and fat, especially if you use a topping or mousse. Using whole wheat helps. I'm so-so about sweeteners, because some are known to damage your gut bacteria, which is very important to weight loss and overall health. Didn't even know they exacerbate PCOS, too! Learned something today.
I'd suggest you try to reduce baking and use half sugar, half Stevia as sweetener and whole grain (maybe half-half, too, until you're used to the new taste?). Maybe use good carbs, too (there's Zucchini cake, Oatmeal Cookies,..).
The idea is to stick with something you can keep up. I once made a cake without wheat and Stevia as sweetener and it tasted so horrible I threw it away lol.. See, something like that makes you frustrated and makes you want to stop, so it really makes more sense to restrict yourself slowly and give yourself room for "cheats" and treats. Personally, I gave up baking or do it only for others and just have one piece then.

srevans1102

@kar328, I'm a more than a little jealous! I need to do the work to get to where you are but dang, I wish I had lost that much already @vickylosing, I definitely have started cutting back on baking, but I'm thinking about baking for work instead. That way I can make my house smell good without eating the calories and sugar that come with the smell. I was going to keep getting the generic sweetener at Meijer, but I think I will get Stevia. I didn't know about sweetener making it worse either!

azulvioleta6

kandy_canelane wrote: »

srevans1102 wrote: »

My OB told me to weigh myself at least twice a week. I feel like that's excessive.....and when I don't see a weight change I get discouraged easily. Am I crazy for not wanting to weigh more than once a week? Also, any If you please feel free to add me. I need some accountability! Lol

If weighing yourself twice a week is going to steamroll all of your progress, then don't do it. Sometimes weighing yourself too often can really be really discouraging! Especially for us PCOS women who's hormones aren't wired like other people.

Your self esteem is important, as is accuracy and consistency. If you are only able to weigh yourself once a week, make sure it is the same day and same time of day for the most accurate results. You could even program an alert in your phone as a reminder for the same weekly weigh in.

I find that I need to weigh myself every day in order to stay on track. I like the honesty and accountability of real data.

There is nothing wrong with that...or with weighing as little as once a week. Do what works for you, develop a habit and be consistent.

srevans1102

So another question..... When I complete my diary at the end of the day, it says 'you would way (insert number) in 5 weeks'. How accurate or inaccurate is that?

kandy_canelane

azulvioleta6 wrote: »

kandy_canelane wrote: »

srevans1102 wrote: »

My OB told me to weigh myself at least twice a week. I feel like that's excessive.....and when I don't see a weight change I get discouraged easily. Am I crazy for not wanting to weigh more than once a week? Also, any If you please feel free to add me. I need some accountability! Lol

If weighing yourself twice a week is going to steamroll all of your progress, then don't do it. Sometimes weighing yourself too often can really be really discouraging! Especially for us PCOS women who's hormones aren't wired like other people.

Your self esteem is important, as is accuracy and consistency. If you are only able to weigh yourself once a week, make sure it is the same day and same time of day for the most accurate results. You could even program an alert in your phone as a reminder for the same weekly weigh in.

I find that I need to weigh myself every day in order to stay on track. I like the honesty and accountability of real data.

There is nothing wrong with that...or with weighing as little as once a week. Do what works for you, develop a habit and be consistent.

Yeah that's totally fine. I weigh myself every other day because that works for me.

I just meant if it's a choice between weighing herself less often but staying on track vs bi-weekly weigh ins and feeling discouraged, maybe even to the point of giving up, then there is nothing wrong with once a week.

kar328

srevans1102 wrote: »

So another question..... When I complete my diary at the end of the day, it says 'you would way (insert number) in 5 weeks'. How accurate or inaccurate is that?

I ignore it because you'll have days where you eat more or eat less and it's giving you a result based on if you did that particular day of eating every day for the next five weeks. Also, I do not log any gains ( I choose not to make myself miserable, although I know there's a gain) so it's giving me a result based on the lowest weight I've logged, which may be different than my current weight. Some people find reading that each night to be upsetting enough where they choose not to log out and have that message pop up.

As for weighing in, I've run the gamut from nearly every day to having scale free months. I've found I can get crazy with hopping on it constantly and try to wean myself off. Last month I let stressors build up, had a scale free month and the weight went up. So right now I'm doing it several times a week because I need to. My work schedule is weird, I work nights three times a week, different days, so I don't have a weekly weigh in day like a lot of people do. When I work a shift, I like to let the rest of that day pass, get a normal night's sleep before weighing in again.

OrlaKane339

Hey ladies,
Loving this thread. I was 36 in Aug this year and was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 18. I weighed more than 340lbs in June 2014 and made the decision to lose weight because I was desperate to have a child. It took me just over a year to lose almost 95lbs and then I finally got my miracle and got pregnant in Aug 2015. My precious baby boy is just 6 months old however I completely fell off the band wagon over the past year and I have regained all the weight I had lost. So now I'm back into it, I've lost 15lbs in 34 days and I have more than 120lbs to lose.

I know I can do this again. I agree with a lower carb diet, you still need the balance of some carbs in your diet, it's just about making good choices and also increasing your exercise.

The exercise aspect will be hard work to start because us curvy ladies are not designed for speed & agility but over a few months, you will bounce back quicker and quicker from each workout.

I can recommend interval training, it really gets the heart rate up and burns those calories off!!!!!

Looking forward to sharing this journey together and supporting each other.

Cheers

Orla

JulieSHelms

I've had PCOS for over 30 years (I'm 50 now), though I wasn't diagnosed till I was in my mid-thirties--it seemed to be new on the radar then. And one endocrinologist told me I had a "doozy" of a case of it. From fertility issues and miscarriage to advanced hair loss--male-pattern baldness that led to a hair transplant, I've had most of the symptoms that can come with it. And that includes weight gain. I had one doctor tell me that "PCOS patients can't lose weight. The best they can ever hope to attain is maintaining." Well that doctor is wrong.

My stats:
5'8"
SW 300
CW 205

It's taken me a year and a half and I still have 30 to go, but we can indeed lose weight. Lots of good advice in this thread, so I won't repeat it. But what worked for me...lowering carbs and weight training (lifting weights). Count your calories religiously (you will get better with practice) and don't go crazy low--I'm around 1500 right now--but some calorie restriction and staying away from a high load of carbs (I actually have cut out pasta, rice, and potatoes, and cut back on bread) will make weight loss possible. I think the weight training accelerates it.

Feel free to add me if you want. I love to help fellow PCOS ladies. You CAN do this.

srevans1102

@kaneorla, what do you mean by interval training? I am quite inspired by your will to lose again!! Like you said, it is difficult for me to find a workout since I'm bigger. I tried jumping jacks the other day and had to stop because my knee was killing me! It seems like the the most I can do is a few pushups, situps, or jumping jacks. I'm not a workout-knowledgeable person at all, so I've just been walking for my exercise. Or painting my dining room, or playing piano. I'd LOVE to be able to swim for an hour each day, but the Y is so expensive.

JulieSHelms

srevans1102 wrote: »

@kaneorla, what do you mean by interval training? I am quite inspired by your will to lose again!! Like you said, it is difficult for me to find a workout since I'm bigger. I tried jumping jacks the other day and had to stop because my knee was killing me! It seems like the the most I can do is a few pushups, situps, or jumping jacks. I'm not a workout-knowledgeable person at all, so I've just been walking for my exercise. Or painting my dining room, or playing piano. I'd LOVE to be able to swim for an hour each day, but the Y is so expensive.

Excuse me for butting in. I totally agree with @kaneorla about the interval training. Cardio in general isn't very helpful for losing weight (running, treadmill, elliptical etc). Good for the heart, but not weight loss. But doing interval training (HIIT--high-intensity interval training) does really work. I do it on the elliptical but you can do it with any cardio exercise. I warm up for 3 min. Then I start the intervals: I go all out as fast as I can for 30 sec, then slow way down for 1:30, then sprint for :30 and so on, for 8 cycles, then cool down for 3 min. 21 minutes start to finish. This with weight training I think is the fastest way to weight loss if you have your food calories under control.

EttaMaeMartin

srevans1102 wrote: »

I love all these replies! Makes me feel not so alone. Lol

My biggest problem right now is figuring out what has what in it (I learned yesterday that bananas are high in calories). I just started seeing a new OB on Monday, and she put me on a strict 1500 calorie diet. She said carbs should be low, but other than bread and pasta, I'm not sure what all is a carb, If that makes sense. She also mentioned low sodium. Is MFP Premium the only version that will let you track more than calories?

no, you can set carbs sodium,protein,fats......