A question for PCOS sufferers

Nicole_kayy

Is it okay to have a cheat day ever so often and will I still be able to lose? I know its easier for us to gain weight if than most. If so, how often should I have one?

elphie754

I don't mean this to sound mean/rude, but if you already thinking about cheat days, your plan may be too restrictive to have success. Instead of cheat days, why not try to work those foods into your daily goal!?

JaydedMiss

I dont do cheat days I eat what I want daily within reason and limit. And I have lost 57 pounds in the past 6 months. Think in terms of a diet you can do for the rest of your life vs crash dieting and yo-yoing

Edit: yes I have pcos it hasnt effected my weight loss near as much as i keep hearing. Just need to be a little smarter and commited about your body

RoxieDawn

Cheat days when just starting out is really not a good thing to do.

The question is why the need to do a whole cheat day? Why not plan for an indulgent meal that gives you a break from the normal calorie choices you eat in week or periodically.. this can still fit into your calories...

If I incorporated cheat days in my diet when trying to lose weight, I personally would still be trying to lose weight... And although this goes over calories and keeps my deficit smaller, the scale weight the next several days takes time to get off..

Fayga

Hi Nicole Kayy,
I have battled this my whole life and have yo-yo dieted, lost, and gained. Currently, Im in nursing school and am generally less active and not eating as healthy as I should. So I recently went to a dietician who had experience and success working with clients with PCOS. I wanted a healthy eating plan as opposed to dieting which I would be able to use long term and would consider culture, holidays, lifestyle etc. I strongly suggest you see one too while using the app as well. *note* nutritionists and dietitians are different. Dieticians are licensed and generally have much more experience!

I hope to eventually get involved in medical research on a cure for PCOS but until I do...
Here are some top things I wrote down in a diary that I'm happy to share with you and anyone else reading this:

1. I must eat enough protein. Since being a vegetarian 3 years ago, some of my intake has been replaced with carbs (which you still need btw, but I'll get to that). In order for your body to start building lean muscle and burn fat, this is what needs to happen. Amount needed per day will vary based on your weight.
Examples for someone who doesn't eat meat include: Wild caught fish, canned tuna (on occasion bc high in mercury) but canned salmon better, tofu, edamame, tempeh, soy milk, cottage cheese, string cheese, and beans.
*Processed soy products are actually harmful. Even though they have protein, they contain other ingredients which mess with hormone production in the body and can actually cause weight gain.

2. The real skinny on fats & carbs: your body needs them. It's just in what form...
Ideally one should have a whole carb at two meals/day. This includes: 1 slice of ezekiel toast, 1/2 cup brown rice or quinoa, sweet potato etc.
Healthy Fats should be about 1 tbls/meal. These include: olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds.

3. You can still eat dessert! Trend dieting or completely refraining from eating treats doesn't work in the long run, because it's not sustainable. You have to live your life. That being said, if you have healthy and mindful eating most of the week, you can still eat 1-2 moderate sized desserts/week and STILL LOSE.
Sometimes when we have sweet cravings it's because of low protein...so see #1

4. Activity. Even though it's not an excuse, the reality is I study more and move less. But even bursts of activity can be helpful! The dietician said 2 min out of every hour of sitting at my computer, I can get up and do jumping jacks, run up and down stairs in school, or brisk walking around my building/apt. Optimal to get 10,000 steps/day.
Of course once I pass my boards, moderate exercise is suggested for 30 min x 5 days/week.

Wishing you best of luck!

JulieSHelms

I have PCOS and have lost 96 lbs.

I agree with the others. The whole concept of cheat days isn't good. Dieting implies that at some point you won't be and then you'll gain it back--you need a change in lifestyle that is permanent. So incorporate what you need to to lose weight at a reasonable level and stick with it as a permanent change.

Because of the PCOS I try to avoid carbs, but I do schedule them in on occasion. When I hit a milestone, I go to Olive Garden and have my all time favorite dish--Fettucine Alfredo--it's a real treat that I've usually been looking forward to for the past ten pounds. But it IS included and fits into my calories for the day (it may be the ONLY thing, but it's in there) so it isn't a cheat day, but it is a very special day for me.

jemhh

Just eat at maintenance once every week or two.

lulalacroix

I have PCOS and I only lose weight when I strictly adhere to my calorie limit. What I like to do is save some calories during the weekdays that I can use on a meal, usually on Saturday night. That way I'm staying within my weekly calorie limit, eating a meal higher in calories, and still losing weight.

Bearbo27

I have PCOS and have lost 51 lbs as of today. I don't do cheat days as a planned regular part of my diet, but I will have certain family events a few times a year where I will eat up to maintenance. I never have just a free for all and eat whatever though. I incorporate all of my favorite foods in my diet. Like for example...this morning's breakfast was 3 slices of bacon, 3 medium eggs scrambled with 15g of green chilies, 40 g of sliced avocado, and my cup of coffee with cream and sugar that I measure out. I usually skip lunch. My dinner was 6.8 oz of chicken breast with BBQ sauce that I measure out, and a string cheese. Work food ( I work nights) is 4.2 oz of chicken breast with BBQ sauce, an apple, a vitamin water mango flavor, and 4 squares of a giant Hershey bar with almonds.

I usually have some type of dessert every day.
In my opinion cheat days are so different depending on who you ask. I consider eating up to maintenance for a day to be "cheating", Some consider a cheat day to be a day to just eat and not worry about calories. Days like that could be bad and potentially wipe out any deficit you worked hard for through the week.

Long story short...don't cut out foods or really limit yourself and you really won't need to cheat.

HaleCry

I have PCOS and I don't do cheat days. I eat what I want everyday. If I want chocolate, I'll make sure it fits in my calories. I don't do low carb as I found it wasn't sustainable. I have a take away once a week which I guess could count as a cheat mean (I go over my calories). But I eat less on the other days to make up for it. I've lost 23lbs so far by doing this

amusedmonkey

I have PCOS and I have lost a lot. I also don't do low carb or any special diets. What I do is log the things, trying to balance my calories and any higher calorie foods I feel like having every now and then. With time and experience you pick up a few tricks that would make this easier for you. Dieting restrictively has never worked for me. I eat without actual planned cheat days, but some days do end up at or slightly above maintenance, and I take full diet breaks from time to time like around holidays. When I have certain social events that involve food or an evening out I do plan for them by saving calories or making up for the excess. I basically bend my diet flexibly around my life, not the other way around. It's not a problem if you don't let your high days happen more often/have a higher calorie impact than your deficit days.

One thing you may find is that you could be losing slightly slower (or faster for some people) than expected, which can be true for anyone regardless of medical condition because calculations are simply population averages and different people have slightly different metabolisms. This is especially the case if your thyroid levels are on the low side like mine are. It's not that big of a deal. After a few months you will get a sense of your calories and your maintenance.

It's best to get out of that mindset that you need to diet hard enough to need an outlet (cheat days). It's far easier and more sustainable to not change too much too fast. With that said, if you're one of the few who find it easier to go hard then take a breather, nothing is wrong with that. Try things out and pick the easiest route for you.