How to lose weight with PCOS??

Magic_Chicken

Ladies with PCOS, what has worked for you??

I have been eating at a defecit and regularly exercising but the weight just doesn't want to shift. My Doc has now put me on a low does of Metformin for last 3 months but it hasn't made any difference to the scales either. I'm now waiting for a dietian referal.

I have read a lot about cutting out gluten for pcos, anyone had any succuess with this? Or what else have you tried that worked?

yirara

How good is your tracking? Are you using a food scale and checking database entries for consistency?

It’s totally possible to lose weight with PCOS, but some people (not all) have some lower calorie needs, and hence bvery thorough tracking, and of course patience is key.

Bella_Figura

I have PCOS (severe enough to warrant a cystectomy and removal of left ovary and fallopian tube about 15 years ago. Mild hirsutism. No periods at all. I'd maybe have 2 days of light spotting once every 14-16 months). I assume I'm now post-menopausal (age 56), but having never had periods it's difficult to tell. My last spotting was 26 months ago, so I assume it's pretty safe to say I'm post-menopausal. I have high insulin resistance and am borderline pre-diabetic. I've never taken Metformin.

I've never had any difficulty in losing weight.

I've found that if I run a calorie deficit by being mildly active (e.g. walking for a couple of miles a day) and following a balanced diet with plenty of fibre, good fats, complex carbs and the recommended amount of protein for my body weight I can consistently lose 1.5 - 2lbs a week.

E.g. in 2013 I lost 78lbs in 50 weeks to reach my goal weight of 132lbs (1.5lbs a week average for a whole year).

Since getting back on the wagon 12 weeks ago I've lost 24lbs (still have 56lbs to go, but it's a good start).

I've never done anything 'faddy' to lose weight. Just plugged away with a healthy diet. I focus on limiting sugar more than fats and carbs, even naturally occuring ones such as fructose, because of the insulin resistance, and I gravitate to unprocessed, natural whole foods because I think they're better for me than heavily processed ones, but other than it's essentially CICO (calories in/calories out).

In my own personal experience, PCOS has not prevented weight loss. If I was stranded in the middle of the Sahara desert next to a water hole I'd be just as skinny when I was rescued after six months as someone without PCOS and insulin resistance. If you consistently run a calorie deficit you WILL lose weight. PCOS or no PCOS.

Keeping the weight off is a different matter entirely, but that's a topic for a different post!

In my experience, losing weight reduces PCOS symptoms if you're obese. If you're obese with PCOS you should definitely try to lose weight if you're hoping to get pregnant.

lulehlu

I don’t have an official diagnosis but probably also have PCOS. I lose weight when I am eating in a deficit. That means I use a food scale and I am honest in my logging (even the mints!). I also make an effort to get 10k steps a day through deliberate exercise and just being more active (park far away, take the long route to the restroom, etc.).

Beverly2Hansen

I lose weight much better when removing gluten and dairy which are both high inflammation foods. I have Endometriosis and possibly PCOS however my official diagnosis is Endometriosis. I have to log meticulously accurate compared to others. I weigh food, I use volumetric eating and I will gain massively with cheat days. To fix a cheat day takes me 1 week. It doesn't seem to matter if I lose weight with lots of exercise or just by eating in a deficit. I look better when I lose if I eat in a deficit and exercise. Hope that helps. When going gluten and dairy free you must manage at minimum 14 days in a row to know if those foods are an issue for you. I found personally it was obvious on day 14 I'm gluten and dairy sensitive. My insides felt clean and light. I hadn't known they felt wrong always eating those foods but they did. Women with Endometriosis or PCOS often report symptoms improving when they try but it's very individual.

rheddmobile

If you aren’t losing weight you aren’t eating at a deficit. That’s what being in a deficit means. It’s possible that because of your condition you need to eat fewer calories than MFP gives you, but the most likely thing is that you are either underlogging your calories or overestimating your exercise burn. PCOS can make weight loss harder but it isn’t magic, just like everyone else you can lose weight by eating less than you expend.

That being said, many people with PCOS have fewer symptoms when they eat lower carb, since it’s a metabolic disorder which can cause insulin resistance. Cutting out gluten probably coincidentally helps some people who don’t have a specific gluten sensitivity just because foods containing gluten tend to also be high carb foods.

kshama2001

Magic_Chicken wrote: »

Ladies with PCOS, what has worked for you??

I have been eating at a defecit and regularly exercising but the weight just doesn't want to shift. My Doc has now put me on a low does of Metformin for last 3 months but it hasn't made any difference to the scales either. I'm now waiting for a dietian referal.

I have read a lot about cutting out gluten for pcos, anyone had any succuess with this? Or what else have you tried that worked?

I took a look at your diary and noticed two things:
1. You mostly don't log your food.
2. On June 4, while you did have some foods in weights, others were in "slice," "small," etc.

Step 1 regardless of any medical condition is to tighten up your logging - log everything in weights and log every day. Try that for a month and report back

nhecker

I have pcos the most success i have had is counting macros. I eat lower carb 40% carb 30% fat 30% protein. I started at 220 and got down to 155lb. I also started beachbody on demand and have be doing resistance training 4 days a week and cardio 2 times a week.

scarlett_k

I had PCOS but it's all but gone now I've lost weight. I didn't have any problem losing weight just by consistently counting calories (I say "just" as if it's a small thing but it's been a rollercoaster honestly) and maintaining an overall deficit over time.

xxzenabxx

Magic_Chicken wrote: »

Ladies with PCOS, what has worked for you??

I have been eating at a defecit and regularly exercising but the weight just doesn't want to shift. My Doc has now put me on a low does of Metformin for last 3 months but it hasn't made any difference to the scales either. I'm now waiting for a dietian referal.

I have read a lot about cutting out gluten for pcos, anyone had any succuess with this? Or what else have you tried that worked?

What are your stats? Age, weight, height? Without enough information it’s hard to know. You can absolutely lose weight with pcos and a calorie deficit but what you eat also matters because you need to find foods that satiate you and actually help you stay in a calorie deficit. Generally women with pcos are more sensitive to inflammatory foods so I would try and cut down on gluten but beware because a lot of gluten free products are loaded with even more refined carbs and sugars. I would focus on aiming for 100-120g of carbs per day as it allows for enough complex carbs but it won’t be enough to crash your blood sugars. Oh and avoid eating too much sugar!

nooshi713

With PCOS, many women burn significantly less than average for their height, weight, and age. One study I checked suggested that if the average woman maintains at 1850, the average woman with PCOS with the same stats otherwise will maintain at 1450. You will lose at a deficit but it is obviously harder to create a deficit with a slower metabolism. It is still about calories. You will lose if you eat less and burn more calories with exercise although this is harder because creating the deficit is harder. The good news is that once you do lose weight, you may reverse your PCOS!

swimmchick87

I have PCOS and have always been able to lose with a calorie deficit. I have never done anything specific as far as restricting foods. I've heard a lot about low carb being good for PCOS, but I love carbs and I'd never stick to that. Get a food scale and make sure you are being 100% honest with your logging. If you're having a really hard time sticking with it, I would think about your goal settings. When I was set at 1200 calories per day I found myself being not as accurate with my logging because I was so hungry and desperate for more food.

With setting a 1 pound per week goal, I get over 1500 calories a day which is much more manageable. I always thought losing 1 pound a week was "too slow," but here's the secret. Actually losing 1 pound per week is significantly faster than losing a few pounds, falling off the wagon and gaining those plus more, and repeating that cycle forever. Or never losing to begin with because you're not being honest with logging.

I also just want to make a comment about being able to "reverse" PCOS. I was 120 pounds when I was diagnosed. While it's certainly possible symptoms will improve, thin women can have PCOS as well.

lianatherunner

Maybe check thyroid? I have PCOS and Hashimoto's. I have had massive weight fluctuations, but I have lost weight and maintained for years.
What worked for me: t3 and t4 supplementation (which can be difficult because a lot of doctors don't prescribe both), Metformin, high-protein diet, low sugar, track and measure all my food, don't eat out, no alcohol.

It actually took me YEARS to lose over 100 lbs but it worked and I'm grateful and don't regret the time spent.

TwistedSassette

I have PCOS and have lost 30 lbs so far (a long way to go!) just through tracking my calories religiously and increasing my activity.
I had a session with a dietician who is also a credentialled diabetes educator (since the dietary recommendations for insulin resistance and diabetes are the same). She recommended to avoid any fad diets like keto, gluten free (unless you actually have celiac) etc. and instead aim to make smart swaps for lower-GI alternatives (basmati rice instead of white rice, etc.) as these don't spike the blood sugar levels and therefore help to maintain a more stable insulin and blood sugar level. So maybe have a look into low-GI diets (I like the CSIRO total wellbeing diet) and see what it's all about, the science behind it is solid.

The biggest thing for me has really been about portion sizes - I hadn't realised how large my portions were until I started weighing and logging everything. I have made small changes that have added up, joined some challenge groups here on MFP to keep me coming back, and it is taking some time but I am making progress. At the end of the day, it's all about calories in vs. calories out, even with PCOS. PCOS just makes it more difficult to calculate/understand the calories out side of the equation, so it's doubly important to get the calories in side right so that you have reliable data to work with (e.g. if you're consistently eating at the recommended level and don't lose any weight over several weeks, it's possible that you're actually eating at maintenance level and you can make adjustments from there).

Seffell

For whatever health condition: if you're not losing (for more than a month) then you need to eat less.

Vicky_609

I have PCOS and all the pcos diets I saw said cut out carbs, sugar and dairy. I didn't see any specify gluten. I person haven't cut anything although have reduced carbs especially processed carbs. The calorie deficit and exercise has helped. I did have run where I was eating a lot of bread for convenience for work lunches and that halted my loss.

yirara

Bread itself does not half weightloss. Too much calories from bread will, as will too many calories from anything else.

holly55555

My friend has PCOS and gained 20 lbs out of nowhere. She started that drug as well but combined it with a very low-carb, but high fiber diet and no gluten or alcohol as per her Dr's instruction. Combined with logging her food and exercising, she has lost the extra weight and the bloat has gone way down. But the carbs/alcohol control really seem to have made the most difference.

yirara

holly55555 wrote: »

My friend has PCOS and gained 20 lbs out of nowhere. She started that drug as well but combined it with a very low-carb, but high fiber diet and no gluten or alcohol as per her Dr's instruction. Combined with logging her food and exercising, she has lost the extra weight and the bloat has gone way down. But the carbs/alcohol control really seem to have made the most difference.

Great to hear. But how does she know that the carbs/alcohol made all the difference, and not tracking her food?