Emotional Eating, gaining weight, how to stop. PCOS

Dawnie135

I have managed to loose a considerable amount of weight when first starting my fitness pal. after some life circumstances I have become much more lazy with getting up and working out, where I would get up at 9 o'clock in the morning and go for a 45min run 5 times a week on the cross trainer at the gym and stick to my fitness pal calorie intake.

After a great loss which I felt as my motivation everything started to change and I have found it hard to adapt to them changes and to find a routine and stick to a routine that works best for me. Then finding out that I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and the doctor putting me on a new contraceptive pill that contains more hormones. I feel defeated by my own body and am finding it a struggle to stay on top of everything.

I find gaining the weight back on is embarrassing and I am putting so much pressure on myself to quickly loose it again so that no one will notice and I can still stay proud. Also their is the pressure of loosing this weight to help the PCOS stay under control and to improve my chances of having children in the future.

My eating and thoughts all seem to be going round in one circle. On the weekend I will eat badly; this will usually include drinking alcohol at the weekends, then giving myself the next day the excuse to eat greasy food because I am hungover. This will include getting a take away to myself. This will make me feel that I have already failed because I gave into this food so therefore for sunday will continue to overeat and sometimes this lasts over to monday. Whereas tuesday until saturday again I will eat well.

The amount of guilt I feel on tuesday is so bad and makes me feel very low. The cycle keeps repeating and I can stop it. I know what I have to do but I just can't seem to do it.

Please help with any advice, I feel stuck.

yarwell

The diary facility here and some friends for support might help with the eating issues, if you're honest and reliable about logging everything you eat & drink.

Reduced carbohydrates is generally favourable for PCOS.

bcattoes

I know little of PCOS, other than it presents unique challenges regarding weight loss. You might want to check out the groups section, as I know there some PCOS groups where you might find some good information.

I read an interesting article recently on webmd (link below) that said that many people who maintain a healthy weight do so by being very careful with their diet during the week but don't worry about it on the weekend. Of course, if you are bingeing to the point that you create a surplus, this will not work. But maybe you should stop beating yourself up for eating worse on the weekends. If you relax and give yourself permission to eat more on the weekends, perhaps you can stay in check.

Letting regret for overeating lead to more overeating is counterproductive. Just let the slip ups go and move on. You can't change the past. But only you can control today. Take control.


http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20140206/want-to-keep-the-weight-off-weekday-meals-may-be-key

MaggieLoo79

Stop drinking. Seriously. I don't mean that harshly, it is my downfall too. Drinking is a way of self medicating, forgetting your problems. Find another outlet. Taper down to once a month. Learn moderation.

123Pari

Hi

PCOS is a hormone imbalance. Severely cutting calories and fat may have an undesired effect on your metabolism and weight. This includes a 5:2 type diet, which i would only recommend for someone with a health functioning metabolism. Healthy fats are very important to regulate a healthy hormone balance. Low carb is also a good idea to keep your insulin levels low and prevent you from storing too much body fat. Please look at the links below for some very good info on PCOS and female hormones.

I would stop concentrating on the CALORIES in your food and concentrate on the quality of your food until your body recovers or gets better...

It may not be the quickest way to loosing weight but it may be the best long term plan.

http://thehormonecurebook.com/
http://www.paleoforwomen.com/pcos-unlocked-the-manual/
http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/the-calorie-myth/

123Pari

If you want to talk to me on a one to one basis let me know and i will be happy to go further in depth on the subject of PCOS.

balletpolegirl

Try to stop beating yourself up about failing (easier said than done).
Just because you've had one bad meal doesn't mean you've failed completely. It's only one meal.

I find that it's the all or nothing mentality that fuels binge eating.
I have PCOS and have binge eating disorder, if you want to add me and ask any questions then please feel free.

I also feel like there is a lot of pressure to lose weight with PCOS. It's the one thing that can help with symptoms, yet because of the PCOS it makes it harder to do, not the best situation to be in.

I also highly recommend the book 'Beyond Chocolate' by Sophie and Audrey Boss, it changed my life in regards to my relationship with food.

Good Luck x

toscarthearmada

I was Insulin Resistant and had PCOS in April of 2012. During a 6 month period, I lost 60 pounds and cure my IR and PCOS. PCOS is NOT a death sentence and does require a little extra diet guidelines to lose the weight.

Low Carb diets are the only way you can lose weight with PCOS. Insulin is a hormone and when consuming large amounts of carbs and sugar, gets turned into fat around our mid section. And for those of us battling PCOS, it's very frustrating.

Because Insulin Resistance is closely related to PCOS, I highly recommend reading "The Insulin Resistance Diet: Link and Balance." It has taught me how to portion control while sticking to a 7 protein to 15 carb ratio that never exceeds 30 carbs at any meal.

Also, How bad do you want to lose weight?! How bad do you want to cure your PCOS? If it's not more than anything, you will never succeed with it. YOU GOT TO WANT IT!

eldamiano

Drink once a month. It is temporary and will help a lot. You may find after a few months that you may be able to go without alcohol easily.

leaner426

Talk to your doctor about what is happening on this new birth control pill and see if there is another option. Even consider doing research to find a doctor that people recommend as being good with balancing medications and symptoms and change doctors. Seriously. I won't bore you with details but I have found repeatedly that to get the best result you have to speak up - especially with hormonally based medicines. Each body processes and reacts to hormones differently, some are more sensitive than others. A lot of what you are describing could be driven by the hormones which can affect your mood, thinking, motivation and energy levels.

A different medication could make a huge difference. Look at any other medicines you take as well. I started on the allergy medicine Zyrtec years ago and tried training for a half marathon with no results after six weeks. My doctor told me it was the most debilitating of the non-drowsy allergy medicines and switched me to Allegra because it was a different molecular structure that didn't enter the blood stream. That weekend my running was two miles per hour faster. When I went on birth control I had to rebalance my thyroid meds (which are also hormones) and when the pharmacy gave me a generic "equivalent" I had to rebalance the thyroid meds again because my system is (per testing) very sensitive to small changes in meds.

If you can't change medicines and have to deal with the emotional ups and downs then my strategy is to plan what I will eat when those urges hit - low calorie fudgesicles rather than candybars, flavored popcorn rather than chips (or now, baby carrots with salsa ranch dressing.) If you find healthier things you like that you can eat in volume without killing your goals it will help you retain control.

Sorry this is so long. A half hour of cardio a day (gets your heart rate up and breathing hard) can have the same effect as an antidepressant. It can take a couple of months for the effects to kick in. If you can't get motivated to work out, then try making yourself do something to move every day, even if it is just walking around the block. The more you start fighting for yourself to get back to where you want, the better you will start feeling. It doesn't have to be perfect, just start by doing something. Good luck!

PRMinx

So, I don't have PCOS, but I do understand the drinking and hangover food eating problem on the weekends. I've handled it in two ways:

If it's not that bad the next day, I get right back on the bandwagon. A couple of eggs and toast in the morning with a lot of water and I'm good to go!

If it is really bad, it usually takes me a while (and a few sodas) to get going. But, by the time I'm ready to eat, I'm also tired. So, I'll grab a cheeseburger and indulge and then sleep it off if I can. The rest of the day, I'll drink a ton of water and eat fruit if I'm hungry. I can stay on my calorie counts even on these days - mostly because I'm so full and tired that I don't eat anything else for the rest of the day.

The most important thing is to get back on the wagon asap. One day of indulging won't do too much damage, so there is no reason to feel like all is lost until Tuesday.

tpligon

I agree with everyone that says to cut back or quit drinking. This is a catalyst for binge everything. Sustained happiness/joy comes from making these hard but great decisions not from making the easy ones for quick pleasure or escape. Don't let your guilt /feelings/emotions defeat you and lead you around like a dog on a leash, lead your feelings. Positive feelings follow positive actions. You are never out of the fight, never give up. We all fall, be one of the few that get back up. You can do this.

mmarly88

I too have PCOS, and makes it difficult for sure, but like others said not impossible
i "suffer" from binge eating after i have gone to bed, i wake up about an hour later and eat whatever i see then go back to bed. by the time i realize what i have done, its allready gone and of course im not going to make my self purge it
i have to work on this, but agree with others that carbs are a no no for us, and need to be super strict, but will happen

Dawnie135

Thank you for all your advice, you have all said something that I can take on board. This has made me feel a lot better and I now see that its going to take sometime to change by habits its about finding the right ones and that I shouldn't get so low about it. Emotions are the main thing here and I should probably keep them separate regarding weight loss. I mean weight shouldn't effect how I think or feel its about health reasons.

kazzsjourney2goal

I have PCOS and have been able to lose in excess of 70 kilos/160 pounds. I dont do excessive low carbs....but do try and have one grain free meal per day. I find exercise is really important as well....a lower calorie range with no exercise does not lead to me losing...so I would try and focus on that

Watermelon398

Get yourself in a better mindset first. Start just loving yourself for who you are each day. Be grateful for what health you have and don't focus on the negative. Once you get to feeling good about yourself, it'll be easier to get on with the lifestyle changes. You won't self sabotage as much because you'll be proud and happy with who you are already and you won't feel that pressure. PCOS is not an excuse so don't let yourself be sunk by it. You can change your mindset and power forward best wishes!