PCOS and Depressed

cjen323

Hello all, I began MFP about 5 weeks ago and lost 4lbs first week!!! This gave me realistic hope that I may be able to loose a good 1-2 lbs p/wk. However that has not been the case. I lost 0.5 lbs this week (and one other week). I'm beginning to feel hopeless, sad and extremely depressed. Thinking of going on an antidepressant. I took Lexapro for about 1yr in 2008-2009, but I gained a good 30 pounds on it. And since 2008 I've gained 90 lbs (90 lbs in 7.5 yrs!! I got to 207!) I have only lost 9 lbs since I started MFP. It is hard to keep motivated, with slow weight loss due to PCOS. Has anyone, with PCOS been on antidepressant? If so, which one?

bharriscar

Hi cjen, If I'm reading our post correctly, you've lost 9 pounds in 5 weeks. Is that right? If so, that's great!
52 weeks in a year divided by 5 weeks = 10 weight loss periods x 9 pounds = 90 pounds loss in a year.

annethom1980

I know all about the slow weight loss, it's a pain in the add, anti depressants didn't really work for me but I found the paleo way of eating with the weight loss though x

cjen323

bharriscar and annethom, thank you for the encouragement and tip! My fear is that my first week was a loss of 4 lbs and since then, got much much slower down to .5 p/wk. Its sad to put in so much effort for so little. I'm just sad and scared I may fail, or take forever to loose. It truly sucks to have PCOS. I don't recognize myself anymore (from being a small, sometimes xtra small to xlarge and then some in 7.5 yrs. Its taken a toll on me.

jstout365

A healthy diet can do wonders for managing PCOS and maintaining a regular exercise plan can help with depression. I have PCOS and my first week "on plan" always nets a larger loss. Four pounds the first week isn't uncommon, but isn't indicative of what rate of loss you will sustain. You put the weight on over a long period of time and it will take time for it to come back off, even with hard work, but if you keep with it, you will lose the weight. PCOS isn't a barrier to losing weight, it just makes it that much more important to really pay attention to your intake, exercise, and how you are feeling in general.

I would highly recommend reading this if you haven't already:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Follow the recommendations - especially on how to log food.

PCOS does present some challenges, and carbs are not always friendly to us. Find a macro nutrient breakdown that works for you. Some find that a low carb diet helps, I personally find that I can't do low carb, but do try to limit my carbs to whole food sources (I limit baked goods and processed sugar). I would also suggest a balanced fitness plan mixing both moderate cardio (20-40 min 3x/week) with some form of resistance/strength training 2-3x/week (if you want, both can be done on the same day). Find something that you enjoy and works well for you and your schedule. Remember that weight loss is never linear and you may find some weeks are no loss, some weeks are little loss, some weeks are a gain, and some weeks will have a large loss. Look at your average over time.

Losing weight can be hard, but that doesn't mean the process has to be. It will take time to lose the weight and some people will have it easier and lose faster. You just have to stick with it at this point. You may fail at times to meet your expectations of yourself, but remember that success is moving past those failures and continuing towards your goals. You have this, don't let PCOS be an excuse to being someone you recognize.

cjen323

jstout this was really informative and interesting, I also read the link you mentioned. I will apply this, thank you.

Peacockbutterfly

I also have PCOS and have found that keeping myself away from simple carbs makes all the difference in the world. I cannot stay away from complex carbs like fruits. I find without complex carbs in my diet I have other issues and as long as I'm in a calorie deficit I'm fine. I have also started to work on becoming active and have been exercising regularity when I never had before. I was constantly depressed a couple of months ago and had been that way for a very long time but changing my behavior has really made me happier. I find just after 2 months of really doing the right thing my PCOS symptoms are starting to improve. You can do it and seem like you are if you already lost 9 lbs in 5 weeks!

ALNoog

I got put back on Xanax this week and am getting put on an antidepressant and another anti anxiety drug this week.

I am wondering how it will hinder my loss.

I have pcos and have been doing great with loss by limiting carbs BUT a few years ago I lost 89 pounds doing low carb and then was put on an atypical antipsychotic called Lamictal and gained 30ish pounds the first month while never changing from low carb diet... I cried to the doctor and begged him to take me off of it.. He refused and said it would even out... So I kept taking it and had another 30ish pound gain the second month..... He still refused and claimed it would decrease to just keep up my diet.... By the end of the 3rd month I had gained ALL 89 pounds I lost. I quit taking the pills and stopped seeing him. I am seeing a new doctor now and already told him that I REFUSE to take them again. So I think we are going to do Celexa and Zyprexa and Xanax again because that seemed to be the magic combo before.

But I'm hoping with that and the pcos I can still lose. But I am lowering my expectations to around 5 pounds a month now.

Barro627

Dear Friend,
We are on the same journey and I would like to share four tools that have the ability to ensure our success:

1. A definable, written need to change.
2. A fact based plan that we can believe in and work daily.
3. A focus more powerful than any negativity we encounter.
4. A heart felt vision that we see, feel and rehearse daily.

Watch the video- Eat Fast and Live Longer by Dr Michael Mosley.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/54089463 .

No companies to join, no products to buy. Just incredible results
based on wide-ranging scientific research.

I hope that you find this film as valuable as I have. It's a life changer...changed mine. I'm over 30lbs down, feeling great, with all vitals back to normal.

Looking forward to seeing you out on the trail,
All the best,
Barry

md523083

Barry- I'm totally interested in your PCOS story. Really.

Everyone else: I have PCOS as well and do better on a high-vegetable diet. Basically before dinner I eat nothing but vegetables. No grains, meats, processed foods. Seems to be working great and I have lots of energy. I was totally depressed before and really cannot handle animal products (which is the opposite of what doctors tell me!). Just what works for me.

establishingaplace

What everyone else said. Experiment with your diet till you find what works for you. I eat a varied, balanced diet and aim for 150-200g of a carbs a day, with the balance of my calories from protein and fat. Some do well with lower carb diets, but I am not one of those people.

Metformin helps me a great deal, but know that there are other medications that may be recommended if Met does not work for you.

Most important is exercise! Even just walking and light resistance training like yoga can make a difference in your health. I personally enjoy weight lifting and have found that to be a magic potion. Again, try different things until you find what you enjoy doing.

Weight loss is harder with PCOS but not at all impossible.