Best PCOS diet

alexa1107

Hi all.

I am brand new to My Fitness Pal! I recently started Metformin for my insulin resistance issue. My doctor suggested I see a nutritionist to start me on a low carb diet. Has anyone had any experience with different types of diets? I was hoping I could make Weight Watchers work for me since I cannot get a handle on low carb anything! Any tips?

Thanks!

lisajsund

Hi alexa!
I tried WW several years ago, and while I was successful, I found out later that I had lost about 30 pounds of lean tissue. That's terrible. Lean tissue (everything except our fat) is what keeps our metabolisms burning. The more we have, the more we burn at rest.

That being said, I would concentrate on eating foods that are higher in protein. I aim for at least 130 g of protein a day. When you do this, carbs naturally are lowered.

I would also stay away from processed foods, which contain a lot of hidden sugars. The last 2 days have been wonderful for me as I have been below 75 g of net carbs and below 30 g of sugar. I will add you so you can look at my diary.

I'm no expert, but I have done some research and try to eat fairly low carb. I always feel better, sleep better, workout harder when I'm following it rather well.

Hope this helps!
Lisa

Alacey88

Hi,

My nutritionist has me on a diet where I eat 6 mini meals ( 3 main and 2 snacks) that consist of a protein and a carb. I am also on metformin (sp?) and I find that high impact exercise like Insanity or cross fit is the best way to do with this medicine. I started the Insanity in April and already lost almost 7 pounds, 7 inches overall and 3% body fat since starting the exercise.

ImaniF

I have had a lot of success with the Paleo plan. It seems extreme at first but I have so much more energy now and the weight has melted off effortlessly. Seeing results so fast has allowed me to stay motivated to keep up with this lifestyle. I say lifestyle because it can't be a diet if you want to be successful. It involves cutting out bread, rice, pasta, dairy, beans and peanuts. I stuck to this for 30 days then slowly reintroduced dairy because that is something that I wasn't willing to give up. I also have bread on occasion but have noticed that it leaves me feeling sluggish. I used Pintrist for recipes and ideas on how to modify meals then I went to the grocery store and stocked up on all the meats, vegies, fruits and nuts that I enjoy. I began drinking green or black tea daily and used honey to substitute sugar. If this is a little too extreme for you, the main thing that I would emphasize is cutting out processed foods. Try to eat clean and prepare your own meals. I would also give up juice and soda or minimize them. I would also stay away from everything with artificial sweeteners. I did this for three months and worked out four times a week for about 30minutes to an hour and I lost 48lbs. If you cheat every now and then, forgive yourself, but honestly, your body with get so used to eating clean that processed foods will make you sick. I now enjoy cooking more because I get to experiment with different herbs and spices and I feel good about myself after I eat because I made the right choices. I can stuff myself and never feel hungry because everything that I put into my body is healthy.

SBisLosinIt

I think the best "diet" you can go on is one that you can sustain. I have tried everything, any fad even weight watchers and none of my diets worked because they weren't sustainable. I will say Weight Watchers is good as a jumping off point. If you have never counted calories or done portion control before it will help with that. I got frustrated with WW to be honest especially with PCOS. Sometimes our hormones make the scale jump up for no reason. I felt like WW wasn't supportive of how my body was different with PCOS. I also felt like WW focused more on calorie restriction than eating an actual healthy diet, for example if you eat a WW cake it is 3 points but 2 tablespoons of natural PB is 6 points. The natural PB is all natural with no processed junk or chemicals, making it better for your body but more caloric than their processed cake. I felt like it pushed me into a sugar free, chemical induced lifestyle other than teaching me how to eat a balanced meal with healthy, good filling foods.

Counting calories, focusing on real, natural food and continuous exercise is the only thing that has ever worked for me in regards to my PCOS. Also Metformin has helped a ton too! I went to a specialist for PCOS and she also suggested going gluten free, that will help with being low carb because unless you start eating all of the gluten free products out there you are naturally eliminating most carbs from your diet ditching gluten. I would say focus on eating lots of meat, healthy grains like quinoa & brown rice, limit dairy and fruits and avoid processed foods. You can still enjoy processed things but be mindful of how much you are eating a day. Again using MFP and focusing on counting calories and carbs will help with that.

Good luck and be patient with yourself and your body!

kmbrooks15

One of the PCOS forum sites suggested "PCOS Diet" by Hillary Wright. I have it ordered and plan to utilize it as much as possible.

Stefapee

I have also heard that low GI eating plan or the DASH eating plan works well for PCOS.