New to Group--HELP?!?!

LadybugLover09

Hey everyone. I just started using MFP as another attempt to get my health together. I was diagnosed with PCOS at 18 told i was insulin resistant, and have struggled with my weight since. For a long time I did nothing to combat the PCOS. In fact not having periods was not that big of a deal for me Still don't have them now and i KNOW that is unhealthy. Anyway now I am 33 and on several medications to control medical issues surrounding diabetes which I believe was caused by PCOS. I am by no means an expert in this area. Metformin, Glucotrol zantac and cholestymine are all taken daily some twice a day. IM SICK OF PILLS! I want to get better and get off the meds if possible.

Also my husband and I are beginning the battle with infertility. We have wanted a child, but no periods = no chance. I do have a son with my first husband. His name is Matthew, he was stillborn in 1998. It is then that my periods pretty much stopped coming. I desperately want a child of my own and I feel like I am running out of time. Any advice from you ladies on how to beat this PCOS will be appreciated.

Thanks for reading. And I am always looking for friends

Elizabeth

Dragonwolf

I've found a low-carb, high-fat, whole-foods based diet to be key to keeping my insulin levels down and allow me to lose weight. Without keeping my carbs in check, I end up overdoing the sugar, and my insulin goes way up, even maxed out on Metformin.

I won't go over it all here, because I've done it a dozen times now in this forum alone. Just look up any of the posts asking about what to eat, odds are, I've posted the full run-down in it. If/when I ever write it in a blog post, I'll link to it (one of these days...), but here's the reader's digest version:

1. Base your diet around meats, fats, and non-starchy vegetables, with some low-sugar fruits in moderation (ie - berries).

2. Avoid processed food, especially wheat and soy-based ones. (Soy screws with estrogen, there's correlation between gluten intolerance and PCOS.)

3. Eat plenty of saturated and monounsaturated fats. Limit Polyunsaturated fats, favor Omega-3 over Omega-6. Avoid artificial trans fats. (Fats are essential for hormone function and fuel in a low-carb situation.)

4. Aim for about 1g/lb of lean body weight for protein, less than 100g of carbs, fill the rest in with fat (yes, it will likely be over 100g and ove 50%, that's okay).

5. Limit or avoid dairy, particularly high-casein dairy products (fat-dominant ones, such as cream and butter, are okay). (Casein triggers a higher insulin response than other proteins.)

6. Consider supplementing Vitamin D and K2, as well as selenium and magnesium (known deficiencies among women and women with PCOS, and known for helping metabolism and insulin resistance).

7. Don't be afraid to fire your doctor. If they gave you those pills without checking your fasting insulin (not glucose, insulin) and other pertinent hormones, get a new doctor. There's no way of knowing if or how well Metformin is working without knowing your fasting insulin. Metformin is not a weight loss or PCOS drug, it's an insulin sensitizing drug. Period.

Doing the above should allow you to wean off all of the medications, most likely starting with the acid reflux ones.