PCOS WEIGHT LOSS STRUGGLES

LadyLowery13
LadyLowery13 Posts: 2
in Motivation and Support
Hi, my name is Kristal. I'm 27 and recently married. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2011 and my weight has become a huge issue. I exercise and I'm very conscience of my intake but it just keeps getting worse. I just joined and would like to meet people who need help on this trying journey. We all need a strong support system to reach our goal and lead healthy lives. Let's do this together!!!

Any advice as to what helps when weight just won't come off when PCOS IS INVOLVED?

Replies

  • louisekerry86
    louisekerry86 Posts: 58
    Hey :) I'm 24 and have PCOS too. Are you on anything for it? I'm on Metformin, its been really great for me. I lost 65lbs since October 2012, but as of these last couple of months its just... stopped, has even crept up a bit, I'm putting that down to my starting to lift as well. I'm trying out the Low GI diet at the moment.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
    Have you asked your MD/practitioner about using metformin to help with the insulin resistance? It can help the weight loss a lot as well as going low carb diet wise.
    Other than that just know it will be a slower road but you can get there.
  • Caper88
    Caper88 Posts: 418 Member
    Hi Kristal. My name is Courtney. I am 26 and I have PCOS as well. I understand how hard it is to loose the weight. I've been struggling with it for a few years now. From what I can understand of it all is to control our blood sugar. That is of course easier said then done. Apparently taking more of a diabetic diet is helpful. Personally I have been trying to limit and switch my carb intake. I have been using spaghetti squash instead of pasta noodles. You can get medication such as metformin from your dr that helps. Anyways I feel like I am rambling on. Feel free to message me or add me as a friend if you would like some support.
  • siratlas
    siratlas Posts: 239 Member
    hey folks! first of all i'd like to say welcome to MFP. Secondly, Ican relate to the battle with PCOS weight gain...though my circumstance is a little different. I'm a trans guy in my late 20's and that adds another obstacle on top of the PCOS. I was diagnosed back in 2006 but I opted not to take estrogen pills because I knew I wanted to persue hormone replacement therapy and go on testosterone. Now I'm caught in the middle of a very complicated and sometimes frustrating cycle. I'm finding it easier to lose weight since joining MFP but my body fat % , especially in the belly isn't cooperating with me at all and part of that is because Testosterone changes the fat distribution. I'm not really sure what else to do aside from monitoring carb and sugar intake as well as starting to get into heavy lifting for exercise.

    Best of luck to you all on your respective journeys . Feel free to add me if any of you wish.
  • JackiLean
    JackiLean Posts: 62 Member
    Welcome!

    I was diagnosed with PCOS at 18 and 10 years later, have finally really felt "free of it".

    For me, Metformin did NOTHING. I was on it for a while and finally my doctor had to take me off because it wasn't helping, even though I was sticking to a low calorie diet and working out regularly.

    Birth control helped a little. But I had to have a really low dose as the hormones drove me crazy. But now I have the Mirena IUD, and even though I'm not regular, I feel mentally stable. So I'll take it ;)

    What works for weightloss for me is this:

    Going gluten free. I have said it A THOUSAND times on these boards. I can't even begin to explain how amazing going gluten free has been for me.

    I lost 20 lbs. in 5 months. I maintained it for a year. Then, during Christmas, I thought it would be ok to have a few pieces of gluten (Chicago born and bread, so of course I had to go back for a slice of deep dish). I gained 12 lbs in 6 days. Not water weight. I had the hardest time getting them back off. I felt sick and miserable again for weeks.

    Now, I'm back on the gluten free diet and with actual resolve to never go back. I feel so much better. I can even tell when a tiny bit of gluten gets into my food because I have an almost instant reaction of gut ache and burping constantly (gross, I know).

    I'm slowly losing weight, but that's mostly because I've gotten lazy and haven't worked out nearly as much as I should. But if I were to start working out and keeping my calories down to 1200 a day, I will start seeing the weight shed again.

    I hope you at least take a look at the science behind it. I got this one book called Wheat Belly that explained a lot about how gluten affects the pre-diabetic's body.

    Good luck on your journey! Friend me if you need any support. :)
  • strbryt
    strbryt Posts: 488 Member
    Hi Kristal,
    My name is Amber I also have PCOS. I am 36 and I was diagnosed with it almost 10 years ago. Two years ago I lost 83 lbs and soon after found out that I was 7 1/2 months pregnant. Which was a shocker since they told me I would never be able to have children. I obviously gained all the weight back but I am back on the wagon now and I have lost almost 28 lbs in less than two months. I agree that not everyone knows how hard it is. I could use more PCOS friends. Feel free to add me if you would like another friend on this journey.

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