PCOS lifestyle change

Kittenxo

Hi everybody,

I'll try and keep this intro short.
I'm 27 years old, I live together with my Irish husband in the Netherlands.
Last april after my wedding I stopped taking my birthcontrol, my husband and I want kids in the near future.
When my menstrual cycle still hadn't kicked in after 2 months I started to panic.
I contacted my doctor, told him about my menstrual cycle, my skin (went from clear skin to acne in 3 weeks), I noticed slightly darker hair growth in all the wrong places, I was gaining weight without changing my food pattern.
He expected I had PCOS, and the echo at the gyno confirmed it I have cysts on both my ovaries.

That first weekend I think I cried for 48 hours, it felt like a death sentence. I started reading everything I could find about pcos and my hormonal imbalance.
I'm taking vitamin supplements recommended for women with PCOS, and other hormonal imbalance. I don't know yet if they want to start me on medication, but I'm trying hard to do this as natural as possible.
I've started weight training again, and I only eat raw/natural/paleo/gluten-free/soy-free/lactose-free. I avoid all processed foods.

It's not easy.. not easy at all!
I only started doing this for 2 weeks, my body is responding well to it, sadly no change yet in my hormone balance.. but that will take some time.

I'd love to follow more women with PCOS who have altered their lifestyle!
I know myself, I tend to lose motivation, so I need as much inspiration as I can!

I log my weight and measurements weekly, I add tasty recipes I find.

Also women without PCOS but with same food patterns as me, please add me!

melodymedlin

Welcome! I too have PCOS I've been where you are. It seems like a thousand steps to get to where you need to be. Stay strong and you will get there. I still have a long way to go although some of my issues are settled due to a hysterectomy last year. You can add me a as a friend if you'd like. The last month of my food diary hasn't been great but usually I tend to try for more whole foods, low carb and low sugar. Have a very good day!

megusler

I was just diagnosed about a month ago with PCOS. However, I'm not at the wanting children stage yet, so I'm not worrying about those hurdles till I get to them. I'd actually spent about the past year with my head buried in the sand about my health. I'm finally finishing up my undergrad and working 2 jobs plus an internship. "I don't have time to take care of myself" I'd always tell myself. I'll slow down once I'm done with school, once the wedding is over, excuse after excuse. Well this summer was an eye opener for me. I had some serious vitamin deficiencies and then have finally gotten this PCOS looked at, (I've suspected since I have a few family members who also have it). It's become clear that if I don't take care of myself now, I'm not going to be around for there to be a later. My fiance has been super supportive emotionally, however, diet and lifestyle wise... eh...

I'm planning on trying wheat and processed foods free as soon as I can get to the store and grab the necessary ingredients to do so. One plus of my attempts so far is that the fiance is loosing weight by proxy. Hopefully by the time the wedding rolls around in 8 months we'll both be a bit smaller around the middle.

Feel free to add me, I'm new to using the message boards part of my fitness pal, but been using the app off and on for a year or so. Thanks for starting this thread!

tigerblue

I'm 47, and for years my doctor said he suspected pcos. I was never really diagnosed, but basically I had all the symptoms except a high body weight. (That came later! Which is why I am here.). Basically he felt that as long as I was on birth control pills, I didn't have to worry.

My husband and I were never able to conceive, but we have adopted two wonderful boys (now 16 and 13), and I am blessed daily to be their mom!

As for the weight, in my 30's it skyrocketed up. I lost once doing controlled carbs/low glycemic index diet. The loss was extremely fast ( like 30 lbs in 2.5 months), but I found the lifestyle hard to follow with a busy young family. Basically, as long as I ate at home and cooked everything from scratch (using whole grains, high fiber and high protein foods) I was fine, but eating at someone else's house, or at a potluck at church, or at the ballpark, etc, it was just too hard.

The second time around I lost 43 lbs over 11 months using the guidelines here at MFP. I have kept off most of the weight (gained back some and currently I am working to re lose some of that.) I have stayed within a healthy BMI for 5 years this time!

The bonus is that most of the pcos symptoms are gone now that I am at a healthy weight! Although now I am dealing with perimenopause. . .

Although the calorie counting method has worked for me, I do watch my carbs and try to eat healthy carbs and keep them below 50% of my intake. I take a very moderate approach. Basically, instead of cutting out carbs, I focus on getting more protein and this naturally lowers carbs some.

I do believe pcos makes everything more difficult, and I would definitely check into low glycemic (I used Sugar Busters) if simply counting calories is not working.

Also, in general, I think we women don't realize how few calories it actually takes to maintain a healthy weight. Of course, I am speaking from middle age here, so it won't be as bad for younger women. But if the calorie goal you are using doesn't work, you may need to cut a few more calories and then watch and see.

Good lick!