PCOS weight loss challenge.

AllisonMarisa

I was recently diagnosed with PCOS (I've had it at least since high school, but was undiagnosed until recently) and thought it might be useful for us to all gather up in one place and post our stories. Whether it's dieting advice, meal plans, encouragement, etc.!

lilsweetslol

I also was diagnosed about 6 months ago !! Its been trial and error trying to figure out how to battle the weight gain without having to rely on medicine : )

Frappuzzino

Thought I'd state that it is believed that girls with PCOS have it all of their lives, but the symptoms show during puberty.

I was diagnosed in 2009, but was always chubby as a kid even though I never ate unhealthy or ate too much. I missed my cycle for 6 months before going to my first gyn appointment. I had done research before and read up on PCOS before my appt. I mentioned it to her before the blood work and she agreed that it was possible. Blood work came back that I had PCOS and was insulin resistant. It's definitely changed my life for the better though.

AllisonMarisa

iPandasaurus - I agree, I guess more what I meant was I didn't have any other symptoms (Besides irregular period) till I was around 19. Then over the course of the last six years I've gained sixty pounds (went from 125lb to 185lb) But, since starting on MFP, I've gotten back down to 168. I still have awhile to go, it seems like those first ten pounds were the eaisest, now I'm down to the stubborn weight.

I'm about to start Birth Control and REALLY nervous. I already feel like crap a lot of the time, and I'm worry the BCP will make me gain weight or tired. I know some of those fears are irrational, and the BCP might actually help. But, still, can't help but worry about it!

For those of you who struggle with fatigue - how do you deal with it? I'm often too tired and don't feel like exercising. And my sugar cravings? OUT OF CONTROL!

I feel like I should get tested for diabetes, my primary care doc checked my glucose on a regular bloodwork test, and it came back normal. But my weight gain was seriously like 75% central weight gain. I feel like I am a giant red flag for diabetes.

FoamyRiver

I would love to have one place where we can all meet up and discuss PCOS and what we're going through. I'm 38 and was just diagnosed 3 months ago. I was told 9 years ago by my Dr that "some women just don't have a cycle every month; don't worry about it". I know this is awful, but I didn't go back to the Dr until this past December. I went to the same Dr because I really liked her and didn't feel as though she had misguided me in any way. She said medicine has come a long way in 9 years and it is very worrisome when women only have 1 cycle a year (that was me--I loved it!). She did blood work and my hormones were all out of whack but my sugar levels were fine so the only medication I'm on now is NuvaRing.
Like most everyone else, I was worried about BC causing me to gain weight but because I had already been doing MFP several months and had lost 22lbs she felt I would be fine. She told me most women gain weight on BC because it does give you some increased appetite but if you are already eating correctly you will know how to work with it and deal with it. So far I've lost another 11.5 lbs while on the BC so it can be done.
Feel free to add me as a friend if you like; we can motivate each other. And thanks for opening this thread for all of us to support each other on.

Frappuzzino

iPandasaurus - I agree, I guess more what I meant was I didn't have any other symptoms (Besides irregular period) till I was around 19. Then over the course of the last six years I've gained sixty pounds (went from 125lb to 185lb) But, since starting on MFP, I've gotten back down to 168. I still have awhile to go, it seems like those first ten pounds were the eaisest, now I'm down to the stubborn weight.

I'm about to start Birth Control and REALLY nervous. I already feel like crap a lot of the time, and I'm worry the BCP will make me gain weight or tired. I know some of those fears are irrational, and the BCP might actually help. But, still, can't help but worry about it!

For those of you who struggle with fatigue - how do you deal with it? I'm often too tired and don't feel like exercising. And my sugar cravings? OUT OF CONTROL!

I feel like I should get tested for diabetes, my primary care doc checked my glucose on a regular bloodwork test, and it came back normal. But my weight gain was seriously like 75% central weight gain. I feel like I am a giant red flag for diabetes.

From what I've read, most docs stick PCOS girls on BC thinking it'll fix the problems. I am not trying to scare you but alot of PCOS cysters have had complications on BC, but of course people have had success too. I was prescribed both BC and Metformin, but was told I did not have to take them, even though it would help me. I refused to take either and am treating PCOS the natural way, which includes natural supplements and a lifestyle change. I hope things work out for you, but be weary of side effects just incase.

Caper88

My story is close to FoamyRiver. | had showed all the signs of PCOS and did not even know it. I went to the Dr. about lack of period and had blood test done because of it. I was told my low levels were fine but the year after there was a problem. It was not until my Dr, reviewed my problems over the years did he realize I had PCOS. To be honest I never thought of my skin tags, dark patches and acne was part of a big problem. I wish I had of realized the issue earlier because I would have been able to help correct some of my problems before I hit a high weight of 235.

I think the worse is there is no exact number of proteins/carbs to fallow or pill to take to fix the problem. It is also hard to deal with the fact we have to work twice to lose half as much. Anyways everyone feel free to add me or send me mail if you need to chat

Godsflower1789

Just posted this in the other thread this was attached to.



i was also diagnosed with pcos.

the answer i got was to take carbs out of your diet competely for a period of a month or two, and then to slowly encorporate them back into the diet.

now, the reason being is that i am addicted to them....i'm addicted to them because they register in the body the same way sugar does. PCOS is an insulin related condition....enough said.

i've been eating mostly veggies, a few select fruits like berries, nuts, and fish and chicken. Weight loss in general is slow because of the PCOS.

BUTTTTTT

the goal should be to REGULATE YOUR HORMONES so you don't have to "diet" for the rest of your life or go on scary medication! and too much SUGAR in the body causes your body to become insulin resistant---thus my chocolate and pasta diet wasnt working for my PCOS

I've read Jackie Warner's "This IS Why Your Fat", "the Fat Flush Diet" book, most books that have to do with maximized living, oh...and did I mention my mom is a personal trainer? :-)
By getting rid of the enabler (sugar) you will no longer be addicted to them if you too suffer from that, and your body will start burning FAT as opposed to SUGAR.

Strong opinion? Yes, but my PCOS symptoms are almost completely gone (been working for a year) with no medication. Just exercise and eating right. And after 6 horrible years of medicine that never worked, weight gain, embarrasing dark spots on my neck and skin tags, irregular periods, and hormone imbalances....i found something that works.

I would say it might not be for everyone, but honestly, if you say you can't it's an excuse...everyone is capible of eating the right things, it's whether or not you choose to do the right thing and not take the easy way out.

PEACE OUT!

Frappuzzino

Just posted this in the other thread this was attached to.



i was also diagnosed with pcos.

the answer i got was to take carbs out of your diet competely for a period of a month or two, and then to slowly encorporate them back into the diet.

now, the reason being is that i am addicted to them....i'm addicted to them because they register in the body the same way sugar does. PCOS is an insulin related condition....enough said.

i've been eating mostly veggies, a few select fruits like berries, nuts, and fish and chicken. Weight loss in general is slow because of the PCOS.

BUTTTTTT

the goal should be to REGULATE YOUR HORMONES so you don't have to "diet" for the rest of your life or go on scary medication! and too much SUGAR in the body causes your body to become insulin resistant---thus my chocolate and pasta diet wasnt working for my PCOS

I've read Jackie Warner's "This IS Why Your Fat", "the Fat Flush Diet" book, most books that have to do with maximized living, oh...and did I mention my mom is a personal trainer? :-)
By getting rid of the enabler (sugar) you will no longer be addicted to them if you too suffer from that, and your body will start burning FAT as opposed to SUGAR.

Strong opinion? Yes, but my PCOS symptoms are almost completely gone (been working for a year) with no medication. Just exercise and eating right. And after 6 horrible years of medicine that never worked, weight gain, embarrasing dark spots on my neck and skin tags, irregular periods, and hormone imbalances....i found something that works.

I would say it might not be for everyone, but honestly, if you say you can't it's an excuse...everyone is capible of eating the right things, it's whether or not you choose to do the right thing and not take the easy way out.

PEACE OUT!

I would personally not agree with eliminating carbs for a month or 2. It's all about low GI, and insulin controls everything around weight, whether you're insulin resistant or not. You have to know what the good carbs are and avoid the bad carbs. Good carbs give you energy after all.

Great job on your success with controlling PCOS!

AllisonMarisa

A quick note: It's awesome to see all the different ideas on here about weight loss. I know that there are a lot of different opinions about what works and what doesn't, so I hope this can be continue to be a safe space where people are free to share their own ideas of what has (and hasn't) worked for them.



FoamyRiver - I can totally relate. My friends used to be so jealous that I only had one period a year. I loved that I only had to deal with cramps once a year, little did I realize what else was going on with my body!

maipai21

I've had PCOS for years, all my blood test results were normal, I had periods, but was only FINALLY diagnosed with it when I had an ultrasound performed to view my ovaries. I have struggled with all of the symptoms fatigue, hirsutism, weight gain, etc and I have finally worked out a plan that will be comfortable for MY body. I have found the biggest difference in my body is when I lower stress and lose weight with a diet that isn't so high in processed food. It is my belief that if I work hard to treat and fuel my body the way that it is supposed to be then I will (sort of) hit a "reset" button and give myself a second chance to eliminate/manage my symptoms to work for my life. Good luck to all of you ladies!

Caper88

maipai21 brings up a good point, you need to reduce stress. It seems no matter how hard I try to reduce stress in my life I find it never goes away. I have bad TMJ for a few years now. It has been better in the last few months but I still get bad knots in my muscle and tension headaches. I have heard stress can keep the weight on. Anyone else have this problem.

AllisonMarisa

how's everyone doing on there journey this week?

i've been struggling. i'm bouncing between 169 and 172 on my morning weigh ins (I weigh myself daily) I've been REALLY horrible craving sugar like crazy this last week (and indulging myself way too often)

I did find a new park to walk at with my dogs. My goal is to try to increase my exercise by walking there when it's not raining too bad (Which is hard, since it rain so often in Oregon!)

jllipson

BCP actually masked the overall symptoms for me. they kept me regular, but it was short term - I was on them initially to regulate cycles and reduce chance of pregnancy. About 8 years ago, I was planning my wedding. Talked to the doctor, had tests done knowing we wanted to start trying to have a baby right away - everything looked normal, but I was told it could take several months to a year for my body to regulate itself off of BCP to be ready to conceive. 7 years ago (this month) I called for a dr. appt. because of a cycle that had been going on for a month (and heavy), was seen April, diagnosed finally with PCOS, put on BCP for a month with Metformin (cycle finally ceased in June) - BTW - Metformin is one of the worst out there very common for stomach cramps, they switched me to Avandia and it was so easy on the body compared to Metformin. Anyway, I had to see a specialist, then on meds to get pregnant - 3 m/c before successful pregnancy - all because of PCOS. Never told anything about proper diet or anything, during that 3 year journey or even in the years following, and my 2nd successful pregnancy.

I went from size 18 when I was married 8 years ago to a size 24, before my lifestyle changing 1/1/11 - I honestly don't know the weight pattern and really don't want to know... I know where I was, then, 2 months ago and now... I actually FINALLY learned some ins and outs recently from my sister on PCOS. She learned from extensive research, due to also being diagnosed with it after asking me about symptoms, then requesting her doctor to tes her... so not saying this is right or wrong, but limiting fruit and eating it early, when you do have fruit. Also limit carb intake (about 100 per day) - again try to take in most carbs early in the day. Make dinner and night snacks light on carbs - I try to keep mine around 30 carbs for dinner and after (not always successful, but I try).

I've lost 25.5 pounds since the 1st of the year, feel great and have more energy. I can't tell on the whole monthly cycle because I had another heavy episode last year and opted to have an ablation performed - can't have this done unless you don't plan to have more kids - ever, as in most cases it will not allow you to carry a baby.

Anyway - limit carbs, not eliminate them. Consume them early and limit your fruit intake - 4 veggies and 1 fruit per day, no more than 2, with fruit being for breakfast, lunch or early dinner - and exercise!,

Good luck finding what is right for you, as we are all similar, but all still different!

Shelle68

bump

AllisonMarisa

hey ladies!

well, I officially reached the marker of twenty pounds lost. it feel so good!

it's hard to not criticize myself. i feel like i haven't made enough changes in my life. at this point, i've just moderated what i am eating and haven't done much in the way of exercising. but, i do feel like my overall health is a lot better. i still have my BCP sitting in the cupboard, i really need to start it. but have totally been chickening out. i hate dealing with side effects!

how is everyone else doing?

Hunnieshadow

Hi PCOS sisters!

My story is a little different than most people with PCOS.

When I was in highschool I weighed 97 pounds (I'm 5' and very, very small boned) but very athletic. I wasn't getting my periods on the regular monthly cycle, more like 2 or 3 times a year. So the Dr. just chalked it up as my being athletic with low fat %. As I got older I gained some weight and was still on the pill so I really never thought about it.

So about 10 years later (24ish) I was about to get married, and my insurance, and birth control ran out because I was moving to another state, and had to leave my job......so I went off the pill. My hubby and I decided what ever happens will happen :-) So I got my period for about 2 months, and then it just went away. After 9 months of pregnancy tests, and wondering what was going on my hubby encouraged me to go to the Dr.(by this point we had insurance, I was just lazy to get my yearly done.....I know, bad bad) At this point I weighed about 112(my "adult" weight) but noticed a lot of my weight was collecting in my mid section and I just felt very uncomfortable being above 103. I told the Dr how fatigued I had always been, no matter how well I ate and excersied I just couldn't get my belly to tone up and could NOT lose weight. My husband is big into healthy and is a bit of trainer, so even he was puzzled......this wasn't something that I did for a week and gave up, this weight struggle went on for 2 years.

The Dr listened to me, and to sum it all up, he did some blood work, and an ultra sound.........and it all equaled to me having PCOS. So here I am still 10 years later trying to get to 103 and toned. I only hit it once since being married, and that's my profile picture. I just gain weight so fast!! I finally figured it out, thinking back on that picture, it's carbs. I've always been into eating healthy, but never really thought about carbs too much. Now I'm taking a different approach, low on carbs and when I do eat them, they are healthy carbs. I'm training for the Ragnar Relay so cardio is big for me right now (6x a week), and I've also been strength training(4x a week)

It seems to take forever for us PCOS women to lose weight, 6 weeks and I've finally hit the 3 pound mark! But slow is okay, healthy is even better!! Good luck everyone!!