Struggling With Weight Loss and PCOS

JoyRising

I'm new to MFP and am joining to try and get a grasp on my weight which has spiraled out of control in the last few years. I have been living with PCOS for most of my life. I absolutely hate how it has made me feel about myself and am sick and tired of how it holds me back from being the person I know I am inside. Every day is a struggle. I hate the way I look and feel. The symptoms of PCOS are crippling some days and have left me feeling depressed and over whelmed. I miss how I used to look and how slim I once was. The medications I am on make me feel sick and nauseated but I take them anyway. I'd love to be off them for good one day.
I'm very old fashioned at heart and have always dressed in Vintage Clothing. I particularly love the clothing from the 40's and early 50's. The problem is I can no longer find clothing from those time periods that fits and doesn't look comical. You never see Plus Size Pin Up Girls from that time period. I miss being able to be me. One of my dreams is to dress as a USO girl in our local WW2 reenactments near our town but I'd feel self conscious if I was the only plus size gal. The other girls are so slim and look so pretty in their vintage clothing.
Another dream I have is to go see my best friend since Junior High in Maine. I'm just to embarrassed to have her or her Mother see how Fat I have become. I was the "IT Girl" in our click back in those days now I am a fat housewife. Even though I have told her I have PCOS I still don't think she understands the toll it has taken on my body. Most people don't. Even my Family doesn't. People see a Fat Chick and think "My God, She must be lazy or eating Bon Bon's all day. How could she let herself get like that?"

I would really love to meet other women with PCOS that are trying to lose weight. Or anyone really who wants to keep each other motivated. I have a lot of weight to lose so I need a lot of motivation!

smashleyt

You are lovely and should love yourself no matter what!! I am new at this site and so far, so good! The people on here are so supportive and the calorie counters are so easy to use. Please feel free to add me and we can keep each other motivated. I wish you all the best on your journey!

Mrswilko

Hey!

I can so sympathise with everything you're saying! I have PCOS and some days are very much a struggle from an image or symptom point of view but I am living proof that loosing weight with PCOS is possible and if I can do it, I know you can too!

Once you're in the right frame of mind, anything is possible - even with PCOS - and before long you'll be in your dream clothes and on your way to Maine.

I have been on this plan for a year (with plenty of slips along the way) and am very close to loosing 100lbs. Feel free to add me and am happy to provide any tips!!

Wishing you all the luck in the world!

mom2us

I agree with smashleyt You are lovely and should love yourself....I don't have POCS but I gained all my weight when I had a hysterectomy and haven't been able to loss it...my daughter told me about this site so I'm going to try it...I really need the support of others to keep me motivated. I will help you, if you will help me! Please feel free to add me.

amberrrogers

Hi there! I feel your pain and know the struggle you are going through. I too have been diagnosed with PCIS. It took years for anyone to pay attention to me when I would tell them something was wrong. I was just told to stop eating so much and exercise. It wasnt until my new doctor noticed that i had gained an average of 10-12 pounds a year for the last 10 or 12 years and that I have had to have cysts surgically removed, the diagnoses was made. I am the heaviest person I know. i was never the thin one in my group, I was the amazingly curvy one. My husband is a soldier currently serving a deployment and I wanted to get some pin up pics done but who ever saw a super fat pin up girl that wasnt meant to be insulting and demeaning. I asked about weight reduction surgery and Im too heavy even for that, so now Im using this site to make me aware of what i am doing so I can make the changes I need to make. Good luck on your journey

annalynnfo

I am new to this site,too. I have no idea what PCOS is but I know all about being thin as a teen and not looking "like myself"anymore. I didn't want to go to my High School reunion because I thought everyone would think I got so fat, well guess what? so did they! It happens! Sometimes we get so involved in living our lives,having babies, juggling work and home,etc. that we forget about taking care of ourselves. I am in my forties now and really want to get healthy again. This site makes it easier,but it won't be an easy task. I am starting in small steps and trying to stay motivated. You have got to stop seeing yourself as a fat housewife. That kind of attitude is not going to help you at all. Yes, you have been through pain and frustration,but until you believe that you are worthy of a healthier, more fit, you, it won't happen. Don't let what others think rule how you feel about yourself. Think about all the good things about your life and how you have gone through health issues and come out on the other side. Be proud of that! Do this for the you at this point in your life, not your past self. I had to learn that and it helps to let that skinny girl go and embrace the woman I am today. I may never look like I did, but I can be better and healthier by losing this weight. I wish you the very best in your journey to be happy with yourself! You are ONLY one who can make this happen for yourself, but there are so many others here with you that know what you are going through. Take it one day and one pound at a time and you WILL get where you want to be

addjkd

I agree with everyone. I do not know what PCOS is but I have had health issues the last 3 years and it has taken its toll on myself and my family. I was never the "skinny" one but wasn't "huge" until I started gaining weight after my second son was born, almost 10 years ago. I still don't feel like the person I see in the mirror but am tired of being in pain and ashamed all the time. I find I am my own worst critic. Changing how you think of yourself is, as everyone says, the biggest step forward.
It is interesting you mentioned vintage clothing as my husband was a civil war reenactor and I used to try to dress in vintage clothing imitaing the 1860's, during which time I don't think anyone was heavy! We may get back to it but before I do, I need to be able to fit back into the dresses I had plus be in shape to walk around and sweat!
We can all accomplish our goals one pound at a time, one day at a time. If you would like I would be more than happy to take this journey with you. Just add me if you care too. Annalynnfo, I did not go to my high school reunion because I was embarrassed by how heavy I have become.

daphne07

I have PCOS, and had struggled with the symptoms since I was a teen. It's so frustrating at how quickly the weight comes on and stubbornly refuses to leave!!! As if having a wacky cycle, skin problems, massive cramps and weird looking skin tags wasn't enough! I get so frustrated with people I talk to about my issues, if they don't have PCOS, they just don't get it. My doctor I have now is very helpful compared with a doctor I had in the past who told me I just needed to 'work harder' to lose weight. This while I was training for a triathlon and had GAINED 10lbs! I was working out hours a day and the weight just didn't budge. So frustrating! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who struggles with this. I'm losing weight slowly but surely and figuring out what foods work for me and what doesn't, such as nut butters which seem to go straight to my hips! Ugh. However, I am determined, and I can tell you are too. I know we can and will do this, and we need to in order to be healthy with this condition. And good for you having a goal other than a number on the scale. My goal is to be able to run without worrying about that 'belly jiggle' that is so uncomfortable. We can do it!