PCOS weight-loss input..

sdahms83

I've had the symptoms of PCOS for a long time and finally went to go see a specialist about it and found out I do have it, I’ve been on 1500mg of metformin daily for a few months now and have done a lot of reading up on it over the years. Been working out 5 days a week at a really intense level with cardio and need to start adding in the weights..

Any thoughts on what I can cut from my diet? ( I need to relook at this anyway )

Thanks!

daisyfinetto

I just got recently diagnosed with PCOS when i came off my pill, I didn't get a period for a year and now I weigh more than I have even weighed, I eat well, I excersize and nothing happens. It gets me so down and frustrated. I just want to feel good again….

It's nice to read that other women are having the same issues and I'm not the only one… x

julieferg7

Hi,

I have been living with PCOS since late puberty. I was finally diagnosed at the age of 26 by my Gyno at the time after I had an ultrasound study and eventual laproscopic surgery for Endometriosis. I had the classic "string of pearls" presentation. Prior to this, I had weighed in the 120's an at 5'2" and having an athletic build, I was happy. I had always had irregular periods and that gyno just continuously put me on the birthcontrol pill, stating I had a "hormone imbalance". Once she finally gave me the dx, she said I would have issues conceiving in the future but that's all. Over the next year, with working out 5 days a week at high intensity, I started gaining weight and no matter what I did, I put on 30 lbs in a year. That was when I read about the Zone Diet. I started following that and continued working out. Unexpectedly, my fiancee (now hubby) and I were shocked to discover we were expecting a baby. I had him and my PCOS went crazy. I happened to see an article in a magazine about PCOS and was like "What?!?!?" "I am at risk for all that?" And to think my gyno said it was only a "hormone imblanace". Sheesh. There was a name of a MD who was a Reproductive Endocrinologist who specialized in treating PCOS who practiced in Boston. I called her and made an appoiuntment. She took one look at me and said "I can look at you and see you have pcos" She ordered some labs and they showed I am insulin resistant. She started me on metformin that day. She stated that diets like Zone that are lower in carbs are what is most often successful for my type of PCOSer and that unknowingly, the Zone diet and exercise were what was needed to treat the PCOS.

So, I went back on the Zone diet and metformin and we conceived our second son. My PCOS since then has been a constant struggle. I have tried Weight Watchers with little to no success once and then tried it again with incorporating Zone practice and had a little bit of success. I am now 42 years old and have gained and lost the same 15-20 lbs several times. Everytime I fall off the wagon, the weight would pile back on.

A few years ago, I was introduced to the paleo and primal lifestyles and the book Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shannahan at an obesity clinic I attended. I lost 17 lbs during that time pretty easily when I was faithful. But I am not sure I was completely on board. However, I finally read the entire book by Dr Shannahan and that convinced me I had to commit to change. Since then, I have limited my net carbs (after subtracting fiber) to no more than 100g a day as she suggests, started making veggie/fruit smoothies in my Nutribullet, and been exercising 5 days a week and have lost 8 lbs in 3 weeks, which is amazing for me! I have pretty much cut out processed foods and aim for 30% carbs, 40% fat and 35% protein. My energy has skyrocketed and I am not hungry at all. I've lost a total of 16 lbs so far. My goal is to loose another 60 lbs.

I highly recommend the book Deep Nutrition!

Julie

FearlessFitFabulous

How long did it take for it to kick in my doctor said 3-6 months I have been on 100 mg for the past 4 months with no luck.

Hookapotamus

I've been struggling with PCOS for about 9 years. I'm 39 and 5'3 and currently 260 lbs. My endo has me on Metformin and just put me on a strict 2,000 calorie diet. If I go over 2K on Monday, I have to subtract that number on Tuesday and so forth. He says that exercise plays a big part in maintenance, but to get the weight off it's 95% diet. Which sucks. I am hungry a lot but am consistently losing about a pound a week. Slow and steady FTW?

HappyStack

3 years, over 120lbs for me. No medication.

No low-carb, just cut down on refined carbs and empty calories in drinks. I weight lift 3x a week (Starting Strength model) and do cardio on my "off" days. Otherwise, in general, I just try to stay active and try not to sit down unless I'm exhausted or eating. This is the only thing that ever worked for me. Good news about having excess androgens is you build muscle slightly more easily than your average female.

I get in about 1600-1800kcal per day depending on how hungry or tired I feel. About 1g/lb of bodyweight in protein, about equal in carbs - but often more, usually around 200g - and between 50-60g of fat. I'm 5'4 and currently 165lbs (75kg), but my profile picture is my lowest weight of about 145-150.

angelarose111

I lost a ton of weight when I went on Spironolactone, it takes a good few months to kick in and some bad side effects at first but I couldn't live without it now it reduces all the symptoms. I stopped taking it and got bad carb cravings and put on a ton of weight but I already feel better since starting it again. I tried Metformin but unfortunately didn't make a difference for me.

I quit taking it recently because I couldn't deal with the side effects (constipation, peeing every 5 minutes). Glad its working for you though.

angie_tb37

I have been diagnosed with PCOS since I was 15. Since the age of 22 I decided it was time to change my life for the better go on a diet & exercise. In little just over a year I have lost 5 stone, my periods are back in a regular cycle now.

kirstysmith56

Hi ladies I was diagnosed with this in November 2013 I haven't told anyone but I feel I'm struggling I have 3 children and no one knows how long iv had this for which makes it a bit harder - I have constant period pain and my mood swings are terrible happy jolly one minute and don't care about anything the next - the doctors didn give me any advice at how it may affect me and I don't even no if te mood swing are connected to the condition but I'm putting it down to that - I feel miserable and depressed as time goes on my last period was 1sr week of December I feel bloated and look massive!!
I have my own business as a forever living Distributer who specialise in natural aloe Vera based products and iv been advised by the health board to try drinking the aloe berry daily and to take multi macca suppliments as these help with fertility hormonal balance and libido - iv put an order in tonight for these products and I'm really hopin they help I feel so sorry for my family living with my mood swings

SuperJo1972

Hi ladies I was diagnosed with this in November 2013 I haven't told anyone but I feel I'm struggling I have 3 children and no one knows how long iv had this for which makes it a bit harder - I have constant period pain and my mood swings are terrible happy jolly one minute and don't care about anything the next - the doctors didn give me any advice at how it may affect me and I don't even no if te mood swing are connected to the condition but I'm putting it down to that - I feel miserable and depressed as time goes on my last period was 1sr week of December I feel bloated and look massive!!
I have my own business as a forever living Distributer who specialise in natural aloe Vera based products and iv been advised by the health board to try drinking the aloe berry daily and to take multi macca suppliments as these help with fertility hormonal balance and libido - iv put an order in tonight for these products and I'm really hopin they help I feel so sorry for my family living with my mood swings

Your symptoms relate to your hormonal imbalance and insulin resistance. Your healthcare provider should be helping you tackle these issues. If they have just diagnosed you and sent you on your way, then go to another and get treatment and advice.

It is a longterm condition that we all battle with but the symptoms can be controlled. The good news is that weightloss really helps, so given that you are on MFP is a great sign. Take control of the situation and make sure that you get the help you need.

Things will get better )

jihanbazan

I found out I have PCOS 6 weeks ago, and was determined not to let this condition affect me. My gyn suggested I try intermittent fasting regime ( which she had tried ,she also has pcos) together with going to the gym 5 days a week and following a nutritional plan designed by well known uk nutritionist Marilyn Glenville (visit her website) I have lost a total of 7 kg and still going down. Find out more it's worth a try.

Jennisin1

I eat low carb and work out... and the weight came off. I can eat the same calories doing regular healthy carbs and not lose a pound... but going low carb, the weight flew off quickly and easily .

BUT.. I do work out, vigorously.

kyamarye

I have had PCOS probably since I was 11 years old when I hit puberty. Thy never really figured out what was wrong until I was about 25 or 26. I am 29 now. January 2010 I began cutting calories and working out more. I try to eat a low carb low sugar diet. I started at 301 pounds and now fluctuate between 185-188 and I want to be around 160. It's been 4 years on this journeying and 115 pounds down. I lose on average 25 pounds a year the past 4 years. When I am off metformin I gain back faster. I have been back on metformin for about 6-8 months and am down the 35-40 pounds I gained in summer 2012-2013.

I have found even saying fruit is too much for my body sometimes.

I tried spironolactone and it didn't help my acne, bloating, or symptoms much into opinion but I don't think I took it long enough. I may have to take to my endocrinologist about it again because acne and bloating are really bad.

Any bloating tips?

Nerdycurls

I have found I need to be really strict with myself to lose weight. My doctor highly suggested I cut out a lot of food I can't make myself, or if I want it I should make it and eat it sparingly. The same thing with workouts-- I have to stick to a strict schedule.

What is difficult isn't me, it's other people. A lot of people actually don't believe me when I share that I have PCOS so I just keep it all to myself. I am learning if people give me a hard time about wanting to lose weight and eat healthier, there is nothing I can do to control them but control myself. It sucks to not have IRL support but that's the way it is sometimes.

kyamarye

She is full of information on her website

http://www.pcosdietsupport.com/diet-tips/pcos-diet-vs-normal-diet/

princess19forever

I have recently found out I have pcos, I didnt always have this as I got pregnant twice before but had obortions I was fairly young and in a unstable relationship. I'm 24 now 5 years later... But I started to try and diet a year back but kept giving in.i thought to myself I'm going to do it this time I swapped anothing I would usally drink for water except my one cup of tea a day as I love my tea. And done at least one walk of 30 mins a day just to town round the park. I would stick the music channel on for half an hour and dance about. Didnt eat anything after 7 or 8 on a bad day last friday I checked I was 10 stone 7 just a week in of swapping to just water other then my one cup of tea, half hour walk a day and the odd dance to the music channel I checked today and I'm 10 stone 1 just over....and the water has made my skin so nice...it makes the world of difference try it.
-at least half a hour of work, run, dance a day
-swap any other drink to just water
-dont eat after 7
-any extra excersize is a bonus

Nerdycurls

Does anyone want to be email buddies? It's hard to lose weight on your own with PCOS especially when people don't understand the condition. I tend to do better with actual communicative support, somewhere around 2-3x a week. It's also nice to share recipe ideas, workouts, or just to have someone to vent to. If anyone's interested just message me...I just wanted to put it out there versus starting a new thread.

drencoronado

Bump!

brokenbutterfly09

I'm 18 and only recently (back in November) found out that I have the symptoms for PCOS. I had started to get irregular periods (they stopped for 6 months from July-December but now they have come back which is strange) and from the age of 11 I noticed that my hair on my arms and legs was turning dark. I thought nothing more of it because my hair colour was naturally brown. I finally went to the doctor about everything. She said that going on the pill would help sort things out but I knew I could never go on the pill because my mum's side has a history of blood clots.

Since December, after my first lot of blood test, I have had to go to hospital for them to take blood and test for the gene that cause blood clots (since I can't have the pill). My bloods came back as two of them indicating that I was at high risk of developing blood clots (this scared me so much). They have put me on a four week Vitamin K diet and I need to go back and have more blood taken so they can do the other tests again.

I am no closer right now to even getting the Metformin stuff which could help me lose weight and balance my hormones. I am trying everything so that I can try to lose weight on my own without the medication. My doctor and the hospital keep telling to try and lose weight but I know it isn't that simple. I do Zumba regularly (which is great fun) and other exercises when I can. Although my weight has never shifted. When I was at secondary school I was 168lbs but now I am 203lbs. My weight steadily increased over the course of 2-3 years.

I am now at the point where I feel so depressed about everything. I hate the way I look and the way I feel. I'm just at a loss with what I can do. I am trying to eat healthily and do more exercise but the scales never shift. I'm getting worried that I will always be like this and will never go back to the weight I was when I was younger. I also want to get my weight down so I can possibly follow my chosen career path/hobby.

freshfire421

I was diagnosed with PCOS last year and have had problems with loosing weight. I googled natural ways to loose weight. I came across this woman that had the same problem and went, basically organic and the weight just went away. Women with PCOS can not loose weight like regular woman. #1 Eggs, Milk any dairy and Meat should be eaten only if it is Organic. Reason for that being, is because of all the stuff they pump to the animals to get these items to you quicker. A woman struggling with PCOS does not need to intake more of those hormones. #2 Woman do not need to intake a lot of gluten. #3 Count your calories. A average woman should only take in 1200 calories a day. #4 Exercise 1 hr. 5 times a week. That may sound like a bunch, but according to health doctors exercising 1 hr. 5 times a week is just to maintain your weight. I know this may seem like a bunch but I didn't jump into all of this at once. I have been gradually stepping in to this life style of eating and exercising. I exercise 30 minutes every other day and when that gets easy I will add on. I started out with taking all sugar and breads out of my diet and gradually moving into nothing with gluten. I am only eating organic meats now I am gradually moving into no eggs and milk etc. unless they are organic. This has been know to work. If you get on metformin while doing this, it will really help. I have been doing this for about 3 weeks now and have lost over 20 pounds. I have PCOS BAD! I wanted to share all of this because I know it can be difficult trying to get everything under control. I have been married for 6 years with no luck of conceiving. I love children and want one desperately. I decided to go all natural because PCOS not only stops from conceiving but from carrying. I wanted to make sure that I would not only conceive but carry to full term. I believe this diet will help everyone A LOT. Please give it a try. Good Luck to everyone!

Mich4871

because PCOS not only stops from conceiving but from carrying. I wanted to make sure that I would not only conceive but carry to full term.

This is not true, unless you are a reproductive fertility doctor I would NOT be telling other women this! I have PCOS, among other hormonal issues. I got pregnant once naturally but m/c early. It took 2 years of fertility treatments to become pregnant with my 1st child. Never once did my Dr. (top 5 in the field) say this. It does not stop one from conceiving, it makes it much more difficult, but it is possible with help. Once pregnant, having PCOS does not put you at risk for not being able to carry or carry to term.

nyjennyrose

Hi, i am 39, diagnosed with pcos in my 20's; Im in a program through my health insurance (kaiser) and on track to have gastric sleeve surgery this summer. For me, enough is enough. I have never been able to lose enough weight to be in a healthy range, or to keep off what I do manage to lose. I havent been under 200lbs since 1999. But yes, I definitely think surgery is worth your researching and looking into. I have done a lot of reading about the different types of gastric surgery, and learned a ton in my class, so let me know if I can answer any questions for you--and GOOD LUCK!

cjen323

Hello all, I began MFP about 5 weeks ago and lost 4lbs first week!!! This gave me realistic hope that I may be able to loose a good 1-2 lbs p/wk. However that has not been the case. I lost .5 lbs this week (and one other week). I'm beginning to feel hopeless, sad and extremely depressed. Thinking of going on an antidepressant. I've been on Lexapro before in 2008-2009, but I gained a good 30 pounds on it. Since 2008 I've gained 90 lbs and have only lost 9. Has anyone, with PCOS been on antidepressant? If so, which one?

Mich4871

Hello all, I began MFP about 5 weeks ago and lost 4lbs first week!!! This gave me realistic hope that I may be able to loose a good 1-2 lbs p/wk. However that has not been the case. I lost .5 lbs this week (and one other week). I'm beginning to feel hopeless, sad and extremely depressed. Thinking of going on an antidepressant. I've been on Lexapro before in 2008-2009, but I gained a good 30 pounds on it. Since 2008 I've gained 90 lbs and have only lost 9. Has anyone, with PCOS been on antidepressant? If so, which one?

I'm on an antidepressant as well as anti-anxiety. It took me a while to find the right combo, I was gaining weight on Zoloft, switched to Wellbutrin (which is known to help weight loss), but it made me psychotic. I'm now on Fluoxitine (prozac) and Buspar and while the weight loss is slow (I have another 15 or so lbs to go), I do attribute some of that to that I'm in a very healthy fit place right now and it's just making it harder to lose the weight as fast as it used to come off.

timothyjanzen5

Just have to say. YES losing weight is very hard! Having pcos and hashimotos which is hypo thyroid basically. BUT IT CAN BE DONE! Vitex ladies vitex! It's a vitamin that helps with hormones. I was on metformin, taking the vitex, on a no carb diet and walking 5 times a week and within 3 months I got pregnant! After 5 years with my hubby I wanted to have a child and everyone kept saying lose weight lose weight! Me:" but why I see big girls all the time poppin out kids" WELL ITS BECAUSE of all these health issues! ANYTHING WORTH HAVING IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR! DONT STOP! I've been working on my weight loss again and lost 40+ so far! I promise it works! Just get up and do it and having someone call you mommy is the BEST reward in the world! Good luck and God bless

ckk224

Just have to say. YES losing weight is very hard! Having pcos and hashimotos which is hypo thyroid basically. BUT IT CAN BE DONE! Vitex ladies vitex! It's a vitamin that helps with hormones. I was on metformin, taking the vitex, on a no carb diet and walking 5 times a week and within 3 months I got pregnant! After 5 years with my hubby I wanted to have a child and everyone kept saying lose weight lose weight! Me:" but why I see big girls all the time poppin out kids" WELL ITS BECAUSE of all these health issues! ANYTHING WORTH HAVING IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR! DONT STOP! I've been working on my weight loss again and lost 40+ so far! I promise it works! Just get up and do it and having someone call you mommy is the BEST reward in the world! Good luck and God bless

I am also hypothyroid + PCOS and am taking Vitex. Just a warning to others though, Vitex benefits only if you have LOW progesterone. It is a natural berry in capsule or tincture form. It's amazing at balancing hormones naturally without the use of the pill!

barefootminis

It is a vicious beast. Let me be your cautionary tale. I have suffered with pcos since puberty. I have been a yo yo since puberty. I was able to lose lots of weight in '03 with Pilates, riding bareback, barn chores, landscaping, and portion control. Had issues with water retention, and I still do. Met my husband that same year, got married the next Spring, got pregnant 4 months later. I was immediately as sick as a dog 24/7. Water would make me throw up or gag. Eating helped. My weight was out of control. I won't go into pregnancy complications, that will give you a nightmare. I almost lost the baby, almost died myself. Couldn't nurse. I lost probably over 100# in a year after surviving pregnancy #1. I was 22 when I had my 1st baby and I had never been on birth control. I used chromium piconolate after baby #1. I exercised regularly, portion control, barn chores, pilates, and took care of my husband and baby. Was the best shape of my life at 23-24. Got pregnant with baby #2. Threw up regularly and still gained weight. I was overwhelmed by stress and just decided to take it easy during that pregnancy. Other than feeling sick all the time it was a normal pregnancy and delivery. Weight never fully came off with doing the same things as before. People look at you like you are lazy, you'll tell them what you do to try to stay fit they think you are a liar. Fast forward late 20s, husband loses job, marital stress. My stress went up through the roof. After baby #2 things began to get out of control. 29 I had a pregnancy-sized tumor removed along with my rightovary. It was grade 1 ovarian cancer. I am now 31 and I have put on a lot of weight again after being on the treadmill all Winter. I honestly look/feel like the hulk while working so very hard. Pcos women are usually heavier, due to sheer muscle mass, produced by hypertestosteronism, we have a higher sex drive usually, and a more passionate temper. The heavy muscling will mean that some of us will never reach a normal bmi, so we are always treated like filth by most medical doctors. The only thing that has ever helped me to look and feel normal is Pilates. Unfortunately when I had surgery to remove the tumor I have so much trouble with scar tissue that core exercises make me feel unwell. It is very frustrating to have to work twice as hard to see half the results. It is also disheartening to know that our risks of heart disease, ovarian, and uterine cancer are heightened. It's absolutely true. I feel that I have another lease on life, but I have one ovary and a uterus that begs me to keep the weight off. More importantly, 2 kids and a husband to stay well for Back to the drawing board!

tyishasfranklin

I was diagnosed with pcos almost 10 years ago. My heaviest weight was 151 lbs when I was put on metformin and in just 5 weeks I'm down to 132 lbs. it worked miracles for me. I exercised my *kitten* of everyday for 2 hours before metformin and I never lost weight. After I started the max dose of 500 mg 2 twice a day for a total of 2000 mg a day the weight fell off like water

My3sunshines1798

Hi , everybody . I've been reviewing online pages for people with pcos for a while since I was diagnosed having pcos after years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive . I went for ivf and have been blessed with beautiful amazing twins !and and amazing son. The down side however is it had taken a toll on my body I always tried difft things to lose the weight and some work a little but then it comes back or limit you so much that your body craves bad foods. . I work as a detective in the nypd and the unusual work hours take a great toll on the body . I started hearing co workers who I knew struggled with weight on a nutrition program and watched them shrinking before my eyes at a dramatic pace . I didn't ask for a while bc I didn't think I could do it . Until I went to my general DR and he mentioned it!! I have to share this with all of you struggling because it has been the greatest blessing of my life in terms of weight loss and health. In the first 3.5 weeks on this program I was down 3 clothing sizes from a 16 to a 10 and that's with no time to work out at all. I dropped a tremendous amount of weight and because the program is complete nutrition it's very healthy for the body and consistent with the healthy diet my dr told me would help with pcos. I'm so glad I found this program !:) If you are interested in trying it you can email me at scwiekalo@aol.com if you have any questions or want more information . I've struggled with weight my whole life and this has been the best thing I found to lose the weight gain health and tremendous energy ! Lol even with three kids 2 years old Twins and an infant . Good luck to you all:)

becki78

I'm 36 and was officially diagnosed when I was 21. I first started seeing a doc about my symptoms when I was 17 though. I was always pretty skinny and very in shape until my mid 20's and the weight started stacking on. I am now 179lbs and was wondering if any of you girls had expericenced extreme sudden weight gain. If I exercise at least on an every other day basis I will start dropping the weight like crazy but sometimes I let life get in the way and end up not working out for a month and I will gain 10+ lbs. it is crazy how I can drop it fast and gain it fast. And my diet doesn't change. I normally eat on average 1500 calories a day.

Has anyone else experienced this pattern too?