PCOS weight-loss input..

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?

becki78

Does Metformin upset your stomach and if so how did you get past it? I was on it for 2 months and had diarrhea EVERY day. (Sorry if that was TMI)

Mich4871

Metformin only messed up my stomach when I ate carbs.... bread, pasta, etc...... I really had to be careful, I pretty much had to do either no carb or low carb while I was on the Met.

letsloseit42

I just got diagnosed with PCOS. I'm 22. I have been trying for the better part of a year to lose weight and I've gotten nowhere with it. The PCOS has made it nearly impossible. I eat right and exercise almost daily (I didn't start out exercising daily. I got desperate.) Now that my doctor knows what's up with me he suggested Metformin for me as well. It's not FDA approved for this use, but it works.


I will pick up the Metformin tomorrow and hopefully begin the journey to a healthy body and mind. I wish the best of luck to anyone out there suffering the same as I am now.

Homeypie

Hi Ladies,

I was diagnosed with PCOS 10 years ago and always struggled with my weight. I started on Metforim a few months ago and have not lost any weight yet. How long did it take for some weight loss to occur? I am not diabetic (I know it is a diabetic med) but if im not careful I could end up being insulin resistant. my dr also told me that taking Met. could bring on a period has anyone else experienced this?

Thanks

Caroline

ecm0035

I was wondering if any women at a normal weight range have shown improvement with metformin? I've heard a lot of success with it. I was originally prescribed it a couple of years ago when I was at my heaviest 180 lbs at 5"5. I didn't take it for long or truly commit to diet and exercise like I have now. Since then I've made a whole lifestyle change. I work out 4-6 times per week, eat very clean diet. The only carbs I consume are from quinoa, sweet potatoes, black or brown rice and beans. I'm almost 100% gluten free. I believe working out, the pill and dieting has gotten me here. I'm still 20 lbs away from my goal of 130. If I'm going to be spending all this money on organic healthy food and very expensive gym memberships and do it the healthy way than I think this is a very reasonable size and where I should be . It's not even as small as I was BEFORE pcos.. I still struggle with fatigue & acne which I was hoping would go away now that I am so committed. I have been stuck at this weight for awhile now. I am so frustrated & ready to see the results I deserve. I know it's harder with pcos but I'm determined to push through and wonder if metformin will help? It didn't before but I hadn't completely changed my life like I have now. I know it won't create miracles I just wonder if it will help me since I struggle so much now? I have to kill myself to be at this weight. I'm also very frustrated with being tired all the time & breakouts. I also sweat like CRAZY when I work out. Just hoping for something. The stress of dealing with my symptoms has really been discouraging lately. I go off my diet for 1 day and my weight goes up over 5 lbs.

rachel_cherie22

Hey what's the ratio fat% carb% protein% for us ladys with pcos?

I was diagnosed at 16 with pcos after my first son, my weight after my 1st son was 95kg. I struggled to become pregnant again so I joined weight watches I lost 10kg (85kg) four years after my 1st son I had my 2nd.
I managed to maintain the weight loss and two years later had my daughter then when my daughter was 1 I had my 3rd son. Still weighted 85kg.
I started my weigh loss again im November 2013 and have lost another 10kg sitting at 74.9kg

Im hearing conflicting information 1. I should eat my bmr of 1700cal (I only eat 1200) is this true ?
2. I work out 3x a week obviously ready this I need to up this?

JoyeII

I try to stay at 60% fat, 20% carb, 20% protein.

natkaye

I don't have insulin resistence but I do have pcos and Im going to try the Metformin to see if it shifts the weight.
For the last 6 months I gave up, I was exercising eating right and not losing much so I gave up. Im trying again sometimes it just gets really tiring trying to lose weight. If your head isn't in the game your body won't be either, so take 2, this time with the metformin. See if it helps.

georgiagreeneyes

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.

The main indication for spironolactone for patients with PCOS is to reduce hirsutism (male pattern hair growth), as well as acne and generalized hair loss. It is a very weak diuretic and can really mess with your electrolytes (potassium especially).

Diets that minimize insulin spikes will result in the best weight management or weight loss (low glycemic diet, Mediterranean, low carb, keto, Atkins, etc.). Exercise is also an absolute MUST as it will increase your body's sensitivity to insulin (this is crucial for patients that are known to be insulin-resistant). Progressive resistance training aka lifting weights will really help in this... not to mention building muscle will increase your basal metabolic rate (ie how many calories your body burns at rest). It will also with overall mood and mental health and some studies suggest that it also helps with treating infertility as well!

Keep up the hard work, it may seem impossible at times but keep on pushing. Lean on the community here at MFP when you need the support!

RodaRose

Hey what's the ratio fat% carb% protein% for us ladys with pcos?

I was diagnosed at 16 with pcos after my first son, my weight after my 1st son was 95kg. I struggled to become pregnant again so I joined weight watches I lost 10kg (85kg) four years after my 1st son I had my 2nd.
I managed to maintain the weight loss and two years later had my daughter then when my daughter was 1 I had my 3rd son. Still weighted 85kg.
I started my weigh loss again im November 2013 and have lost another 10kg sitting at 74.9kg

Im hearing conflicting information 1. I should eat my bmr of 1700cal (I only eat 1200) is this true ?
2. I work out 3x a week obviously ready this I need to up this?

The calories are based on age, gender, amount of daily activity, your goals, your current weight.
You need to eat more than 1200.

This explains how to decide on your daily calories:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants