Any other females on this journey with PCOS?

chicanita91

Sometimes it just seems like we have to work a little harder to lose weight with this hormonal imbalance.. Maybe it's just me? Anybody in the same boat?

rissadiane

Meeeeee!! And the only thing that works well consistently (for me anyway) is limiting my carbs to fruits and vegetables, and only occasionally having bread and stuff! Feel free to add me if you want

victoriannsays

I am not trying to lose a ton of weight(10 pounds all together) and I'm not sure if its just because of the small amount of fat, or my PCOS. Its taken me since September to lose 5 lbs. I'll be happy if I lose 3 more though.

Simone_King

Yeap! I'm with you on that...I'm losing its slow though...

I am on Birthcontrol to help control it though. Add me.

HerBravado

Saaaaame. It takes me twice as much time to lose as much as it takes others half a year. It's disheartening, but at least it does happen.

Ginger1436

I don't have it, but I do have trouble with my cycle and severe cramps. Bad enough where I can't hardly get out of bed. I have tried BCP, but it doesn't help. It's so frustrating.

arsonsmom

I've been diagnosed since I was 16...It is horrible if I am not exercising then I will gain weight... I have to eat 200 calories less than what MFP suggest as well!! I know its frustrating but I have lost 140 pounds on my own just keep going!!

kad292

Feel free to add me! I was diagnosed several years ago before anyone really knew what it was and one of my sisters has it as well. I too try to limit my carbs and by nature am mostly vegetarian/vegan. Good luck on your journey, I too have a ways to go.

Kaathmandu

Yep. Atkins works great for me.

Atthebeach16

I have it as well! However I cannot take Birth control because when I do my body makes blood clots! So I have decided to go get bariatric surgery! But I have been suffering weight issues since was 8 and I always drop the weight fast but then gain it back plus more I am sure you will do great! Just take one day at a time!

hisgirl86

Yes...It sucks. It does always seem like we have to work harder. But it can be done Feel free to add me. And I think if you do a search, there's a PCOS group around here as well...

Jongfaith

Sure do! Hope one day to reverse it by losing enough weight... We can do it!

TheDarlingOne

PCOS diagnosed for about a year now - i'm on metformin (1000mg daily) - tis a struggle, but so far being honest with mfp and slight movement (as i'm naturally very sedentary so i'm going the 'slight' route for now so i don't scare myself off haha) - seems to be working. 5lbs, 2 weeks...woohoo

shabbychick81

hi! i have been suffering since i was 17, the day i turned 30, all heck broke loose. chest pains, joint pains,losing hair, gaining lots of weight, crying, rage, heart skipping beats. i have always watched carbs but it wasn't till i found paleo 70 days ago that i got better. i am so much better. no pain, hair is not falling out, joints don't hurt, i eat more now than i ever have, acne gone! so if you need anything please feel free to ask! my doctor is very impressed that i am medication free and doing so well.

CharRicho

Yup. Just starting this whole weight loss thing seriously, so far so good, so I don't know if it will be extra hard because of the PCOS or not, but I know that it definitely is harder for some women with PCOS who have insulin resistance (I don't yet, luckily).

I'm just going with the "slow and steady" attitude and hopefully I can keep cutting away at the weight little by little.

boxem180

I was diagnosed in July and began Metformin in August. I'm on a low carb, low salt diet and I've also reduced greatly my intake of caffeine and alcohol. My weight loss stalled over the holidays but I'm back on track now. We do lose weight slower and it sucks to see the same thing on the scale week after week but we can do it. I'm grateful for you other cysters being on here so I have a place to find inspiration.
Good luck to all of you!

Bajanat

PCOS depresses me and I don't even have the worst case, just the weight, irregular periods. mood swings apparently and rude facial hair. It seems so unfair sometimes, as if your body is fighting you not to lose weight, and the thing is docs always tell you with this condition you must lose weight. I have decided though that I can no longer let it control my life and that is why I am here.

TyFit08

I was diagnosed six years ago, but weight only became an issue in the last three years. I have been struggling to lose weight with no sustainable success. I am considering giving South Beach Diet a try. I'm not on BCP since I am TTC.

CharRicho

I was diagnosed six years ago, but weight only became an issue in the last three years. I have been struggling to lose weight with no sustainable success. I am considering giving South Beach Diet a try. I'm not on BCP since I am TTC.

Good luck! I'm planning to start TTC later this year and I'm really scared about it because I know it can be so hard for some women with PCOS. I wish you all the best!

lauragroy

diagnosed a year ago, I have been on meds for the past nine to try and get my hormones back on track (didn't work) All i wanted was over the year was to loose 10 pounds, that didn't happen. So here i am giving this ago. Its hard for me to stay focused when my friend lost 40 in three months. Its enough for me to scream at the scale. Just need to vent i guess.

daniellroar

I have PCOS and I was told by the doctor a year ago to try and lose weight after gaining 5 stones in 2 years since my pcos kicked itself into more action. I was told to go back in a year if i was not having any success. After a year of eating better and exercising at least 4 times a week i had gained another 2 stones and went back 3 weeks ago. I was given metformin to help which i'm in my 3rd week of. I've lost 12lb in these 3 weeks! so i'd say it definitely helps. obviously it only makes your body respond to the food and exercise like a normal persons so you still have to work at it but its so much more motivating!

saying that im now stuck at that for the last week but hey it was a good start!

mklassy123

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19, I'm now 46. It wasn't even called PCOS back then. I was put on BCP and it really kept the symptoms at bay, although I became overweight. It is so easy to gain weight, very hard to lose it with PCOS. After I went off the pill I started on Metformin. I tried it for a year and a half and had an upset stomach for a year and a half. Didn't lose any weight on it. Tried BCP again but at my age it just made me too nervous AND I gained a significant amount of weight on it this time.

With the right diet we can control PCOS. It is a bit harder for us, but it is doable. The insulin resistance is the thing that really scares me, I feel as if I am a diabetes ticking time bomb, which is why I have my sugar levels medically measured a few times a year (so far it has always been normal). I really monitor my diet as far as nutrition, not just calories. I have books about PCOS and the glycemic idex diet as well as diabetes diets. I obviously haven't been following them regularly or else I wouldn't be where I am right now, but they are very interesting reads and informative about types of foods to eat when you have PCOS.

Don't let the PCOS get you down. It's a part of us and we CAN control it, whether medicinally or diet or both. Just remember that eating right makes us FEEL so much better, even if the scale barely budges. It will budge in time.

mklassy123

Oops, didn't mean to quote myself here. I meant to add a P.S.

P.S. For me the worst part of it was in my teens and twenties with the acne and the facial hair. The pill helped that. Now that I'm off all meds I get the occasional pimple STILL, but luckily the facial hair has not reappeared.

TheMoonMuse

I was diagnosed with it 10 years ago, after I had already been on a diabetic diet for years in an effort to maintain weight. Type 1 diabetes runs in both sides of my family and I noticed through trial and error that I naturally felt better on this sort of diet. 2 years later I was officially diagnosed as diabetes (after *****ing and moaning to doctors, telling them something was still wrong). Turns out that I had been insulin resistant since I was a teen and after my son was born it went full blown diabetes. Gaining only 20 pounds while pregnant but having a 10 pound baby didn't clue them in lol! Anyway, had some pretty scary symptoms including passing out after eating too many carbs, tunnel vision, feeling like my head was in a box.. all sound and vision greatly muted. Finally someone listened and went past the normal glucose test. I had to be different, instead of them being able to catch my sugar high an hour after the glucose test, my sugars were reacting almost instantly. They basically spike fast. By the time they read me an hour later I was already on the downside. One of my cousins had to be hospitalized and constantly monitored to find his diabetes because it did the same.

My diabetes is controlled now but I do have some permanent damage (vision loss and nerve damage in fingers and toes) due to the long term misdiagnosis.. or lack of diagnosis Thank god I decided to watch my diet so many years ago and also grew up where an apple was your dessert.

The PCOS is controlled as well....so long as I stay on the straight and and narrow. I am not eating no carb/low carb, however I do have to watch them and not go too crazy. And I am on a pretty low sugar diet in general. My sugars don't change too much due to a week of over indulging, however I my weight does. Seriously, I can easily gain a 2-3 pounds a week from not so great choices, and once that 2-3 pounds happens it seems like I start to gain hand over fist!

Logging things on here and checking my percentages really helps me keep on the straight and narrow. I am working out hard everyday because I just want to be buff by the time I am 40. That said, my PCOS did really well on just getting in a walk over my lunch hour and a couple of zumba classes here and there. The key being that I HAD to eat properly and get my walk in almost every day as just a form of maint. if I slacked on my walks the weight came on like rolling snowballs into snowmen!!!

Lozze

It's harder but doable.

The one thing I loathe about PCOS is the facial hair. I have roger it waxed every two weeks and it pisses me off.

devrinator

I've never been diagnosed specifically, but when I had an ultrasound once, the doctor went, "Oh, look at these cysts. It's common, many women have these and it might affect your hormones a little." I had no idea about PCOS, but have had severe acne, weight issues, and black hairs in places that aren't common. I have to pluck face hairs at least once a week. It's embarrassing, so I don't know why I'm blasting it here.

I have intense carb cravings, and when I eat things that are either sugary or refined carbs, it triggers intense appetite pangs. That's the hardest part for me.

kazzsjourney

Ive lost 180 pounds and yes I do have PCOS. I still have about 45 pounds to lose and seems to be much harder now. I restricted myself to 4 serves of grains a day (1 slice of bread for example=1 grain serve), I also cut out processed cheese....i find eating that makes losing weight much harder. I started to lose weight in august 2006 at 380 pounds and am 202 pounds now. So it can be done just need to persist

kristafb

I'm 46 & have been struggling with PCOS since my early 20s. It took me 6 years to get diagnosed & actually ended up telling the doctor what I had after finding an article online about it. Once we (and I use that term loosely) found the diagnosis I was referred to a nutritionist who specialized in PCOS & other endocrine issues. Its been almost 20 years since I saw her & I still vividly remember her saying "A normal woman can eat 1600 cals a day & work out 30 mins a day 3 times a week & lose weight. You would have to eat 1200 calories a day or less & work out 7 days a week to lose the same weight. You need to readjust what normal is in your head. Your 'Normal" is not everyone elses"

If I could change 1 thing about me it would be my PCOS. it has effected my whole life and all negatively. It sucks!!

istayedhomeandate

Me too! I was diagnosed about 11 years ago and have been mostly unmedicated. For me the excess facial hair (and unfair hair loss on my head!) are the worst. At my highest I was 280lbs+ and if I'm following the Insulin Resistance diet currently. It's working pretty well so far!

jesikabaker4u

I have it too :-( I was 18 when I was diagnosed although that took 2 years! I was extreamly quick to gain the weight ever so hard to lose the weight even harder to maintain the weight, for me personally any how. Weight Went straight back on. So starting all over again. Losing weight now to try and concieve, we want to try as naturally as possible. I was on metformin but apparently they don't give that for pcos any more. I think the doctor I went to see was full of you know what. So no meds for me at the moment. Are other pcos'ers weight carried mainly round the middle? Feel free to add me ladies :-)

there_is_no_spoon

It's awful. The worst thing for me has been thinning hair, acne, "hag" hairs, irregular heartbeat and weight gain. Never had a problem until I hit about 30. I have tried Spironolactone and BC and it controls the acne but made my boobs even bigger ! Not a good thing when you are already big. I stopped taking everything and I am going the exercise/diet route. I like the Insulin resistant diet - that has solid advice. Since I had kids in my twenties fertility was never an issue for me thankfully.