PCOS and weight loss (maybe tmi for men?)

bberriezz

Okay heres my story, Long read ,but I need advice.
BACKGROUND:
I have been overweight most of my life. I had out of control eating habits when I was little, my mom would often let me order off of the adult menu even when i was 4 and 5 and allow me to eat the entire meal.

I was chunky through school, but very muscular and athletic. I played softball from 2nd grade-varsity in high school. The issue was that I didnt eat poorly, and i busted my butt daily, still the numbers on the scale would stay the same or creep up.

I was diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome when I was 16, and it has been a struggle ever since. I maintained an average weight of about 200 lbs through high school but could never seem to lose any. I am only 5'1 so 200 is very heavy. Once I got out of school I started gaining like crazy. I became a vegetarian, decided to do a juice cleanse, and then became a vegan for 2 years. In that time I got back down to 237. When my boyfriend and I got serious and started living together I lost all of the healthy habits I had made and ballooned to 278lbs. My PCOS was out of control, I had cysts rupture on 3 different occasions, and my menstrual cycle was non existent. Bleeding for 60 days and then no period at all for several months.

I saw my doctor last october and he and I talked about the insulin resistance in my body due to the PCOS. He mentioned trying me on metformin but I was a little nervous about it. We settled on me trying Adipex-P for 30 days to see how I liked it. It worked great at first I dropped 15 lbs quickly, but I was almost eating nothing at all, and after any work out or even regular physical activity I having a pounding heart. I didnt like it. I decided to not use it again.

I kept up the diet changes and physical activity and lost another 23lbs through hard work but that took me all the way from november to now. only 23 pounds in 4.5 months.

Im feeling absurdly let down and confused. I dont want to take diet drugs. One of my close friends started working out a couple of months later and has already lost almost 50 lbs. I just dont know what to do. My current weight (as of this morning) is 241.4. For the last 3 weeks its hovered around 240.2-241.8 doesnt budge from between those numbers. I just dont know what to do anymore. I work out 3-5 times a week, I try to get a minimum burn of 350 calories of cardio a day but usually around 400. Im eating around 1200-1300 calories AND i started weight watchers about a month ago.

Anybody with similar situation that could help me or give me some advice. I keep telling myself somethings got to give, but how do I maintain a positive attitude when I cant seem to lose 2 lbs.

Thanks,
B

Fabfitgirl5

I am not an expert but only eating 1200-1300 calories a day may be the problem. When the body feels that it is being starved it will hold onto everything that it has in order to "sruvive". That may sound a bit dramatic but I am sure you get the point.

If you have not already done so, and you may have, I would try going to a nutritionist - a good one- that actually can make out a meal plan for you, taking into account yoru weight watchers points, to ensure that you are actually eating enough. I would probably say a few more calories a day - the right kind, protein and veggies would not hurt one bit.

FabFitgirl5

freelancejouster

I entered your proportions into the scooby BMR calculator and the TDEE-20% came up with 1950. If you net that daily (so eat back your exercise calories), you should lose about an lb a week. I realize your situation is special and that might not work considering your health, but it's a place to start. The weightloss won't be extremely quick, but it will happen and be maintainable. Slow and steady wins the race kind of thing.

Also, since you've been eating much less than this, its possible that your body was not getting enough nutrients and holding onto the weight.

Oh, and make sure you take a rest day to let your muscles heal a bit. It sometimes does wonders for weightloss as well to speed up your metabolism and things like that.

Edit: I entered your height wrong. The new numbers are correct.

freelancejouster

However, since you've been eating so little and the jump in calories is over 300, you should maybe start small, like trying to average 1400 or so for a couple months, the when/if that stops working change to 1700 or so.

(and PS, 23 pounds in 4 months is nothing to scoff at - I may not have as much to lose, but I've lost 5 lbs in 2 months and am excited already.)

bberriezz

I guess im just at a loss here with what the best thing to do is. I dont feel hungry, I dont skip meals, I eat a nice big breakfast, a decent lunch, and a good filling dinner. I snack on healthy things like fruits, veggies, and pretzels when I want salty. I dont think I could eat near that many calories and stay within my points range on WW either. I dont feel like my metabolism is super slow either because I visit the bathroom pretty frequently.

I have never been to a nutritionist, Im a working college student, I dont have much of an expendable income, and I dont have health insurance that covers that.

I will do my best to boost my calories and see if I can make something happen!

tigermom12

I also have PCOS and I know the frustration for sure. I tried WW several times and it would just never work for me. I think we have to really pay attention to all things involved like sugar, carbs, sodium, calories etc. It wasn't until I started using MFP that I really realized how bad WW was for me. I am very carb sensitive and I'm also insulin resistant. I cannot eat fruit like everybody else. I literally maybe have 1 serving of fruit per day. I was following the WW program to a T and still couldn't lose anything. I am more aware of my food now and it's really helped me a lot.

I also think you need to increase your caloric intake. Good luck and try not to get too frustrated.