PCOS factor?

hmjohnson25

Hi guys! I've been reading tons of posts on this thread and there's so much helpful info.

I had a nutritionist recently tell me to eat 1300 cals/day, and that made me so hungry I wanted to fight people. I've only been here for a month and I just started lifting, so I'm not ready to say, This isn't working or I need help with calories. Reading through this group's posts, I figured out my TDEE-20% and I've been trying to stick to that calorie goal. I need to give that more time and dial in the consistency before I see if I need more help.

My question is about the PCOS factor. In the template you want people to use when asking for advice, it asks if you have PCOS. I have PCOS and insulin resistance, so I'm wondering if there's more to the advice than just cutting carbs? I've been reading through other people's questions, and I haven't seen this addressed specifically. Just wondering if there's something more I'm not aware of with this issue.

Thanks for any clarification!

Sarauk2sf

If you have PCOS, your BMR will most likely be lower than average, which means the online calculators will overestimate your TDEE. Keeping carbs moderate is a way to mitigate some of this, but you will most likely still have a lower TDEE than someone without it.

Another thing that really helps is exercise and specifically strength training.

hmjohnson25

Thank you! That gives me something to go on and research further.

Right now, I'm doing a boot camp 3 times a week, burning an average of 400 calories per session (says my HRM), and I just started lifting with a plan for 2 days a week. My weight loss has always been super duper slow, so I can't tell yet if this new exercise combo is doing anything.

I'll research and adjust my numbers. Thanks for the feedback!

Sarauk2sf

I have seen a few numbers 'thrown around' as to how much BMR is decreased. Unfortunately I do not think there is much research out there, and from what I have seen, there is debate as to whether it is even suppressed. However, based on anecdote, it does appear to be the case. It would be a very individual thing, but an assumption of 10 - 15% lower BMR 'feels' like it is a reasonable assumption. I have nothing really to point to for this other than what I have read and seen to be the likely case.

Sarauk2sf

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