Looking for PCOS buddies

determinednow

HI all!! so, i have a doctor's appointment in august with an endocrinologist. I have many reasons to believe i have PCOS but have never been diagnosed yet. I have a history or abnormal periods, and for a doctor to tell me when i was 16, that i might have a hard time conceiving, kinda makes me wonder now. I wish i would have gone to a specialist a long time ago. My acne was just so bad as long as i can remember, the only thing i've been on that helped was birth control. (which i have a history of being on/off many times and I really don't want to rely on that anymore) I hope there is an answer to all this frustration, and i really enjoy reading these messages of you all that are going through this. so there is hope...........
If anyone has advice for me please share!!!

determinednow

Is the only treatment for PCOS birth control?? =/

joyciebear

birth control, metformin, diet, and exercise.

My dr recommended a book called 40-30-30 fat burning. You're supposed to follow a ration of 40% calories from carbs, 30% from fat, and 30% from protein.

Mirlyn

Spironolactone has shown to be great for pcos management as well.

mandikaye

I was diagnosed with PCOS back when I was 18 (I'm 27 now), but nothing was ever done. I was never really told what it meant for me (other than that's why my period was always irregular). Everything I know now, I learned from reading stuff on the internet. I have all the same symptoms you guys have listed - obese, excess hair (I HATE the hair on my face and abdomen), acne, etc.

And now that I'm finally serious about losing weight and feeling healthy, I'm finding that the "normal" method isn't working. I'm counting calories like a fiend (although yesterday was a high calorie day) and working out 3x a week and I'm not losing anything. And logically, it makes no sense because if I don't exercise at all and don't watch what I eat, I maintain my current fat weight. So eating less and working out should make the pounds start to fall off...but there's nothing happening. It's been 2 months of constant and consistent working out and eating less, but the scale hasn't changed. I know I've lost some inches, but not enough to change how I look or feel.

I'm really discouraged and upset. I did some reading yesterday and found that the insulin resistance that comes with PCOD is what causes the problem with weight loss, but I don't know how to combat it. I haven't found articles that are specific with what you should eat or not eat. They tell you "eat good carbs" or to eat foods with a low glycemic index. So what the heck are these "good carbs"?

I eat a lot of Lean Cuisine. A LOT of salads. And a lot of potatoes. Yogurt and fruit. And... That's about it these days.

Would love some suggestions on what to eat (though realistically, with my schedule, I need things that are easy and convenient, or can be pre-prepared on the weekends so I can grab them to take to work with me).

Mirlyn

http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/ is a good chart to look at to get an idea. Personally I just try to do a lot of whole grains (whole grain breads, cereals, brown rice, whole grain pasta), no white breads, no white rice, I don't do a lot of potatoes but that's a personal choice.

mandikaye

http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/ is a good chart to look at to get an idea. Personally I just try to do a lot of whole grains (whole grain breads, cereals, brown rice, whole grain pasta), no white breads, no white rice, I don't do a lot of potatoes but that's a personal choice.

Thanks for the website! That's somewhat helpful. I made a list of the foods I like on there that are Low or High, and my Low list is actually longer than the High one, so that's good at least.

On to do more research to find out what I should and shouldn't eat!

CGerman

I have been told i am most likely infertile and i have pretty bad side effects (with the hair etc) but the more I lose the less the side effects are actually showing through, its a great motivator.

:laugh: I've been waxing a 'stash since I was 19... I was thin then (because I didn't eat and exercised like fiend). I have noticed as the weight comes off the 'stash grows back slower, the eyebrow hairs show up less frequently on my forehead, and the urge to perform a self ovectamy a couple times a month has dwindled to once a month or less. :bigsmile:

I have finally come to grips with the fact that I can't be a "normal" person because of the PCOS (my doc calls it PCOD too). I will forever have to keep my sugar intake to a minimum (this means not drinking a beer or two with dinner either), eat LOTS of veggies and fewer refined foods, monitor my calories and exercise regularly. I'll never have the luxury of eating what I want and not working out unless i feel like it... unless I wanna tips the scales again.

Glad it's not just me!

chelleim

It was great to read all of your stories. I have been struggling with PCOS for a long time. I was officially diagnosed at about 18 and I am now 30. I have all of the side effects. The facial hair is the worst and the weight in the middle just looks awful. I have always struggled with weight and I know it is possible to lose. I lost a lot of weight taking metformin and BCP. As soon as I stopped taking the pills it piled back on very quickly. My husband and I are now trying to conceive.

I am back on metofmin (it is definitely a rough drug to be on) but it is the only way I can seem to lose any weight at all no matter how hard I work. I am not allowed to take spironolactone for the hair because it is not safe for preganancy; however, when I was taking it it worked wonders for my facial hair growth. We are moving into our third round of fertility treatments with clomid and ovidrel injections.
Here is to making a committment to a healthier self and overcoming the obstacles our body has put before us! I would love to be friends with all of you!

mandikaye

I've pretty much decided that I need to STOP focusing on calories and instead focus on glycemic index. I think this is why I lost ~15 pounds in a month last year on Nutrisystem (which I can no longer afford) - because it is supposedly a low glycemic index diet.

With all the hard work I've been doing, and the lifestyle changes I've made with no results, I NEED to do something else.

Here's hoping I don't feel too guilty when my calories go over sometimes.

angrypanda

I just started MFP a few days ago and am really hoping to make some friends on here who can truly understand what struggles I've gone through and will go through.

I recently started taking my weight loss very seriously because I was told last week that I have PCOS. I am 28 and this is obviously some difficult news for me to swallow since I recently got married and have been thinking about a future of having children. Getting the news was quite devastating for me. I can't say that it was all a shock, though.

I've never had normal periods, but all the years I've let doctors know this, none of them really seemed to care. I guess since I didn't exhibit any other symptoms, nobody saw it as a red flag. Well, an ultrasound a couple of weeks ago did confirm I have several cysts in both ovaries.

Managing my weight has never been easy. I've been told my entire life that I'm "obese" -- since childhood. I look back at photos and never really saw any where I thought I looked obese until adulthood. I've always been very active, and I'm muscular, with a large frame. I lost about 30lbs from my heaviest a couple of years ago, and have since maintained, but would like to continue losing per my doctor's advice. I'm not sure how easy another 30+ will be, but I'll have to see. I have definitely struggled in the past with weight loss, but always allowed other factors to be the excuse (i.e. birth control, stress, depression, etc.).

I would love to make friends on here who are going through the same thing as me. It's hard being overweight, but it's even harder when you get the news slammed on you that having a baby might never be easy or even worse--might not be a possibility for your future.

Please feel free to message me or add me as a friend on here. It would be great!

MandykinsK1980

At 16 years old I was diagnosed with cysts on my ovaries and then PCOS diagnosed 7 years ago!!! I have a 10 year old daughter and a 6 year old son!!! It is very possible for kids!!!

lovableprincess11

I was told I had PCOS the end of 2009 and one of the things I have is my hair falls all the time I can brush my hair and the brush it full of hair, I run my fingers threw it to wash it or just to get it out of my face and I pull hair out. What my doctor told me when I was talking them them about it he told me to take a multi vitm everyday and also he told me to take a prenatal vitm that walmart had and so I take them and even though I still have hair that falls out its not as bad as it was before I seen the doctor and talked to him about it. Hope this helps.