I have PCOS w/ insulin resistance AND hypothyroidism. My Dr. put me on a low carb diet. 50 carbs NET (carbs - fiber = net carbs) to be exact. This is pretty low. All of my carbs now come from fruit, veggies, and a little bit of whole grain. It wasnt until I started this that I began to lose weight. I also take 1500mg of Metformin per day.. well, thats what I am supposed to take anyway.

Low carb is not for everyone. I see a lot of people do well on 100 NET carbs. The QUALITY of your carbs is whats important as well. My Dr. said to stay away from flour, sugar, starches like white rice and potatos, etc. Fruits and Veggies!!! I eat a lot of berries because they are lower in carbs and high in fiber compared to some other fruits like oranges and watermelon. I also eat a lot of lean protein and healthy fats like avocados, coconut oil, etc. I have my moments where I give in.. usually to Mexican food or wine... or both!!! LOL! I also try to stay away from "processed" foods if I can help it - like meal replacement bars, etc. They may be low carb/high fiber but they are also full of other junk. I like to eat almonds and pistachios with some strawberries for a snack. Just as filling and not so many chemicals!!!

Anyway, I have found that this works for me and I am losing weight. Slowly, but I am losing. I also dont pay SUPER close attention to the calories. I have my daily goal set at 1800 and usually end up under but I find that if my carbs are low, my calories are usually low anyway. I do make sure to stay under 2000 calories unless I do a tremendous amount of exercise. Even though the weight loss is slow, I cannot tell you how much BETTER I feel!!! I am not as tired and lethargic as I was before. Like I said, LC isnt for everyone but from all the stuff I have read - for PCOS, it is the way to go.

Good luck! I hope you find what works for you. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!!

**also - I have an open food diary so feel free to take a look if you like. The past week has been rough for me but go a little farther back and its more consistent. My internet has been down at home so my logging for the past week has been off**

I was once told by a dietitian not to eat more than 15 grams of sugar per meal. She didn't specify to limit carbs other than that.

If anyone wants it I have some meal plans for PCOS - they are weekly meal plans and you can play with them but they are good.

It's really important to try and eat as clean as possible!

Also there is a website that send out great newsletters with helpful info www.pcosdiva.com

Thanks!
Amanda

I think low carb can mean alot of different things to people. It really isn't the carbs and much as how much is coming from sugar. You can eat WHOLE grains and still be successful. Some people though have to lower their carbs to a very low amount, I think you would have to really pay attention to your body and experiment and start at a low end and keep raising them until you stop losing, would probably give you a better idea what your body can tolerate.

I personally don't "count" my carbs, but I try to make my diet pretty much just lean proteins, tons of veggies, lighter on the fruit (especially the high sugar ones), and limit my grains, but don't completely cut them out all the time.

Another thing that may help is to look up the glycemic index and it will show you how foods affect your blood sugar.

Because PCOS can differ from each person, some have way more severe cases then others, and as frustrating as it can be, you have to find what your body will respond to the best.

I know since I have been eating a mostly all whole food diet, and limiting the carbs slighty, alot of my symptoms have either disappeared or lightened quite a bit.

Feel free to friend me if you need some added support. Always helps having friends that are in the same boat as you!

Good Luck to all you wonderful ladies

I'd look into low glycemic load, that is what I use as a guideline. I eat a fairly high carb diet which works for me but the type of carbs matter. South beach diet is a good intro to glycemic load.