PCOS ladies- it is possible. 106 lost in a year w/NO meds

Today I started WW because MFP has not been working for me. I have gained nearly 30 pounds in 18 months. I have a total of 45 to lose and feel like it's such a daunting task. I'm feeling overwhelmed and saddened by letting myself go. Thank you for the inspiration!

Last August I weighed 270lbs. Now I weigh 164. The short version: I stopped eating so much crap and started moving more.



I've posted here before to give people some inspiration since I used to love looking at these forums when I started what seemed to me to be an insurmountable goal. Seeing other people have success made me think that it was possible that one day I might be able to do it too. So that's why I'm posting again.

One thing I haven't mentioned before is that I have PCOS. (here's a description of PCOS. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001408/) The PCOS combined with unhealthy eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle lead me to gain roughly 10lbs a year throughout my twenties. It was a vicious cycle.

I married in 2002 at age 22, started trying for a baby in 2003 at age 23. We had trouble trying to conceive due to my PCOS and we went through fertility treatments to conceive our first two children. We have three kids and they were born in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

After our last baby was born in 2010, my concern for my PCOS kind of fell to the wayside since we aren't planning any more children. I sustained a debilitating spinal cord injury in 2011, I decided I needed to lead a healthier lifestyle, for the future of my family. I was left temporarily paralyzed from the waist down, and permanently paralyzed down part of my right leg and foot, and had to learn to walk again. I began counting calories with MFP, as well as cardio exercise every day for 45 minutes or more per day.

I know everyone is different, and there are varying degrees of PCOS. But my weight loss journey was possible without the use of any meds. (I had used metformin for a few months while TTC #2 in 2007 and it made me terribly sick). I did this entirely through changing my eating and exercise habits. I'm not saying this will be the case for everyone. Obviously, talk to your doctor to find out what's best for your personal goals.



So here's the basics of what worked for me:

Cutting down to eating 1500-1800 calories per day.
Cardio exercise daily: walking, jogging, running, elliptical, biking. 45-120 minutes of sweating per day.
And 7 months ago I added in strength training at the gym 2-3x/week.

I'm 5'8" tall and 32 years old.


Before (in the hospital with my spinal cord injury) and after (today!)


Before: size 24 - 270 lbs


Size 10 dress - 164lbs


Last week (164lbs)



If you have any questions, please ask.

Joy :-)