PCOS girls

I just got diagnosed about two months ago. I had lost a bunch of weight just calorie counting and being active last year, and then all of a sudden, I was craving sugar like a fiend (literally ALL i would eat were sweet foods), yet still counting calories/being active, and I was gaining weight on net 1,200 or so (eating like 1,600 a day--which I was easily maintaining on before). It was so frustrating to gain ALL of that weight back and I was beating myself up because I lacked self control with sugar and I just was so upset because I knew I had created a healthy lifestyle that I could have maintained otherwise.

After months upon months of doctors visits and tests, and no one telling me anything except to 'eat less and exercise more', I got a PCOS diagnosis based on my history of irregular periods throughout my life (and the fact I hadn't had one in 5 months and that was the time I gained all my weight) and my blood sugar levels, which put me almost in the pre-diabetic range, something that didn't make sense to me after I lived the healthiest year of my life.

My doctor put me on metformin and Yaz and told me to follow a lower carb/low glycemic diet. I've been lucky and yes, I felt a little nauseous and sick on both of the medications for the first week or two, but now, I don't feel anything from them. I also went a bit crazy on the low carb madness, trying to eat like 70 g of carbs down from my usual like 200+ (I was never a big meat eater, didn't like to eat high fat foods on a low cal diet from before, and I LOVE fruit and have gummy vitamins in the morning which was like all of my allowance haha). It was a disaster. Not only did I feel sick and low energy (I tried it for a few weeks), I couldn't complete workouts, I was super crazy about restricting food and depressed/mood swingey and so much more. I also binged out on cookie dough once or twice during those times. I know it may not be the best for the sugar levels, but I now gravitate anywhere between 100-150 g of carbs a day, but they are usually paired with a protein or are very high fiber/low to no sugar, etc. I am a sweets fiend and this was super hard for me to adjust to, but I've found ways to make it something I can maintain. I eat protein bars (yes, with artificial sweeteners), have diet hot chocolate, and either a no sugar added pudding or small serving of dark chocolate when I need something sweet (at least once a day for me). There's no way I could do it otherwise. I have one serving of fruit a day. I don't eat bread, pasta, potatoes, sweetened yogurt, bananas, sugary cereal, etc, but I found these really great low carb/high fiber/protein wraps that I use a lot. I think you'll find a ton of PCOSers do really low carb, but I know myself and know that I can't maintain that forever. Find what works for you.

I've continued exercising (6x a week of 40 mins interval cardio) with 3x week of strength/conditioning, and have been eating probably between 1300-1400 and I've lost 7 pounds in about 2 months. It could be the metformin, I don't know, but I haven't been able to lose this kind of substantial amount of weight in months and I haven't weighed this little since March. I can finally fit back into some of my old jeans that I was wearing at this time last year. It feels great.

Best of luck and feel free to friend me!

First, realize that the calories projected on the website will be too high for you to lose weight. Women with PCOS have a BMR that can be as much as 600 calories less than "average women". Quality and type of food is also very important for us! Like others have said, using glycemic index or low carb is good. Also, I take Metformin (500 mg 2x a day), which as been a lifesaver. I'm pregnant right now, so I haven't been following anything very well, but I need to get back on it! I hope this helps!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678372

I want to offer another perspective. I am 4'11", lift heavy 4 times a week. I never eat lower than 1500 calories a day, often higher. I do not do low carbs because for me it is not sustainable and make life not worth living lol. I try to eat between 75 - 100 g of protein a day. My weight loss is not dramatic.....it is quite slow but since it is sustainable and I have been doing this for 2 years. It is true that with PCOS we may have a lower metabolism but the last thing you need to do is eat even lower amount of calories !!!!! Metabolism is a precious thing, adding muscle mass really help.

First, realize that the calories projected on the website will be too high for you to lose weight. Women with PCOS have a BMR that can be as much as 600 calories less than "average women". Quality and type of food is also very important for us! Like others have said, using glycemic index or low carb is good. Also, I take Metformin (500 mg 2x a day), which as been a lifesaver. I'm pregnant right now, so I haven't been following anything very well, but I need to get back on it! I hope this helps!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678372

This isn't universally true. I had my RMR tested a few weeks ago and it was 1810. So MFPs calorie recommendation tends to be too low for me.

I am struggling to find the right balance of carbs/protein for me. I work out hard and regularly, but I find that every few weeks when the scale stops moving, my emotions take over, and I start indulging in sugary, fatty, processed foods which ultimately, makes me feel worse. I'm trying to pull myself out of a cycle right now because I know persevering is the only answer. It is how I have been able to lose 50lb's. But that has taken me 2 1/2 years and I still have about 80 lbs to lose. I just started Metformin and I can't tell if it's helping because the last couple of weeks have been a free for all. Does anyone do anything to deal with the emotional side of PCOS? Pregnancy is not my goal, so it seems a little whiny to ask that, but sometimes it makes me feel crazy!

I have PCOS and I had a miscarriage in September. (FYI I conceived naturally!) I really think that its been alittle easier to lose since then. I am not back to my pre pregnancy weight yet but I'm getting there.

I went back on the pill to treat my PCOS, and then got unexpectedly divorced, so divorce diet + birth control pills = weight loss. lol

I have the high testosterone version of PCOS not Estrogen and my doctors put me on Metformin XR to level out my testosterone levels and I've been having a MUCH easier time a losing weight.

I do have lapses if I forget to take my metformin and i gain my weight back very quickly. I also sometimes have lapses even if I remember to take it, but if I watch my diet for a week or two, the weight loss starts back up again.

For me, I feel like the best way to combat PCOS is not so much dieting, but INTENSE exercise That's where I've had the most luck. The harder the exercise and the greater shock to my system, the easier it falls off. Not to mention the more empowered I feel after

Good luck everyone!

I have the high testosterone version of PCOS not Estrogen and my doctors put me on Metformin XR to level out my testosterone levels and I've been having a MUCH easier time a losing weight.

For me, I feel like the best way to combat PCOS is not so much dieting, but INTENSE exercise That's where I've had the most luck. The harder the exercise and the greater shock to my system, the easier it falls off. Not to mention the more empowered I feel after

I've always been high testosterone PCOS as well and would agree that exercise has always been more beneficial for me than a specific diet. I tend to build muscle easily so I think that is the main reason it helps out. I was on Met years ago before getting pregnant, but never started it back up after giving birth. Hard work has gotten me to where I am weight wise right now.

I was diagnosed with PCOS 11 years ago. I have lost almost 130 pounds total (from my heaviest). I went from 370 to 242. The first 70 was doing low carb and working on 5 days a week, 30 mins a day. This last 50 has been using MFP and eating the Paleo diet.

I am now on maintenance because I found out I was pregnant 5 weeks ago. My husband and I have been trying for 6 months. I was never put on Metformin but my mother has been.