PCOS: Anyone else struggling to lose weight?

LisaDoloski
LisaDoloski Posts: 6 Member
edited September 21 in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering if there is anyone else here who has poly cystic ovary syndrome? If so, please share your story with me! I'm never one weight. If Im exercising hard(6 days a week for 45 min) and eating 1200 calories, I barely lose weight...if I take a weekend off...I gain it all back. Im so tired of this crazy up and down. Plus, I'm in constant pain.... I need to know its not just me!!!! Its so frustrating. My poor husband tries to be as supportive as I can, but he doesn't really get it!!!!! I want to hear from you!

Replies

  • ladysw357
    ladysw357 Posts: 43
    I suffer from PCOS as well. It is horrible! I have found that eating a little more works for me, although the hormone swings definately are reflected on the scale. Weight loss comes very slowly because of the chemical and hormone imbalances in our body.
  • ChubbieTubbie
    ChubbieTubbie Posts: 481 Member
    I am in the same boat you are! I've been sticking to a low-cal (1300) diet since February, and I've only lost 10 pounds (most of which were in Feb/March!). Back in 2001, I lost a lot of weight (60 lbs!) by taking Glucophage, because of insulin resistance related to PCOS, but my fasting levels are looking decent now and my doctor wants me to try to lose weight without it. It's so hard! I'm exercising daily, cycling and walking, but it just isn't helping. It is so frustrating, because mathmatically I should be losing 2-3 pounds per week, but realistically it just isn't happening.
  • mirror135
    mirror135 Posts: 3
    Same thing here, too. I get so frustrated! It's good to hear that it's not just me...
  • jalara
    jalara Posts: 2,599 Member
    Please join us at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/107503-fit-for-future-families . It's a new group for those who are TTC or planning to. We're a sister group to Pregnancy - 2010 group which has a wealth of knowledge!

    We're here for you!
  • LisaDoloski
    LisaDoloski Posts: 6 Member
    I am happy to see its not just me, BUT I'm sad other people have to go through this. My doctor usually has me on phentermine, and that puts me at a normal weight loss(3lbs a week), but then when Im off it, I gain everything back.. Im trying to get pregnant again, with no luck, and am hoping the weight loss will normalize my body to get pregnant, but..im not losing. Its like a horrible cycle. Good luck ladies.
  • BeckyNovak
    BeckyNovak Posts: 2
    My 16 yr. old daughter has PCOS. She was diagnosed at age 13 when we noticed she had gained over 50 pounds in one year and she wasn't getting her monthly cycle. She has daily headaches, stomachaches with IBS symptoms, and depression/mood swings. We tried birth control pills and they didn't help, just made headaches worse. We tried metformen and they just made stomachaches worse. So we have been reading everything we can on helping PCOS naturally.

    There is no easy answer. She limits carbs and she eats a lot less just because she can't stand her stomach upset. She eats something small around mid-day and then dinner. She doesn't eat breakfast because of stomach issues. We are giving her a multi-vitamin, a B-complex, a B6, Omega 3, Chromium, Calcium/Magnesium and Vitamin C during day to help with blood sugar leveling and metabolism and before bed we give her a 5HTP and St. Johns Wort to help with depression and insomnia.

    I know exercise is supposed to help, I encourage that but she hasn't started that yet. Over the past two months she has lost 10 pounds and had a period both months so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that maybe she is getting better. I wish you the best of luck with your PCOS, I know how it effects a person's life.
  • MissMaz
    MissMaz Posts: 92
    Hi ladies,
    It is such a struggle, and we're certainly not alone here. I got the diagnoses about 5 or so years ago even though I've had the symptoms since my teens. Hopefully we can find the support here that we don't always get from the docs. :)
  • toddonage
    toddonage Posts: 2
    Im exactly the same. I find it so easy to put the lbs on but its hell trying to get them off. Its comforting to know there are others like me. x
  • arlareed
    arlareed Posts: 4 Member
    To the mother with the 16 yrs old with PCOS. I also have a 16 1/2 year old with PCOS. I do not give her the option to not exercise. Her health is just too important. Exercise will help regulate her hormones etc. . .In addition, having her exercise as part of her weekly regime will start good habits for when she is older. My daughter and I run. As a result she is in pretty good health and now has very few symptoms of PCOS. She used to deal with severe headaches and terrible stomach pains, but I can't remember the last time she complained of either and her periods are pretty regular. It is difficult to get your teens to do anything really (I have 5 of them), but exercise should take precedence. Good luck!
  • jb_sweet_99
    jb_sweet_99 Posts: 856 Member
    HI guys, I too have PCOS, have since puberty. I take Glumetza, it's long lasting Metformin, so you don't have to take as much so it doesn't affect my stomach as much. I just have to make sure that I take it with food and I'm fine. I too have had stomach issues my entire life, including lactose intollerance among other issues. I find when I eat a low G.I. Diet with lots of lean protein and veggies I have no stomach issues and continue to lose weight. My weight fluctuates a lot, I find I bounce around the same 5 pounds for a few weeks and finally drop a few. It just seems to be all of a sudden and I'm down, but the weeks leading up to it can be frustrating. Just don't be in a rush. It's taken me over a year to lose this much (I joined here April 2009). Just focus on being healthy and the weight will follow eventually. I now have regular cycles and all of my numbers are excellent, not just normal (sugars, cholesterol etc) my Dr was VERY impressed and said that whatever I'm doing is working and to keep it up. Just keep at it, you can do it! I find also that we need to do really intense workouts, since I've started Kickboxing I've lost more than ever.

    Good luck everyone :bigsmile:
  • MaryBethD
    MaryBethD Posts: 13
    I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 16. I gained 40 lbs over one summer and I have been getting bigger ever since. I have tried hundreds of “diets” since my teen years in order to drop the weight, but it would come off so slowly I would quickly give up. I am so tired of feeling unhealthy, and my having my doctor keep telling me “if you lose 10% of your body weight it will help, but it won’t be easy” ugh! So I am no longer dieting, I have to do this as a lifestyle change. Otherwise I will lose a few pounds then gain twice that amount back, which I’m sure you all understand :(
    I found MFP a year or so ago, but never did anything with it. I really started working with it on July 5, 2010 and I have lost 11.1 lbs. I found that the trick for me is to eat a couple hundred calories below the daily recommended calories and NOT eat my exercise calories. I know that a lot of people say to eat your exercise calories, but when I do I don’t lose weight. I’m not sure if it will work for everyone but it seems to work for me, I just hope it keeps working!
    I wish the best of luck to all of you! Keep up the hard work, it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it!
  • LisaDoloski
    LisaDoloski Posts: 6 Member
    I don't eat my exercise calories either!!! I really hate there are so many of us struggling!
  • twflorida
    twflorida Posts: 2
    A year and a half ago, I had surgery for PCOS. Everything seems to be ok right now. But I have always gained, gained and gained weight. Wondering why. Now reading all of the messages I understand it better that it is going to be a long road to lose 85 to 100 pounds. I never thought that it would be so hard.


    I have been using the MFP since June. The first 15 days was great with the weight lose. I dropped 11 pounds. The next 15 to 20 days nothing. I actually gained five to six pounds. But this weekend the scale changed, I am up to 13 pounds lost know. I have not given up, sometimes alittle fustrated but still in it. Keep up all the good work that we all have done and will do.

    Thank you.
  • rose1617
    rose1617 Posts: 469 Member
    It is still undetermined if I have PCOS or not. They did the bloodwork, but it came back normal and the doc said it's because I am on BC.
    Regardless, I have the same struggles losing weight that most people with PCOS do (just no irregular periods).
    I have changed my lifestyle to low GI foods and have lost almost 10 lbs. It took me 3 months.
    If I eat my exercise calories, I also gain weight. I have to eat half my exercise calories or less if I eat them at all to lose weight.
    Also, keep your water intake high, that seems to help me.

    Good luck!
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
    i have pcos and have to limit my carb intake/sugar or i gain like crazy. i have been here since november 2009 (about 39 weeks) and lost 17 pounds. i am thrilled with my progress but it is a constant struggle.
    dawn
  • JoyBellz
    JoyBellz Posts: 108 Member
    I was diagnosed with PCOS in early 2001, just months before getting married. I have had problems with my wieght since puberty. Terrible periods starting in the 5th grade. Had to go home from school EVERYDAY when I had my period to change clothes. As I got a little older, my periods stopped. Doctor put me on different medications to make me have a period but after so long, it quit working. Same problem with birth control. Finally I decided to go to a REAL OB/GYN when I was 19. She knew immediately what was wrong before she even examined me. Glad to have answers but disappointed with the answer I got. I have tried taking metformin but cannot handle it. Makes me feel achy and like I have the flu all the time. I have tried taking it two different times. Doctor is reccommending 1200 calorie diet and no more than 150 carbs a day. Still trying to work down to 1200 calories. Been doing pretty good w/ the carbs which is what I thought would be the hardest. Recently, I decided it was time to get serious about losing weight. Been walking 2 miles at least 6 days a week and watching my diet. In June, lost total of 2lbs and gained a total of 3lbs. Last week, I walked 12.6 miles and gained a pound. VERY frustrating but I refuse to give up. I believe with God all things are possible. If we hang in there and keep working hard and trust God, we CAN do this!!!
  • LadyNay191
    LadyNay191 Posts: 38
    I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2006 and the only way I am able to lose weight is by being super serious about tracking what I eat and I HAVE TO EXERCISE. There's no way around it! When I was first diagnosed I was still in grad school, so I was super broke and unable to buy junk food and I walked a ton because I didn't have a car, and I ended up losing 20 pounds. The minute I went back to eating not as well and not moving as much, the pounds came right back plus ten more that come and go. Now, 4 years later, I'm back on the right track of tracking everything I eat and exercising 5 or 6 times a week and I've finally lost a pound a week for the last 14 weeks. I know this is the only thing that works for me. With only 5 weeks until my wedding and the desire for my future hubby and me to start a family right away, I know this is the best and only option for getting my health where it needs to be and I'll need to keep it up for the rest of my life.

    And, to the mother of the teen with PCOS- suggest to your daughter taking metformin at night before going to bed. I had stomach aches at first and that helped my body get used to it. Now I take it in the morning and am just fine!
  • FireRox21
    FireRox21 Posts: 424 Member
    I was just diagnosed with PCOS and medication induced Cushing's Syndrome. It didn't take long for a diagnosis, however I have been suffering the symptoms pretty harshly for over 6 months. Doc put me on Glucophage to try and control the symptoms. My weight has been a constant battle for the past 2 years. I cannot for the life of me get below 170lbs. I work out (competitive swimming) for 2 and 1/2 hours a day, 5 days a week with an average calorie burn of 1200 per workout. I have played around with eating vs not eating my exercise calories and so far, nothing has seemed to work. My weight will not budge! I have recently started to really track my sugar intake, since I'm now on Glucophage. Hopefully, I can see some results. The biggest hurdle is dealing with the Cushing's Syndrome at the same time. I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis so all of those meds thrown in the mix don't help. My plan is to watch my sugar intake, stick with my workouts, and hope this new medicine will work.
  • Shannonk507
    Shannonk507 Posts: 252 Member
    PCOS here too. I am 31. We have been trying to conceive for 9 years. Anyways, adopted 3 fantastic kids (a sibling set now aged 19, 7, and 4.....who were 16, 4, and 1 1/2 when we got them). Would still like to conceive.

    Thanks for sharing your stories. I learn from others experiences about food, etc. Seems that many do not eat their exercise calories and stay about 200 below their goal intake for the day? I will have to try that.

    For me, I have male pattern hair growth, too. On upper lip and on chin onto neck. Sometimes I shave. Other times I wax. Anyone else have this problem? For the the most frustrating part of PCOS is the excess weight around the middle. Even though I am exercising (P90X -- but just started a week ago) I have tried to lose it, but that spare tire just hangs out.
  • rero
    rero Posts: 24
    Hi, im pretty sure i have pcos but i've kind of overcome it in a way. not cure mind you (im still hairy as chewbaca) but ive gotten my cycles on point and my weight is dropping at an okay rate.

    instead of doing traditional medicine i stuck by my culture which believes in herbal remedies.

    1. have a mostly/all vegetarian diet day. its something most of us follow already but you might want to do an 'all vegetarian day' once a week on non work out days

    2. lots of teas. i drank a lot of herbal tea when younger so i'm used to it. straight up no additives (sugar milk cream etc). i perfer mint and rooibos but i also drink ginger, green, chamomile, ceresee etc

    3. take a superfood. this may not work for everyone, hell it may not work for any one else. but for me it evened out my cycle in two months and jumpstarted my weight loss

    3. meditation - i find im sensitive to stress and gain BIG time in stressful events so i meditate, great for overall health

    i hope this helps in anyway
  • rero
    rero Posts: 24
    to beckynovak

    im only 2 years older than your daughter and to have pcos at this age really sucks but please do not give her the option to exercise. MAKE IT MANDATORY. i've been there going through high school depressed and insomniac is a horrible experience and will really ruin that time of her life

    i dont even go to the gym i do mostly calisthenics and cardio in my own room and it has helped me to slim down and helped my sleeping habits. no child should need anything on a constant basis to sleep.

    you can friend me if you want or allow her to join and friend me. ill be happy to help
  • Giantpanties
    Giantpanties Posts: 7
    I'm 22 years old, Found out I have PCO's when I was 15... I find it really hard to lose weight and if i lose any weight it doesnt seem to stay off me for long.. I get very weak so I need the Carbs its something that is vital to me.
    It sucks that its harder for us to lose weight :(
    Sometimes i just think about giving up... Because no matter how hard i exercise i dont lose anything :(

    Good luck to all you girls out there

    X
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