PCOS

PCOS might make losing weight harder than it already is, but not impossible! I have PCOS & lost 86lbs the "old fashioned" way.....healthy eating, exercise and a lot of determination. Losing weight is a mental challenge whether or not you have PCOS. I have about 15lb more I'd like to go, but have been able maintain the loss for quite awhile despite the challenges PCOS can add.

I took Metformin & spironolactone but eventually had to stop taking the Metformin because it made me so sick to my stomach that it was affecting work & life. I tried both the slow release & regular with no luck. It does help you if you can tolerate it. Talk to your dr about possibly starting it slowly to try and get your body used to it. Full dose right away can be rough but it can be different for everyone.. I took it for quite awhile with little issues but there came a point for me that my body was done with it. I was not diabetic, so my Dr gave me the ok to stop it. I kept eating right and kept exercising & I still kept losing, so don't get discouraged either way!

I'm not personally a fan of any extreme eating ie super low carb diets, but watching the carbs & refined sugars is when I got my weight really moving & have heard from others with PCOS that that's when their bodies started really responding too. I try and eat clean and balanced and do meal prep every week so I have what I need to eat instead of going to an unhealthy option because I didn't plan ahead of time. Starving doesn't work either! You really have to fuel your body the right way because the. PCOS doesn't cut you any slack!

Oh and last but not least, your body is meant to move - so move it and look at ways to challenge or change it up after awhile. Your body gets super efficient at what your doing so you don't get the same results you do when you start. You might or might not ever love going to work out but fall in love with how you feel after a good workout!!

Sorry this turned so lengthy...... Good luck on your journey! Remember you can do it, PCOS or not! One bad meal or treat doesn't ever mean failure. Some of your PCOS things will hopefully clear up or even out. You'll feel better no matter what! You got this :-)

I have PCOS and have lost 188 pounds...that said I am not insulin resistant. But i basically eat 1800 cals a day...get my exercise in...sleep well...its taken a long time but definitely been worth it

I have PCOS and IR I find that with or without metformin I do really well on a ketogenic diet.

I have PCOS and am IR, too. I've lost a bunch of fat...it's not impossible, but can be very slow going at times. Being patient and consistent is really important.

I started out on Metformin and did not do well with it at all. Others do. I was also on birth control pills. My body didn't like those, either. I'm off all those meds now and hope to never go back on them.

What worked for me was completely changing my diet (I eat according to paleo principles--meat, veggies, healthy fats, a bit of fruit here and there) I stay pretty low carb--under 75g/day. And the sort of exercise I do seems to have really helped a ton. Instead of doing steady state cardio, like running, elliptical, spin, etc. I lift heavy weights, walk a lot, and train with kettlebells.

My symptoms have improved a great deal as I've lost fat. A whole lot of PCOS symptoms can be helped or even done away with completely by just taking off some of the excess fat.