Women with PCOS

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mandyy1992
mandyy1992 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi!!

I am 21 years old and just learned today that I have PCOS. I have always had an extremely hard time trying to lose weight ,but never really been able to and never knowing why. I have researched and talked to my doctor about what PCOS is ,and the symptoms. But I have a couple questions about what is the best diet to be on. I've seen that it says that a Low-Carb is the best to go on ,but I've also seen that a Low-GI diet works to. I'm just wondering which diet is best ,and if anyone has any diet tips or could give me an example of what I should eat for a typical day??

Please help and Thanks!! :smile:

Replies

  • chicanita91
    chicanita91 Posts: 154 Member
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    Hey there and welcome :) I'm also 21 years old and have PCOS, except I was diagnosed when I was 16. It has been a constant battle trying to get this weight off, and not many people really understand how much harder it is to lose weight than if you were a normal person without PCOS. I have found that low carb dieting is what has worked for me so far, I normally try to take in less than 80g of carbs a day, and eat as much protein as I can. A typical day for me is for breakfast normally eggs and turkey bacon or i'll switch it up and eat some protein special k cereal, for lunch a salad or light soup, and for dinner chicken or pork with steamed veggies. I try to limit my fruit intake too to no more than a couple pieces of fruit a day if any. I encourage you to eat more carbs though if you do a more vigorous exercise regime. This is the toughest battle for me, but it's so worth it once you have made some progress. Feel free to add me and we can motivate each other, you aren't in this alone!!
  • Jongfaith
    Jongfaith Posts: 195
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    Hey!
    Yep I have PCOS and losing weight is near to impossible for me. I am 32 and have found low GI or low carb works best for me too. Although I always hit a plateu around 20lbs lost and need to eat more carbs awhile then can start losing again. I was vegetarian for many years but never lost a pound no matter how few my calories were. You need to find what works for you and I hope you have some determination girl! I watch the girls I work with diet a short period and lose tons while I fight to not gain and celebrate single pounds lost in a month. I feel like some of my older friends who ar going through menopause understand the struggle because the hormone imbalance is the same and they struggle with similar weight issues. After just over a year I have lost around 45 lbs and am thinner than I was in middle school so it is possible.

    Also thank god for laser hair removal!
  • mandyy1992
    mandyy1992 Posts: 3
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    Thanks you all!! :smile:
    This is the first time that I have ever heard of PCOS ,and it kinda scared me at first. I was starting to think there was something wrong with me! I'm glad I'm not the only one!. I've just been trying to figure out where to begin with this problem. So, the Low-Carb diets that you two are on.... It's not strictly 'Low-Carb' like the Aktins then? And I also saw that some websites said to go dairy free ,but does it really matter if I do or not?
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
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    Hi I have PCOS and i have lost 183 pounds so losing weight is definitely possible :) Most who do low carb seem to have insulin resistance, I dont so I have never done low carb. Have you followed MFP for a while? I would try what MFP recommends for a few weeks initially and then if you dont lose maybe tweak as necessary (maybe try lowering carbs then). Also in relation to dairy free lol I am anything but...Ive never heard that one before....I would try eating from all groups initially then if not losing adjust from there :)
  • mandyy1992
    mandyy1992 Posts: 3
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    WOW! That's awesome!! Congrats to you!!
    I actually just started following MFP today when I was trying to learn about what foods to eat after I found out I have PCOS. I really like it so far! It's very helpful! And thanks for clearing up the dairy free thing lol.... I dont think I could give that up. I have tried Soy milk before ,and it's disgusting and wasn't happy when I read that lol
  • nicolethai1
    nicolethai1 Posts: 3
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    Hi! I was diagnosed with PCOS a couple of years ago and have since managed to lose nearly 4 stone and am finally at my target weight. In my case, I lost most of it through an intense exercise programme (6 varied workouts plus 2 cardio sessions - I took up running- across 6 days a week, with one rest day). I did watch what I ate but it was pretty much the exercise that did it for me - I think my metabolism had slowed to the pace of a snail, and given that I have a very sedentary lifestyle otherwise (desk job,etc) I needed to make some major changes to shake things up a bit! Once I had lost 3 stone (my original target) I cut back to a more sustainable exercise programme (2 x runs and 2 x workouts a week - one with weights and one core/abs type). I found to lose the last stone I did have to take dieting a bit more seriously.

    What is great is that as well as the weight loss I have also managed with the exercise to change my body shape from an apple to a pear - my waist/hip ratio has gone down from 0.82 to 0.70. This deals with a lot of the risk factors associated with PCOS and holding weight around the middle.

    There is definitely hope - good luck :)

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