Females with PCOS or Thyroid issues

simply_healthy
simply_healthy Posts: 175 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey All,

I am writing to give a shout out to the females who have PCOS/thyroid issues.. It will be good to know what helped you the most in losing you weight and maintaining it.. Please do share some tips regarding diet and workouts....

Hope this helps everyone...

Cheers,
Sophie

Replies

  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Regular exercise and lots of it.

    I started exercising before I started losing weight. After 2 years of vigorous exercising, I had lost 10 lbs (with no food tracking whatsoever) but much more importantly, my cycles had regulated by themselves. I think it would have improved even faster if I'd been tracking food at the same time.
  • kazzsjourney
    kazzsjourney Posts: 674 Member
    I have PCOS and have lost 185 pounds....I did it basically by calorie counting, moderate carbs, ensuring enough sleep, and being active (initially lots of cardio and some resistance work now i do more resistance work)
  • spike90
    spike90 Posts: 704 Member
    I have PCOS and losing weight has been a struggle for me. I do not take medicine(s) for it but will probably start taking some in a couple of weeks after my blood work comes back to doctor as I am losing my hair now so it is time to start taking something.
    The best thingg for PCOS (according to my doctor) is a low carb diet. I am a carb addict and find it easier to eat low cal than low carb so my weight loss is taking FOREVER. If your doctor puts you on Metformin that is supposed to help with weight loss as well (I don't take it as my insulin levels don't require it).

    If you eat right and exercise (and take your meds if prescribed) you can beat the side effects of this disease and lose weight. I am not a good example but my friend kazzsjourney is (and I noticed she responded to this post as well).

    Good luck with your journey to the new healthier you :)
  • princessputz
    princessputz Posts: 283 Member
    Low carb, low-moderate calorie, adequate sleep! My cycles regulated after 14 lbs (14 days of staying under 40 net carbs per day), now I have a 34 day cycle... Not bad for someone who used to only get one once a year!

    Stay active even if initially it means parking at the end of the row at the supermarket :)
  • Log_n_Jog
    Log_n_Jog Posts: 64 Member
    I have hypothyroidism and take medication for it daily. It has taken over 2 years with regular exercise and calorie counting, but I've been able to lose 47 lbs (55 lbs lost at my lowest weight). It has been a slow and sometimes frustrating process, but I have been able to keep the weight off. This is a huge accomplishment for me since I would typically lose 10 lbs, get discouraged, and gain it all back (and then some).
  • estey89
    estey89 Posts: 104 Member
    Hey there I was just diagnosed with PCOS I was 167 lbs, and could cry at the thought I was over 140... so about 3 weeks later ( April 10th) i decided it was time to do something about it. I started eating only fruits and veggies and no breads, no pastas, egg whites, etc All for the first month, and upped my water intake. My exercise I did 30 day shred. then the next month i started letting in SOME breads, wraps, 1/2 potatoe etc and started using heavy (10lb) weights and looked up exercises online...

    Ive lost 18lbs and counting since April 10th :) feel free to add me (60 days! 2 months!!!)
  • wytewolf22
    wytewolf22 Posts: 4
    I have PCOS... I was diagnosed when I was in my teens and have been on birth control ever since. But after high school, and the ending of my 6-day-a-week swim team exercise regimin, plus the freedom of foods in college and beyond, the weight came on and keeps climbing. In all honesty, I keep forgetting that this is something I "have" considering I have never tried (for any length of time) to have children and have been on BCP for 20+ years. I think I am finally beginning to realize that my lack of ability to sustain weight loss is not because I'm bad, or a failure, but partially because of this diagnosis that I keep forgetting about.

    Glad to see people have had success. I have over 100 lbs to lose so I definitely need to know it's possible!
  • nooraltareif
    nooraltareif Posts: 4
    I have PCOS too. I got diagnosed when I was 15 but have struggled with my weight since I was about 9. It gave me the push to lose about 14lbs but then i yo-yo'd for a couple of years. Now I'm 20 and completely determined that this time will be the last time. I've been leading a healthier lifestyle with MFP for about 3 months and have lost 19 lbs so far. I've been watching my sugar because I'm insulin resistant but I still have 1-2 squares of dark chocolate almost every day and it's been working well. I also exercised 3-4 times a week at the beginning but now that's become 7 days a week just because I've finally started to enjoy it and do it for fun. Some tactics that people without PCOS use to lose weight don't work for me, for example when I first started eating clean and exercising I found that I was burning off too many calories through exercise to the point where I couldn't eat enough to get out of starvation mode and lose weight. Lots of people I know compensated by having one cheat meal a week that shocks your metabolism. I tried that once right at the beginning and had a disaster where I had to work off all the weight I'd gained for the next week. So I think it's definitely harder for me and I have a tendency to put on fat very easily but I don't let it stop me. The upside is that while I can't have a massive treat meal, I can have very regular little treats because they don't adversely affect my weight loss. I tend to stick to dark chocolate and it works for me. As long as I keep an eye on my sugar I'm okay and feel so much better in myself for eating healthily, working out and losing weight! I have another 14-21 lbs to lose to get where I want to be but through my weight loss so far I'm almost symptom free which I'm very happy about.
  • littlelexical
    littlelexical Posts: 146 Member
    I have both PCOS and thyroid (also waiting on a heart op - so - has been very little exercise thus far) and it is hard, but you can do it :)

    The main thing i have found was that - very few drs know a lot about EITHER of these conditions, much less how they interact with each other.

    You need to research a lot yourself & try and incorporate as many foods which help with BOTH conditions as possible... the problem is - a lot of things good for one, are bad for the other - so - you need to weigh up the options and decide what is right for you.

    Question everything - if someone tells you 'to eat something' or 'not to eat something' ask why/why not and ask 'what is it doing inside me for my conditions?"

    You can do it :)

    Dealing with PCOS/Thyroid combination, in my research - is NOT the same as dealing with PCOS OR Thyroid issues - it is unique - so please - do question the information given by people giving advice who just have one or the other & look into their advice from both a PCOS & Thyroid aspect before following it :)
  • kazzsjourney2goal
    kazzsjourney2goal Posts: 56 Member
    Hi...I have PCOS altho not insulin resistant. I have lost 71 kilos/156 pounds. Ive done it primarily by eating well...not a tiny amount of calories (currently 1750 cals)....i try and keep my evening meal most days grain free (but eat grains the rest of the day) I also try to exercise 4-6 days a week - a mix of cardio, strength training and also some flexibility work. I also think getting the appropriate amount of sleep is key too :)

    As a side note I dont take any medications.

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