PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) and weight lose

I am kind of in the same boat you are. I have not been diagnosed with PCOS, but have many symptoms. I have a really hard time losing weight also. I will do good for awhile, but then it tapers off and I feel like I am starving, yet with no results! But I'm trying to re-examine and make sure I'm not getting too lax with my eating. That's why it helps me so much to keep a journal. We just gotta keep going and keep trying.

Hiya, I'm not diagnosed with PCOS but my mum and sister have it, and when my periods starting going haywire I went to the doctor, they told me that I don't have it but at the weight I was I would get it. Can I ask what diet you are doing? In all honesty with PCOS the best thing you can do is do a low carb diet, it will help you maintain a constant blood sugar level which is really important in combating this thing!

I'm doing a strict ketogenic diet, so I keep my net carbs (total carbohydrate grams-fiber grams) under 20g a day, I eat a normal amount of protein, and get the majority of my energy from fat. If you search for ketogenic diet on google loads of information will come up, if you are a reddit user then www.reddit.com/r/keto and www.reddit.com/r/xxketo for ladies issues, I know there are a lot of women on that group who have PCOS and are succeeding with keto where other diets have failed.

I myself have done lots of diets before and keto is the only one I can maintain for long periods of time and I've lost nearly 4 stone so far. An example of my meal plan

Breakfast:

2 eggs and 2 slices of bacon
or bulletproof coffee ( coffee with 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp coconut oil blended in) not for everyone
or 80g almonds

Lunch:
Pork loin chop, cheesy chorizo vegetables ie broccoli/spinach/green beans
or Chorizo omelette
or any luncheon meat with some cheese and green veggies.

Dinner:
similar to lunch- any meat, green veg and a fat source- so blue cheese/ranch dressing on a salad, garlic butter, mayonaise.

I'd recommend Gary Taubes book "good calories bad calories", if only for the eating guide at the back which is fab. Feel free to add me if you want to have a look at my day to day eating.

It takes hard work and dedication. It seems like even when I just take one cheat (popcorn at a movie, a coke etc) I am up 2/3 lbs. We gain easier and it is definitely harder to take off.

Low carb diet and lots of exercise equals success for me....

Metformin made me sick as a dog. it was so hard to take it I stopped. I see it has worked for many people, but the side effects are awful I was not happy on Metformin.

You are insulin resistant, that's why it's harder for you to lose weight. Taking Metformin helps fix your problem until you fix your glucose levels which is done by losing weight. Extremely low carb with high fat and high protein is the way to go. You only need to eat enough carbs to allow you to function in a day. For most people it's around 40 grams. Get a blood glucose meter and keep track of your glucose levels. High levels of glucose means hard to lose weight. You want it to be low most of the day.

This is not accurate. Insulin resistance may eventually lead to glucose issues, but many people with IR have normal glucose levels. Also, losing weight doesn't fix the problem for everyone. My issues CAUSED the weight gain. Losing weight has never fixed my insulin levels nor my PCOS symptoms.

Metformin made me gain.

I have PCOS, Hashimoto, the whole deal.

Ask your doctor, not a website.

I have PCOS too and it is insane how much it affects weight loss. I try to drink LOTS of water and am limiting my white sugar.

You are not alone! Keep kicking butt!!

My wife has it. She used to be fat. She lost the weight and kept it off. All I can say is, any condition that makes it a little harder to lose weight or a little easier to gain can't keep you overweight forever if you maintain a deficit, so don't make it an excuse. Just congratulate your super-efficient metabolism for being oh so good at wringing every calorie out of your food and storing it so well and move on.

Metformin made me sick as a dog. it was so hard to take it I stopped. I see it has worked for many people, but the side effects are awful I was not happy on Metformin.

You are insulin resistant, that's why it's harder for you to lose weight. Taking Metformin helps fix your problem until you fix your glucose levels which is done by losing weight. Extremely low carb with high fat and high protein is the way to go. You only need to eat enough carbs to allow you to function in a day. For most people it's around 40 grams. Get a blood glucose meter and keep track of your glucose levels. High levels of glucose means hard to lose weight. You want it to be low most of the day.

This is not accurate. Insulin resistance may eventually lead to glucose issues, but many people with IR have normal glucose levels. Also, losing weight doesn't fix the problem for everyone. My issues CAUSED the weight gain. Losing weight has never fixed my insulin levels nor my PCOS symptoms.

Good to know. So if your weight gain is the cause of insulin resistance, what I said earlier holds true but if insulin resistance causes weight gain, you're body is out of luck for using insulin like a normal person even if you lose weight. Is that a fair assessment?

Yup, that's pretty accurate. The only thing that helps is the Metformin and exercise. They both help your body use insulin more normally.

My wife has it. She used to be fat. She lost the weight and kept it off. All I can say is, any condition that makes it a little harder to lose weight or a little easier to gain can't keep you overweight forever if you maintain a deficit, so don't make it an excuse. Just congratulate your super-efficient metabolism for being oh so good at wringing every calorie out of your food and storing it so well and move on.

The problem is PCOS is so different from person to person. Some women experience all the horrible symptoms, some don't, I think it all depends on your hormone levels, metabolism, and lifestyle. For a lot of ladies with PCOS, weight loss and a diet low in sugar subsides a lot of the symptoms we deal with having PCOS, usually the more weight you lose, the more the symptoms go away. There are some women that can lose not going low carb, but I do have a lot of friends on here with PCOS and a lot are on some form of low carb diet. I have also tried myself to not have to be a lifetime low carber, I tried a pescatarian diet, ate very healthy, all whole foods, and was gaining weight ON A DEFICIT. You will see all over these boards that it isn't possible, but yes it is when you have a metabolic condition. I don't keep my calories at a set amount now because eating low carb takes a way your appetite, so I eat when I am hungry, and I usually fall between 1500-2000 cals. And I am losing. Wasn't losing in the same calorie allotment when I was eating carbs, so for most of us, watching your carbs really does matter. We have a lot of issues just like a diabetic, so this is why low carb or low glycemic is suggested for PCOS. Going low glycemic is not always enough for us, some have to be more strict to see results.

I don't believe we use having PCOS as an excuse, for people who don't have it, yeah they are going to think that, but until you have struggled with this yourself, you have no idea. I lost 40 lbs last year and just completely stopped. I was still working out, watching everything I ate, nothing. I tried IPOARM, upped my calories, gained weight - went and had my RMR tested, upped my cals to where they told me to, gained weight. I have gained back 20lbs of the 40 I lost last year trying to figure out how to fix my metabolism. I think IPOARM works for a lot of people, but when you have PCOS there is a lot of adjusting that needs to be done, which in the defense of IPOARM, Dan does state that people with metabolic issues may have this problem and need to adjust. My RMR test said I was burning over 2000 cals at rest, but when I ate that eating a regular diet, was gaining. I went back to low carb, actually following a keto approach, around April of this year, and the weight is FINALLY starting to come off. I was stalled out for about 5 months, and was as patient as I could possibly be. It is very difficult keeping motivation and the drive when you are not getting ANY results. And this is a big reason we struggle so much. I see girls on here all the time crying when they haven't lost in a week or two, try months and see how it feels - very discouraging.

Losing weight with PCOS is definitely very difficult for some, not as bad for others, it really all depends on the severity of your personal symptoms. I have high testosterone levels, which is causing hair loss, infertility, etc. But I don't have the issues with facial hair, things of that nature. I have been eating a clean whole food diet with the occasional convenient things for a couple years now, and I think it has helped make a huge difference and rid some of those symptoms for me. I would suggest trying to eat as clean and whole food as you can, there are alot of things in pre packaged processed foods that mess with hormones and add more chaos to our already weakened bodies. I buy meat that has no hormones or antibiotics and try and buy organic or locally grown veggies as often as I can. I was also told by my doctor to stay away from soy because it messes with women's hormones and we don't need more of that lol And soy is in ALOT of pre packaged processed foods, which is another reason I eat the way I do. I would just do the best you can, if you can't afford these things, afford what you can and do your best.

Also, there are a lot of great PCOS websites out there with a lot of good helpful information. My mom gave me this article about a vitamin supplement that works just like Metformin, have to find the article for the name, but I am going to try that and see how it works. I do take supplements, some that are suggested by these websites, to try and help with the hormone inbalances. Another thing worth looking into


Sorry for the novel all, I know how it is having this and what a pain in the *ss it is!! If any of you need more support, feel free to friend me, I have lots of great friends on here dealing with the same issues, always help having others that understand

Good luck and research, research, research! :flowerforyou:

I have PCOS and have lost about 30 pounds and am now at a healthy weight. Metformin made me sick, too, but it got better with time (and starting off on a low dose). I only stayed on the metformin long enough to get pregnant. To lose weight, I didn't go low carb, but I did try to keep my carbs around 160/day. I also tried to eat less processed food.

Have you had blood tests done? My ob-gyn ran blood tests to determine that I had PCOS, and my primary care physician ran blood work and found that my fasting glucose levels were high.

I have PCOS and have lost about 30 pounds and am now at a healthy weight. Metformin made me sick, too, but it got better with time (and starting off on a low dose). I only stayed on the metformin long enough to get pregnant. To lose weight, I didn't go low carb, but I did try to keep my carbs around 160/day. I also tried to eat less processed food.

Have you had blood tests done? My ob-gyn ran blood tests to determine that I had PCOS, and my primary care physician ran blood work and found that my fasting glucose levels were high.

160 grams of carbs seems like a lot. Have you tested at home to see if your glucose is still high on your current diet? I'm assuming you know that insulin resistance leads to type 2 diabetes if you leave your glucose levels unchecked?

The ADA recommends 135-180 grams of carbs a day for type 2 diabetes (http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/ask-the-expert/ask-the-dietitian/archives/how-many-carbs-can-i-eat-per.html). I recognize that many people need to have fewer, but I've done fine eating this much.

I haven't checked my glucose levels at home because I was never counseled to. My glucose levels were high for me, not necessarily high enough for my doctor to be concerned.

I had PCOS and Insulin Resistance 13 months ago. I started low carb dieting and exercising three times a week. I started a diet called "Link and Balance" where you eat 7 protein for every 15 carbs. The weight fell off! I'm currently 95 pounds lighter and no longer have PCOS or Insulin Resistance.

Low carb dieting changed my life and it's really manageable to maintain. If you learn how to portion control, it makes it so much easier! If you're not already low carb dieting start by taking baby steps and using MFP!

I'd love to have you as a friend!