any ladies with pcos doing primal or paleo?

rockerbabyy · July 2013

A little back story: (also, sorry this is so long, i wanted to give as much info as i could think of that could be relevant)
I've been dealing with symptoms for about 11 years now - and different doctors telling me i have PCOS based on symptoms, and others telling me i dont have it because i dont have cysts on my ovaries and i was able to get pregnant.. Either way, i have hair loss, some acne, excess body/facial hair, irregular/missing periods...im obviously overweight but i dont know if the PCOS has anything to do with that - my diet has been **** since i was a kid (hamburger helper every night for dinner, and one can of veggies to split between 4-6 people..and then constant partying, eating out, etc as i got older.)
i tried metformin and it didnt help, ive had doctors tell me weight loss would decrease my symptoms and so far, it hasnt. i take a fish oil supplement, vitamin d, and b complex along with a prenatal vitamin (breastfeeding an almost 4 month old). i dont seem to have problems losing weight when i stick to a deficit, but im looking for ways to reduce/eliminate my symptoms in a natural way. One doctor recommended south beach diet - i tried for a while but couldnt do low carb and low fat...though to be honest, i didnt give it much of a chance, i just didnt want to stick with it.

when i started lifting weights in 2012, i changed my macros to 40carb/30fat/30protein...i didnt always hit the goals (a lot of times id go over carbs or fat) but again, i had no issues losing weight. i ate whatever i wanted; cheetos, white rice, white potatoes, velveeta, sometimes we did boxed meals, canned beans etc.
for the most part i eat pretty healthily, i get a nice variety of meats ( dinners are pork, beef, chicken, fish/shrimp, turkey, rotated throughout the week along with a meatless night), i also rotate though rice, pasta, potatoes, quinoa, sometimes tortillas (corn or flour depending on the recipe), sometimes bread/buns/rolls...
i try to eat fresh produce but sometimes resort to frozen - i mostly avoid canned whenever possible. breakfast is usually oatmeal, or eggs with veggies and bacon...vary rarely do i eat dry cereal, but when i do its grape nuts, raisin bran, or other granola (low sugar) type stuff...
lunches vary between dinner leftovers or a pb&j (adams all natural pb, and either homemade jelly, or store bought with minimal ingredients), sometimes ramen - depending on where we are in the month lol
i dont buy white bread, but i do use bleached/all purpose flour and granulated sugar.. normally i dont eat a whole lot of sweets - though ice cream would be my weakness - exception would be around christmas and kids birthdays..i use coconut oil or butter for most of my cooking.. also use extra virgin olive oil. i dont eat a whole lot of fruit, but when i do its usually apples and bananas, strawberries and grapes...occasionally melons when in season.
i do use a whey protein powder (2 fat, 3 carb). i use 2% milk, full fat greek yogurt, full fat salad dressings, etc. i love snacking on nuts and veggies with hummus, apples with pb/greek yogurt/chocolate chips. i try not to eat out much, but sometimes another member of the household will have a craving and offer to buy dinner for everyone. sometimes i pick healthier options, though lately i havent been...i do enjoy alcohol and we have quite a bit in the freezer that i indulge in from time to time.. though i dont get as drunk as i used to...the whole breastfeeding thing kinda put that in check lol

In the past couple days i've had different people suggest i go more primal/paleo - i dont know if i could eliminate grains and dairy..i love my oatmeal and greek yogurt. i know for a fact i cant afford all local/orgainc/grass fed etc.. i have a family of 6 to feed, with only 3 of us needing to lose weight/get healthier. im no longer working, so living on only husbands wages is going to cut into the food budget a bit. so i may not be able to get the variety i love anyway...

Now on to the question:
IF you have PCOS with similar symptoms, have you done paleo/primal? how strict were you with it, and how much did it help your symptoms? could i just lower my carbs and have the same results? how low would i need to go? i did atkins when i was in high school and lost about 40 lbs, but couldnt stick with it. i dont honestly remember how low i was trying to keep my carbs after the induction phase.

rockerbabyy · July 2013

bump?

annasor70 · July 2013

What is PCOS?

michellechawner · July 2013

there is a paleo / primal group that you can join for support - just search it under groups. I did paleo once and felt great (2011), second time I tried it I felt horrible (4 weeks ago). But i've heard it has worked for many PCOS sufferers so I would start there

irishguns · July 2013

As a beginning note: I have not been officially diagnosed with PCOS, although I exhibit a lot of the symptoms. I complained to my doctor, he gave me a medicine for the excess hair but ignored everything else, didn't even actually look for PCOS (although his nurse told me I had it).

That being said, when I first started losing weight it took me almost 2 years to lose 25 pounds. It did help some of the symptoms because exercise and healthy eating habits helped to regulate my body/hormones. I didn't do anything specific like paleo, I just ate as healthy as I could, I didn't eat a lot of meat but did make sure to try get in enough protein.

jmockovack · July 2013

poly cystic ovaries is an uphill battle. I lost weight last year after being diagnosed and then it came back. I think if you have it you have to decide to be diligent every single day. I have not tried primal or paleo but have heard good things.

quasilaur · July 2013

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

I am diagnosed with PCOS, and had a relief of symptoms with a previous weight loss. However, post-pregnancy I've been working out more, and have been doing more strength training than cardio. I'm lousy at eating protein, and at best average about 20% of my intake with protein, and about 35% of Fat, with the rest being carb. Carbs really don't do well for me, and I definitely feel better when I limit my refined carbs, and always eat any carbs with protein.

I really don't subscribe to fad diets, because I find them difficult to manage for longer than a few days/weeks. I do try to limit my carbs, though, since those are the ones that really deter my weight-loss and increase my hunger/dissatisfaction.

KristyAnn81 · July 2013

I have PCOS and I have done neither - in fact I haven't heard of primal. Here's my 2 cents though....

The only thing that ever worked for me was carb counting, period. I tried every different diet since I was 19 or so (so 13 years) and when I FINALLY decided it was time to curb carbs, the weight started to FALL off. I'm so glad I was pointed in that direction because I used to watch just calories and work out like mad and next to nothing would happen, then I'd get frustrated and be done with it.

Hannah_Banana · July 2013

Hey hun. I've had PCOS since I was a teen. I can tell you that low-carb is the only method that I can actually lose weight with. Based on countless talks with doctors and my own research, this is NOT due to PCOS, this is due to insulin resistance, which can be one of the many wonderful symptoms.

I've done just about every low-carb variation you can find out there and I will tell you that Primal is just where its at. When I am strict about my primal eating and movement, weight just melts off. I lost close to 80lbs a few years ago. Then found the love of my life and gained it all back + 20lbs (I'm a happy and social eater).

I would highly recommend the PCOS group and the Primal/Paleo group on MFP as well as Mark's Daily Apple as an excellent primal resource.

Best of luck girlie! :bigsmile:

misskgb · July 2013

I actually agree with your Dr. As a long time sufferer of PCOS (15 years) I would say based on your symptoms that you probably don't have PCOS. The fact that you have no cysts on your ovaries (which is the MAIN part of PCOS), no problems with fertility and you lose weight just fine, suggest that your few symptoms you do have (hair issues, irregular periods, and acne) are more just a hormone imbalance. Our diet can play a HUGE part in our hormones. Going primal (and keeping within a moderate calorie intake of course) is a great way to balance hormones and regulate your weight, they go hand in hand. Good luck!

p.s. I personally try to eat primal and think it works well for me.

ashesannes · July 2013

I don't believe any diet to an extreme is healthy at all. Cut the processed foods, though! Period! Your overall health depends on it. I have recently also cut grain, barley and rye (found out I was gluten intolerant and that's why I could lose the weight) and it is the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. Do some research and find out for yourself what your body needs. Get back to what is natural and PLEASE stay away from processed junk (and yes that means tossing the Velveeta). Green veggies are also ESSENTIAL to your body. Good luck to you!

kazsjourney · July 2013

I have PCOS and did try primal but I really wasnt a huge fan of cutting out food groups. I have lost 177 pounds thru just good eating, minimal processed foods (purely cos it helps curb my carb cravings). I do mostly (when doing well with my weight loss) eat good carbs...so oats, barley, maybe occassionally some grain bread, I also eat fruits and vegetables (unrestricted) (but I am not low carb I eat anywhere up to approx 150 grams of carbs)

primalkiwi · July 2013

I actually agree with your Dr. As a long time sufferer of PCOS (15 years) I would say based on your symptoms that you probably don't have PCOS. The fact that you have no cysts on your ovaries (which is the MAIN part of PCOS), no problems with fertility and you lose weight just fine, suggest that your few symptoms you do have (hair issues, irregular periods, and acne) are more just a hormone imbalance. Our diet can play a HUGE part in our hormones. Going primal (and keeping within a moderate calorie intake of course) is a great way to balance hormones and regulate your weight, they go hand in hand. Good luck! p.s. I personally try to eat primal and think it works well for me.

I have similar symptoms to you (no cysts), have regular periods etc but was still diagnosed with PCOS through full tests. Not everyone will present with the same symptoms. I've had it since I was 19 (I'm 37). A few years back I lost a lot of weight with Weight Watchers points system (and a lot of gym hours). My symptoms didn't really decrease with weight loss and eating what was still a standard carb/grain/sugar filled diet just in smaller amounts. I've also done a few low carb/low fat variations with similar results.
A couple of years back I switched to Primal eating (primal rather than paleo as I love dairy) and noticed a reduction of my symptoms within a couple of weeks. Primal/paleo basically works at the level of insulin control which is like the master hormone for all your other hormones. Get that under control and the others start to behave too. Plenty of protein, plenty of fat seems to be the key for me. Bonus is I rarely get hungry as the fat leaves me satiated. Our bodies need a lot of fat to function properly and allow to hormones to work as they should. Basically I eat meat, veg and the odd bit of fruit.
Don't get too stressed about doing it perfectly though with grassfed etc. Plenty on the primal/paleo board do it on a budget with what they can buy at the grocery store and still get great results. If you can't get grassfed meat etc just remove the fat and add in extra fat from good sources like coconut and olive.
Sorry that's a bit long winded! Feel free to add me as a friend if you want some help with this :-)

rockerbabyy · July 2013

thank you all for your input

im going to try dropping my carbs to 170ish for now, and try to have them be from heathier choices.

Lupercalia · July 2013

Hi--just saw this....

Yes, I have PCOS and am insulin resistant and have been eating primal/paleo for about a year now, to varying degrees. I've found it's really the way that I need to eat due to my health issues and a couple of food intolerances (gluten and lactose). I feel 100% better than I did last July and my life has pretty much done a 180 degree turnaround from what it was before.

As I've lost weight and continued to lift heavy weights, my hormones have become much more balanced and I find my insulin sensitivity has greatly increased. I still can't eat carbs like someone who is metabolically healthy, but I can eat about three times the amount I was when I began a year ago. I eat around 100-150g carbs/day now, and have the occasional day where I eat a bit more carbohydrate for whatever reason.

any ladies with pcos doing primal or paleo?

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