discouraged... PCOS weight loss

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  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
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    I have PCOS and insulin resistance. I've had to really watch my carb intake, but also the types of carbs I was eating. I have food intolerances/sensitivities as well (gluten/lactose/a few odd fruits and nuts). I

    think it's important to remind everyone that not every girl/woman with PCOS also has insulin resistance. It's really important that you have your fasting blood sugar tested if you're unsure about it.

    Here's my story: I was morbidly obese at 265 lbs, could not tolerate Metformin, so I had to control my blood sugar on my own. I tried and had some moderate success, losing about 70 lbs, but then gained back half over the following year. Last July, I was back up to 235, felt really horrible physically and emotionally, and I knew I had to do something. I started reading and researching different approaches to healing myself and dealing with my issues. I chose to eat according to paleo principles because it was easiest considering my medical situation with the carbs and the intolerances. I started out eating 50g or less of carbs/day, and eliminating all the foods I was having trouble with (gluten, almost all dairy, avoiding the nuts and fruit I know I'm allergic to). However, since I've lost a lot of weight and have really stepped up my exercise, I've improved my insulin sensitivity and can now eat about 100-150g carbs/day without problems, so long as I'm eating those carbs from fruits and veggies.

    I also think exercise has been really important. I feel like I have to exercise more than the average woman my age who doesn't have PCOS and is metabolically healthy. I lift weights 4 times per week, train with kettlebells twice weekly, and walk everywhere--so I'm walking a lot each day (that part seems especially important for me). I avoid certain types of exercise as I find they increase my cortisol levels (important to consider).

    My weight loss has not been particularly fast but I wouldn't say it's been slow, either. I've lost 70lbs since last July--the other weight loss happened a couple years prior. I don't lose weight like clockwork every week these days, and I have had some "plateaus" where I went for months without losing a thing, then out of the blue, I'd drop weight like crazy for a couple weeks.

    Can't comment on the gallstones issue, as I've not personally dealt with it.
  • Lizajayne23
    Lizajayne23 Posts: 123 Member
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    I forgot to mention... I also had gallstones. I'm not sure if the gallstones caused a rapid weight loss or rapid weight loss caused the gallstones. I dropped 30 lbs of mostly leftover baby weight (from 155 to 125) in about a month. At the time, I shared everything that I ate with my daughter and exercised daily, but I couldn't eat a normal meal. After 3 bites, I'd feel too full and miserable so I'm guessing the gallstones came first.

    I believe that every female in my family has had gallstones, some thyroid problems, but I don't know enough to know if they might have had PCOS.
  • JessicaS1129
    JessicaS1129 Posts: 1
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    Good Morning. I am new to myfitnesspal. I have a serious hard time losing weight and by that I mean it is near impossible for me to drop a pound. The harder I work out, the higher the scale goes it seems. I have tried just about everything and I am now desperate. My older sister was recently diagnosed with PCOS and since she was diagnosed, she has lost nearly 20 lbs. I have an appointment with my doctor next week to get checked. My regular doctor told me that I wasn't losing weight because I needed to exercise and eat more fish... so I'm going to my gyno who understands a woman's body and wont look at me and talk to me like I'm lying about the 4 workouts a week and very healthy diet.
    I've read up on the other symptoms but I don't know how to check since I've been on birth control for the past 8 years. But prior to that my periods would last for 10-21 days at a time and were very very heavy. I didn't see this as a symptom but I am always tired. If I am the slightest bit comfortable I fight to keep my eyes open. This has been going on for a year or 2 now and I'm getting married in a few months. I need to drop a few to make sure my dress fits. :sad:
    Any tips or suggestions? Even if I don't have PCOS I am willing to try a similar diet plan/exercise plan that seems to work for women who do.
  • iammelli
    iammelli Posts: 42 Member
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    i'm 5'3 started at 172 and now am around 126 now , lowest weight being 114lbs(too skinny and exhausting to keep up!)
    i found losing those first 10lbs so so hard with PCOS, i lost even with calorie counting and exercising only half a pound some weeks and the last 10lbs hard to lose and then keep off!
    for me carb control worked,cut out bread , replace rice for veggies when you have chilli or spaghetti, zucchini is your friend! , and pasta for veggies where possible stripped down zucchini instead of spaghetti works well fried with a little garlic and salt
    and watch your sugars, start focusing on 'anything" of which sugars' its scary how diet yogurts, sweet treats, and soft drinks(alcoholic drinks as alcohol is just fermented sugar) can hold so much sugar, this really affects PCOS sufferers, whether your have insulin resistance or not, as sugar plays with your hormones
    2 years ago after a 3 year journey to lose those 50 lbs i was taken off metformin, this was a great relief as they made me feel terrible, 7inches is fantastic you should be so proud, you have lost more then an inch all over your body every week, imagine if you kept that up where you would be in another 6 weeks time, and what is six weeks?
  • jackaroo1223
    jackaroo1223 Posts: 25
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    thank you everyone for the encouragement!!! I started taking metformin today, and this weekend am going to hit the store to stock up on some other things - i think i am going to cut the rice out of my lunches and just do another serving of veg, and skip it at dinner too. hopefully that will help things along... i think i also need to cut my energy drinks (I know, so bad!) I've been working 50+ hour weeks for over 2 months now, don't even get a lunch break and i am wiped out and way too dependent on caffeine these days...
  • wamydia
    wamydia Posts: 259 Member
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    thank you everyone for the encouragement!!! I started taking metformin today, and this weekend am going to hit the store to stock up on some other things - i think i am going to cut the rice out of my lunches and just do another serving of veg, and skip it at dinner too. hopefully that will help things along... i think i also need to cut my energy drinks (I know, so bad!) I've been working 50+ hour weeks for over 2 months now, don't even get a lunch break and i am wiped out and way too dependent on caffeine these days...

    Unfortunately all that stress probably isn't help much either. It can amp up your cortisol levels (as can certain types of strenuou exercise, as someone mentioned earlier). Women's bodies are especially sensitive to cortisol and it can cause us to gain or hold on to weight when we are very stressed out. http://www.womentowomen.com/adrenalhealth/adrenalglands-stress-weight.aspx. So another big recommendation would be to do whatever you can to reduce your stress levels and take time to relax.
  • jackaroo1223
    jackaroo1223 Posts: 25
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    Believe me I am trying... I am so wiped out by the weekend, all I do is sleep all morning and be a bum... it takes a lot of motivation to get out and actually do anything! Hopefully the work stress should be coming down a couple notches soon, and I should have a week off next month!
  • Scubanana7
    Scubanana7 Posts: 361 Member
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    iSince you mentioned giving up energy drinks....

    f you are thinking about low carb, high fat at all...then read the thread on Bulletproof Coffee. It is great for enery and basically, IS your breakfast.
  • 43932452
    43932452 Posts: 7,246 Member
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    Yes, it's terrific progress!! It is harder to lose when you have Pcos,
    that was a great start!! Keep up your greatness! :)
  • Cheekies_
    Cheekies_ Posts: 319 Member
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    Hi! Most of the reply's go along with my story. I had PCOS in my 20's and finally went on a diabetic diet to lose 40 lbs then SURPRISE!....pregnant after 7 years of trying. Ended up having 4 kids in 7 years and am now losing the weight from all my body went through. I started on Weight Watchers and lost weight but VERY slowly. Then, I found MFP. I was also losing slowly in the beginning using MFP's macros. I decided that I would go back to the diabetic diet so last month I changed my macros to 25% carbs, 40% protein and 35% fat. These number are working extremely well for me. It puts my carb/sugar intake under 100 gms a day. I also dropped grains from my diet and the weight is now melting off. Not to mention that I feel SO much better.

    Good luck and feel free to friend me. We can go it together.
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
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    I just wanted to throw something in here for the ladies doing low carb that have PCOS, since there is so much wrong going on inside your body. There is a rare and fatal condition called ketoacidosis that is mainly related to type one diabetics but can occur in people with insulin resistance. Even though very rare, you still need to be aware of it. It occurs when your liver continues to produce glucose in your blood stream even though you haven't been eating carbs. If you notice this, you need to visit the emergency right away. Two big signs to keep in mind are constant vomiting and a blood glucose level above 200 when you haven't eaten any carbs. Keep a blood glucose kit near by to check and and see if you're fasting glucose levels are fine, it'll tell you if your liver is producing the correct amount of glucose when not eating carbs. Very rare condition and most people can do fine without carbs or low carbs, just something you should be aware of.

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