discouraged... PCOS weight loss

PCOS has a very close relationship to insulin resistants, which means eating carbs can hamper your weight loss goals. The best way to determine if your diet is right for you is through the use of a Blood Glucose meter. You want to be below 90 for 20 hours of the day and below 140 at all times within the two hours after you eat. Extremely low carb, high fat, and high protein is where you want to be. Obviously, stay away from sugar.

I have been working out (mostly weights with some cardio) and counting calories for 5 weeks now. I am down 3 pounds, and when I took measurements a week ago, a total of 7 inches.

Are these good results?? I feel like they aren't for 5 weeks. I reined in my eating habits- typical day (i generally have 2-3 "cheat" meals a week)

breakfast-
cottage cheese with berries, or eggs with zucchini

lunch: 1/2 cup brown rice, 3/4 cup ground beef, 1 cup veggie, with assorted condiment- either salad dressing to dip in, salsa, hot sauce, or teriyaki sauce

dinner: protein of some sort, grilled chicken, a veggie, and a small serving of pasta or rice.

It's been rough because work is EXTREMELY stressful, i feel like my schedule is so jam packed! I get up at 6:30 every morning, leave for work around 7, am at work from 7:30 to 5:15, 5:30, go straight from there to the gym 2-4 times a week, (i have been doing jamie eason's livefit program), go home (or rather, to my parents, for dinner) come home, do chores (i live on a ranch and have a few horses, chickens and 4 dogs), prep meals or more often than not, just collapse for the first time all day, then shower and by the time all that is done, its 10 or 11 before i get to bed.

I am a 27 year old female, I do have PCOS. I had lost 50 pounds a couple years ago- then met my man and piled it back on as happy weight! I would utlimately like to overall get in better shape for my PCOS, and general health and future fertility, and of course a wedding in a couple years. Ideally, a size 6 to fit comfortably, have muscle, be strong, and have endurance- I live in Wyoming and we love to hunt, hike, camp, etc, so to be in a lot better shape for hiking up and down mountains all day at 10,000 ft elevation would be a huge plus too!!

So what I am looking for is advice. A sample workout plan or diet I should follow, some clarification on the whole calorie thing... similar success story... I am switching to NROL4W, but will incorporate 20-30 minutes of cardio twice a week in addition to the program... is that the right track to lose WEIGHT and inches?!? I know inches mean more but considering i weight 230, i need to see that scale go down too!

thanks!

I also have PCOS and the first thing I did when I found out is ask for a referral to an Endocrinologist just to get some initial tests done to make sure that I didn't have any hormonal issues that were causing me to hold onto weight. You really need a knowledgeable doctor to do your blood work and evaluate whether or not you have some kind of issue (like insulin resistance or pre-Diabetes) that could be affecting your ability to lose weight. If that is the case, there are medications that the doctor may suggest that can help (I'm thinking specifically of Metformin, but be aware that there can be side effects). You really want to get an initial checkup done anyway to check your insulin and cholesterol and such. PCOS can wreak havoc with a lot of different hormones and cause problems with your heart and cholesterol as well as making you high risk for Diabetes and uterine cancer, so you want to make sure that you have a doctor who will stay on top of the risk factors.

As far as weight loss is concerned, you're really just playing a guessing game until you know for sure if you are having any kind of hormonal effects from the PCOS. I'm lucky enough to not have any insulin resistance issues so, if it turns out that you do, what works for me may not work for you. I lost about 106lbs in a little under 2 years before I hit an extended plateau (which I'm finally breaking through 1 1/2 yrs later). I never had to get crazy with exercise, just walking every day and doing some aerobics and light weights was enough. I used weight watchers initially, then switched to MFP and have been on-again, off-again with it When I'm on, I use the MFP settings to tell the software how much weight I want to lose per week and then I follow the calorie and macronutrient guidelines it gives. The initial calories it gives you have already been adjusted for your weekly weight loss, so in theory any exercise calories you burn are yours to eat. However there is a raging debate on this (and most weight loss) sites as to whether or not you should eat them, so I recommend searching the forums for old posts on the subject and making up your own mind.

In general though, I would advise to make sure that you are not going over the carbohydrate goal that MFP sets and to make sure you keep exercising. It can be really hard for PCOS patients to lose any weight without exercise. And I think it's not unusual for PCOS patients to lose slower than other people, so just hang in there and be proud that the scale is moving, even if it's a little slow.

Yes, that is good process.

I have PCOS and have lost 183 pounds. Firstly in relation to insulin resistance not everyone with PCOS is. To find out if you are or not go to the doctor and be tested, if you are quite likely they will put you on metformin.

In relation to your eating plan that doesnt look like a lot of food! How many calories is it and how much do you have to lose? I am only about 40 pounds from goal and I still eat 1500-1800 cals. I would recommend keeping up the resistance work, I personally found for myself I get good results when I combine with with some cardio (not every day needed maybe 3 times a week)

I personally could never do low carb so keep my carbs moderate with a aim to eat as much protein as I can (do not love meat so certainly something I struggle with)

Actually I was prescribed metformin too and am not insulin resistance. Always best to deal with these things with a doctor in my opinion.

My GYN put me on Metformin even though my fasting blood sugars are fine. I've been taking it for over 3 months now. 500mg, 2x daily. The "side effects" everyone talks about are gastrointestinal in nature and are usually eliminated by taking it with food. (But sometimes, I get them anyway)

When I first started taking it, the gastro issues would be stomach cramping, followed by um... an emptying out the back door. Now on the rare occasions I get "side effects" it's just the emptying part and not so much of the actual cramping and pain.

I have found, for me, the only way I can lose weight with my PCOS is to eat 1200 calories per day or less. There's this whole phobia about going under 1200/day but I've also read that when you're severely overweight, it's not going to hurt you.

I have also found low carb diets to be highly effective for PCOS weight loss (just make sure you keep counting calories, too). Just know that if/when you do low carb, you will lose 3-5 pounds in water weight from the body's glycogen stores during the first few days. When you resume a normal carbohydrate diet, those 3-5 pounds must come back. It doesn't mean that the actual fat you lost is coming back, just the glycogen which is stored in your liver. It's normal. A lot of people get discouraged when this happens, so it's better that you know it's coming.

Good luck!

Fasting blood glucose test can be deceptive because you've had a good 8 hours to allow your levels to drop. Oral Glucose tolerance test is more accurate because it will test your phase one insulin response, basically how well you handle glucose within the first two hours following a meal. It is extremely easy for a prediabetic to have normal glucose levels two hours after a meal.

if doc gave you metformin, take it. It helps PCOS along with birth control pills. Metformin has been around since the 70's and is a good, safe drug both for diabetes and PCOS. I had PCOS before they had the name for it (I'm 58) and my 24 year old daughter has it too. Same drugs perscribed for her. I developed diabetes in my early 40's.

Though I am old (haha), you can see that I managed to beat the insulin issues and have lost weight. It was a fairly slow process but speeded up when I dropped gluten, then all grains from my diet. Now if any of you think gluten free is stupid, please don't come down on me for it. It worked. I also eat high fat, low carb. There is tons of info on the web on this type of diet plan. A friend my age started this plan last Monday and has lost 10 pounds. Course that is the first week big loss and won't continue at that rate.

Now, you do not have to be gluten free or grain free. But you definitely need to restrict yours carbs 1) if you are interested in losing weight and 2) if you want to help your PCOS. You said you wanted to do both. Others have already made this recommendation too. It really really is important for both.

For exercise, get that combo of cardio and weight training. They go together for the best results. Better still if you do some weight training for a few minutes then jump on the treadmill and pound away for 2-5 minutes. Back to the weights for a few minutes more, then jump on the stationary bike for 2-5 minutes. Back to the weights, then hit the elliptical hard for a few minutes. I paid a fortune to a trainer that got me to doing that. So you can benefit from what I learned! You don't have to get on the treadmill or elliptical for hours at a time. Do 10-15 minutes for a nice warmup, then alternate the weight training with bursts of medium and high intensity cardio. You don't have to go full out on the cardio machines when doing weights. Do a minute at moderate, 30 seconds at high and repeat for those 2-5 minutes.

There are tons of recipes on making bread, cookies, cakes, muffins from ground flax and nut flours. Some are on threads here or just google low carb recipes. I made 1 net carb bread, 2 net carb pancakes, muffins, etc. Educate yourself first about eating low carb. Gradually decrease your carbs daily so you don't get that awful energy drain by going cold turkey. For noodles, I order Miracle Noodle. They are not exactly the same. But I love them. If you do get them, message me and I'll tell you the best way to fix them.

It can be done. It is hard at first to let go of those comfort food carbs. But hey....you wanna look great in your wedding dress and you wanna help fertility issues. Pretty important goals, I'd say.

And yes, after years of unfertility and all the drugs and shots known to man back in the 80's. I did finally conceive and have two grown daughters and a grandson. I was a lucky one as they didn't know about metformin and the diet issues back then!

Good luck. You can do it. There are a lot of other young ladies with similar issues and they have given good advice. Mainly, you gotta make your peace with the carbs....or should I say, the lack of them. Unfortunately for all of us, they are our undoing.

Any weight loss result is a good achievement. Unless you're an anorexic, then it would be a bad thing.

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.

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.

Yes, it's terrific progress!! It is harder to lose when you have Pcos,
that was a great start!! Keep up your greatness!