PCOS Friends required

ive got pcos as well, was diagnosed 10 yrs ago, exercise and diet definitely help alot, ive been here a while now and have lost 5 and a half stone so far feel free to add me im always happy to have new friends x

WOW.....I ALSO have PCOS!! I would love to share with you guys in my journey as well.....not only is getting started a chore for alot of people we get to face a wall to boot!! Oh well, you know what they say right......If you can't get over it, I guess we will need just go around it till we can, but it is never gonna get us anywhere sitting where we are.

Hello, I too have PCOS. Diagnosed 17 yrs ago. I started here in 2011, almost 2 yrs later, just didn't keep up with exercising and gained almost all of what I lost back. So I am back at it again. Slowly but surely. At least I know what works for my body. Add me too to those of you who would like more PCOS friends.

Oh boy. Struggle...more like a drag down fight. Internally, externally, emotionally. As a PCOS fighter I understand all various facets of the syndrome. I was diagnosed 12 years ago during my first C-section, (yes there is HOPE-I have two incredibly healthy kiddos!)
I understand different medications and trials with them as well. I have a lot to say about PCOS, most of which I'm sure you all already know. I research on a daily basis. I can tell you it comes down to these key elements:
1) first you have got to find a way to accept you for you and love yourself
2) always remember hope, faith and casting your cares to our Almighty God, (this should be first and foremost obviously.)
3) know it's not an overnight sprint, it's a lifelong journey, (we all have our various
battles: PCOS is ours)
4) have and ACCEPT love and support, (still an effort for me at times.)
5) DIET: I have been most successful with Paleo
6) EXERCISE: not fond of, I Zumba but I rather watch Classical movies on Netflix, but exercise anyhow!!!
7) RELAX and take comfort in as much good as you can
8) know you're not alone, even if most around you are not suffering, you still are not alone
9) PCOS is not to be kept quite and be embarrassed of. The years I spent doing that I truly regret.
10) PCOS can keep you down in despair only if you let it. You have to consciously be aware and fight second by second, minute by minute, not day by day. Don't have good days and bad days. Only allow yourself to have bad moments and recover quickly with style!
11) and here's my biggest issue, (though I have many concerning PCOS and it's destructive manner)- NOT feeling GIRLIE? So, we can dress the part, do our hair and nails, (depending on hair loss issues, btw-been there too), put makeup on and our favorite perfume and how is it we still feel less than feminine? I continue to fight for mine. Yes I get very discouraged at times but as I work harder and longer with PALEO and really I'm a moderate to low exerciser, I am finding a HUGE turnaround!
12) FINALLY-WEAR TURQUOISE, be open about your fears and worries even the "uglies", (hair in wrong places, not enough in the right places, boyish shape, taller than average, shorter than average)... You get the idea.

SIDENOTES:

* PINTEREST has been a great source for me with Paleo recipes and PCOS info.
* KEEP up the fight. My heart goes out to you all as I know firsthand. ????
* have a ROLE MODEL-Adam Levine's first Victoria's Secret girlfriend, Anna ... whatever her last name is... is 5'11" at 119 lbs. looks gorgeous obviously but- this is unrealistic. She is my role model in ways though because I have occasional moments where I wish I was shorter. Then I remember duh... 99.9% of models are taller than I at 5'8. I'm sure we are all aware of Jillian Michaels and her PCOS fight and transformation is a great model.
* set your goals high. My son goes to football camps: one year a NFL player came and spoke. I always always always quote this from his speech, "do not be ordinary, be EXTRA-ordinary!"

Ok, done.

So with all that I'm glad I stumbled upon this today as fellow PCOS women/heroes need to unite and be strong for ourselves and those who need us. Like our daughters. I'm a freak about meat and hormones-ok that's an entirely different feed but I'll be danged if my daughter has to endure this-at least I will do all I can to prevent it. Thank you!

Hi all. Im from Adelaide, South Australia. Im 46 with 2 girls. Ive suffered with PCOS since I was a teenager (many years ago) and Im mainly trying to deal with the side effect of hair loss at the moment. Id LOVE some fellow pcos friend for inspiration and diet ideas. Please add me if anyone is looking for pcos friends.

I was diagnosed with PCOS last year around May. I started on Metformin (which was rough at first but no biggy now) to help with the insulin level being off and changed my diet significantly. All this time I was counting calories and learned it was carbs I needed to count. I saw a nutritionist to get an idea how to do this and she suggested I eat around 150g carbs/day but you get to subtract any fiber you eat from your total allowance. MFP has an option to change your goals to how many carbs you want per day. Just make sure you are compensating with increased protein and a multivitamin. Since May I lost 48lbs for an overall total of 61lbs from my highest weight about a year ago. Most of the weight came off right away and I have had to fight for every pound over the last several months. It is also important that you mix cardio and weight lifting so your body is utilizing the carbs/proteins correctly. Basically the way my endocrinologist explained it to me is my body takes in carbs and just turns it into storage instead of burning it for energy, that really clicked with me. I have given up pasta (sooo sad) except on a rare occasion as a treat and I look at my meal and decide if I really need the bread or not. A hamburger made right does not really need a bun. I try to get my carbs from fruits, milk, potatoes and fiber (especially since fiber doesn't count on my carb total). Basically you do not need to go all out on no carbs like Atkins just less and use them smarter. When my endocrinologist saw my weight loss he was quite impressed and my next visit will be looking at my blood levels again. I told him I was afraid that if my hormone/insulin levels are now normal he will take me off of the metformin and I will gain my weight back but he basically said I will be on that for the rest of my life. Good news is if anyone doesn't have good insurance it is on the $4 Walmart list. Hope this helps someone out understanding how to navigate this irritating condition. PCOS was the biggest relief I have ever had in my life. I had gone to doctors for years asking why I can exercise as much as I do and I am capable of doing and watch how many calories I eat and still be 278 pounds and their response was always "just eat less" It was frustrating and it took and endocrinologist to finally crack the code that calories wasn't my issue it was carbs and I wasn't crazy.

I was diagnosed at 18yo, now 35. Over the last two years I lost 30kg (with mfp and taking up running) and then regained 20kg of it. (lost 66lb, regained 44lb). I'm currently on metformin though I don't think it's doing much...? Could be because I am awful at remembering to take it of course...
I'm back on the wagon as of TODAY! I am keen to have a small group of friends who are keen to be really mutually supportive & help keep me accountable (and I to them, if wanted lol) - understanding the struggles of pcos would be a bonus so feel free to add me, please

I love this!

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 22 (so 10 years ago) but it was less of an issue then than now, when i'm married and trying to get pregnant and they won't give me any help unless I drop 30lbs to start with, then another 40+ if i need IVF!!
I only just joined MFP, but like most women i've been trieting / trying to diet / hating myself and compensating with food for years, so hoping this will keep me motivated so new friends would be fab.
I don't really understand what i'm meant to be eating with PCOS and i'm AWFUL at remembering to take Metformin, but i have the biggest ever reason to stick to it now and lose 30lbs by May!!

Oh, and has anyone had a hysterosalpingogram (x-ray of womb and fallopian tubes) whilst being on metformin? Google says stop taking it before, but doesnt say for how long, and my notes from the hospital never mention it at all

I'm 24 and was diagnosed with pcos when I was 18. It's really only a couple of years ago that my weight fluctuations since I was 8yo and irregular periods since they started when I was 13 started to make sense... I was a very active child and I was always outside in my dungarees playing with my dogs . In school I took part in every sport I could as it was something I loved- I was such a torn boy! I gained lots of weight suddenly when I was 9 and only managed to shed most of it when I joined a running club and I was exercising daily. I gained some of the weight back when I was 15, and it's been up and down ever since. At present, I am the heaviest I have ever been at approx 200lbs. Since I was 18 I fluctuated around 160.

I know what I need to do in terms of diet/exercise but I'm at the stage where I'm just so frustrated with constantly thinking about diet and exercise. I love how I feel when I exercise but I hate seeing no results when I do- it's the most depressing thing of it all! You work so hard and sometimes you feel like you're efforts are in vain. My diet is pretty good, as I don't drink soft drinks, or eat processed foods, however, cutting out sugar and carbs is what I am struggling with.

I am taking supplements to help as they do, including an organic multivitamin, chromium(gtf), nhp omega 3, amino and nutrition support, vit b complex, d3, and magnesium citrate. I tried dci but it made me break out horrendously and my period stopped for 3 months (it usually appears every 60 days). Sounds like a lot of supplements but iv been advised that if you have pcos, they can help with the symptoms and iv seen improvements on my skin, hair (hirsutism and loss), and energy. I also tried the insulite pcos system and it was great but too expensive for me to keep purchasing.

I'm seeing an endocrinologist soon and I'm considering metformin- anyone who's been on this drug I would appreciate it if you could provide some insight on your experience taking it. I had a hba1c test and I was not classed as diabetic but the result was at the highest end of the normal range. I need to get some clarification from the endocrinologist as I am unaware if I'm insulin resistant or not and I think this will affect my decision to start metformin or not. Apparently the hba1c test is not the best/most reliable test anyway to be taking but I'm no doctor- just what my new gp said (old one wanted me to stay on dianette but I turned into a psycho cry baby and had swollen feet).

Although I'm married me and my hubby are not ready for kids so my focus is losing the weight iv gained... I'm new to mfp and hoping this will give me the boost I need to do things right and most importantly keep at it!! It's hard for us ladies but I just wanted to say well done to those of you still working hard every day and dont give up to those reaching their breaking point!