Help - PCOS

Hugs...for sure. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1997 after my mom was diagnosed with PCOS and endometrium cancer. It's a tough battle sometimes, but definitely manageable. I was on BCPs from day 1, taking a break wile TTC - adopted our daughter in 2006 - then went back on BCPs. I was also diagnosed with endometriosis (double whammy) in 2008. I did metformin for 6 months, with nothing but stomach trouble. So, now, I'm off everything except spironolactone (an anti-androgen) and daily multi-vitamin. The unfortunate truth is that a balanced diet and weight loss are the best ways to beat the symptoms. So, I'm on the same journey you are!

Kountrybunny the book called the G.I. Diet is what I use, you eat what's in the green not in the red or yellow, really easy to follow. The good thing about that book is that not only are the foods low g.i. they are low calorie as well, I haven't found anywhere online that lists anything like it.

Ok I just need to vent to some people who know what I'm going through!! Damn PCOS! I'm on Glumetza (long lasting Metformin), I eat a low g.i. diet about 90-95% of the time and I Kickbox at least 4 times a week and do other exercises the other days, and I haven't lost anything in over a month! IN fact I'm fluctuating up 5 pounds, i haven't fluctuated like this since going on Glumetza usually it stays pretty firm; I'm beyond Frustrated! In three months it will be 2 years that I have been on MFP and it's taken me this long to lose 45 pounds. I still have 20-25 more to go and I feel like its going to take a lifetime at this rate. I know that there is nothing else I can do except be patient, but come on! I hate seeing other people lose the same amount of weight as me in under 6 months and they say it's 'easy' maybe when you lose weight like a normal person. If anyone without PCOS says it's hard to lose weight, they need a month in our shoes!
Cytherea I honestly dont know how you are managing to lose 5 pounds a month with PCOS, I'm lucky if I go down at all and it's usually .2 or .6 of a pound at a time and I workout harder and eat better than anyone I know. So If you've got a secret, please share.
I've got until March to reach my goal, that is when I am maid of honor at my cousin's wedding in Cuba and I want to look amazing, not just good, amazing! So back at it I go......
Thanks for listening to my rant...

PCOS'er here...HUGS

soul cysters dot com has great info that helped me a lot..good luck....

Here is the website for the books I use, http://www.gidiet.com/ by Rick Gallop...he has a great bunch of books and there is a recipe book too with lots of great suggestions. People really don't understand what we deal with, but they are starting to realize that i've made a lifestyle change and am not just on a diet either. This is the easiest way to eat, for me anyway. I feel so much better when I really follow it!
I too was diagnosed as a teen, and have been on birth control since then, the problem with b.c is it just masks the symptoms, it doesn't take care of them, which is why I am also on Metformin. It's made a huge difference for me. I haven't tried to get pregnant yet, in a few years, I"m just trying to do the prep work now and get this weight off to try to make it happen easier when I try. This site has made a huge difference though, thanks for the support guys.
I too have read a lot on soul cysters, but it's all things that I know already, I just wish they would come out with some huge medical breakthrough that will help us lose weight for sure...Oh well...some day..
Good luck girls.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO incredibly happy to find other people who understand how frustrating it is to battle your own body when you have to deal with PCOS! Feels like I'm being sabotaged from the inside out! My hubby and I are both working out and I've completely changed the way we eat. He's dropping weight like its nothing and I'm struggleing to lose 3 lbs a month. I know he understands whats going on but I still don't want to hear him complaining about not losing weight faster ugh! Even though the weight is coming off slowly my shape is coming back (yay!) I keep telling myself "You didn't reach this weight overnight, you aren't going to lose it all overnight"...it helps a little. I REALLY don't want to have to take thyroid medication (Or any other kind of medication) Haven't been on birth control in 8 years either because it just makes me sick. Even if I'm not losing weight as quickly as I would like I know that we have much healthier eating habits and a healthier lifestyle too.....guess its just going to take some time

I was diagnosed with PCOS last November as well... when I was 18, I went on the pill and me and my husband decided to take me off of it almost a year ago (wow, time flies!) in April. So, I was 27 then. We were TTC, I was taking ovulation and pregnancy tests which was so frustrating all the time! When I didn't get my period after a few months, that is when I went to the doctor. After a blood test she determined that between the absence of my period and high testosterone levels, I have PCOS and am one of the lean sufferers. She put me on Provera to try and get my cycle going... it worked, but then ultimately I actually had a big change of mind in January. I don't want to have or raise children at this point in my life so now I'm struggling with whether to go back on the pill "just in case" or just ride it out. My only thought is with my new exercise and healthy eating lifestyle, it may make this condition go away which would make my chance of pregnancy higher? Anyway, just rambling, wanted to say hello

I would strongly suggest going back on some form of BC if you are not totally ready and committed 150% to having children right now.

Give your body a chance to adapt to your doctor's treatment plan and see if you can get your periods back on a regular basis. Being an Insulin Resistant PCOSer, I had to take Metformin for that to happen.....and then I had to take supplemental progesterone to support my pregnancy for the first 12 weeks. This is because I tended to ovulate so late in my cycle that the corpus luteum (which supplies the progesterone until the placenta is big enough to take over) was already starting to break down (as it is supposed to do to trigger your periods) even though I was already pregnant.

Pregnancy and children take a tremendous toll on your body and mind. I have two children and they are really wonderful. It doesn't take away the fact that it's really hard work and if you have the slightest doubt......then wait until if feels right to YOU....nobody else's opinion matters on this.....only yours.

Thanks for the advice, and I am 100% with you. It's really that I am just being lazy about calling the doc... I should just put it on my calendar to do this week. While it's nice not having to take a pill everyday I suppose my thoughts on the consequences would be much more affected for my day-to-day activities