New and No Idea What to Eat
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StrivingForaPerfectfit
Posts: 10 Member
I'm 19 years old, and was diagnosed with PCOS about 4 years ago. When I found out, my dad was doing the Atkins diet, so I decided to join him on it since I read that carbs aren't that good with us who have it. At that time I was around where I am right now and lost around 50ibs with it. Some things happened and I went off of that diet and shot up into the 300s. The thing is, I'm not looking for a diet anymore, but a lifestyle. I've been really trying to eat healthy, but have realized I need to follow a plan that coincides with managing my PCOS since I'm extremely tired of the side effects.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Replies
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Hmm that's a broad question. PCOS is different in different people. Some of us do low carb, because if your insulin resistant your body cant process most of the carbs you eat. But some cant do low carb for various reasons and just eat a lower carb amount.
If you found out that low carb diets have helped in the past, it might be a good idea to try that again. Especially if your on metformin it helps a lot to be on the lower end of the carb spectrum. AS far as foods you can eat with that kind of lifestyle change, there are many to choose from. Some do an atkins type plan, others do phase 1 or 2 of south beach diet type of plan, some eat primal/paleo, others mostly organice/grass fed animal products. So you need to see what works for your lifestyle.
I personally eat:
Avocados
Chicken
Beef
Pork
Fish
Eggs
whole dairy products
lots of vegetables
I got a few low carb cookbooks once I found out I was insulin resistant and now make food for my family and my inlaws who are both diabetic. we are having fun going thru trying most of the recipes. They are yummy and easy to make, who doesn't love full fat cream?0 -
Thank you so much!
I'm not any form of medication because it didn't help with anything besides regulating my cycles and I know others have been able to do that naturally, but I do want to stay on the low carb side of things as well as incorporate a low GI diet overall.
I just wanted to know what others with PCOS eat because as much as I lost with the Atkins, I was getting more red meat in than anything and I'm not the biggest of meat eaters anymore! Thank you for that list of food though, it's very helpful and I'll most likely be incorporating everything except for beef!0 -
From all I have read low carb is the way to go. I myself try to stay between 75 -100 and have a cheat meal here and there. I am not losing weight quickly but I know doing low carb would be a struggle and I would end up bingeing on foods I denied myself.
Good Luck0 -
As far as what I am eating, I try to eat what I want but take away the unnecessary carbs.
Burger w/ cheese, onions, tomato & sweet potato fries
Meat & cheese roll-ups w/ 5 or 6 chips
Salad mix w/ cheese & meat
Greek Yogurt w/ nuts (not considered the lowest of carbs but Greek yogurt is lower carb than regular yogurt)
Eggs & bacon/sausage
Philly cheesesteak w/o the bread
Taco salads0 -
Try looking into Maca, its really been helping me out.
Not been on any medication, but I take 3,500 mg of Maca (tablet form) every day on a roughly 2 month on 1 week off schedule.
It's helping me regulate my cycles (finally have 1 every 37 days) and regulate my hormones and metabolism (plus decrease some of my hirsutism and hyperhidrosis thank God!)
Diet wise, for me personally I've found that high protein, moderate/high [healthy] fat, and low carb (under 250g daily) seems to work for weight loss. I'll admit I get too lazy to track macros, so I guestimate.
For the most part my diet includes things like:
Green smoothies
potatos (microwaved or mashed)
Salads
Eggs
Fish & Meat
Various teas
Almonds
Salted pistachios when I crave chips
Banana chips when I need a crunch
Things I avoid other than [unhealthy] carbs:
Dairy. I never really liked dairy in general (except ice cream) bit i've noticed my body does a lot better without dairy.
I also try not to cook my vegetables if I don't have to. Tastes better to me and doesn't kill off the nutrients, plus I tend to feel better the next day.
Sodium
Raisins, dates and dried fruits
That's just my experience, but hope that helps some
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I do a mixture of low carb and high protein, but not the fatty kinds of protein. I take a lot of "traditional recipes" and tweak them to be healthier.
Like burgers, use ground turkey instead of ground beef/sirloin; limit your condiments because they're just unnecessary sugars 90% of the time; LOTS and LOTS of veggies, dark green veggies and fruits that are low in acidity and natural sugar.
I'm not on metformin anymore but the alternative hormone treatment makes my weight yoyo, even with exercise. Just keep up with it and talk to your doctor.0 -
I do a mixture of low carb and high protein, but not the fatty kinds of protein.
Protein especially in higher amount is insulinogenic and so eating a 'high protein diet' isn't recommended for pcos sufferers who have insulin resistance. Eat about .8-1g per pound of lean body weight adjusted for lifestyle and add fats to offset your carbs instead of high protein.0 -
I practice a low-carb ketogenic diet (LCKD). This means that I usually eat less than 20g per day of carbs and a high amount of fat. It was difficult to get into initially but now I feel fantastic and the weight is finally starting to come off. I have always suffered from a severe sweet-tooth and this way of eating has completed alleviated my sugar cravings.
There are lots of benefits that come from low-carb eating, especially for those of us with PCOS and not having to count calories, being able to eat whenever you are hungry and feeling full from what you eat are among some of them. In my opinion, the best benefit is not feeling obsessed with food. It may sound funny but I no longer really think about food, I don't fantasize about cake, cookies or candy bars and often times I don't realize that it's been a while since I've last had something to eat, until my body sends me the signs that it's time to eat again.
I don't feel addicted to food and I NEVER binge eat anymore because I never get to that point of hunger or have blood sugar drops.
Last, my PCOS belly is finally starting to shrink! I'm not overly overweight but I have always looked nine months pregnant and nothing has been able to deflate my stomach until now.
I would recommend a low-carb diet (you can still eat plenty of healthy food) with plenty of exercise. If you can follow that, it is possible that you may never need medication.
As for the types of foods that I eat, a sample day for me looks like:
BREAKFAST
Two scrambled eggs with real cream and five sausage links or a piece of ham or a couple of pieces of bacon.
LUNCH
I never eat a full lunch because I am never hungry enough to, so I will sometimes have a cup of chicken broth or some peanut butter or a cheese stick. When I am really hungry, I will make a protein shake using almond milk, coconut oil and either frozen blueberries, strawberries or peaches and a scoop of low-carb/high-protein shake mix.
DINNER
I always eat a large salad (every night) which fills 3/4 of a dinner plate, along with a piece of protein (hamburger, chicken, pork, steak, tuna fish or seafood). If I am especially hungry I will add in a vegetable (always fresh) that I either roast or saute in bacon fat. Other nights, I will make stuffed zucchini or stuffed peppers.
I do try to limit dairy products, such as cheese and I never eat yogurt. I also limit fruit, except for berries peaches. I don't drink diet soda anymore and I stick to tea or water only. I fry up large amounts of bacon and strain off the fat to keep in a jar in the refrigerator to use for cooking (it adds a lot of flavor) and freeze the cooked bacon. I also take fish oil supplements - the really good brand at the health food store and a daily multivitamin.
Hope this helps! Here is a link, if you would like to check out the details of a LCKD, this site helped me in the beginning.
http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/post_archives/0 -
I do a mixture of low carb and high protein, but not the fatty kinds of protein.
Protein especially in higher amount is insulinogenic and so eating a 'high protein diet' isn't recommended for pcos sufferers who have insulin resistance. Eat about .8-1g per pound of lean body weight adjusted for lifestyle and add fats to offset your carbs instead of high protein.
This.
See also: rabbit starvation.
Bottom line is - low carb, low fat, high protein, is not good for anyone. Protein is building blocks first, fuel second. Carbs and fat are fuel. Also, fats are essential for proper hormone functioning, cell maintenance, brain function, and nutrient absorption. Regardless of your diet, you should aim to get no less than .35-.45g per pound of total bodyweight of fats, particularly monounsaturated and saturated fats (yes, saturated fat and cholesterol are good), with some polyunsaturated fats with focus on Omega-3 fats.0 -
Thank you everybody for your replies! Lately I've been pretty balanced with carbs, protein and fats. Granted, I try to keep protein and fats a tad bit higher than carbs unless I know they came from natural sugars such as those found in fruits!
This really gives me insight on how to tweak my diet around because I had been so entirely lost!0
