Hello darlin' ~ you've come to the right place for support! I take birth control, metformin, levothyroxine (for my thyroid), and other supplements for my PCOS. I could not lose even an ounce, in fact I gained consistently, before taking metformin & BC to regulate my cycles. I just started a new supplement today, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Metformin should help quite a bit with the IR that accompanies PCOS in many instances. You might want to look into a low carb, higher protein, or Low GI diet (I mix all three & will be doing so for the next month to see if there's any results).

I just went through a discouraged spell but the ladies in this group got me through it. Don't give up, weight loss is really difficult, but you can do it.

:flowerforyou:

Feel free to add me I take birthcontrol and extended release metformin (which I recommend the extended release) unless u want constant upset stomach in the beginning anyway I had lost a lot of weight back in 2011 and had my pcos undercontrol so it can be done I slipped back into some old habits and am starting over good luck cyster

ok fixed that for you.

I meant what I said, but a higher fat diet is also not a bad thing. Higher protein, lower carb, & Low GI is what worked for me, which was suggested by my RD.

Thanks for lookin' out, though! ^__^

With the 'fat is bad' craze of the last few decades, most people's idea of a low carb diet IS a higher protein diet. With insulin resistance this can be very problematic. 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. While the advice from your RD might work for your specific case its not a sound strategy for most PCOS/IR sufferers. Fat also helps with keeping a person satiated in a way protein can not. In a very simplistic statement, fat and carbs are energy sources while protein is a building block so a higher protein diet will often make people crave carbs and/or fat because their body needs energy. That's why for most people a low carb/high protein diet fails and they go back to eating what they ate before.

I'm glad you and your RD were able to find something that works for you. I admire your willpower to be able to find satiety on a high protein diet. But I don't want others to feel that is the normal way things work with PCOS and IR because for most people its not sustainable. The 'normal' and what works for MOST PCOS/IR people, but admittedly not all, is a lower carb and higher fat diet. I'm not knocking your plan at all, so please don't take it that way. I'm happy to hear people are finding success with PCOS and finding what works for you is a large part of the battle. But there is a HUGE amount of 'fat is bad' and if you do low carb you have to do high protein because fat is bad information out there that just isn't accurate based on the latest research and data available. Trying to get people to see the need for fats and the way they work in your body, especially with low carbs is an uphill battle after the years of fats being bad and I am just trying to get the current information out there for others who have to deal with PCOS and/or IR.

The bcp helped with my symptoms, however it was also giving me TERRIBLE migraines. I didn't realize that until I went off of it to get pregnant. However, I believe that there is also another advantage to the pill well two really. Your body is not trying to ovulate so you do not get the cysts. The cysts cause scar tissue to form on the ovaries making them harder and larger. This makes it more difficult to ovulate when your body is ready. So less cysts, more chance of ovulating regularly in the future. The second thing is that with the pill you will shed your uterine lining every month. Women with PCOS are at an increased risk of endometrial cancer due to the lining building up in the uterus if they do not get periods. This lining can potentially become cancerous so shedding it regularly is a good thing.
As for Metformin, I was only able to get pregnant the second time while taking it. I did not have a cycle without it. I am back on it now (my second child was born in January). It helps with my hair loss and I think somewhat with weight loss. Also, since I no longer on BCP, it keeps my cycle going and though I don't plan on getting pregnant again, I know that I am shedding that lining.

Crystalmoore83, I'm interested to see your results. I was just diagnosed yesterday and put on both metformin and birth control as well. Were you able to lose weight on both? If so, how much, and how long did it take you?