Frustrated ladies w/PCOS: Low GI eating exp.

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xSirensSong
xSirensSong Posts: 615 Member
in Motivation and Support
Last week, I made the decision to try a Low GI eating plan instead of the low carb diet I was currently trying to accomplish. With strictly low carb, I felt very restricted, & I was always always ALWAYS craving sweets, breads, etc. Like.. It was all I could do to walk past the candy dish at work & think to myself 'It's not worth it, it's not worth it..' as my mouth watered like crazy. I would think about that candy dish All. Day. Long. (I know, fatty, right??) On top of that, I was not losing weight at all (I have PCOS [obviously], IR, & hypothyroidism) ~ in fact, I was gradually gaining. I was also having 'cheat days' on the weekends, which I think was undoing everything that I worked hard on all week, but my 'cheats' were sweets: cookies, cupcakes, chocolates, you name it. I work out 5-6 days a week doing mainly weight lifting for about 90 minutes each day, was consistently below on my calories, & was STILL struggling and obsessing over food.

Last Wednesday, I looked into Low GI eating & tried to implement it for the rest of the day. Thursday, I actually did an entire day of Low GI & my cravings had already decreased by Friday morning. I also started taking Inositol powder in my protein drinks, which was recommended by my OB/GYN. Friday was my weigh day, but I was up 0.2 pounds from the week before (weighed in at 215.4). Even though I was discouraged, I knew it had only been two days & just kept truckin'. Friday evening came (normally pizza night) & I had no desire for any cheats. I stayed below my calories (first Friday of doing that in a looong time), Saturday, I did have some natural/organic pizza for dinner but was overall good (& was only over by 100 or so calories instead of 600-800) & Sunday I had taquitos for dinner, but was still only a wee-little-bit over my calories.

I weighed in this morning at 212.4 ~ the lowest I have weighed yet along this journey. That is a 3 pound loss; I know you ladies with PCOS know that is AMAZING! I seriously have no crazy cravings for sweets & that is from not even a full week of Low GI eating.

Just thought I'd share for anyone who was thinking about this & was having doubts. I'm a definite believer. I know I'll see Onederland in no time, when I was so very doubtful & hopeless before.

Happy shrinking! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Julibug86
    Julibug86 Posts: 21 Member
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    This is awesome! I'd love to know more about what specifically you were eating, if you're okay sharing. I really need to make a drastic change to my diet, but am having so much trouble reducing carbs and sweets. Yesterday I had an appt with my gyno and she reiterated that I need to lose weight and referred me to the nutritionist. I also have PCOS and am hoping that losing weight will make my menstrual cycle regulate. The goal is to start having kids in a year or two, so I'd like to try to get my weight under control now.
  • JMS11366
    JMS11366 Posts: 7 Member
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    I have PCOS and and a Type 1 diabetic something which I have ignored for years. I have started a very low carb diet. Eating fresh veg, lean meat and fish and natural live yoghurt. I am also not mixing my carb meals with my 'fat' meals as the body needs insulin to store fat and carbs need me to inject insulin. Basically I have stopped eating crappy processed food. So far in the first 6 days I have lost 9lbs and my blood sugar is more stable too. I am using The Harcombe Diet as a guide and it seems to be working for me so far.
  • lollipopwater
    lollipopwater Posts: 2
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    Hi there! I also have PCOS, and the only thing I've found to help me drop the weight is a low GI diet. Check this book out! Tons of delicious recipes, that don't leave you feeling like you're depriving yourself. http://www.amazon.com/500-Low-Glycemic-Index-Recipes/dp/1592334172
  • techgal128
    techgal128 Posts: 719 Member
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    I finally decided to go the low carb route. My "low" isn't too bad though. It's about 150 per day or so. My weight loss has sped up (although this stupid water weight doesn't want to go away!). I will eat something with more than 11 carbs if it meets these criteria:

    1) It's a vegetable/legume
    2) It's a fruit
    3) It's multigrain or whole grain
  • tmaryam
    tmaryam Posts: 289 Member
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    I have PCOS/IR/hypothyroidism too! Are you saying it was the powder that helped you, or the GI diet? Or the combination of both, I guess. I used to follow a method for PCOS diet/glucose control, but I can't remember the exact formula. I think I had to pair one serving of protein for every serving of carbs. Is that what you're doing?
  • runningjen74
    runningjen74 Posts: 312 Member
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    I've PCOS + hypo thyroid. The only thing I will say is generally people with PCOS do better on low carbs. If someone is eating lower GI, there carbs are likely to fall naturally.

    I met a personal trainer a year ago. He kept going on about the hormonal response. He told me to eat lower carb (~100gm is where I've settled), higher protein (100gm+ is where i've ended up) and the remainder is fat. He also put me lifting weights. The carbs I eat are mainly from fruit and vegetables - very few from rice/any other sources. I don't know which of the various things did it, but within 6 weeks my menstrual cycle sorted itself after being very out of wack for 10+ years, my headaches cleared up. I believe it was the decrease in carbs / increase in fat along with a bit of exercise. He kept going on about protein for breakfast - which I do pretty much all the time now. I pretty much just eat whole foods - fruit/veg/meat/fish with a small amount of dairy and some 85% coco solids chocolate and the macros just sort themselves out.

    I would also say people with hormonal issues generally should avoid intermittent fasting like the plague. We've delicate hormonal systems and should do what we can to normalise it.

    I would always have said I was pretty much asymptomatic wrt PCOS, but in hind sight, I was just putting up with things. I'd lost weight in the previous 10 years but never had any changes in symptoms. The previous time I lost weight I ate lower calories, very low fat and ran. I didn't feel healthy the way I do now and I certainly didn't stick with it. This time, I'm never changing. I 'took a break' about 3 months ago for 3 months mainly due to stress/travel/family emergency, but felt terrible and couldn't wait to get back.

    Weight loss is all about a calorie deficit. If you've PCOS, putting a bit of time in to the hormones helps things along. My diary is open and I log *most* of the time.

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