Slow metabolism maybe related to PCOS or Insulin Resistance

Being a women with PCOS and IR, this is thoroughly depressing, but I always kinda knew it. (i've always exercised too)

Screwed hormones, less efficient, it makes sense somewhat.

Pretty small cohort don't you think? Has this study been replicated by anyone else?

I'm down 32 lbs in 106 days. That's not bad considering that I am only allowed to use 5000 steps on my FitBit as exercise and I'm set at 1540 calories/day.

You are doing well, however it took me 5 years to lose the weight I have, that was going through the recommended diets for pcos (GI diet, low fat diet, both with calorie restriction etc) and all it did was make me lethargic, skin horrible and hair fall out, and the sugar ups and downs (literally collapsing due to sugar crashes), I've always walked to work, exercised 3-5 times a week, but have switched to low carb/keto lost the weight, keeping it off and not getting cravings (granted its slow but atleast my meds have went down from 1500mg to 500mg metformin and im not fainting and havent since 2009).

PCOS is a very personal thing, i've put myself up for a few pcos studies but they have very strict criteria '4 mensis within a year' 'not have your latest mensis within a week of start of trial' 'not have the pill within 8 weeks of trial' (ironic considering most are taking the pill to control hormones cause of the pcos, but cant take part of a study cause they are on it, lol!)

What i'd give to be normal (but i got diagnosed over 10 years ago so have had time to get used to it, its my body its the only one i will have, i may aswell love it :flowerforyou: )

Pretty small cohort don't you think? Has this study been replicated by anyone else?

http://www.healio.com/endocrinology/reproduction-androgen-disorders/news/online/{1299eb75-d58b-404f-8220-28d2daa086d4}/bmi-may-be-most-vital-determinant-of-basal-metabolic-rate-in-pcos

suggests BMI is a bigger factor, but I can't find the paper easily.

I'm afraid just examining study using it's abstract is pretty pointless. Without seeing the whole study it's impossible to evaluate it properly. That's the problem with this forum too many people post abstracts supporting a point of view without access to the full study. All that this abstract is is interesting

Being a women with PCOS and IR, this is thoroughly depressing, but I always kinda knew it.....

Screwed hormones, less efficient, it makes sense somewhat.

Yeah - that.
Turns out that calories in calories out and exercise work for me... But it worked better when I restricted treats more than I have been lately. When I started in January 2013, I pretty much got all my carbs from fruits, nuts, dairy, and veggies for quite a while.... Now, I aim for 25-30% of my cals from carbs and I try to keep my treats to single measured servings and on an occasional basis. I still restrict grains to fit my macros and cause I don't really miss them.

Diagnosed PCOS/IR in march of 2003. No meds since my second pregnancy (late 2006). I'm now 44, probably peri-menopausal, and my ovaries apparently looked much improved at my last annual. Turned down having blood work done but now kicking myself since it would be nice to hopefully see what 40+ lbs has done for me even though my BMI and BF% are still high

Seems like a reasonable comparison method to remove lbm, age and height factors - although stronger statistical methods could have been used.

I'm not a fan of using regression through the study subjects for correction, something more population based appeals more as the small sample gives some pretty weak BMR correlations.

Didn't know if you had better access.

Did they do one of the common weight loss study participant selection methods - no weight loss or attempt in prior 6-9 months?

Now that I'm seeing more and more studies with results showing people could slow their RMR down by their own weight loss attempts, and keep it suppressed by just eating much less than possible, always curious on that one.

Because their BMI's are in healthy range, but did they just lose weight to get them there?

Maybe I'm the lucky exception. I have insulin resistance and am on medications that may cause a slowdown in the ability to lose weight but CICO/IIFYM has worked for me. I also have serious hormone issues due to peri-menopause.

I'm down 32 lbs in 106 days. That's not bad considering that I am only allowed to use 5000 steps on my FitBit as exercise and I'm set at 1540 calories/day. Yes. I have a closed diary. I don't really feel like getting spoken to about going to Chipotle or eating at the company cafeteria at work.

I think the study (limited as it is) might be true for a lot of women with PCOS and insulin resistance but I also think that sometimes articles like this give people an excuse to use to explain why they're not losing weight. Flame away. Tell me I'm the exception not the rule but I just don't want people to think they're doomed.

PCOS is a syndrome, which by definition means that not everyone will present the same way or to the same degree. Consider yourself fortunate that you haven't had issues losing weight on 1540 calories and eating whatever fits your macros (which I assume is more or less what MFP sets for you?), and please don't be so condescending to those of us who haven't been so fortunate as to have the typical recommendations work and have to resort to what most people consider "extreme" or "drastic" in order to see any results.

A study alone won't make people think they're doomed, their own struggles have already led them down that path, when they have to deal with things like condescending doctors who refuse to run tests and just blame them for being overweight, or clueless doctors who just blindly prescribe Metformin and the Pill and say "good luck," or they have to resort to 800 calories a day to see any weight loss at all and can't keep it up because at the same time, the body can't get enough fuel to power itself. Trust me, daily life has already been enough to make a lot of women with PCOS feel like they're doomed. Be thankful you've been spared that.

On a side (and slightly more cheery) note -- Chipotle is actually a pretty good choice of place to eat, provided you are sensible about how you build your meal (the worst part about it is that the calories and carbs can really rack up if you're not careful, the food itself is better quality than most other fast food joints).

Thank you for posting about this study. The reduced BMR rings true for me. I have PCOS & IR & I either have to cut carbs or drop my calorie intake WAY down from the suggested before I see results -- more than the 200 or so suggested by the study.

I find information like this affirming. As a rule, if you dare to suggest that CICO does not seem to be working the way it ought, people tend to think you are... less than credible. Their faith in this system is so absolute that I have doubted myself, wondering: 'Am I eating more than I think? Is my food scale wrong? Am I eating in my sleep?' etc. etc. It can be very frustrating. Information like this helps.

PCOS and IR. Tested RMR is consistently 10% higher than all the formula estimations.

If in doubt, get your RMR tested. I was sure mine would be low but it's actually high.

Successfully managed? Treatment? This might influence RMR.

I've been on Metformin for a long time - 12+ years? I do not do low carb. However, my symptoms never improved with the use of Met. I never regained monthly cycles until I got "old". Hit the age of 35 and started cycling regularly. Losing weight shortened my cycles by about 2 days. So I guess now, my symptoms are very neglible, but you're right, I suppose that could affect my RMR.

Considering that Metformin doesn't do anything other than increase the liver's sensitivity to insulin (decreasing fasting insulin levels in the blood), there's no real reason for it to change your other symptoms if they weren't being caused by high levels of insulin, which, from the sound of it, they weren't (except for weight, most likely).

PCOS's woes aren't just caused by elevated insulin, but also by imbalanced hormones. Specifically, too much testosterone (facial/body hair, male patterned baldness) and estrogen dominance (can either be from excess estrogen production or from insufficient progesterone; causes fat gain, general hair loss, and some sources say sluggish metabolism). Considering our estrogen levels fluctuate throughout our lives, especially as we get closer to menopause, and that fat cells create estrogen, it's not surprising that you started cycling regularly and have decreased symptoms, seemingly at random. Additionally, if you were ever on birth control, odds are, it was estrogen-based, exacerbating the matter.