Low carb diet frustration

Hi all,
I have PCOS and it was suggested that I try a low carb diet to help lose weight. I was on a diet of about 1400-1500 calories a day but I saw that I was still continuing to gain weight because my carbs were still at 120-150g a day. I decided to drop those and try to keep them under 50g a day (kind of the Atkins route). Easier said than done. I find myself looking at everything and feeling crappy about cutting out fruits and vegetables because they have carbs. I eat a sensible diet that consists of Greek yogurt, chicken, salads, vegetables, tuna, and lots of water. I'm finding my carbs still around 70g for the day. I have cut out all bread, pasta, crackers, potatoes, and soda/sugary drinks, but am still feeling like I'm not doing enough. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Whoever suggested that is an idiot, seriously.

My wife has the SAME EXACT disorder and she eats carbs whenever as long as it fits within her calories. She's dropped her skinny-fat and put on some solid muscle. I'm not saying skip out on protein and good fats, but don't ignore carbs either.

I have seen it suggested that lowerish carbs can help with PCOS. However, that doesn't mean low carb necessarily, and the range you listed of 120-150g is what I've seen suggested. It's not all that low. I don't know much about atkins and the very low carb, but usually they are net carbs. So veggie carbs are a lot lower than you expect because you subtract out grams of fiber. Seems like a silly system to me, and I'm not a huge fan of low carb (lower carb is understandable for some people though).

Find what works for you and keeps you satiated. If you are having problems losing, make sure you are accurately tracking food. I was shocked to realize how off serving sizes can be if you use measuring cups, and some (a lot) of the entries in the database are wrong.

This is a good read:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

And there's a video in the first few comments that demonstrates the inaccuracies of using measuring cups.

Hi all,
I have PCOS and it was suggested that I try a low carb diet to help lose weight. I was on a diet of about 1400-1500 calories a day but I saw that I was still continuing to gain weight because my carbs were still at 120-150g a day. I decided to drop those and try to keep them under 50g a day (kind of the Atkins route). Easier said than done. I find myself looking at everything and feeling crappy about cutting out fruits and vegetables because they have carbs. I eat a sensible diet that consists of Greek yogurt, chicken, salads, vegetables, tuna, and lots of water. I'm finding my carbs still around 70g for the day. I have cut out all bread, pasta, crackers, potatoes, and soda/sugary drinks, but am still feeling like I'm not doing enough. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Whoever suggested that is an idiot, seriously.

My wife has the SAME EXACT disorder and she eats carbs whenever as long as it fits within her calories. She's dropped her skinny-fat and put on some solid muscle. I'm not saying skip out on protein and good fats, but don't ignore carbs either.

It is possibly that she is not insulin resistant. I can assure you that every woman who has PCOS is not that same and it is great for her that she can lose like that but I for one can't lose weight unless I watch my carbs. Even eating 1000 calories a day under doctor supervision I couldn't lose weight if my carbs were higher than 75g.

OP: It does suck but I can assure you that if you can figure out where your personal limit of carbs is, it is worth it. The veggies and salads are great but what are you putting on them? Full fat creamy dressings are the best as they give fat and typically have 1-2g carbs per serving rather than closer to 10 for things like Italian dressing. Greek yogurt is good for some people but yogurts tend to have a lot of lactose in them meaning sugars as do other dairy products like milk. So for this case, it might not be the best choice. Hard cheeses are much better as they have very little lactose in them. Full fat cream cheese is also good though.

Another tip is watch your protein. Eat only .5-1 g protein/lb of lean body mass. Otherwise it can be insulin producing as well and this would negate the process of going low carb.

Don't worry about not eating fruits. If you eat a variety of low carb/high fiber veggies, particularly dark leafy greens, you will get all the necessary vitamins and minerals with a heck of a lot less sugar.

Eating low carb for PCOS is great for many women, and each woman has to go to a different level. For me, I need to be under 75 carbs to maintain, under 50 carbs/day to lose.

Check out www.reddit.com/r/keto and go to the side bar on the right of the screen to find a list of low carb foods. This will help give you ideas for snacks etc. I will say though, it helped me tremendously to pre plan every day so that I knew exactly where my macros were for the day.

I was on the Lose It site for a couple of months. For my height and weight it was suggested to keep my calories at around 1500 a day. I noticed that I was keeping them around 1400. My weight was still going up a little ever other day and not going down. I switched over to MFP to see what it would suggest and it said I should be around the 1200 mark, plus I love how it shows me where I am at and should be at with carbs/fat/sodium etc. I started losing weight immediately but was still concerned about my carbs. I think I might just be to hard on myself. I just felt like I was punishing myself for eating the right stuff and still going over the goal I set. Thank you all for your advice.

If what you're currently doing is working for you, I'd keep at it. Keep in mind that if you set yourself as sedentary on MFP and you workout, you should eat back those exercise calories. It already has a built in deficit. But, also keep in mind that machines at the gym and MFP can overestimate calories, so I usually would eat back about 2/3 of what it told me I burned.

Congrats on your loss so far!

I have PCOS and follow a low carb diet (20g net carbs per day, that means total carbs minus fiber, as fiber does not get processed in the same way by the body). I've had incredible relief of symptoms and it's worked out for me. High energy, faster weight loss, easier periods, fewer and less intense cramps. And on a side note, my heart health has improved. I started the low carb diet because I read a study that showed women with PCOS had an easier time losing weight and showed relief of symptoms with a diet lower in carbohydrates and higher in protein. I shifted to moderate protein, high fat, low carb when I realized high protein was not keeping me satisfied.

Now that I've said that... low carb diets do not mean that you have to deprive yourself of vegetables. It's not meat, meat, meat, cheese, meat. It's broccoli and spinach omelette with a side of breakfast sausage or avocado. It's a nice chicken ceasar salad without croutons. It's almonds and flaxseed buns for a treat, followed by steak with mushrooms and cauliflower. You tailor your own diet to your needs. If you say your goal is 50g net per day and you're still not eating veggies, what are you using your carbs on? The way I do it, all of my carbs are spent on delicious veggies. I never feel deprived.

Sure, I've seen people low carb it by eating chicken wrapped in bacon, asparagus wrapped in bacon, and bacon wrapped in bacon, but that's not how everyone does it, and certainly not how you have to do it.

This is by no means supposed to be a post pushing you towards the diet. I just wanted to let you know that the diet you are trying does not have to be so miserable. Let me know if you ever want any help if you decide to continue with a low carb diet.

Very good post! I completely agree!

I too have pcos. I have lost weight however it has been very slow and lots of weeks of no loss! I am thinking to lower the carbs, any advice? Thanks

Hey there! I have PCOS as well and have been following a ketogenic lifestyle for a few months now with success. I stay under 18g carbs almost every day (5% of my daily calories) and enjoy lots of vegetables still. You can do low carb without being as strict as keto - you want to remember to counter your low carb effort with lots of healthy fats to keep you satiated and not craving sugar/carbs. The first two weeks or so might be difficult, but I promise it gets easier.

There are so many wonderful low carb resources out there - if you're interested you can PM and I'm happy to provide them or answer any questions you may have. To the person who said whoever suggested this was an idiot, they are not. Low carb eating is proven to help with PCOS (1), type 2 diabetes (2), hormone imbalances and even Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and epilepsy (3). Perhaps your wife as a mild/moderate case of PCOS, but those of us who are severely insulin-resistant need to cut carbs and sugar in order to have a chance at losing weight and living a healthy life.

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325029/
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001/

Hi,

I have pcos too and totally hear you on how hard it is to lose weight. I am going to give you an answer that is slightly out of the norm and obviously you can choose to do whatever you want with it. I eat lots of fruits, veggies, and beans and have chosen to pretty much give up dairy and meat. I do have whole grains and sweet potatoes every couple of days but limit the quantity. Before doing this I ate similarly to you and could not lose weight for the life of me- every doctor I saw said I was doing it wrong. Not everyone reacts the same to what most people consider a clean diet though. Anyway, I have had more success following a plant based diet than I ever did following a diet with high protein, dairy and veggies. So perhaps you could focus on veggies, fruit, and legumes and really limit your meat consumption. Best of luck!

Hey there! I have PCOS as well and have been following a ketogenic lifestyle for a few months now with success. I stay under 18g carbs almost every day (5% of my daily calories) and enjoy lots of vegetables still. You can do low carb without being as strict as keto - you want to remember to counter your low carb effort with lots of healthy fats to keep you satiated and not craving sugar/carbs. The first two weeks or so might be difficult, but I promise it gets easier.

There are so many wonderful low carb resources out there - if you're interested you can PM and I'm happy to provide them or answer any questions you may have. To the person who said whoever suggested this was an idiot, they are not. Low carb eating is proven to help with PCOS (1), type 2 diabetes (2), hormone imbalances and even Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and epilepsy (3). Perhaps your wife as a mild/moderate case of PCOS, but those of us who are severely insulin-resistant need to cut carbs and sugar in order to have a chance at losing weight and living a healthy life.

1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1334192/
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1325029/
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001/

Exactly.

Hi all,
I have PCOS and it was suggested that I try a low carb diet to help lose weight. I was on a diet of about 1400-1500 calories a day but I saw that I was still continuing to gain weight because my carbs were still at 120-150g a day. I decided to drop those and try to keep them under 50g a day (kind of the Atkins route). Easier said than done. I find myself looking at everything and feeling crappy about cutting out fruits and vegetables because they have carbs. I eat a sensible diet that consists of Greek yogurt, chicken, salads, vegetables, tuna, and lots of water. I'm finding my carbs still around 70g for the day. I have cut out all bread, pasta, crackers, potatoes, and soda/sugary drinks, but am still feeling like I'm not doing enough. Does anyone have any suggestions?

You have to give your body time to start healing. You won't lose much weight until hormones start aligning again and it just takes time.

Yes, you eat sensibly. Add some berries, melons and other summer fruits in there, just a couple of times a week.

The overall calorie intake is probably more important than the ratio of carbs. As suggested be accurate with your portion sizes and if that's problematic, err on the side of overestimating your portion sizes when adding to your diary. Is 1400-1500 what MFP suggests for your size/height/activity level and what is the predicted weight loss MFP comes up with for you on that plan? How long have you been monitoring your weight to conclude you are not losing any/gaining?

Incorrect with someone with the hormone imbalances that PCOS causes.

Carb counting is far more important than calorie intake due to insulin and blood sugar levels.

i dont like low carb diets

That is your personal choice. The OP didn't ask whether anyone liked them or not, she asked for help because of a specific medical condition that pretty much requires a low / controlled carb lifestyle.

Hi all,
I have PCOS and it was suggested that I try a low carb diet to help lose weight. I was on a diet of about 1400-1500 calories a day but I saw that I was still continuing to gain weight because my carbs were still at 120-150g a day. I decided to drop those and try to keep them under 50g a day (kind of the Atkins route). Easier said than done. I find myself looking at everything and feeling crappy about cutting out fruits and vegetables because they have carbs. I eat a sensible diet that consists of Greek yogurt, chicken, salads, vegetables, tuna, and lots of water. I'm finding my carbs still around 70g for the day. I have cut out all bread, pasta, crackers, potatoes, and soda/sugary drinks, but am still feeling like I'm not doing enough. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Whoever suggested that is an idiot, seriously.

My wife has the SAME EXACT disorder and she eats carbs whenever as long as it fits within her calories. She's dropped her skinny-fat and put on some solid muscle. I'm not saying skip out on protein and good fats, but don't ignore carbs either.

LOL.

I am doing low carb and have no issues staying at around 50 net carbs. (total carbs minus fiber). I eat alot of meat, veggies, and almonds. And I stay at under 1500 calories and workout an hour a day 5 days a week. It is a great way for people to lose weight who are insulin resistant.

Make sure you are getting enough fiber because this will help keep you fuller longer. And try and drink close to a gallon of water a day. After a few days your cravings and appetite will diminish greatly.

I started low carb 2 months ago and have lost 8 pounds in 2 months. So it does work.