Weight loss and PCOS?

Fellow PCOSer here:) Although our road to weight loss is MUCH more difficult than most IT IS achievable. The only thing that I found that works for me is a lot of exercise, limiting my calorie and sodium intake, and taking Metformin. All 3 work together and if you really want it and work hard you can lose weight. I started getting serious about this about 7-8 months ago and haven't looked back. I had all of the terrible symptoms that come w/ PCOS: extreme weight gain (100lbs+ in 10 years), irregular cycles, dark patches on my skin, skin tags, exhaustion, depression, excessive facial hair, thinning hair, not to mention low self esteem that resulted from having all of these things. I thought for years and years that I was beyond the point of no return but I was wrong. I started off slow - walking, gentle yoga, swimming and now there really isn't much I can't do - mountain hiking, racquetball, high energy aerobics, tennis, etc and I have NEVER felt better. Not just physically but mentally too and the best part is that I did this the healthy way. There is not a quick easy plan. It will take time and dedication but once you start seeing results you will be hooked. Good luck and if you need some additional support please send me a friend request and we can motivate each other along the way.

Yeah, the metformin can cause issues but you might want to talk to your doctor about starting with a smaller dose or trying the time released variety. I think it's called Metformin XR or something like that. Metformin is really designed to be taken in conjunction with good eating and exercise. Unfortunately, one thing is really no good without the others when you have PCOS.

You can attribute your sweet tooth and carb loving to PCOS as well You've probably been eating a certain way for so long that your body craves it. It's really a vicious cycle and the sooner you break it honestly the better you will feel. Sure I LOVE sweets and carbs but after limiting my intake for a few months and realizing how much better it made me feel it was well worth it. Try whole wheat pasta or egg noodles and watch your portion sizes.

Everyone has different motivations - mine was unhappiness. With my weight, my attitude, my overall bleak outlook on everything. I used to be a Debbie Downer and now I feel ALIVE. I know it sounds silly but it's true.

I will tell you that this will be one of the most challenging things that you will ever do. You can't do it part-time but also you can't be unrealistic. You didn't start feeling this way overnight and you won't start feeling better overnight either. But you will learn that eating sweets/carbs all of the time isn't worth it in the end and after awhile you won't feel good after eating high volumes of them. Baby steps - start with limiting your eating out, add some walking into the mix, I get bored easy so my exercise is pretty diverse. Then start watching the sodium intake and eat more fresh fruits and veggies and pick simple things so it doesn't seem like as much of a chore. Eat more protein and fiber - even fatty juicy meats are okay once in awhile just remember portion control. MFP really helped me with that. I didn't think I was eating THAT bad but once I started itemizing everything the truth was right in front of me. Watch out for condiments - they can sabotage all of your hard work. I LOVE butter and mayo and I still use them in moderation but the light variety. Drink plenty of water - they say drink half your body weight in ounces per day of water. Seems excessive right? No, water flushes sodium and other things out of your system. Even if I eat right if I don't drink enough water I tend to gain weight.

low carb is the way to go - around 100 grams a day. i had to change my mfp macronutient percentages from the default (55% carbs, 15% protien, 20% fat) to 25% carbs, 45% protien, 30% fat. it really helped. i also second trying the time release version of the metformin. it made a huge difference in my stomach/digestive issues (i suffered for over a year on the regular, but now feel completely fine). my weight loss has averaged about a .5 pound a week even though my calorie setting suggest that i would lose more. be patient with yourself during this journey.

not to be rude, but saying you have a sweet tooth is an excuse. fruit is sweet, cooked carrots are sweet, greek yogurt with honey is sweet. there are foods that will satisfy the 'sweet' craving if you put your mind to feeling satisfied with that. same with being a carb-o-holic. i love mashed potatoes with the best of 'em, but i have slowly trained myself to eat one serving of them and be satisfied. you can do anything you put your mind to. (<---i wish i could highlight this. because it is so important to realize that you can do anything you put your mind to.)

good luck!
dawn