PCOS - insulin resistant - help!!!

http://intensivedietarymanagement.com/

Happy reading!
It might give you ideas what to do.

As a type II diabetic my advice is to stay clear of refined carbs (sugar and white flour mainly) as much as possible, eat moderate protein and sufficient fat. Try and avoid processed foods and ready meals; these foods have been tempered with to achieve uniform consistency and prolong shelf life, for example by removing fibre and fat but adding sugar or modified starch but this affects the insulin response to those foods. Naturally occurring sugars such as fructose in whole fruit are not much of a problem. Fructose does not trigger an insulin response and the fibre in the fruit protects the liver from increasing insulin resistance which can occur when fructose is used on its own like HFCS in sodas.
Exercise improves regulation of blood sugar and is therefore a must for all diabetics.

Overall, there is no compelling reason to have a very low carb diet as a type II diabetic, a healthy balanced diet with not too much processed food and refined carbs should do just fine. Diabetics all over the world lose weight on "average" carb diets, so why should you be different?

I'm pretty sure there's a PCOS group or two on this site. You will probably get some great ideas and feedback from others with the same issue.

As far as "low carb"... it means different things to different people. Some people call anything under 100g of carbs each day "low carb" for others that means under 20g. Rather than try to cut out almost all carbs, try to just cut out the carbs with little nutritional value and see if you can lose weight at a rate that makes you happy. In other words, limit bread, cake, cookies, pasta, white rice, etc. Get the vast majority of your carbs from vegetables and whole grains and focus on getting lots of protein and a decent amount of fat.

There have been studies that show going low carb, low fat or other restrictions all lead to the same amount of weight lost. I don't have diabetes, nor do I have insulin resistance, I actually have hypoglycemia a lot with PCOS. But PCOS shouldn't limit a food type, a polycystic ovary is just releasing androgenic hormones instead of lutenizing hormones, so you have too much testosterone. Just simply working out and eating less calories will help you lose weight. My suggestion for your diabetes is to look at carbs that will release slowly overtime, aka low glycemia load food, so your blood sugar won't spike and then you'll just be hungry again in like half an hour.

I went to a nutritionist who specializes in PCOS/Insulin Resistance/Type II/etc. To her, low carb meant 30g of carbs at each meal and 15g per snack (having 3 snacks per day) Therefore the total carbs for the day were 135g (give or take a couple). It didn't feel super restricting and it helped me tremendously.

She also stressed the importance of pairing carbs with fats and proteins. So a whole wheat english muffin with pb. 2% Greek yogurt instead of 0%. Fruit with a piece of cheese. Etc. It helps process the carbs better than just carbs.

Hi! I have PCOS (diagnosed in 2004) and I am just starting to venture into the low carb world.... I am not seriously overweight and I'm not insulin resistant (just got blood work done!), but I get really sick when I have too much sugar. I also have a lot of stubborn belly fat that I can't seem to get rid of no matter what I do. It's just always been there. A few years ago I lost 15 pounds by cleaning up my diet and walking around the perimeter of my apt complex - but the belly stayed! I still stick to a clean eating diet with the exception of one or two meals a week and I don't eat a lot of junk food. So I figured I would try low carb to see how it goes. My friend (who also has PCOS) always has success when she follows a keto diet and any time she stops, she gains a lot of weight. She tried all kinds of things before keto, but that's what works for her.

There are a couple PCOS groups that I belong to here - P.C.O.Sis, PCOS and Low Glycemic, and Winning the PCOS Battle. Those groups are pretty active and there's a lot of good advice, especially at P.C.O.Sis. Winning the PCOS Battle was started by a woman who lost a ton of weight and was able to get pregnant after going keto. PCOS and Low Glycemic is self-explanatory

Fellow insulin resistant PCOS sufferer here. I was diagnosed in 2011. I've never really gone low/no carb and have been able to lose weight. My biggest issue is overcoming the insane sweets/carbs cravings. To be honest, it's different for everyone. You'll just have to experiment. Make sure you're exercising regularly and sticking to you calories for now. Once you get that under control, you can modify it a little more and try to hit your macros (fat, carbs, protein, etc). I always find that if I try to go full swing right out of the gate, I get frustrated and quit. Also, for those having issues with metformin, I learned about a vitamin supplement from numerous forums/boards/webpages/etc. Cinnamon + Chromium 1000 mg twice a day does much of the same things that metformin does without the nasty GI issues. Obviously, if you aren't sure, talk to your doctor. It's working for me and a lot of other ladies though. Good luck!

Jessica_shmkr: My GP had actually suggested that I try taking vitamin B complex and vitamin D daily. Have you heard anything about those 2 vitamins?

RodaRose: babysitter?!? :P Actually I don't have a babysitter. I'm a stay-at-home mom. I know, I know. How the heck do I not have any time right? I tried going to walks with her but she just wants to be carried (she's getting heavy) and yet she doesn't want to be in the stroller any more. I did get her one of those trikes that has the bar for the parent to push. I live on a busy street but I'll have to find one of the quieter side roads and try walking/pushing her around.

In terms of amount to lose, I have about 30 lbs to lose to be in the safe zone which is about 23% of my current weight (I'm a shorty). It's just a discouraging number. I know that doesn't seem like a bit number, but it's big for me. And waist circumference is around 35 inches last time I checked. I wasn't always overweight. I was a skinny one until I hit my 20s. Then it slowly came on and I can't lose it. Here I am at age 30 and the doc puts the fear in me that I will in fact get type 2 at some point (multiple strikes against me -- pcos, prediabetes, gestational diabetes and my mom has type 2). One would think that I could talk to my mom about all of this but she isn't doing **** (pardon my language) to help her diabetes. She barely eats, and when she does it's "cheat food". So, no I'm not following in her footsteps nor can I look to her for guidance.