Anybody with PCOS?

I have PCOS and have lost 12lbs since the end of June. No meds just healthy eating & exercising around 3 times a week! MFP keeps me on track! Good luck!

r u indian?

I have PCOS, was diagnosed at 19. I have that which was termed "lean PCOS" as I was not overweight at the time.
But come age 30 and 2 kids later (let's not mention the whole trying to get pregnant phase, with a 90+ day cycle, I'm just glad I did), the weight started stacking on and all the other classical issues associated with PCOS began showing up.

I'm a small person (4'9), and I was creeping into the overweight section. The wake-up call was when my Dad was diagnosed with diabetes and then cancer. Huge family history of diabetes and I could see all the beginning signs in myself.

I lost 10kg (about 22pds). I am back in my 'sweet spot' in terms of weight and I am back to loving exercise. I don't eat low carb, but I do generally follow a low-GI diet similar to a diabetic diet. My son and husband are also coeliac, so I eat probably 90% gluten-free by default as our house is gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination.

I still have rough patches. My PCOS isn't going to go away. The acne is better, but still a pain in the neck to have at 35yo My insulin levels are much more stable though and apart from the occasional carb cravings, it's an awful lot better than before.

I've lost over 101 pounds with PCOS and Insulin Resistance.

Insulin Resistance and PCOS are directly related since both deal with hormone levels. The only TRUE way to lose weigh with PCOS is to follow a low carb diet.

Carbs and Sugar gets turned into Insulin. Insulin is a hormone that effects your reproductive system and adds pounds around your waist line.

PCOS is NOT a death sentence. You just got to understand who it works!

yep right here! I'm almost done, just want to drop 5 more pounds. Its hard work, I've seen plenty of success story of people who have lost the same amount as me in half the amount of time! It can be frustrating, I hit several Plateaus in which I was cursing with frustration! Its taken me over 2 years to drop 95 lbs, but I've never been as happy or as healthy as I am now!

I've been diagnosed with PCOS since 2003, right after the birth of my daughter who just turned 12....gained 100 pounds when i was prego with her and also gained hypertension that hasn't gone away....been at least 50 pounds overweight every since, I went on the Atkins once and lost weight quick but didn't keep muscle, pretty much been exercising all my life...now I'm 33 yrs old and have another child who is almost 2 (it took 10 years to have another child) but with my second pregnancy i worked out all the time so i didn't gain that much weight...now i'm 5.5" at 200 pounds and started boxing at Title Boxing Club 17 weeks ago 5 x a week for an hour...I've only lost 8 pounds but i know i've gained muscle, on Metformin, blood pressure meds and thyroid meds. It can be very frustrating to lose weight, but I know it can be done, i'm giving myself 1 year to lose 50 pounds...and I know I can do it. #beinghealthyismygoal

I have most likely had PCOS my entire life, but did not get a diagnosis/treatment until the age of 24 when I had reached 400lbs. My testosterone was through the roof, estrogen was dangerously low, I had *literally* enough insulin in my body for five adults, I was sleeping 16 hours a day and exhausted, it was never enough, I had lost most my hair (I had resorted to wearing "clip on hair), had dark patches of skin around my neck, underarms, and between my legs, skin tags, excess hair in places I REALLY didn't want it growing, I hadn't had a period in well over a year, and I'd finally gotten to the point where everything I ate, no matter what it was, made my violently ill to the point where I threw up, BUT I was gaining on average 10lbs a month.

My journey has been over roughly 12 years. It's not been an easy one to say the least. I am on not one, but two medications- and I cannot stress this enough- Metformin/Metformin XR are NOT medications to lose weight with PCOS. Yes, they can, and very well may help you lose weight, but they are not weight loss drugs. I was given (an am still on) Byetta, to help my body ONLY produce the insulin I need, and then stops it when I have that insulin (as being Insulin Resistant with PCOS, I produce WAY too much insulin), and then, the Metformin XR helps my body to absorb the insulin my body has produced, enabling me to properly metabolize food.

When I began both medications, I was violently sick. I often threw up when I ate, was bloated, and/or needed to be VERY close to a bathroom, because I didn't know what was or wasn't going to agree with me. I started wondering if the treatment was worse than the disease. Slowly, but surely, I learned to make sure that my portions were dramatically smaller, the carbohydrate count was a lot lower, and I figured out what foods "liked" me to so speak, and what didn't. I started walking, and during the summer, swimming as much as I could. I never cut anything entirely out of my diet, so to speak, because I knew that if I did, I would end up gaining everything back, and then some, I just made sure to check the carbohydrate count, and limited my portion sizes on things.

Every woman with PCOS is different. There are many women who are able to achieve great success with altering their diet (watching carbohydrate and incorporating exercise into their routines), while others need to have medications such as Metformin, Byetta, or others to help with the severity of the insulin resistance.

I would LOVE to get the point where I no longer have to take two shots a day and two pills. Even with a loss of almost 180lbs, I'm still not to the point to where when I stop, even with eating correctly and exercise, that my pancreas starts that production up right again with WAY too much insulin. It's very frustrating, BUT I am thankful that I have a treatment, and a great quality of life right now.

The main thing is, don't give up. It is a hard road when you live with PCOS. I know there are many days you don't feel like exercising, but push on! And also, know your hormone levels-- that will help a LOT. If you've got any imbalances, that can cause a HUGE whammy in weight loss. There are definitely natural ways to correct this, as well as the medicinal routes, but knowing your levels is a good thing. When you're on an even keel hormonally, it does make things easier to lose weight, than when you're trying to lose it while everything is out of whack.

Best wishes! I'm rooting for you!