If you've succeeded with PCOS,insulin resistance,or other

Hey there,

I have PCOS with insulin resistance and the only thing that worked for me was metformin. I have religiously calories counted for years (correctly, weighing everything etc) and was maintaining on 1500 ish roundabouts. As a 23 yr old 5ft 3 fairly muscular and quite active woman my maintenance calories should have been around 2000 ( some calculators put it higher).
To lose i'd have to eat less than 1000 a day (not healthy) and once id eat back to 1500 it would go straight back on. For years i just put it down to a 'slow metabolism'.

With the metformin, i am eating 1500 calories now and losing,so its definitely improved my insulin resistance/ metabolism (i'm not sure what exactly as i dont know the science stuff in detail, all i kno is i'm now on par so to speak woth the average person loosing weight.) Of course you have to watch what u eat still and be in a deficit but if you are eating low calories and still not losing weight it may be advised to see an endocrinologist.

I have PCOS, insulin resistance and had pre diabetes.
I tried for years. I got to the point where I was eating as few as 500 calls per day and still gained weight.

I started on Metformin and do low carb and have been losing weight for the last few months.
it didn't work for me like the forums suggest. I didn't lose 25kgs in the first month like a lot of people state, I did lose 10 over the last few though!

I still had to really work at it but it did work!!

There is nothing more frustrating. Everyone tells you to just try harder but its impossible.

I have type 2 diabetes and I have been succeeding by cutting my portions and eating 5-6 times a day (3 meals and 2-3 snacks) plus exercising more. Per my doctor, I reduced my carbs to 35% of my total calories so I am eating 166 g. a day out of a calorie total of 1900 (I am 252 lb right now and 5'7"). I also walk and/or do water aerobics 6 times a week to reach 7000 steps (eventually will get to 10,000) and work out on resistance band machines at the gym 3 times a week.

my blood sugar was around 300 on may 1 of this year - yesterday it was 119, and i don't take medication. there are 3 things that contributed to this change.

first was walking. i don't mean speed walking or power walking - just regular walking, although with few or no breaks. as i started checking my blood sugar during a variety of eating and exercise, i found that what contributed most to keeping it down and keeping it regular was just walking. in fact, more intense exercise didn't have the same effect for me as walking.

second, i eat smaller meals - 200 to 250 calories per meal, about 6 times per day. it's not convenient, but less calories means less blood sugar increase.

i control my carbs - i try to eat no more than 20 per small meal, not counting fiber. i don't eat sugar or food with added sugar - not white sugar, not acacia syrup, not maple syrup, etc, and i don't eat fruit except for small portions of strawberries, which seem to have the least increase.

how do these things work together? well, a 30 minute walk at a brisk but not vigorous pace can get my blood sugar down to 99 now. the other day i went crazy and had a 2-bite muffin with sugar, and the walking i did afterwards kept my blood sugar from increasing more than normal. and the only large meals i eat tend to be at disneyland - i have half a gluten-free pasta meal (i'm allergic to wheat), but since we walk so much after, my blood sugar increase isn't worrisome.

all that being said, when i tried to manage my blood sugar before but had bigger meals and "cheat" meals, i was unable to get my blood sugar under control. the smaller meals and lower sugar made a huge difference.

the bottom line is regular walking and smaller meals, walking for 30 minutes or more daily and eating less sugars have made a huge improvement in my blood sugar without medication.

It absolutely has taken longer than it should, based on 'numbers'. My metabolism is even 10% higher than expected and it's still a slow process. I have tried lower carb, low GI, in the past (I have PCOS and insulin resistance) but all it did was make me cranky. The key for me is eat less and move more. Exercise is crucial for me. It took me 2 years to lose what I've lost, and I've spent the last year and a half trying to lose the last 20 lbs. I haven't been as good about following the program the last year and a half, so that's very likely the reason I'm not losing anymore.

Stick with it, expect that it will go slowly, but keep going.

Please tell those of us that are struggling how you did it. I know that we are all different and what works for one, may not work for another. I'm trying to lose weight (duh) but it's almost impossible to see ANY results. I am thinking of trying a low GI diet. I keep seeing that it helps those that may have the most trouble losing weight. If you have been successful. was it difficult, or did it take longer than it does for 'normal' people. I am losing hope. I just want to know if there is still hope. I am the biggest I've ever been and it's really depressing me.

Thanks

The only weight loss I've ever seen is after I switched to paleo. I see a lot of people going on about how terrible low-carb is but a lot of them don't understand how terrible carbs are for women with PCOS. Of course it wasn't the paleo alone. I know exactly what my BMR is, and I try to eat no more than 300 cals above that. I typically stay between 1900-2000 cals a day.

My nutrients are 15% carbs; 35 % protein; 50% fat

I workout 5 days a week and do a lot of muscle building exercise, I limit the cardio mostly because I have bad knees, but I do "crossfitish" workouts that act as cardio as well. It still holds true for women PCOS that lean muscle mass helps burn more fat, so maybe add a bit more strength training. If I relax with eating or exercise I can literally gain 8-10 lbs in a week, and that's without having insulin resistance. Depending on how PCOS is affecting you it could be different. I'd suggest getting blood work done again if you can and ask about taking birth control for the hormones and metformin for the regulation of insulin and glucose.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help, PCOS is still pretty mind-boggling to most medical professionals