21 yr old, PCOS sufferer, allergy sufferer, miserable about weight

144emily
144emily Posts: 14
in Introduce Yourself
Hello all, I'm Emily *wave*

I am not new to My Fitness Pal, I have used it several times but have never managed to stick at it.. I am hoping that by posting on this forum I will have some support that may help me to keep at it and finally reach my goals.

I am 5'4 and weigh 14st 8lbs.. My goal is 10st 7lbs, but I will be happy if I can just lose a stone at first to prove to myself that I can do this.

I suffer from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome which can make it more difficult to lose weight due to my hormones, it's not an excuse but I do feel it may slow down my weight loss.

I also have a few allergies which have caused me to put on weight in the last 6 months due to avoidance of many foods, and only eating 'safe foods' that I know I won't react to, like chocolate, bread, cheese, crisps meats etc.

I am allergic to tomatoes, celery and tend to avoid nuts. I am also sensitive to quite a few raw fruits and vegetables, but can eat most when cooked. This has seriously impacted on my weight as I have to wait a long time for definitive answers from the hospital about these allergies and what to do next.

As well as all this, I suffer with gallstones due to my weight, which is one of the main reasons I need to change my lifestyle, as they cause a lot of pain..

Anyway, that's me.. I hope to give and receive support on this forum, and have somewhere to report back to.

Bye for now x

Replies

  • 144emily
    144emily Posts: 14
    edited November 2014
    Please add me as a friend too :)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Join this group:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3070-p-c-o-sis

    Lots of women there who can understand exactly what you're experiencing.
  • 144emily
    144emily Posts: 14
    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    Join this group:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3070-p-c-o-sis

    Lots of women there who can understand exactly what you're experiencing.

    Thank you so much - I will join now!

  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
    There are other "safe foods" than bread and chocolate and crisps....If you can eat such a lot of preservatives and added stuff, it should be easy to find out exactly what you are allergic too.
    PCOS is a real issue, but there are lots of women who are still losing weight despite it.
    Just drop the excuse for eating chocolate and crisps and bread because its "safe", find out what fruit, veggies, lean meat and other food you are not allergic to, and you will be fine....
  • 144emily
    144emily Posts: 14
    astrampe wrote: »
    There are other "safe foods" than bread and chocolate and crisps....If you can eat such a lot of preservatives and added stuff, it should be easy to find out exactly what you are allergic too.
    PCOS is a real issue, but there are lots of women who are still losing weight despite it.
    Just drop the excuse for eating chocolate and crisps and bread because its "safe", find out what fruit, veggies, lean meat and other food you are not allergic to, and you will be fine....

    I should have clarified - when I was going through a tough and scary time with my allergies, I reverted to eating these foods, I now have a healthier and more varied diet due to being diagnosed with two of the potential allergies.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Good for you to tackle this early on, and best success in slowly re-introducing new foods.
  • 144emily
    144emily Posts: 14
    bynsky wrote: »
    No offense, but did a doctor diagnose your sensitivity and allergies to fruits & veggies? I have a family member with a severe pineapple allergy, and can not eat "cone" fruit without internal hives.

    I know food allergies are real and sometimes serious, but the best suggestion is to give yourself samples of them and wait a few days to see if you react. If there's a reaction, avoid it. If not, introduce another new one and repeat.

    But, there are many other healthy foods you can eat instead of what you have been. Eggs, milk, yogurt, beans, etc... Protein and fiber are your friends.


    Hi - yes I have been diagnosed with food allergies to tomato and celery by an allergist, and also diagnosed with OAS (Oral allergy syndrome) to certain raw fruits and veggies due to cross reactivity with pollens. I have been advised not to 'home test' foods but to wait for a supervised 'food test' in a controlled environment - which due to high demand I do not have this appointment for another 6 months.

    Thanks for your advice though.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
    With PCOS, your body is probably having a hard time producing the insulin needed to process all that junk you are eating. You need to cut it out of your diet and give your body a chance to do what it needs to.

    No one is allergic to every vegetable so there are healthy, nutritious foods that you can eat. But even if this is really about preference, you could try keto, which causes you to up your protein and fats while reducing your carbs. I have not tried it, but I do not have a problem with eating vegetables. I do have PCOS, and I have heard that it helps with PCOS. But you are really going to need to back off on the processed carbs and sugars if you really want to lose weight. (This suggestion is specific for PCOS sufferers attempting to lose weight and not general audience advice.)
  • 144emily
    144emily Posts: 14
    UsedToBeHusky wrote: »
    With PCOS, your body is probably having a hard time producing the insulin needed to process all that junk you are eating. You need to cut it out of your diet and give your body a chance to do what it needs to.

    No one is allergic to every vegetable so there are healthy, nutritious foods that you can eat. But even if this is really about preference, you could try keto, which causes you to up your protein and fats while reducing your carbs. I have not tried it, but I do not have a problem with eating vegetables. I do have PCOS, and I have heard that it helps with PCOS. But you are really going to need to back off on the processed carbs and sugars if you really want to lose weight. (This suggestion is specific for PCOS sufferers attempting to lose weight and not general audience advice.)

    Thanks for your recommendation of keto, I will take a look now.

    Like I said, I can eat most cooked veggies with no problems at all and some raw fruits are tolerable too. I am in no way suggesting I can't/won't eat any nutritious foods. I was just including some background info of what has been going on for me diet wise the past 6 months or so :)
  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
    edited November 2014
    Hello! I'm 19 and also have PCOS. It was always my excuse to not lose weight, but I've lost almost two and a half stone since June! It's all about calories in and calories out. I started at 15st 1lb and I'm 5'7. I'm not a fan of vegetables so usually I just tend to eat my 1300 calories in mostly meat - protein helps me feel more full for sure. I see that you're also from the UK like me! I'll add you ^-^
  • toscarthearmada
    toscarthearmada Posts: 382 Member
    edited November 2014
    In April of 2012 I was diagnosed with PCOS and Insulin Resistance. With the help of Low Carb and exercise I managed to lose 101 lbs in 16 months. I've maintained my Weight Loss for over a year and have solved my Insulin Resistance and PCOS.

    PCOS and Insulin Resistance almost goes hand in hand. I highly recommend you read a book called the Insulin Resistance diet. It taught me to eat at a 7 protein to 15 carb ratio that didn't exceed 30 carbs at any meal. Essentially, it taught me how to properly portion my food.

    I am also a chronic hive sufferer and am allergic to Gluten.
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
    144emily wrote: »
    ...and only eating 'safe foods' that I know I won't react to, like chocolate, bread, cheese, crisps meats etc.

    I have PCOS. Was diagnosed nearly 10 years ago. Low carb is the key to losing weight successfully with this condition... and, get this... losing weight is the singular best way to manage your PCOS symptoms. I think only eating "safe foods" like "crisps and chocolates" is completely counterproductive and quite frankly, lazy. Start experimenting to figure out things you are not allergic to and take control of your eating. Once you lose weight, your PCOS symptoms will improve drastically, but unfortunately it will require you to scale down your carb consumption for quite some time.

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