XP: Losing weight with PCOS

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I was diagnosed with PCOS 8 years ago but never had a weight issue until after I had my daughter 4 years ago. I gained 70 pounds during pregnancy and I still have 40 pounds of it.

We recently tried to get pregnant and I had an ectopic pregnancy. They had to do surgery and found that I healed wrong from my c-section with my daughter and I can't conceive without IVF.
I need to lose weight to increase my fertility and health...I had never needed to follow a specific diet but since losing weight has proven to be hard I have been advised to try and eat more geared toward PCOS...I have no idea where to start and am overwhelmed.
He said even if I could lose 5-10 pounds (and every 5-10 after that is awesome) that it would help.

Any advice or suggestions would be great. Thank you.

Replies

  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    So sorry for all you're going through! I don't know about diets geared specifically towards PCOS, can your doctor refer you to a dietician to help you? There may be things you can to nutritionally support the IVF as well--two birds, one stone.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
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    Reducing your carb intake is something that you might find helpful. Reducing or eliminating white flour, white sugar, white rice and white pasta is also useful.

    You should familiarize yourself with the glycemic index--it's better to eat things that are lower on the GI most of the time. For example, cherries are a better fruit choice than bananas.

    Do you exercise? Activity makes a BIG difference when you have metabolic issues.

    Good luck!
  • Kelly79L
    Kelly79L Posts: 12 Member
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    PCOS can mean that you are insulin resistant so a spike in your blood sugars causes your body to burn fat slower. It's all very complicated and it's best to google it. There are loads of good websites that can help you with a diet plan for PCOS but it's a bit like a diabetic diet.
  • SexyKatherine73
    SexyKatherine73 Posts: 221 Member
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    I have PCOS I eat low GI foods or I mix and match high GI foods with a protein to balance it out. sadly with PCOS just getting within a defect is not enough, we have to move. (I do a lot of walking)

    "You can have PCOS without insulin resistance. However, insulin is often elevated in PCOS, according to labtestsonline.org. About 40 percent of women with PCOS have insulin resistance as measured by the glucose intolerance test" (from http://www.livestrong.com/article/466007-can-you-have-pcos-not-be-insulin-resistant/)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I have PCOS as well. I eat a reduced level of grains and refined sugars. I also find that exercise is key. I weight train 4x a week and do cardio 4x a week for best results. But I eased into that so if you are sedentary, I wouldn't suggest starting it all up at once. I've lost 53.7 lbs. since January 2014.
  • jordanveg
    jordanveg Posts: 20 Member
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    I have endometriosis, which is slightly similar, but not the same. Reducing refined, processed foods might help. Some people say cutting out oils help, some say dairy, some say meat. A lot of people report endo and PCOS improving with a whole food, plant based diet, and even if you don't go full tilt, they do have some wonderful lessons about food. Forks Over Knives is a great resource for reducing inflamation and female problems.
  • whitespider360
    whitespider360 Posts: 42 Member
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    I was diagnosed with PCOS and an adrenal disorder years ago and was told that my red blood cells take over my white blood cells. Now my white blood cells are lower than normal and stay that way because of this. Can't seem to get them up, nothing is working. I was wondering if any of you have this same issue with your white blood count.