Best advice for weight loss when you have PCOS?

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MiuNya
MiuNya Posts: 37 Member
edited March 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
warning: Woman problems ahead haha

Hi, my name is Aisha and im almost 21 years old. I am 160lbs gave or take and 5 foot 2 inches...
After years of weight gain as a teenager (I used to be 180lbs) and many other body problems. I finally think I have found the reason as to why it was so hard to lose weight as well. I went to the doctor after researching about said problems and saw the term "PCOS" and by telling her about it she scheduled an abdominal ultrasound for me, an its coming up on the 9th. This is to determine if I have any ovary cysts. I also have to get a blood test done.

Anyway the point is, it's most likely I've got this, because of how tough it was to lose weight for me, is there any advice on how many calories I should be eating daily, what foods to take and what to cut down/avoid completely ect? Is it even possible for me to reach my goal of 130-140lbs? ;/ I also need help with exercise tips, thats where I fail the most! Most my fat is around my midsection... I really want more than anything to rid of my tummy fat. I have lost some so far by completely cleaning my diet up but now its getting tough because I have hit a plateau and I go to college and it consumes all my energy, time and money.

It really sucks because its not something curable, its only something I have to control for the rest of my life... but knowing I have this diagnosis means I can hopefully control it (: any help is appreciated!

Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    Best advice for weight loss:

    Eat less than you burn.
    Be patient.

    That's still the *magic* formula, even when you have pcos. You may have to play around with your tdee, because it's likely to be a little lower than someone without pcos. And, you might want to watch your carb intake.

    It might take a little longer, it might be a little harder, but you can still lose weight. Don't let yourself use this as an excuse or a crutch.
  • Sophiasmomma
    Sophiasmomma Posts: 155 Member
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    I have pcos. I only learned I have it when I stsrted to try to have a family. For me, low carb worked the best. It seemed to help me be regular and lose weight. Good luck hth
  • sugarnspice33
    sugarnspice33 Posts: 15 Member
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    Miunya,

    A symptom of PCOS is insulin resistance/pre-diabetes. Your doctor will look at a series of things and advise you. Try a low carb food choices. The atkins diet or south beach diet to get started and/or provide a general guideline. I this condition. I will send u a friend request :)

    Congrats on your weight loss so far
  • MiuNya
    MiuNya Posts: 37 Member
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    Thanks for the pep talks and advice!! Now all I need to do is get the will power to cut my carb intake.

    Much appreciated!
  • cwilson72180
    cwilson72180 Posts: 30 Member
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    I also have PCOS and am trying to lose weight. The advice about cutting carbs is true. The doctor will tell you to cut them out. It is really hard though, believe me. Best of luck to both of us!
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    My suggestion is to lower carbs somewhat but don't go completely crazy about it to begin with. You may very well find that lowering your carbs somewhere around 100 grams as opposed to 30 to 50 grams which I see a lot on here is perfectly fine.

  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
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    Yep, of which I got a sharp reminder of last night with a cyst acting up. I'm relatively asymptomatic other than the occasional cyst flare ups (and a few other signs that my testosterone level is up) and the fact I need to reduce carbs to lose weight. I can get away with what is considered a moderate carb intake (I have it set at 30%, which is perfectly doable for me). I also have cinnamon (meant to regulate blood sugar) and flaxseed meal (meant to regulate hormones) every day in my breakfast. Whether they do anything or not I really don't know, but they're tasty, so...
  • Myriambaril18
    Myriambaril18 Posts: 9 Member
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    I have been diagnosed with both PCOS and hypothyroidism. I had my 2nd baby 10 months ago and thanks to cutting calories (and a baby that litteraly drained calories out of me) I am now 30 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight (and now at a healthy weight). I did not particularly follow a specific diet (except being strict on calories). My PCOS was very resistant : to get pregnant, I had to inject myself with hormones as nothing else would even make me ovulate, but I had no insulin resistance (I was tested for this). However based on the fact that PCOS is sometimes associated to insulin resistance, I would tend to believe that cutting on sugar could possibly help with the symptoms (and cutting on sugar cannot be a bad idea...) Good luck and don't get this condition bring you down!
  • berlynnwall
    berlynnwall Posts: 669 Member
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    Adding to the above, what you want to try to cut down on is simple carbs, not complex ones.
  • vixtris
    vixtris Posts: 688 Member
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    Get your thyroid levels checked too. That is another common problem for people that are struggling with weight loss.
  • MiuNya
    MiuNya Posts: 37 Member
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    Small update. I'm now at 145lbs but now it's getting even harder to lose it!! Low carb seems to work best for me ! I'll keep fighting!
  • faji2015
    faji2015 Posts: 93 Member
    edited June 2016
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    I
  • tryett
    tryett Posts: 530 Member
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    Have had pcos all my life, officially diagnosed 30 years ago. The only time I have been able to lose weight is low carb, I average 80-90 grams a day. See if they will check your vitamin d level also.

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