PCOS and Weight Loss

I'm there with you. Before kids I was 115 on a bad day and after three kids 80 pounds and a PCOS diagnosis I can't find a way to get ahead on my weight!

I agree. I've lost 15 pounds but it took 4 months even though I was set up for 2lbs per week. My progress has slowed now, but I am getting there. I also eat what I want but try stick to the caloric/percentage goals MFP sets up automatically.

I find I can only lose weight when I am exercising. I haven't had time during tax season and I haven't lost much regardless of my eating.

I find doing a low carb diet (paleo-ish) and plenty of exercise helps me lose. Albeit slow but it does come off. If I drink alcohol, even just a little, this will stall my weight loss.

Calorie reduction and weight lifting has worked for me. I do eat lower carb...<100 usually because I had blood sugar issues I'm trying to correct/keep in check, but generally I do the same things everyone else does to lose weight whether they have PCOS or not.

I have PCOS but I have no issues with weight if I eat the right amount of calories..
But I've heard that people recommend low carb diets and no refined carbs.Also,do you have insulin resistance? I have it and I feel hungry all the time because of it..You could get a prescription for managing your insulin levels,it could help

aggelikik wrote: »

Eat less, move more, just like everybody else, the basics do not change because of PCOS. If you are also insulin resistant, then discuss with your dr if you need to monitor how you distribute your carbs throughout the day.

You're right that the basics are not any different. The problem with women with PCOS (and people with other metabolic syndromes) is that it can be quite difficult to really understand the number of calories we need to be taking in, in order to be ina deficit. We burn calories slower and thus cannot rely on traditional calculators to be the be all end all like a person with a typical metabolism could.

First of all massive hug! Its so hard to lose weight anyway, let alone PCOS being a huge pain in the process. Everyone has their own food preferences and methods of losing weight which is always a given

I do find that Metformin helps, but ONLY if you eat borderline healthily and within moderate restricted calories. When I began on it, I was continuing to eat more than I should have, resulting in no improvement. But once I came off Metformin it I coincidently gained around 1 and a half stone in a matter of 3 months. Since then I now take Metformin three times a day (before it had been two) with meals, along with restricted calories and it has made weight loss generally better, although it took about two months to take proper effect.

I also hate doing low carb because I love carbs too much and are usually a staple for most of my meals, but on the upside my doctors tell me that although my weight is a big problem, my blood pressure is always an A+, so I don't know if my high carb diet is to thank for that but it's a huge relief. However its always down to the person, most people I know who do the dukan diet really stick to it and enjoy it, and lose weight too. It is also so important to exercise, whether it be going to the gym or just walking everywhere, walking has made a huge difference in my life and helping me in my journey for sure. My phone tracks my steps and adds it to my MFP which has been a huge help =D

PCOS does make things slower but its always worth it in the end - it's about the journey!

aggelikik wrote: »

hsmith0930 wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

Eat less, move more, just like everybody else, the basics do not change because of PCOS. If you are also insulin resistant, then discuss with your dr if you need to monitor how you distribute your carbs throughout the day.

You're right that the basics are not any different. The problem with women with PCOS (and people with other metabolic syndromes) is that it can be quite difficult to really understand the number of calories we need to be taking in, in order to be ina deficit. We burn calories slower and thus cannot rely on traditional calculators to be the be all end all like a person with a typical metabolism could.

According to every single endocrinologist I have seen the last 22 years since my original diagnosis, no. We burn calories just like everyone else. We tend to accumulate fat in the tummy area, which is a bit unusual for a woman and the fat clings to that area, it will be the last place to lose the fat, even if you end up having very low body fat, but we do nto defy the laws of physics: when we move like everyone else, we burn the same calories.

Studies have shown that women with pcos have lower than average bmrs, whether or not they are insulin resistance.

One such study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678372) found that the control group's average bmr was 18xx, pcos w/o ir was 14xx, and pcos w/ir was 1100.

It's not impossible to lose weight with pcos but it does take work to find what works for you. I get too hungry to cut calories under 1700 when trying to lose so I workout 6 days a week. Other women might not mind eating less so they don't workout as much. I'm eating more carbs now but when cutting I stay moderately low--100g or so. It's really important to experiment and see what works for you.

Low carb, metformin and a calorie deficit has worked for me.

Food scale
Log your food honestly and consistently
Metformin
Birth control
Exercise (cardio and weight training)
Low(er) carb (no simple carbohydrates… complex carbs only)