PCOS and struggling with weight lose

I've lost 31lb since January. I have PCOS. It is not impossible to lose weight if you eat at a deficit. Use a scale, weigh your foods and eat less than you burn.

Lost 80lbs some years ago with weight watchers. I primarily did water aerobics and walking for exercise. After 12 years with PCOS and infertility I lost the 80lbs and was knocked up without even trying lol (had sex one day that month). Now two beautiful kids later I'm back on my journey, this time with MFP and same exercise. I'm down 11 pounds since 4-15. You can do it!!! Measure, weigh and log all food. Get your booty moving doing something you like so you'll stick with it. Eat the things you love in moderation. Good luck!!

I highly recommend those with PCOS to work with bariatric doctors. I happen to have two that are also gynecologist a so they know all about PCOS. I recently ha an a1c and was shocked to learn that the a1c starts to increase before the fasting glucose is elevated. Now, after eating healthy and low carb for about a year, I am pre-diabetic. No matter what the number on the scale says, the numbers that matter are your blood levels. Know your numbers! My a1c was elevated and my LDL-P was elevated. Not good.

Now I'm going on Metformin after 3 years of my doctor suggesting it.

I have lost 50 lbs since Jan. 1 (so about 10 lbs a months) and I have PCOS. The first thing I did was cut out all beverages except for water...no soda, no juice, no coffee etc. (I'm lactose intolerant so I'm not sure if milk would help,or hurt your efforts if you regularly drink it). I exercise daily and make sure, at minimum, I hit 150 minutes a week of exercise and usually exceed this. I take rest days, but I still exercise a bit on those days. On my resting days the only exercise I do is a 8 to 10 minute walk (like 3 mph) after eating sugary or high carb foods. The after meal stroll is more about regulating blood sugar than burning calories and I feel so much better.

I mix up what kind of exercising I do. I have a treadmill so I use that a lot, I lift weights and exercise videos on youtube are wonderful because I dont have a gym near by (plus I think I can concentrate more on exercising and less on feeling selfconcious.) I also hike, play tennis and swim and golf when I get the chance.

As for diet, I'm not where I'd like to be but getting closer. I eat less processed and "junk" food, but by no means have I been able to cut it out completly. I eat more vegtables than ever, but they should probably make up a bigger portion of my diet.

I just went off the pill after being on it for a year (ttc for 6 years, but had to go on it to regulate things) so we are trying again and I really hope the diet and weight changes pay off. Feel free to add me or look at my meals and stuff.

I am not on metformin or prediabetic but I have heard metformin can help

If you are not losing, you are eating more than you think you are, it is not because of PCOS. PCOS will make it harder to lose from belly, as you will have weight there instead of the usual female pattern of weight at the bottom - you will be more apple-shaped. But, it works like for everyone else, eat less, lose fat. Are you using a scale to weigh everythign you eat? If not, try it for a few weeks to get an idea where you are underestimating calories.

AuburnL wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

If you are not losing, you are eating more than you think you are, it is not because of PCOS. PCOS will make it harder to lose from belly, as you will have weight there instead of the usual female pattern of weight at the bottom - you will be more apple-shaped. But, it works like for everyone else, eat less, lose fat. Are you using a scale to weigh everythign you eat? If not, try it for a few weeks to get an idea where you are underestimating calories.

She may be eating more than she realizes but PCOS affects your body in many ways that can complicate weight loss that go beyond where you carry weight so it may not be that simple. Impossible for us to say based on the information given. Some people do need meds to lose with PCOS and lots if women with PCOS also have insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome and/or other hormone irregularities. Metabolic issues can make it so that you have to eat at unsustainable calorie levels to lose consistently. OP if you haven't yet, try meeting with an endocrinologist to specifically talk about your goals.

No. If she is burning X calories and eat less than X per day, she will lose. Like everyone else. Endocrine disorders: I have lots of them, including PCOS. I still gain and lose like everyone else.

aggelikik wrote: »

AuburnL wrote: »

aggelikik wrote: »

If you are not losing, you are eating more than you think you are, it is not because of PCOS. PCOS will make it harder to lose from belly, as you will have weight there instead of the usual female pattern of weight at the bottom - you will be more apple-shaped. But, it works like for everyone else, eat less, lose fat. Are you using a scale to weigh everythign you eat? If not, try it for a few weeks to get an idea where you are underestimating calories.

She may be eating more than she realizes but PCOS affects your body in many ways that can complicate weight loss that go beyond where you carry weight so it may not be that simple. Impossible for us to say based on the information given. Some people do need meds to lose with PCOS and lots if women with PCOS also have insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome and/or other hormone irregularities. Metabolic issues can make it so that you have to eat at unsustainable calorie levels to lose consistently. OP if you haven't yet, try meeting with an endocrinologist to specifically talk about your goals.

No. If she is burning X calories and eat less than X per day, she will lose. Like everyone else. Endocrine disorders: I have lots of them, including PCOS. I still gain and lose like everyone else.

This.

Women with PCOS, whether or not they have insulin resistance, have lower BMRs. So they may need to eat even less than women without PCOS, but it still comes down to CICO. The lower BMR is one reason why exercise is really good for women with PCOS. I exercise 6x a week for 60-90 minutes. I've lost 55 pounds in 18 months. In the beginning I ate a reduced level of carbs (~100 g per day) but now that I am in a "healthy" weight zone, I eat a bit more. I do not take any medications for my PCOS.

HOw is your thyroid? Low carb works for me.