Overwhelmed by PCOS
RebeccaMaunder
Posts: 171 Member
I'm not sure where to post this so I'm writing it here. I have suffered with PCOS for about 15 ish years. When I was told I had it the doctor told me that I could eat salads every day and still door overweight of malnutrition.
I've let this be an excuse I think. I have made plenty of poor choices and I think in the back of my mind I just keep there that it doesn't matter what I do I'm going to die fat.
I don't want to believe this. I think I can do this, however I'm struggling so much with where to start what I should be eating how often ect that I literally broke down in to tears tonight.
Something needs to change. So if you've got any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Stats obviously female. 350 lbs and not always able to be the most mobile due to pain in feet and knees.
Thank you
Becca
I've let this be an excuse I think. I have made plenty of poor choices and I think in the back of my mind I just keep there that it doesn't matter what I do I'm going to die fat.
I don't want to believe this. I think I can do this, however I'm struggling so much with where to start what I should be eating how often ect that I literally broke down in to tears tonight.
Something needs to change. So if you've got any suggestions I would love to hear them.
Stats obviously female. 350 lbs and not always able to be the most mobile due to pain in feet and knees.
Thank you
Becca
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Replies
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I'm an irritated PCOSer as well. I can work my butt off and lose 100 lbs, 50, 60 lbs here and there and then it comes right back. I can eat the perfect foods and then just watch the weight creep back on slowly and slowly. The only way I have been able to lose a lot of weight is by extreme exercising and not quitting. It is the quitting that has me back at square 1 again. I decided a few days ago that if I was going to be in pain anyway, I may as well be in pain losing weight. My doctor told me that daily exercise for at least 1 hour was going to be my PCOS prescription for life....It is a bit depressing
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There are so many women on here who have PCOS who have lost weight and kept it off. I don't have PCOS, so I hope those ladies come here to provide some encouragement.
However, I suggest you look for a doctor who specializes in you particular medical condition.0 -
I have PCOS. You can totally reverse the condition by changing the types of food and amount of foods you put into your body and by getting adequate exercise.0
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It is nice to know I'm not alone. I really want to change this. Any tips on that are also appreciated.0
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There are so many women on here who have PCOS who have lost weight and kept it off. I don't have PCOS, so I hope those ladies come here to provide some encouragement.
However, I suggest you look for a doctor who specializes in you particular medical condition.
I think there's a group, if I'm not mistaken?0 -
Hey Becca,
I was diagnosed a little over 3 months ago and so far I have lost 17.5kgs(38.5 pounds). I currently weigh 135kgs (297 pounds). I plateau every few weeks as my body adjusts to the lower cal intake and the exercise I am doing. When I start to plateau, I change up my work outs swapping between doing high weights with low reps or low weights with high reps. I eat high fat, low carb, making sure that my carb intake is low GI. PCOS generally means insulin resistance in anyone overweight. Our bodies don't deal with carbs as well as other people's do and you will end up fatigued and demotivated eating high GI foods. 'The Fat Revolution' book is highly recommended for PCOS sufferers and I have found it to work really well so far.
I know I'm not exactly an expert in the area as I clearly haven't lost all the weight yet and kept it off, but I do know that what we eat and exercise area lifetime prescription. Unfortunately there is no quick fix. There are tonnes of websites/forums to help keep your motivation and commit to exercise and eating right out of self love. I recommend www.pcosdiva.com and www.pcosdietsupport.com
Both of the women who run these sites are PCOS sufferers themselves so they get the struggle. There's heaps of advice on meal plans, work outs, supplements and self care.
Good luck. Feel free to add me
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You doctor is a fool, and he's wrong. A HUGE percentage of morbidly obese women have PCOS, and yet EVERY SINGLE PERSON who gets bariatric surgery loses weight...at least initially, before they learn to cheat it.
Cut carbs to deal with insulin resistance. Everything else is the same. You can lose weight like everyone else.0 -
I have PCOS. You can totally reverse the condition by changing the types of food and amount of foods you put into your body and by getting adequate exercise.
You can mostly reverse the condition by losing weight. Just a 20% loss in body weight reverses something like 50% of PCOS. Even a 5% reduction makes a huge difference.
Most obese people have insulin resistance, but because your metabolism is very high if you're obese (yes, it is HIGHER than in lighter people!), it's extremely easy for an obese person to lose significant amounts of weight simply by cutting to 1500 to 1800 calories a day.
Track your calories and you'll lose. And you'll reverse your insulin resistance, too.0 -
angiekauffmanlpca wrote: »I'm an irritated PCOSer as well. I can work my butt off and lose 100 lbs, 50, 60 lbs here and there and then it comes right back. I can eat the perfect foods and then just watch the weight creep back on slowly and slowly. The only way I have been able to lose a lot of weight is by extreme exercising and not quitting. It is the quitting that has me back at square 1 again. I decided a few days ago that if I was going to be in pain anyway, I may as well be in pain losing weight. My doctor told me that daily exercise for at least 1 hour was going to be my PCOS prescription for life....It is a bit depressing
You are not counting all your calories.
PCOS doesn't magically slow your metabolism. The NICE thing about insulin resistance is that you can actually lose weight safely FASTER with it because it spares your muscle.
You don't have to exercise an hour a day if you can control your portion size. The problem is that most people who go up very high in weight tend to badly, BADLY underestimate how much they eat, so those who don't have a rigorous, calorie-counting program by weighing ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING end up eating a ton more than they think they do and needing to exercise a lot to keep it off. YES, if you overeat, you're going to have to exercise an hour a day to stay slim.
I've had any number of obese friends tell me that they ate soooo much less than I do. Seemed plausible when we went out together. But once I'd go on any trip with them where we were together all the time, the mystery disappeared very quickly. They were eating more than me--a ton more. So while I'd arrange my meals so I could scarf down 3 pieces of pizza while we were together and they'd only have one, I'd eat hardly anything else a day I had 3 pieces of pizza, and they'd graze or have extra snacks, so they'd end up eating solidly double what I would in any given day.
Watch these:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o
She would have to exercise 1.5-2 hours a day HARD to stay slim on that diet!!!
And this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYJrC3RTtgQ
It might sound like I'm being mean. I'm really not. What I'm saying is that this means that this is 100% in YOUR control, idiot doctors notwithstanding.0 -
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OP what was the idiot dr who told you this? The first and most important treatment steps for PCOS are losing weight, via controlling calories, and getting physically active. PCOS might be to blame for a few extra lbs clinging to your belly area. That's it. The end. The rest of the weight, it is from overeating. So the good news are, you have control over it. Count your calories and start moving, and you will be impressed.0
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OP what was the idiot dr who told you this? The first and most important treatment steps for PCOS are losing weight, via controlling calories, and getting physically active. PCOS might be to blame for a few extra lbs clinging to your belly area. That's it. The end. The rest of the weight, it is from overeating. So the good news are, you have control over it. Count your calories and start moving, and you will be impressed.
The rest of the weight is not just from overeating. Insulin resistance means that there's a fault in the lock and key mechanism that takes glucose into the cells in the muscles. When it struggles with that it produces more insulin to compensate, converts the glucose to glycogen and stores it as fat. This drops your blood sugar quite quickly and you can get hypoglycaemic symptoms. This obviously makes you crave more sugar or carbs which continues the cycle on again. If it goes undiagnosed for a long time this can cause obesity and diabetes. It's not just 'overeating' like your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Your body is telling you it needs more.
I've found the best way to combat this is making sure to eat fats and proteins at the same time as carbs if I do eat them. This slows down the absorption. Eating low GI carbs obviously helps too.
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ellesMFP93 wrote: »OP what was the idiot dr who told you this? The first and most important treatment steps for PCOS are losing weight, via controlling calories, and getting physically active. PCOS might be to blame for a few extra lbs clinging to your belly area. That's it. The end. The rest of the weight, it is from overeating. So the good news are, you have control over it. Count your calories and start moving, and you will be impressed.
The rest of the weight is not just from overeating. Insulin resistance means that there's a fault in the lock and key mechanism that takes glucose into the cells in the muscles. When it struggles with that it produces more insulin to compensate, converts the glucose to glycogen and stores it as fat. This drops your blood sugar quite quickly and you can get hypoglycaemic symptoms. This obviously makes you crave more sugar or carbs which continues the cycle on again. If it goes undiagnosed for a long time this can cause obesity and diabetes. It's not just 'overeating' like your eyes are bigger than your stomach. Your body is telling you it needs more.
I've found the best way to combat this is making sure to eat fats and proteins at the same time as carbs if I do eat them. This slows down the absorption. Eating low GI carbs obviously helps too.
No. I'm sorry, but that's standard low-carbing gospel, and, as a rational being, you had it in your power to do something somewhere in the process to not be powerless to the cravings.
You overate.
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PeachyCarol wrote: »No. I'm sorry, but that's standard low-carbing gospel, and, as a rational being, you had it in your power to do something somewhere in the process to not be powerless to the cravings.
You overate.
The food pyramid used to suggest that the largest part of your diet should be grains, cereals, pasta, bread, rice, etc. It has only been adjusted in the past couple of years. If people weren't fully educated about nutrition past the food pyramid they learnt in school it would be very easy for them to think eating plenty of carbs would be a good thing.
I'm not saying people with insulin resistance and PCOS don't or didn't overeat. I'm saying it's not the same as knowingly eating past the point of being full. And I'm saying it's important to understand why the overeating happened. It's not as simple as 'you overate. Say no to your cravings.'0 -
What I'm saying is that there's a point where we all ignore the fact that we're overeating for whatever the reason is as the weight piles on.
We can see that we're getting bigger and bigger, and some people manage to stop before it gets to a certain point and get help by either going to a doctor and finding out what the problem is, or finding other ways to address it.
I know other people with PCOS, and not all of them get overweight to such a point.
Similarly, I know other people who have shared the issues I had with my weight, and they weren't as overweight as I was (I'm in the middle of losing my weight).
Stop blaming the food, please. I'm trying to help you here, I really am.
There's a part of the whole equation you're missing. PCOS was just the beginning. It got to a certain extent because you let it get there. This is true for everyone who has put on weight and buys progressively larger clothes.-2 -
PeachyCarol wrote: »What I'm saying is that there's a point where we all ignore the fact that we're overeating for whatever the reason is as the weight piles on.
We can see that we're getting bigger and bigger, and some people manage to stop before it gets to a certain point and get help by either going to a doctor and finding out what the problem is, or finding other ways to address it.
I know other people with PCOS, and not all of them get overweight to such a point.
Similarly, I know other people who have shared the issues I had with my weight, and they weren't as overweight as I was (I'm in the middle of losing my weight).
Stop blaming the food, please. I'm trying to help you here, I really am.
There's a part of the whole equation you're missing. PCOS was just the beginning. It got to a certain extent because you let it get there. This is true for everyone who has put on weight and buys progressively larger clothes.
Preach!-2 -
So the 7 years, 18 doctors and numerous fad diets it took to diagnose my PCOS and insulin resistance is because I was ignoring my weight gain?
Not everyone with PCOS is insulin resistant so I'm sure not everyone you know who has PCOS is overweight.
I'm not blaming the food. I'm saying I was told for years I was eating the right things until one day that information was incorrect.
I was explaining the reason why the overeating happens. Which I think is a lot more helpful than 'stop overeating'.
I was trying to help the OP to understand what goes on in the body of an insulin resistant person and the kind of foods to eat to combat this as she asked what she should eat.
I've found everyone else of MFP to be really positive and good at encouraging each other to eat better things. I can't say the same for you though PeachyCarol.0 -
Every single person on my friend's list here who had PCOS was IR. They've lost enough weight that they no longer are.
And I am sorry, I was an overeater who blamed the food and blamed hormones and the foods for telling her to overeat.
I am encouraging you whether you realize it or not. I'm encouraging you to dig deeper to find a healthier relationship with food. I hope you find it.-4 -
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I think we all have reasons and factors that led us to be at our beginning obese weigjt, however for me, it does no good to focus on those unless it is in the realm of techniques to reduce and eliminate those reasons or factors.
The idea that it is the overeating that brought us all there and that eating at a deficit is all that is needed to overcome this, is super helpful to me. I used to look for more answers and when I realized it all boiled down to that, it was an epiphany. So while I find it sad that you don't find that type of advice helpful, I am so grateful it exists on the forum for those like myself for which it is.
Yes. Exactly. And if you wish to reduce carbohydrates while creating that deficit? Have at it.
But make no mistake that the PRIMARY problem was that you chronically overate because you liked to/were in the habit of it and the food tasted good.
The carbs didn't "make" you do it. Neither did the insulin, or your hormones.
You have the power to fix it, and I'm not dissing your choice to low carb to do it, just your reasoning.
FTR? I moderate my own carbs to manage my energy levels thanks to a medical condition. That's my choice. I have nothing against the way someone chooses to eat to deal with their medical issues. I don't think it serves someone well in the long run to not fully address the root cause of their issues with their weight, though.
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PCOS is a syndrome and like all syndromes it is a collection of symptoms that will effect each person differently. Some people will have more severe cases then others. Not all women with PCOS are fat and in some it contributes heavily. Hell, not all women with PCOS even have ovarian cysts. It can testosterone or estrogen dominant and that variation will effect your treatment as well.
My suggestions:
1. Find a reproductive endocrinologist. They are the experts.
2. Get tested for insulin resistance.
3. If you are insulin resistant talk to your RE about Metformin. The difference in my body while on Metformin is night and day.
4. Keep an eye on carbs. I don't really low carb it but in general try to keep my net carbs around 100g a day.
5. Exercise/strength training can increase insulin sensitivity.0 -
I have a normal weight (BMI 21) and my sister is underweight and we both have PCOS with cysts. So weight control has not helped that issue.
Only about half of PCOS patients are overweight. The diagnosis is not a life-sentence to being overweight.
I'm fairly certain my sister and I have been able to control a lot of symptoms with weight and diet control.
We both count calories and lost weight without medication. It can be done. The first step is being honest with yourself. Weigh and measure everything and log everything.0 -
@PeachyCarol ... I admire you.. a lot
Your advice may be difficult for some to take when they are at certain points of their journey .. but if they can absorb the message no matter how unpalatable it is they will start to succeed .. and success breeds success
time to take responsibility for the parts you can take responsibility for .. time to not be a victim or find an excuse. People with IR and PCOS lose weight .. it may be more difficult than without but it's the same rules
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I'm not denying that you have the power to fix it. I am saying that it's important to know the cause of the cravings and how to stop them happening rather than just trying to ignore them and getting hypoglycaemic symptoms.
The OP said that her doctor didn't provide her with a lot of information about what was going on and didn't really know where to start or what to eat. I was offering her strategies that have helped me to lose 17.5kg over the last 3 months.
My reasoning for following low carb is because high GI carbs make my blood sugar drop rapidly around an hour after eating which makes me anxious, shaky, dizzy and I feel rotten. And when that happens I need to eat some sugar to get my levels back up. I didn't understand until this year what was happening to me. And I tried for years to find out why this happened.
All I'm trying to say is that you can't tell people that they overate and they should have fixed it when they didn't have the tools or knowledge to fix it. I'm trying to fix it now. And I did try to fix it in the past but didn't know how.
And as for your earlier comment I have a perfectly healthy relationship with food NOW because I understand how my body reacts to certain foods.0 -
PCOS warrior here. Struggled with my weight since being 15. Always ate too much. Blamed my "condition"
My condition did not make me fat. Me lifting food continuously to my mouth did that.
I used to have a conversation in my head "Oh flip, I feel so fat today. Stupid body. Stupid PCOS" "Eat some food to make you feel better" "Oooh yes I will thanks"
Yep IR does make things more complicated but the fact is... I have lost almost 3 stone since January. I take NO medication whatsoever to control my PCOS as I am more than aware that my symptoms are worse the bigger I am. Now I am almost at the upper end of a healthy BMI and feeling much better about myself.
Willpower. Accountability. A strength I never knew I had and being tough on myself caused that. Not PCOS.
It frustrates me how people will always blame their condition than just be honest with themselves that they eat far too much. Been there, done it, wore the too tight t shirt.0 -
NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner wrote: »
Yep IR does make things more complicated.
It seems to me that all @ellesMFP93 has been doing is explaining how it's complicated. Extremely patiently, I might add. As well as how it can be corrected.
Not all people with PCOS are overweight. Also, although the underlying biological reality is starting to become clearer, not all people have the same symptoms to the same degree. It is a syndrome - a metabolic syndrome, actually, the treatment for which is often - in cases where obesity is a symptom, which is not the case for every person with PCOS, by the way - a low-carb diet. Like that is the standard treatment, for people who need it. Because it is a metabolic syndrome.
I see pretty much no value to the OP in much of the discussion above. It's just people beating their drums just to hear themselves.0 -
PeachyCarol wrote: »What I'm saying is that there's a point where we all ignore the fact that we're overeating for whatever the reason is as the weight piles on.
We can see that we're getting bigger and bigger, and some people manage to stop before it gets to a certain point and get help by either going to a doctor and finding out what the problem is, or finding other ways to address it.
I know other people with PCOS, and not all of them get overweight to such a point.
For some people with PCOS, being overweight doesn't even come into it. There's variation in how it's expressed. Some never gain weight. Some do but it has nothing to do with PCOS. I think if you don't actually know what you're talking about, maybe it'd be better to sit out.0 -
You know what pisses me off? People who flag posts because they don't want to hear the truth. Flag me all you want. Just because you don't like what someone has to say, doesn't automatically make it either abusive or incorrect.-2
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snickerscharlie wrote: »You know what pisses me off? People who flag posts because they don't want to hear the truth. Flag me all you want. Just because you don't like what someone has to say, doesn't automatically make it either abusive or incorrect.
People need to remember that serial unnecessary flagging can get them mod points just as quickly as writing something against the TOS.
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but the other issues, yes, that's the standard advice I've heard. 
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