PCOS and weight loss (or lack thereof)
onmyway214now
Posts: 8 Member
I was diagnosed with PCOS at a young age. I was put on metformin and birth control. My periods were regular with that, but I was so sick from the metformin. I felt deathly ill every single day for 7 years. I finally took myself off of it. I got back on birth control for a short time and metformin in a lower dosage but even one pill a day makes me so sick. About 5 years ago, out of the blue, my periods came back regularly. They have been ever since. But.... as I was taking the metformin, no matter what diet I was on or what I did, I gained weight. I ballooned up to over 200 pounds before I graduated high school. I gained again when I took it the second time and I am sitting now at 262 from 278. I have tried everything under the sun to lose this weight and nothing has worked. I will gain and lose the same 5 pounds over and over. What got me down from 278 was hours a day at the gym, and that's just not feasible for me long term. Who has 3 hours every day to devote to killing themselves at the gym, this isn't The Biggest Loser.
So, my question is... what actually works with pcos? I have tried atkins, keto, low carb (no they aren't all the same, I learned that the hard way), weight watchers, calorie counting, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, cutting out white things, and nothing works. Has any of you tried 1200 calories a day, not restricting anything? If any of you have tried this, please let me know. Or if you have any other ideas let me know. Please don't recommend counting carbs because as soon as I do that, my weight loss stops, completely, until I add carbs back into my diet. Thanks in advance.
So, my question is... what actually works with pcos? I have tried atkins, keto, low carb (no they aren't all the same, I learned that the hard way), weight watchers, calorie counting, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, cutting out white things, and nothing works. Has any of you tried 1200 calories a day, not restricting anything? If any of you have tried this, please let me know. Or if you have any other ideas let me know. Please don't recommend counting carbs because as soon as I do that, my weight loss stops, completely, until I add carbs back into my diet. Thanks in advance.
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onmyway214now wrote: »I was diagnosed with PCOS at a young age. I was put on metformin and birth control. My periods were regular with that, but I was so sick from the metformin. I felt deathly ill every single day for 7 years. I finally took myself off of it. I got back on birth control for a short time and metformin in a lower dosage but even one pill a day makes me so sick. About 5 years ago, out of the blue, my periods came back regularly. They have been ever since. But.... as I was taking the metformin, no matter what diet I was on or what I did, I gained weight. I ballooned up to over 200 pounds before I graduated high school. I gained again when I took it the second time and I am sitting now at 262 from 278. I have tried everything under the sun to lose this weight and nothing has worked. I will gain and lose the same 5 pounds over and over. What got me down from 278 was hours a day at the gym, and that's just not feasible for me long term. Who has 3 hours every day to devote to killing themselves at the gym, this isn't The Biggest Loser.
So, my question is... what actually works with pcos? I have tried atkins, keto, low carb (no they aren't all the same, I learned that the hard way), weight watchers, calorie counting, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, cutting out white things, and nothing works. Has any of you tried 1200 calories a day, not restricting anything? If any of you have tried this, please let me know. Or if you have any other ideas let me know. Please don't recommend counting carbs because as soon as I do that, my weight loss stops, completely, until I add carbs back into my diet. Thanks in advance.
I also have PCOS (as well as hypothyroidism). I was prescribed Metformin in December 2015 (on top of my Synthyroid) - it's important to realize that Metformin is not a weight loss pill. Personally, I have not cut out any food groups or restricted myself. I follow IIFYM with my carbs at 140g on days I work out and 110g when I do not. I also lift heavy for 45-60 minutes 4-5x a week plus 4 cardio sessions (2 20 minute HIIT sessions, 2 30 minute steady state sessions). I am finally losing weight, slowly but surely.
Everyone is different though - you may have to experiment a bit until you find what works for you. Also - you should speak with your doctor about the Metformin making you sick... when I started on Metformin my endocrinologist said to call her ASAP if I had any issues while taking it because you do not have to live like that! There are other options.
Good luck
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onmyway214now wrote: »I was diagnosed with PCOS at a young age. I was put on metformin and birth control. My periods were regular with that, but I was so sick from the metformin. I felt deathly ill every single day for 7 years. I finally took myself off of it. I got back on birth control for a short time and metformin in a lower dosage but even one pill a day makes me so sick. About 5 years ago, out of the blue, my periods came back regularly. They have been ever since. But.... as I was taking the metformin, no matter what diet I was on or what I did, I gained weight. I ballooned up to over 200 pounds before I graduated high school. I gained again when I took it the second time and I am sitting now at 262 from 278. I have tried everything under the sun to lose this weight and nothing has worked. I will gain and lose the same 5 pounds over and over. What got me down from 278 was hours a day at the gym, and that's just not feasible for me long term. Who has 3 hours every day to devote to killing themselves at the gym, this isn't The Biggest Loser.
So, my question is... what actually works with pcos? I have tried atkins, keto, low carb (no they aren't all the same, I learned that the hard way), weight watchers, calorie counting, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, cutting out white things, and nothing works. Has any of you tried 1200 calories a day, not restricting anything? If any of you have tried this, please let me know. Or if you have any other ideas let me know. Please don't recommend counting carbs because as soon as I do that, my weight loss stops, completely, until I add carbs back into my diet. Thanks in advance.
I also have PCOS (as well as hypothyroidism). I was prescribed Metformin in December 2015 (on top of my Synthyroid) - it's important to realize that Metformin is not a weight loss pill. Personally, I have not cut out any food groups or restricted myself. I follow IIFYM with my carbs at 140g on days I work out and 110g when I do not. I also lift heavy for 45-60 minutes 4-5x a week plus 4 cardio sessions (2 20 minute HIIT sessions, 2 30 minute steady state sessions). I am finally losing weight, slowly but surely.
Everyone is different though - you may have to experiment a bit until you find what works for you. Also - you should speak with your doctor about the Metformin making you sick... when I started on Metformin my endocrinologist said to call her ASAP if I had any issues while taking it because you do not have to live like that! There are other options.
Good luck
I did talk with her about it. She said some people just can't tolerate it. We changed dosages and added supplements and probiotics and and nothing helped. After I took myself off of it, she she didn't put me back on it seeing as I react so differently. My periods and symptoms are more managed now than when I was on the meds. I've counted macros but if I don't restrict calories I don't lose. How many calories do you eat per day?0 -
onmyway214now wrote: »onmyway214now wrote: »I was diagnosed with PCOS at a young age. I was put on metformin and birth control. My periods were regular with that, but I was so sick from the metformin. I felt deathly ill every single day for 7 years. I finally took myself off of it. I got back on birth control for a short time and metformin in a lower dosage but even one pill a day makes me so sick. About 5 years ago, out of the blue, my periods came back regularly. They have been ever since. But.... as I was taking the metformin, no matter what diet I was on or what I did, I gained weight. I ballooned up to over 200 pounds before I graduated high school. I gained again when I took it the second time and I am sitting now at 262 from 278. I have tried everything under the sun to lose this weight and nothing has worked. I will gain and lose the same 5 pounds over and over. What got me down from 278 was hours a day at the gym, and that's just not feasible for me long term. Who has 3 hours every day to devote to killing themselves at the gym, this isn't The Biggest Loser.
So, my question is... what actually works with pcos? I have tried atkins, keto, low carb (no they aren't all the same, I learned that the hard way), weight watchers, calorie counting, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, cutting out white things, and nothing works. Has any of you tried 1200 calories a day, not restricting anything? If any of you have tried this, please let me know. Or if you have any other ideas let me know. Please don't recommend counting carbs because as soon as I do that, my weight loss stops, completely, until I add carbs back into my diet. Thanks in advance.
I also have PCOS (as well as hypothyroidism). I was prescribed Metformin in December 2015 (on top of my Synthyroid) - it's important to realize that Metformin is not a weight loss pill. Personally, I have not cut out any food groups or restricted myself. I follow IIFYM with my carbs at 140g on days I work out and 110g when I do not. I also lift heavy for 45-60 minutes 4-5x a week plus 4 cardio sessions (2 20 minute HIIT sessions, 2 30 minute steady state sessions). I am finally losing weight, slowly but surely.
Everyone is different though - you may have to experiment a bit until you find what works for you. Also - you should speak with your doctor about the Metformin making you sick... when I started on Metformin my endocrinologist said to call her ASAP if I had any issues while taking it because you do not have to live like that! There are other options.
Good luck
I did talk with her about it. She said some people just can't tolerate it. We changed dosages and added supplements and probiotics and and nothing helped. After I took myself off of it, she she didn't put me back on it seeing as I react so differently. My periods and symptoms are more managed now than when I was on the meds. I've counted macros but if I don't restrict calories I don't lose. How many calories do you eat per day?
i'm 5'10", 187.6lbs to date and eat 1650 calories on workout days, 1485 calories on rest days with one refeed day a week of 1760 calories (carbs are higher).0 -
Set your goal weight to MFP. Log your calories, using a food scale and logging everything you eat. Stick to your calorie goal.
I do not know if this is what you want or not want to hear, but PCOS is not to blame for your weight. You are eating way more than you should. And I say this as someone who has both PCOS and is hypothyroid (basically not functional thyroid at this point) plus have several other less common hormonal disorders. PCOS can be to blame for a few extra kilos not shifting easily from the belly area. The rest, it is your lifestyle.
And exercise daily, it helps a lot with symptoms, regardless of weight loss.
Also, I would strongly suggest you find a reproductive endocrinologist. Birth control pills are not treatment for PCOS, if this is what you were told, this was already outdated advice 20 years ago when I first got diagnosed.0 -
1,200 might be too low. How about 1,300 to start?
Trick: You make those calories count. Make them healthy foods.
Give this site a good try. It really works !
I like healthy carbs. Lentils, beans, plain oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa.
My multivitamin contains a bit of iodine which helps me with my thyroid.
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I am 21 years old and was diagnosed with pcos when I was 18.
I know you said that you already tried keto but it really did work for me. I am 5'2, 165lbs at my heaviest but am now 145lbs. I started counting calories in december and going keto (while still counting calories) in the second week of january. I still limit my calories to around 1300 but it's not a problem as I don't feel as hungry as I used to. I also noticed that my brother who's also doing keto has lost more weight than I have despite having the same eating and exercise habits as me. It's probably the pcos at work.
Before trying to lose weight, I only had my period maybe 3x a year. But now, I've had it for 3 consecutive months.
Try giving keto a shot while still monitoring your calorie intake. A lot of people mistake keto for unlimited calories but I personally think it still counts. Good luck!
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As we age (and I realize you're still young) our bodies kind of make a last ditch effort to get pregnant. My cycles started spontaneously at age 35. I've been on Metformin forever and that never did it. Sometimes our hormones just straighten themselves out a bit.
As for weightloss, if you don't have undiagnosed/untreated thyroid issues, you should be able to lose weight by restricting calories. With PCOS, you'll get a bigger bonus out of working out too as it tends to have a similar, albeit smaller effect, as Metformin in increasing your response to insulin. Working out is critical to my weight loss. As for calories (I don't do low carb as it only served to make me moody), I follow MFPs guidelines. When I started, that was just under 1700 calories a day, plus exercise calories. Now, when I'm about 20 lbs from goal, that's 1200 a day plus exercise calories. That doesn't really equate to good, steady loss for me though (it's a pretty small deficit which is easy to erase by misjudging calories) so I'm trying to stick to eating back only half of my calories. I'm still working on making that work though.0 -
Set your goal weight to MFP. Log your calories, using a food scale and logging everything you eat. Stick to your calorie goal.
I do not know if this is what you want or not want to hear, but PCOS is not to blame for your weight. You are eating way more than you should. And I say this as someone who has both PCOS and is hypothyroid (basically not functional thyroid at this point) plus have several other less common hormonal disorders. PCOS can be to blame for a few extra kilos not shifting easily from the belly area. The rest, it is your lifestyle.
And exercise daily, it helps a lot with symptoms, regardless of weight loss.
Also, I would strongly suggest you find a reproductive endocrinologist. Birth control pills are not treatment for PCOS, if this is what you were told, this was already outdated advice 20 years ago when I first got diagnosed.
First of all, I started what made me gain. Metformin did, hence why I stopped gaining when I quit and why my gyno discontinued the prescription. I do exercise and and did while while I was gaining. Also, I didn't say say the birth control was the treatment. It was too regulate my cycles. Plus, I never stated how much I ate or didn't eat. Please read my discussion further before assuming something that isn't true.
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I did keto at 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, and 2000 caloriesI am 21 years old and was diagnosed with pcos when I was 18.
I know you said that you already tried keto but it really did work for me. I am 5'2, 165lbs at my heaviest but am now 145lbs. I started counting calories in december and going keto (while still counting calories) in the second week of january. I still limit my calories to around 1300 but it's not a problem as I don't feel as hungry as I used to. I also noticed that my brother who's also doing keto has lost more weight than I have despite having the same eating and exercise habits as me. It's probably the pcos at work.
Before trying to lose weight, I only had my period maybe 3x a year. But now, I've had it for 3 consecutive months.
Try giving keto a shot while still monitoring your calorie intake. A lot of people mistake keto for unlimited calories but I personally think it still counts. Good luck!
not even a half pound shift for over a month.
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JanetYellen wrote: »1,200 might be too low. How about 1,300 to start?
Trick: You make those calories count. Make them healthy foods.
Give this site a good try. It really works !
I like healthy carbs. Lentils, beans, plain oatmeal, sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa.
My multivitamin contains a bit of iodine which helps me with my thyroid.
Thank you for the info. I'll try that.
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Here's a PCOS group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3070-p-c-o-sis0
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onmyway214now wrote: »Set your goal weight to MFP. Log your calories, using a food scale and logging everything you eat. Stick to your calorie goal.
I do not know if this is what you want or not want to hear, but PCOS is not to blame for your weight. You are eating way more than you should. And I say this as someone who has both PCOS and is hypothyroid (basically not functional thyroid at this point) plus have several other less common hormonal disorders. PCOS can be to blame for a few extra kilos not shifting easily from the belly area. The rest, it is your lifestyle.
And exercise daily, it helps a lot with symptoms, regardless of weight loss.
Also, I would strongly suggest you find a reproductive endocrinologist. Birth control pills are not treatment for PCOS, if this is what you were told, this was already outdated advice 20 years ago when I first got diagnosed.
First of all, I started what made me gain. Metformin did, hence why I stopped gaining when I quit and why my gyno discontinued the prescription. I do exercise and and did while while I was gaining. Also, I didn't say say the birth control was the treatment. It was too regulate my cycles. Plus, I never stated how much I ate or didn't eat. Please read my discussion further before assuming something that isn't true.
Metformim causes weight loss not gain.
You stated you have tried several different diets and you do link your weight to PCOS.
Once you realise it is not PCOS, you are not somehow "broken", but all the diets you tried did not result into eating less calories than you burn, then yoy can lose weight. Assuming an average height and some very light physical activity (i.e. not confined to bed) You have not been on 1200 1400 or even 2000 calorie average intake and ended up at close to 300 lbs. It is not possible, regardless of any medical conditions.
You asked what actually works for PCOS. The answer at your starting weight is restricting calories. Even restricting at something like 1700-1800 will be effective. Once you get close ot goal weight, then PCOS might come into the picture into how to finetune the details. But where you are, it does not matter. The key is knowing you are at 1700 and not going over. Which is very easy: eyeballing food and estimating portions, not counting everything into a meal, forgetting to log, having cheat days, it can very easily all add up to several hundred calories above goal. Set a realistic target (1200 is not realistic) and stick to it. Be honest to yourself and accurate in your logging and you will find out that it does work.
As for counting carbs, if your dr told you to, do it. If you are insulin resistant, you need to. No, counting carbs will nto stall weight loss, do nto lie to yourself.0 -
onmyway214now wrote: »Set your goal weight to MFP. Log your calories, using a food scale and logging everything you eat. Stick to your calorie goal.
I do not know if this is what you want or not want to hear, but PCOS is not to blame for your weight. You are eating way more than you should. And I say this as someone who has both PCOS and is hypothyroid (basically not functional thyroid at this point) plus have several other less common hormonal disorders. PCOS can be to blame for a few extra kilos not shifting easily from the belly area. The rest, it is your lifestyle.
And exercise daily, it helps a lot with symptoms, regardless of weight loss.
Also, I would strongly suggest you find a reproductive endocrinologist. Birth control pills are not treatment for PCOS, if this is what you were told, this was already outdated advice 20 years ago when I first got diagnosed.
First of all, I started what made me gain. Metformin did, hence why I stopped gaining when I quit and why my gyno discontinued the prescription. I do exercise and and did while while I was gaining. Also, I didn't say say the birth control was the treatment. It was too regulate my cycles. Plus, I never stated how much I ate or didn't eat. Please read my discussion further before assuming something that isn't true.
Metformim causes weight loss not gain.
You stated you have tried several different diets and you do link your weight to PCOS.
Once you realise it is not PCOS, you are not somehow "broken", but all the diets you tried did not result into eating less calories than you burn, then yoy can lose weight. Assuming an average height and some very light physical activity (i.e. not confined to bed) You have not been on 1200 1400 or even 2000 calorie average intake and ended up at close to 300 lbs. It is not possible, regardless of any medical conditions.
You asked what actually works for PCOS. The answer at your starting weight is restricting calories. Even restricting at something like 1700-1800 will be effective. Once you get close ot goal weight, then PCOS might come into the picture into how to finetune the details. But where you are, it does not matter. The key is knowing you are at 1700 and not going over. Which is very easy: eyeballing food and estimating portions, not counting everything into a meal, forgetting to log, having cheat days, it can very easily all add up to several hundred calories above goal. Set a realistic target (1200 is not realistic) and stick to it. Be honest to yourself and accurate in your logging and you will find out that it does work.
As for counting carbs, if your dr told you to, do it. If you are insulin resistant, you need to. No, counting carbs will nto stall weight loss, do nto lie to yourself.
OK you need to stop replying to this. You clearly don't know what you are talking about and are just spouting at the mouth. Have a wonderful day and God bless!
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onmyway214now wrote: »onmyway214now wrote: »Set your goal weight to MFP. Log your calories, using a food scale and logging everything you eat. Stick to your calorie goal.
I do not know if this is what you want or not want to hear, but PCOS is not to blame for your weight. You are eating way more than you should. And I say this as someone who has both PCOS and is hypothyroid (basically not functional thyroid at this point) plus have several other less common hormonal disorders. PCOS can be to blame for a few extra kilos not shifting easily from the belly area. The rest, it is your lifestyle.
And exercise daily, it helps a lot with symptoms, regardless of weight loss.
Also, I would strongly suggest you find a reproductive endocrinologist. Birth control pills are not treatment for PCOS, if this is what you were told, this was already outdated advice 20 years ago when I first got diagnosed.
First of all, I started what made me gain. Metformin did, hence why I stopped gaining when I quit and why my gyno discontinued the prescription. I do exercise and and did while while I was gaining. Also, I didn't say say the birth control was the treatment. It was too regulate my cycles. Plus, I never stated how much I ate or didn't eat. Please read my discussion further before assuming something that isn't true.
Metformim causes weight loss not gain.
You stated you have tried several different diets and you do link your weight to PCOS.
Once you realise it is not PCOS, you are not somehow "broken", but all the diets you tried did not result into eating less calories than you burn, then yoy can lose weight. Assuming an average height and some very light physical activity (i.e. not confined to bed) You have not been on 1200 1400 or even 2000 calorie average intake and ended up at close to 300 lbs. It is not possible, regardless of any medical conditions.
You asked what actually works for PCOS. The answer at your starting weight is restricting calories. Even restricting at something like 1700-1800 will be effective. Once you get close ot goal weight, then PCOS might come into the picture into how to finetune the details. But where you are, it does not matter. The key is knowing you are at 1700 and not going over. Which is very easy: eyeballing food and estimating portions, not counting everything into a meal, forgetting to log, having cheat days, it can very easily all add up to several hundred calories above goal. Set a realistic target (1200 is not realistic) and stick to it. Be honest to yourself and accurate in your logging and you will find out that it does work.
As for counting carbs, if your dr told you to, do it. If you are insulin resistant, you need to. No, counting carbs will nto stall weight loss, do nto lie to yourself.
OK you need to stop replying to this. You clearly don't know what you are talking about and are just spouting at the mouth. Have a wonderful day and God bless!
I know what I am talkign about because I have lived with it for decades.
You want to hear "poor us, how terrible this condition is, it defies the basic laws of energy"? Several posters will give you exactly that. But is this what is going to help you, telling yourself that PCOS is a terrible illness that condemns you to being obese by defying physics? Will this help you lose weight and improve your health?
Or do you really want help on how to change things? If it is the later: log accurately, count calories, be honest in your logging, count carbs, watch the scale move in the right direction. That simple, and that hard.-1 -
I'm on metformin. I take it in the middle of each meal. Seems to help reduce the nausea and diaherra that way.
It's the only drug I am on and by keeping within my calories-and just causally eating less sugar and lower carbs it is working.
Not earthshaking dropping but 5 lbs a month. I try to walk at least 15 minutes a day and I do 2 1 hour yoga sessions each week. I do not eat all my exercise calories back.
I weigh the lowest I have for a year and can live with the slow rate of weight loss.0 -
onmyway214now wrote: »onmyway214now wrote: »Set your goal weight to MFP. Log your calories, using a food scale and logging everything you eat. Stick to your calorie goal.
I do not know if this is what you want or not want to hear, but PCOS is not to blame for your weight. You are eating way more than you should. And I say this as someone who has both PCOS and is hypothyroid (basically not functional thyroid at this point) plus have several other less common hormonal disorders. PCOS can be to blame for a few extra kilos not shifting easily from the belly area. The rest, it is your lifestyle.
And exercise daily, it helps a lot with symptoms, regardless of weight loss.
Also, I would strongly suggest you find a reproductive endocrinologist. Birth control pills are not treatment for PCOS, if this is what you were told, this was already outdated advice 20 years ago when I first got diagnosed.
First of all, I started what made me gain. Metformin did, hence why I stopped gaining when I quit and why my gyno discontinued the prescription. I do exercise and and did while while I was gaining. Also, I didn't say say the birth control was the treatment. It was too regulate my cycles. Plus, I never stated how much I ate or didn't eat. Please read my discussion further before assuming something that isn't true.
Metformim causes weight loss not gain.
You stated you have tried several different diets and you do link your weight to PCOS.
Once you realise it is not PCOS, you are not somehow "broken", but all the diets you tried did not result into eating less calories than you burn, then yoy can lose weight. Assuming an average height and some very light physical activity (i.e. not confined to bed) You have not been on 1200 1400 or even 2000 calorie average intake and ended up at close to 300 lbs. It is not possible, regardless of any medical conditions.
You asked what actually works for PCOS. The answer at your starting weight is restricting calories. Even restricting at something like 1700-1800 will be effective. Once you get close ot goal weight, then PCOS might come into the picture into how to finetune the details. But where you are, it does not matter. The key is knowing you are at 1700 and not going over. Which is very easy: eyeballing food and estimating portions, not counting everything into a meal, forgetting to log, having cheat days, it can very easily all add up to several hundred calories above goal. Set a realistic target (1200 is not realistic) and stick to it. Be honest to yourself and accurate in your logging and you will find out that it does work.
As for counting carbs, if your dr told you to, do it. If you are insulin resistant, you need to. No, counting carbs will nto stall weight loss, do nto lie to yourself.
OK you need to stop replying to this. You clearly don't know what you are talking about and are just spouting at the mouth. Have a wonderful day and God bless!
I know what I am talkign about because I have lived with it for decades.
You want to hear "poor us, how terrible this condition is, it defies the basic laws of energy"? Several posters will give you exactly that. But is this what is going to help you, telling yourself that PCOS is a terrible illness that condemns you to being obese by defying physics? Will this help you lose weight and improve your health?
Or do you really want help on how to change things? If it is the later: log accurately, count calories, be honest in your logging, count carbs, watch the scale move in the right direction. That simple, and that hard.
Don't let the door hit ya where the Lord split ya! ✌
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[quote="meritage4;35570796'm on metformin. I take it in the middle of each meal. Seems to help reduce the nausea and diaherra that way.
It's the only drug I am on and by keeping within my calories-and just causally eating less sugar and lower carbs it is working.
Not earthshaking dropping but 5 lbs a month. I try to walk at least 15 minutes a day and I do 2 1 hour yoga sessions each week. I do not eat all my exercise calories back.
I weigh the lowest I have for a year and can live with the slow rate of weight loss.[/quote]
how many calories do you eat? do you find that you need lower amounts? I've read that the metabolisms of PCOS patients is much lower than others so we need less calories.
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Hi, ladies. I was taking Metformin for a couple of years but stopped taking it when I realized that it was making my hair fall out. Yes, it is very rare that it causes hair loss but it is possible. I researched it and did some experiments of my own. So, what is my point? My point is that we all are different and our bodies can react differently to drugs. As far as losing weight with PCOS, yes it is possible but can be very difficult. I am on Glipizide and another diabetic medicine. Since they pute on the Glipizide I have gained 22 pounds. This is very upsetting since I used to weigh 250 and had gotten down to 194 and stayed there for a couple years until the Glipizide. It was very frustrating to eat healthy and exercise to only gain weight each week. For an entire month(Jan 2016), I ate a low carb/high protien diet, stayed away from anything that had flour in it and sweets, walked 38 miles, drank lots of water, no sodas or sweet tea. Yes, there may have been a couple small treats but I stayed under my calories. I went to the doctor and did not lose any weight. Not a pound. For those that are saying that we just want to make excuses and are eating wrong or not exercising, you are not in our shoes. Are you specialists in PCOS? I highly doubt it. Your issues and side effects from PCOS are different than mine just like mine are different than yours. Don't make assumptions. We are all here just trying to get help.
Ok, I am done with that.
Thank you for whoever said to lower the calories. Myfitness Pal said 1580 was good for me, I am normally eating about 200 less. I will lower my calories and see if that helps. My doctor suggested eating cinnamon and spicy foods (cayenne is supposed to be good) couple times a day. The hotter the better. Also drink green tea (not bottled) in the morning and at lunch. Also,she suggested exercising in the mornings, which I can't seem to do.These are supposed to speed up the metabolism.
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10 years ago was my diagnosis with PCOS. I was put on Metformin right away. I spent about 3 months curled up in bed unable to eat anything and crying because the pain was so great in my stomach. I refused to take it anymore and haven't dealt with my PCOS since then. I ate what I wanted. I gained weight. For about three months last year, I began working with MFP and lost about 12 pounds. I gained it back from stress.
I have a binge eating disorder and an emotional eating disorder on top of PTSD and PCOS. I struggle every day. I am learning that I have to eat foods that will not spike my insulin in order to lose the weight. It's been 13 days and I am already at 4 pound loss. Perhaps you could look into foods that spike insulin and see if that evens out your weight issue. It is super hard to deal with aspects of PCOS.
I find it frustrating that there are some people who want to coat your experience with their own. Unfortunately, PCOS effects each woman differently.
What I chose to do is continue just restricting my calories and eat how I want with pre portioning, weighing everything, and restricting as much sugar and processed food as I could. If I do not stick to 8-10 pounds a month, I am going to try KETO. From what I have read recently, PCOS is affected most by dairy (raises Testosterone), gluten, and sugar (raises insulin). That is the Keto diet reductions.
The last aspect I read about is that you have to exercise EVERY SINGLE day for at least 30 minutes. Some people can just lose the weight. Others have to struggle through it. I am part of the ones who has to exercise EVERY day along with restricting my diet.1 -
Hey, I'm no expert but I thought I would weigh in on what I have recently discovered!
I was diagnosed with PCOS at 15 (now 21) and before then and for the last 7 years I've been dieting on and off and my weight has been like a yoyo! My doctor suggested putting me on the pill but I refused having taken one form of it before and not wanting to go through the side effects again. She suggested cutting out carbs completely from my diet, which just gave me awful headaches. I tried everything. Low carb, high protein diets. High carb, high protein, low fat & regular exercise, fad diets, practically starving myself for weeks (500 cal a day) and finally, after a year of ignoring calories, fat amounts etc, I've stumbled across something that I didn't expect to make me lose weight, and I certainly wasn't doing it to lose weight. (I know, I sound a little like one of those crappy adverts online which goes on and on and never gets to the point until it asks you for money to reveal this 'secret'). I decided to go vegan about 2 months ago. I was doing it on and off for a month (cheese being my serious weakness), and now finally, I'm 2 and a half weeks without any animal products (about a month without any meat). The weight is FALLING off. I've lost half a stone without even thinking about it. I'm eating around 800 - 1000 calories a day and I'm not going to bed hungry (and I'm the sort of person who would usually snack constantly, eat lots of dairy and consume around 2000 or more calories a day). I've struggled for years and years, and finally I'm losing the weight I desperately need to. It's great, because I'm only counting my calories after I've eaten, and I'm discovering new foods all the time. I'm not trying to force veganism on anyone, but cutting down on animal products could do the trick for you. I'm in love with the way it's making me feel 1000 times healthier, more energetic, and I can still eat a huge plate of pasta if I want! Mentally, physically, I've never felt better! Plus, I'm helping the planet and saving animals lives! (I know this sounds a bit like an advert but his is honestly just how I write! Haha!)
If you cut out dairy, it has let your testosterone drop. That seems to be an aspect of PCOS that makes it more difficult for women to lose weight.0
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