PCOS

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shaky115
shaky115 Posts: 43 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi All! I was diagnosed with PCOS a few months ago. I knew something wrong was wrong with my hormones but I was too scared to go to the Dr. I am extremely overweight and I’m hoping if I lose weight, this will decrease my symptoms..from excessive hair to being insulin resistant. I basically have every symptom that describes PCOS. If you have PCOS…how do you cope?

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  • RunawayCurves
    RunawayCurves Posts: 688 Member
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    I know from past experience that My menstrual cycle has been more regular and skin has been clearer when have eaten healthy balanced meals consistently. Hair thinning on my head and hairs sprouting out where they do not belong I do not have an answer for, just got used to it and pluck out the stray hairs. The only way I can lose weight is to be very strict with keeping unnecessary sugars and processed foods to a minimum.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Weight loss usually goes a little slower because women with PCOS often burn fewer calories than women without it, so that's one thing you may need to know in advance. You will need some patience, especially when you reach a lower weight. If you can exercise it would make things easier because it gives you extra calories and helps with the insulin resistance.

    Some symptoms do improve. I went from borderline diabetic to normal and my period is more regular.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Eat less, move more (not just to lose weight, it helps on its own) and be patient. If you are insuline resistant, then talk to your dr about an eating plan, probably something close to a diebetic's eating plan, at least until you can see if weight loss helps. If you are not seeing an endocrinologist, even better a reproductive endocrinologist, get one. If you let a regular gp or even ob gyn try to "manage" this, you are usually just wasting your time.
    Even though weight loss and exercise usually help manage the symptoms, they might not help with all symptoms, so you will have to wait and see. For facial hair, you will have to deal with them with whatever method you choose and can afford. Losing the weight might or might not help in the future (usually it is one of the symptoms that will not go away) but in any case the hair that is there will not disappear, the best you can hope for is slower growth of new ones.
  • shaky115
    shaky115 Posts: 43 Member
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    My Dr. prescribed Metformin and Spiro. I'm trying my best to get my diet under control and incorporate exercise because I am not fond of meds. Thanks for the suggestions! I'm going to start exercising as well.
  • sanfromny
    sanfromny Posts: 770 Member
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    I was diagnosed last year and like you it explained soooooooooooo much! I had already been in the process of losing weight. It gets easier over time. Believe in the process-that's first and foremost. Use this site consistently and be honest with yourself...log everything good, bad, and yummy! This works..
  • aSearch4Me
    aSearch4Me Posts: 397 Member
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    I was diagnosed last summer. It's a struggle. I found Metformin really helped me, paired with a Lower Carb Higher Fat diet (as recommended by my doctor). I lost 60# in about 6 months...which is the best success I've had on a plan so far. There is a great PCOS support group on here if you are interested. It has LOADS of great information, success stories, and can be a great place to vent. We'd love to have you (& any other PCOS ladies) from this feed if you're interested. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3070-p-c-o-sis

    Good luck with your journey!
  • LindzMiche
    LindzMiche Posts: 30 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I have PCOS. I was able to lose 100 lbs in about a year. Once I lost the weight, my sugar levels returned to normal and I was taken off metformin.. that was 3 years ago. My diet then was low carb/high protein. I eat basically the opposite of that now (became a vegetarian/mostly vegan) and am losing weight again (gained over the holidays). It is very doable. Just be.. what I like to call "in it to win it." I was very focused and motivated to change my life. I stayed on plan 90% of the time... and in doing that.. I gained new hobbies/motivation and goals.. even now. Doing things now I never would have imagined myself doing 4+ years ago.

    You got this, girl.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
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    For me I find that my periods are more regular and I have an easier time losing weight when I cut dairy out of my diet. Commercially raised cows are given hormones to promote milk production, I have learned that I a man sensitive to these hormones. I had gotten back to eating dairy recently, low fat Greek yogurt almost every day and cheese several times a week. My period was wacky and I was blown up like a balloon. Last Monday I cut the dairy out again and got more serious about logging all my food. My period started on Thursday and I have lost just over 6lbs. I eat back my exercise calories so I have been eating 1600-1800 calories/day almost every day.
    It's worth trying.

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