*****PCOS*****

For starters - congrats on the weight loss you have accomplished. Losing weight with PCOS can be near impossible - so you are doing great. Men can lose weight far easier than women - so try not to keep up with your boyfriend - its not being fair on yourself.

I have never been diagnosed PCOS but its a fear in the back of my mind constantly. I do have some symptoms that go with it however. I have been trying to conceive for about 6 months - and if I get no where by one year I am going to look into fertility testing which I suppose will answer that for me - in the mean time - shedding as much weight as I can!!!

My neighbour however has PCOS and spoke with me about it. She was I think 330 at her heighst weight. Her doctor put her on metformin which helped drop quite a bit and got the ball rolling. I believe she told me she got down to about 180lbs at one point. She exercises regularly and eat REALLY healthy.

My suggestionn for you - keep doing what you are doing. I am a big girl too and it has been difficult at times. At about 20lbs I seemed to be stuck for quite a while. And I have a bad week here or there where I cant seem to budge - but eventually it kicks back into gear! Dont lose hope. Have you tried taking measurements of yourself? How about try on some clothes that used to be tight? Compair some old pictures to how you look today. Your scale accomplishments might not seem huge but i bet you find differences in those things that give you enough UMPH to keep going. It gets hard when you see no differences - but you can and will lose more weight.

i have it too dear....i have gone from 232 to 209.5....add me if you want and i will encourage you....i normally dont lose but a pound to a pound and a half a week....i dont stress out anymore if i dont lose alot.....as long as youre losing that's what counts.....you cant let a condition define who you are or what you do......keep doing what youre doing because youre being successful, you just have to keep doing it......good luck, and again add me!!!!:)

I am in the same boat as you, and there are a lot of us on here paddling along with us. It can be very discouraging trying to lose weight. I was 293 at my known highest, started at 286.8 and am floating at the high 260s/low 270s right now. I started out dropping pounds fast - too fast - and my body revolted and now I am yo-yoing daily. Just think of it as a lifestyle change and not trying to lose weight. The weight will drop as a side effect.

Are you currently on any medication for your PCOS?

I also have PCOS and I'm having a really hard time keeping on track. Is anyone else on Metformin to help the weight loss? Do you guys have any tips?

I do have PCOS! was diagnosed about 6 yrs ago, had a little girl before i was diagnosed. havent lost weigh yet bc i just started. dont get discuraged. I was on orthotricyclen & took it religiously & was told if i ever wanted to get prego it would be next to impossible, well last year i was fixing to start my pET GROOMING INTERNship & found out i was pregnant. IN shock 1) bc i was on birth control that i took everyday, at the same time & wasnt on any antibiotics! 2) I HAD pCOS 3) I AM 170 OVER WEIGHT. sO Pregnancy is a possiblity! I still dont have a cycle after 16 months since my son was born. But i did have a sort of 1after i became more active & exercising that made my hormones flood my body & made me so incredable ill tempered that i didnt try to control my emotions & over ate everything i just got out of the habit of. So i gained 3 lbs after i had lost 1 lb the previouse week. It will be a challenge for ourselves to over come! IT might take alittle longer that some but we can do it! KEEP YOUR HEAD UP! Men can loose weight so much faster than we can, Dont pay any attention to that. I have a 170 to loose. U have already lost alot of weight & doin a really good job!

I have PCOS and am currently 253lbs (but have gone from 271 in the past few weeks). I seem to be losing at a steady pace now, but I am afraid that will come to a halt soon. I've been taking Metformin (only 500mg) for the past few years and it doesn't seem to have much impact on my weight loss.. I wish it did. This isn't the first time I've tried to lose weight over the years. It's always a challenge. I seem to lose the first 30lbs or so with no problem, then I stall for a real long time and give up. I plan to not get discouraged this time, though and stick it out.

I have PCOS, I reduced my carb percentage and that seems to work better. I've lost 29 pounds and I started in Feb. its slow but its coming off especially the inches. Try to reduce your carbs just a llittle and watch your sodium and see doesn't that turn in the right direction.

Alright women!!! I do have PCOS, and was wondering if there were anyone on here that had it also.. I am struggling to lose weight at the rate I want. My boyfriend and I have been doing this for about a month-month and a half now and he is dropping pounds like crazy while I'm eating healthier than he is and exercising JUST as much as he is.. I know my PCOS is probably a factor in losing the weight... Are there any other women out there who were at least 250+ with PCOS that have been successful with losing weight?? If so please share your story!!! I have been feeling so discouraged lately Though I have lost 21 lbs so far (started at 273 and now 252) I haven't been losing the past couple weeks just maintaining or going up a pound and down a pound. As if PCOS isn't stressful enough with all the terrible and embarassing side effects =(

I have PCOS also. Under pretty good control, without medications. However, I do lose weight slowly. Sometimes it takes two weeks for the scale to move even a little. Here are some things I have found that might help you:

1) Make sure you are taking a good multivitamin.
2) Have your doctor check your vitamin D levels. About 80% of women with PCOS are deficient.
3) Take an omega-3, like fish oil. Good fats can actually help in leveling out hormones. Also eat good fats like olive oil, nuts, and avacado.
4) Watch your carbs. PCOSers are insulin resistant, and very often diabetic or borderline diabetic. Keeping blood sugar down also helps normalize hormones. It also prevents bingeing or crashing from sugar highs or lows.
5) Eat more vegetables and fish. These are shown to lower leptin levels in the body. Lower leptin means increased insulin sensitivity - which we want.
6) Exercise is CRUCIAL. Even if you don't lose weight, do it anyway. Exercise is great for your heart, and PCOSers have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke (especially when PCOS is uncontrolled).

Alright women!!! I do have PCOS, and was wondering if there were anyone on here that had it also.. I am struggling to lose weight at the rate I want. My boyfriend and I have been doing this for about a month-month and a half now and he is dropping pounds like crazy while I'm eating healthier than he is and exercising JUST as much as he is.. I know my PCOS is probably a factor in losing the weight... Are there any other women out there who were at least 250+ with PCOS that have been successful with losing weight?? If so please share your story!!! I have been feeling so discouraged lately Though I have lost 21 lbs so far (started at 273 and now 252) I haven't been losing the past couple weeks just maintaining or going up a pound and down a pound. As if PCOS isn't stressful enough with all the terrible and embarrassing side effects =(

I have PCOS also. Under pretty good control, without medications. However, I do lose weight slowly. Sometimes it takes two weeks for the scale to move even a little. Here are some things I have found that might help you:

1) Make sure you are taking a good multivitamin.
2) Have your doctor check your vitamin D levels. About 80% of women with PCOS are deficient.
3) Take an omega-3, like fish oil. Good fats can actually help in leveling out hormones. Also eat good fats like olive oil, nuts, and avacado.
4) Watch your carbs. PCOSers are insulin resistant, and very often diabetic or borderline diabetic. Keeping blood sugar down also helps normalize hormones. It also prevents bingeing or crashing from sugar highs or lows.
5) Eat more vegetables and fish. These are shown to lower leptin levels in the body. Lower leptin means increased insulin sensitivity - which we want.
6) Exercise is CRUCIAL. Even if you don't lose weight, do it anyway. Exercise is great for your heart, and PCOSers have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke (especially when PCOS is uncontrolled).

Brneygrlie -- this is perfectly said!

I also have a diagnosis of PCOS, I did not quite get to 230 -- 220 maybe. I seem to do the best when I stick to a low GI diet - like what a diabetic would use. Eating slowly digestible carbs and fewer of them, more vegetables and lean meats. Also, for some reason Yoga seems to make the biggest difference in shaping my body and kicking my metabolism up (maybe this is just me). I did try metformin when I was trying for my first child. I did not have any side effect (it did help me in the process of getting pregnant). My husband takes it for mild/pre diabetes. He has an issue with smelly bowel movements. Some people get stomach upsets and cramps. Most people I know find it pretty helpful.

GREAT job on your weight loss so far!

I believe it that yoga would work well for you, Suzanne. When I was doing pilates (a long while back), I had great results too!

P.S. - i had absolutely no side effects from metformin at all.

I also have PCOS and I'm having a really hard time keeping on track. Is anyone else on Metformin to help the weight loss? Do you guys have any tips?

I have PCOS and Insulin resitance... read my profile it will explain alot..
ANYONE can request me to add!!!
We can do this!!!

So many people have this extra struggle, but know that anything is possible! Here is another PCOS thread to connect with cysters. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/265449-pcos-soul-cysters-unite