missippibelle wrote: »

I follow a wholistic nutrionist on you tube named Leann Vogel. She advocates keto, but had tons of hormonal issues herself. She has specific suggestions for balancing hormones. She eats keto, but uses carb ups in a very specific way. I like listening to her. I can't say I follow everything she does, but she is informative. She eats dairy free too. Her website is called Healthful Pursuits. I had a hysterectomy at 34, so balancing my hormones is done in the MOST unnatural way, but it sounds like something that may help you.

Dragonwolf wrote: »

I should have some carbs apparently, so low carb for sure, probably not keto.

I disagree with this as a blanket statement. I have PCOS, and the best way for me to balance my hormones is not only keto, but outright carnivore. I've found this after years of experimenting and fighting with doctors to get some kind of treatment.

Don't increase your carbs just because (or because "you should"), let your symptoms and hormones guide you, and remember that weight change (or lack thereof) is a symptom unto itself.

I've been working so hard to be healthy and lose weight and I'm spinning my wheels. I go to the gym and lift weights but my strength isn't improving, nor is my weight going down.

Been there. There's no shame in just breaking down sometimes. It's hard, it's frustrating, and there are times you're going to want to just yell and break things because of it. That's okay. If you have something that you can hit or break, do it. Sometimes, the best thing to do is just burn out that frustration, then you can move on and work toward solutions.

That said, keep on keeping on. I don't know what you mean, specifically, when you say "lift weights," but a heavy lifting program is one of the best things for hormonal balance, so if you aren't already, grab a barbell and start doing some squats and deadlifts. Don't be afraid to ask the other people in the gym for some help. Most lifters, despite often looking tough and scary, are usually really nice people who would be more than happy to help out.

I think in the next few months I need to go back on hormonal BC to try to help correct the hormones, but that doesn't really actually fix the underlying problem, just pumps some synthetic hormones in there so my body thinks it's more balanced.

If your estrogen is high and your progesterone is low, there are probably better routes to take than BC for balancing your hormones. Talk to your doctor about getting your thyroid tested (T3 and T4, too, not just TSH), and getting progesterone cream, if/when it comes to that.

On the plus side, my iron, which was crazy low before is only slightly low now but not too bad so I just need to supplement and I'll be fine there

I know for me, the best thing to do for my iron was cut out all/gluten containing grains. I kid you not, I can go from dead center "optimal" to severely anemic and back in a matter of weeks, just by introducing or eliminating wheat/grains.

If oats have been your primary potential source for gluten, it might be worth either ensuring you get gluten free oats, or switching to a different grain (or dropping them, altogether) and seeing if that has any effect on your iron levels.

I can't even BPC because, butter!

I'd double check the "no dairy" thing and verify that butter (or ghee) is still out of the question, as most of the problematic things seem to be associated with everything but the fat. I know, personally, as long as I keep my carbs low, butter has no discernible impact on my hormones.

Additionally, the original Bulletproof Coffee recipe uses ghee, not butter, so even if regular butter is out, ghee shouldn't be, and you can still have your BPC.

That said, have a look at the Rocket Fuel Latte recipe over at Healthful Pursuit, for a tasty, totally dairy-free alternative. (Personally, I like the Rocket Fuel Latte better than BPC.)

meats with hormones (that'll be trickier but I do hunt so I have some wild game to use)

Have a look at farmer's markets in your area and/or check out eatwild for farms near you. There, you can talk to the farmers, directly, and get better food all around, probably for a much better price than you can get anywhere else.

Can't have protein powder (unless I go vegan but the ones I've tried have been so disgusting I can't get them down).

Check out Garden Of Life's supplements. I've had their meal replacement and "Fit" meal replacement shakes, and they're quite good. It's more of a suspension, as it doesn't dissolve into your carrier liquid like whey does, but it's not bad.

Sorry I've been long-winded. Hope this helps.