PCOS

Hi. I have PCOS, and insulin resistance and hypothyroid. Were you tested for those as well? They tend to go hand-in-hand with PCOS and contribute to weight difficulties. Metformin is used to treat the insulin resistance component specifically.

Never heard of Berberine, but I just looked it up and found: "Human and animal research demonstrates that 1500mg of berberine, taken in three doses of 500mg each, is equally effective as taking 1500mg of metformin". If that's true, and if you get a legit supplement... I don't know. It should help? Theoretically?
I've been taking metformin for around 2 years, and I've never had side effects.

As far as keeping weight off: an insulin resistance-friendly diet is what I have to do. That is, minimal sugar and only certain types of carbs (ones that digest and turn into glucose slower). It's a *kitten*, but I maintained 150 for over 2 years (after losing 40lbs due to an unrelated illness) without even thinking about calories. I'm losing weight again now that I'm tracking and maintaining a deficit, but the IR diet is really not optional for me.

My insulin resistance seems to be pretty bad - you may not need to go the extremes that I do with the diet, especially if you're already a healthy weight. But thats what has been working for me.

I have PCOS as well. When I was first diagnosed I was put on metformin for IR, but I never felt good on it and eventually the doc and I decided it wasn't worth it. I've recently gone on keto as I've read so much about carbs, IR and keto and decided to give it a shot after a two months weight loss stall. So far I feel fantastic. I haven't craved any high carb foods I would usually want and I generally feel better. I think a lot of my symptoms were morning hypoglycemia related and keto has made a huge difference there. Very happy so far but it's only been a few weeks.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/search?adv=&search=pcos&title=&author=&cat=all&tags=&discussion_d=1&comment_c=1&group_group=1&within=1+day&date=

silverblaze55 wrote: »

@me0231
I don't follow keto strictly, but from what I know about it, it is very similar to what I do. I think the main difference is I still eat oatmeal and quinoa.
Getting my diet right has been the biggest help for my energy levels and mood. I definitely feel better all around too, and if I do start feeling tired and 'ehh' I can usually trace it back to something I ate that I shouldn't have. And being able to see that sugar=eehh pattern was the push I needed to commit to the diet lifestyle

Seems to be the same for me now. Everything is more stable since I started to skip the carbs. Longterm I will likely do something like you, restrict carbs but not full keto. I also sleep better than I have in years. Wish I had known this 10 years ago when I was first diagnosed. Although I've probably read it before and thought, 'nah, I could never give up bread'. Lol

PCOS here... tried metformin and didn't like it, I felt like I had low blood sugar all the time and felt more hungry. Low carb, whole foods works best for me, with low sugar, plus regular exercise. I'm human, so I don't always stick to it, but it works best for me. Ive accepted that I will have to work on this my whole life, so it's not something I can ever stop doing. If I start eating high carb, processed foods, I gain easily.

For me, keeping away from sugary foods and drinks also keeps me steady on weight loss for the most part. I lost my first 35-40ish lbs on keto/low carb (about a year's time). I've been eating vegetarian for the past few months, and have lost about 15 lbs so far. Eating whole foods and as clean as possible has made me feel my best when I've done so. All the best!

Do some research into Inositol, it "may" have some benefit for pcos sufferers.