PCOS and weightloss

Hello all, Im not exactly new, just returning after a long while of not being here. I got caught up with the social aspect of MFP and neglected my actual fitness and diet....but that was over two years ago and now I am here trying to get my act together.
I need to lose a significant amount of weight, more or less 80 pounds, and I have insulin resistance ( which is being treated with a high dose of metformin ) I started doing some research and found that weight lifting and circuit training is great for women with PCOS. I started going to Planet Fitness and doing their 30 minute circuit ( which includes weights ) Doing Squats and walking on the treadmill. I know I have to make some dietary changes too, but Im not there yet. I want to get my routine done first.

My husband and I have been married for 9 years, with no successful pregnancy. I am ultimatly trying to better my health so I can concieve and then be able to care for child without my medical issues and extra weight. I did go RAW Vegan at one point, and it did help me lose weight, but I couldn't maintain the lifestyle.

So if anyone here could give me some advice on what to incorporate into my circuit training, weight lifting ideas that burn fat and build muscle or just anything. I'm all ears. I need all the help I can get at this point.

Replies

  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    If you want to lose fat you need to cut calories. Different people have different levels of success with various macro breakdowns but all of them need to eat in a deficit to lose weight.

    Continue resistance training, get in some activity each day, and eat in a deficit.
  • pennoxford
    pennoxford Posts: 37 Member
    I have PCOS and lost weight and exercised to have 3 kids. The weight gain and PCOS is a self-fueling cycle of harder to lose/gain fat/fat produces estrogen/estrogen grows cysts instead of releasing eggs from ovaries and around and around it goes. Losing some weight helped me dramatically and babies 2 and 3 were not fertility drug babies but surprises. Of course I got fat while pregnant and had to repeat the loss, and then forgot to lose any of it after the last child for about 13 years.
  • hartam050
    hartam050 Posts: 5 Member
    Dont get me wrong, I have cut calories and carbs, what i mean is im not focusing on a new diet plan or regimen. I was more looking for workout tips , recipes, weight lifting tips, PCOS tips etc etc.
  • jasmine1521
    jasmine1521 Posts: 9 Member
    I have PCOS and trying to lose weight by following a low carb vegetarian diet . But scale isn't moving at all... My Gynecologist has told me to lose weight in order to get pregnant naturally. I get depressed at times ..
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    hartam050 wrote: »
    Hello all, Im not exactly new, just returning after a long while of not being here. I got caught up with the social aspect of MFP and neglected my actual fitness and diet....but that was over two years ago and now I am here trying to get my act together.
    I need to lose a significant amount of weight, more or less 80 pounds, and I have insulin resistance ( which is being treated with a high dose of metformin ) I started doing some research and found that weight lifting and circuit training is great for women with PCOS. I started going to Planet Fitness and doing their 30 minute circuit ( which includes weights ) Doing Squats and walking on the treadmill. I know I have to make some dietary changes too, but Im not there yet. I want to get my routine done first.

    My husband and I have been married for 9 years, with no successful pregnancy. I am ultimatly trying to better my health so I can concieve and then be able to care for child without my medical issues and extra weight. I did go RAW Vegan at one point, and it did help me lose weight, but I couldn't maintain the lifestyle.

    So if anyone here could give me some advice on what to incorporate into my circuit training, weight lifting ideas that burn fat and build muscle or just anything. I'm all ears. I need all the help I can get at this point.

    It's a common misconception that exercise "burns fat". It burns calories, but if you eat too much, no fat will be burned. Any resistance training will strengthen your muscles, and it can be difficult to "build" muscle while losing weight (especially for women), but strength training is important to make sure you don't lose too much muscle as you lose weight.

    You are going to get more weight loss "bang for your buck" by addressing your diet. You don't have to drastically change your diet all at one. Just start logging, aiming for maybe half-a-lb per week at first. Pick one small tweak you want to make to your diet and just focus on that. Work your way up one small step at a time. When push comes to shove, losing weight comes down to your calories. Some women with PCOS see improvements with a lower carb diet, but some just lose weight eating less of the same foods they already eat, and see all the improvement they need just from reaching a healthy weight.

    good luck!
  • MrsLundquist
    MrsLundquist Posts: 8 Member
    Hi! I am a 40 yo housewife/sahm and had WLS in 2010. I rebooted my diet and exercise this week after being very lazy the past four years or so. I have had regain and do not want to ruin all my weight loss since surgery. My son is 12 yo and I conceived my son when I had once lost weight 13 yrs ago with low carbing and 2hrs/day exercising and dropped a lot of weight. I chart my cycles the past 14 years and it really does help! My cycles are normal since 7 yrs ago and I hope to get pregnant again before 45.
  • chrissysupernova
    chrissysupernova Posts: 3 Member
    I have PCOS too, it's quite severe. I'm under care of a specialist. As far as type of exercise for PCOS he recommended 3 sessions a week that specifically engage the core muscles (Zumba, Pilates, Yoga, Cross Country Machines) Good luck in your journey!
  • shahistasherif
    shahistasherif Posts: 2 Member
    I have PCOS too. I found that no matter how I eat/exercise. Losing weight is almost impossible to me without metformin. I started metformin this week and it's really helping. 0.5kg has gone so far.
  • warmams
    warmams Posts: 1 Member
    I have PCOS and found that low carb and any kind of exercise helps me shed weight. I had to see a specialist to get pregnant. First time injectable meds with iui. 2nd time clomid pills. Im actually at my lowest weight now after both kids. Oh i also take metformin and a thyroid medication
  • bhoops75
    bhoops75 Posts: 60 Member
    I also have PCOS. I take metformin and have been trying to get back in track and lose the weight. I did it once with Weight Watchers and after failed fertility treatments prior to losing weight, I got pregnant without any fertility drugs. I have a beautiful 10 year old son. Fast forward 10 years.... Here I am again, needing to lose the weight! I lost an ovary in March due to a VERY large cyst and that motivated me to get back on track!!!
  • hartam050
    hartam050 Posts: 5 Member
    I am going to a fertility specialist this december, and I am on wellbutrin and cymbalta / metformin combo. I am seeing a difference in the way my body is shaping, I am more curve and less fluff, but the scale hasnt moved much. I am hoping by December I will have made some progress with my weight loss so they can give me chlomid. I cut a lot of carbs out of my diet already before I started this process, lowered my unhealthy fats as well. I am doing circuit training at the gym with some pretty good weight sets.
  • bingo_007
    bingo_007 Posts: 101 Member
    For me just eating a little under recommended maintenance works to maintain. If I want to drop I need to eat at a slightly bigger gap than recommended by mfp. We went through quiet a number of fertility treatment so far without success.