Fighting PCOS

Hi, I was diagnosed with pcos and endometriosis at 16 and had multiple surgeries for it, i struggled with my weight for a long time. I kept ballooning up, Losing it then balloning up.

After struggling to have children we finally conceived but I gave up with Losing weight due to being tired all the time. My mental health suffered alot i felt tired constantly and got hung up on things I shouldn't of to point where I could not function or do anything till I had resolved what was on my mind.

Its been 2 years and im now 14 stone and i feel so unhappy in myself for giving up but could just not get motivated to even excersise at home so the day my youngest went to nursery I went into the gym and signed up because I know I would rather go than waste money.

It's only been 2 weeks since starting and I can only go inbetween my shifts at work but I can feel myself becoming more motivated each week and the cravings I had are starting to disappear without any silly diet tablet. My mental health feels like it's improving because I feel more confident and I know that everyone else in the gym are there for the same reason.

The best advise I can give you is to not let pcos define who you are, don't let yourself be the diagnosis because you can achieve anything you just have to have fun doing it xxxx

Hi Emily!

I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 21 after going through a number of agonizing episodes of burst cysts. I have actually never taken any medication for my PCOS (just my personal experience) but I've now come to the point where my husband and I are struggling with infertility. Of course, the first thing I'm told over and over is to lose weight to control the PCOS and increase my chances of concieving. For 20 years, I've battled my weight and every diet/exercise plan I attempted, never seemed to stick! I either plateaued or quit. (Don't quit! Don't be me!)

I finally did a bunch of digging online just a few weeks ago for PCOS related nutrition info and found a lot of push towards a Gluten Free and Diary Free lifestyle with a focus on lean protein and whole foods. Throughout all the years I've spent counting calories, eating low carb, low fat, giving up, trying again, I've never attempted to go gluten or dairy free - So that's what I did!

I'm only wrapping up Week 2 of being Gluten & Dairy Free but I feel so much less bloated, my skin is clearer, and I'm down 7.6 lbs! I've also found some motivation to get moving again which always helps me feel more in control. Maybe this sounds crazy, but its easy to say no to my problem foods (carbs! etc!) by picturing myself as allergic to them. My tongue may not swell up in the moment but my body sure has over the years!

I mentioned that I am not on any medication for PCOS but that could change in the future. And of course, I highly recommend doing/taking whatever your doctor thinks is best for you! Stay brave and keep going!

Cheers!
Amy

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and pcos when I was 19.
I was put on metformin and spironolactone. My very unpleasant endocrinologist told me to lose weight or else I'd get diabetes. I went to a dietician and they gave me a plan and I only lost about 6 kg in 6 months. It was a real struggle to lose weight despite sticking to my diet plan. After 6 months my doctor seemed very pleased with the results but I was frustrated so I gave up on the diet and medication.
When I was 21 I was put on birth control and metformin again. I had slight insulin resistance but my doctor believed it was because of being overweight rather than because of my pcos. The birth control pills made me gain 10 kg in 4 months. I later quit taking any medication. I gained even more weight.
However, last year I was told my liver enzymes were elevated due to fatty liver. This really scared me and I decided to lose weight for real. I did a lot of research and because I already knew that a high carb diet wouldn't help me lose weight I decided to go the other way.
What I found out works best for me to lose weight, is a low carb ( about 60 gr or 20% of total calories ) diet. I get 50% my calories from fat and 30% from protein. I work out 5 days a week. I do 3 days of vigorous cardio for 1 hour and 2 days of weight training+ 15 mins HIIT. I weigh my food and keep track of my macros. I have one cheat meal every week or every other week. Despite all of these, the weight loss process is very slow and I plateau a lot but at least it works and I see the scale budge every 2-3 weeks.
My doctor told me that because of my insulin resistance it would be a good idea to keep my insulin low and I think this is why this diet works for me.
I eat dairy because I love yogurt, milk and cheese. I think the whole idea of cutting out dairy and gluten is to reduce inflammation. However, I have no problem with lactose... So I still eat my whole fat yogurt. And since I have cut out all grains from my diet I'm not consuming any gluten. But if you aren't sensitive to gluten or dairy, there is no point in quitting them.
I think in order to succeed you need to experiment. Determine your BMR and try out different approaches and see what works for you. There is no point in a diet you can only follow for a month. You need to figure out a plan that works for you long term. The key is to keep insulin low if you are insulin resistant and be in a caloric deficit. Working out is also important because it makes the body more sensitive to insulin and I personally feel a lot happier after an intense cardio session.
Don't get discouraged if the scale doesn't move or even goes up or if progress is very slow. Due to hormonal imbalances it is more difficult to lose weight but when nothing seems to work just remember, we are human beings living in this universe and bound to the laws of physics and the laws of thermodynamics still apply to us. So a deficit in calorie will ultimately result in weight loss!