PCOS Diet Brick Wall.

kayteebr · May 2018

Hi there,

I’ve not posted in here before but was hoping I could gain some insight, or possibly just some support. I am about 6 months into my weight loss and lost about 26lbs thus far. I was diagnosed with PCOS years ago and am currently 26. I haven’t had a period without the aid of medication in multiple years. Two years ago my husband and I went through grueling fertility treatment, and came out the other end empty handed with the diagnosis that I likely can’t ever have kids. I also had put on an additional 20+ lbs on top of already being overweight from medication. So, after trying to process the fact that the entire future I had planned was now null and void, I decided to work on myself. Starting in November, I started doing a low fat diet, and after two months had lost a total of seven pounds. My doctor then put me on 15mg of Phentermine and 50MG of Topamax. At that point my already extremely slow weight loss stalled, and I attempted switching to low carb. I tried keto and within a week a lost 6lbs. Unfortunately, I fell out of the keto diet plan because it is SO intensive, and my husband isn’t the most supportive as he is always asking me when this “diet thing” is going to stop, so I wind up breaking it. In any case, I’ve hit a brick wall. I haven’t lost any weight in over two and a half weeks. I feel like I can stick to a keto diet but I also have concerns because I am NOT insulin resistant, in fact when going through fertility treatment when I was prescribed metformin I had to monitor my blood sugar extremely carefully because it was low to begin with.

Has anyone had success with PCOS and diets OTHER than keto? Any tips, tricks or recommendations? I am new to the gym but I’ve heard that cardio is not the best for those with PCOS so I’m not quite sure what to do. On top of that, I’ve added in exercise in the past two weeks and I’ve lost NOTHING, and my fat percentage remained the same. No loss in inches, either. I’m just generally frustrated and ready to give it all up. L

stanmann571 · May 2018

1. So sorry to hear about all you've been through.
2. How is your husband dealing with the stress and frustration?
3. Have you tried just tracking calories and eating less?
4. Have you tried leveraging your husband as a training partner for physical activity.

When my wife and I went though similar reproductive difficulties, figuring out how to leverage team us was very helpful, even though we don't have identical goals or opportunities.

So as I read it you're about 25 lbs heavier than you want to be, or about half way to where you want to be. Please correct that if I've misread. Stats are important(height/weight/goal)

jsminer827 · May 2018

I was diagnosed with PCOS and I've lost about 65 pounds in the course of a year. I have another 10... alright, probably 15, to go before I feel like I'm done and frankly this last 15 is definitely the hardest. Here's the thing... PCOS can complicate things, but at the end of the day it's calories in versus calories out. If you create a deficit over time you will lose weight. For me that meant measuring and recording every. single. thing.

When I first started, I dropped weight very quickly (crap diet, I was probably retaining a lot of water) and then I steadied out and was losing a steady pound a week. I stalled in January, mostly because I was mentally tired of eating in a deficit. But after taking a break and eating at maintenance for a few months, I'm back on the horse to drop the last 15. For me it is back to basics... tracking everything and recording it.

Right now, with a lot to lose, you don't have to focus on any particular diet - just reduce your overall intake. Keto is not for me - I get ridiculously cranky if I consume less than about 100g of net carbs a day... it's really the lowest I can push myself, believe me... I've tried. In the end, Keto is no more successful at causing weight loss than any other diet - low carb, low fat... whatever, it really doesn't matter. The key is fewer calories in than out over time.
I know I said it before, but that's the bottom line.

In the beginning I didn't know anything about nutrition or why what I ate even mattered. I just dropped my calories to 1250 and was off and running. I hated life for a solid two weeks because I was always hungry, but I stuck with it and then it got less hard. And then I realized that with losing weight, I needed help in the exercise department - maybe tone up a bit and eventually build some muscle. I started with a personal trainer (I know that's not for everybody) and through regular weights and measurements I saw the weight come off and then realized that I was losing lean muscle too which really irritated me. I mean, it took a lot of effort to build that muscle so then I started paying attention to what I was putting in my mouth... today, I focus primarily on protein and let carbs and fat fall where they may. To my point about the 100g of carbs, my macros are set pretty close to that but it is what it is... I do avoid carbs to the degree that my willpower at any given moment allows, but I'm definitely living life and nothing is off limits.

Add me if you like, I'd be happy to cheer you on along the way! Best of luck to you... you CAN do this.

ChelPop88 · May 2018

Sorry to read everything you've gone through. I have PCOS w/IR (dx'd when I was a teen,) but have been a bump on a log lately and gained a ton of weight. In the past though, I have had success doing mostly strength training with cardio thrown in on weekends. I didn't have tons of success with just cardio regardless of how intense; I HAD to do the strength training too in order to lose weight. That in conjunction with a low carb diet worked pretty well for me as I lost 45 pounds over several months. I don't know if it's within your budget, but I worked with a personal trainer for a little while who helped me understand HOW to exercise and what's best for my body.

I'm far from an expert on anything. In fact, I barely get by in life, but I wanted to offer up my support. I'm on day 1 of a Keto diet. In the past, each time I was successful, I basically fixed our meals plus an additional carb for my spouse. He's supportive, but not enough to give up his potatoes.

I hope you find something that works for you that is sustainable. That's been the kicker for me. A huge life event happens, and I use it as an excuse to fall off the wagon.

Cheering you on from the sidelines. Don't give up!

L2HS · May 2018

Hi there. I have PCOS. 4 years ago it took a straightforward OB suggesting bariatric surgery prior to TTC that prompted me to buckle down and lose weight. I went from 250lbs to 185lbs in 6 months. I completely agree with @jsminer87 regarding eating at a deficit. I started with learning how to eat about 1300 calories a day. The pounds melted away. When I plateaued with just diet, I added exercise. The elliptical and a couple sitcom episodes were my best friends. At the beginning, I ate what I wanted. If I blew calories on chips then I had to lose those calories on the treadmill that day. Totally worth it, in my opinion. As they weight dropped off, I learned that the chips weren’t worth the extra 30 minutes so my food choices got better (some days the chips or chocolate was still worth it). I thought it it would take awhile still before getting pregnant so we actively started TTC before I hit my goal weight. Again, totally worth it because of my miracle baby. My tale is a precautionary one though. I gained all 65 pounds back during pregnancy. Life and another child happened so I’m right back where I started. I just recently found my resolve to start again. Good luck to you on this journey!

netitheyeti · May 2018

Just general calorie counting has worked for me - both now and in the past (at one point dropped from 205ish lbs to about 105-110lbs at my thinnest)... I'm currently managing to (very slowly) lose on about 1300 net calories a day, trying to drop from about 160lbs last year to low/mid 120s and then maintain

I'm one of those people who can't seem to find really low carb sustainable (feels like torture, honestly - I love fruit and oatmeal too much to go keto) so I don't know if me eating "normal" (not watching my carbs) has slowed me down or not, but it's kept me sane
I threw in some exercise (light cardio, then tried bodyweight stuff, then added some dumbbells, etc) once I felt like I wasn't putting too much strain on my joints anymore, can't say I had fast results or that the weight melted off - but I did manage to see changes over time, just that they were really SLOW

LMSCROGG · August 2018

I know this post is a few months old but I am returning to MFP. I have PCOS and was going to give Keto a try. I know for a fact and from previous doctors that my body has a hard time processing carbs and thinks it is in need of Carbs. I constantly crave (white) carbs and processed food and was going to try Keto. There is a surgery I need to have but I am too high risk and my GYN said she would like for me to lose 50 lbs first. So I am researching Keto and Atkins (again). My co-worker has been doing Keto for a little over a month and looks great! And another co-worker on campus did his side by side picture and it was really motivating. So for those who have sucessfully lost with having a PCOS diagnosis did you find you have better success with limiting the carbs?

DebTavares · August 2018

I still eat carbs and am losing just under a pound a week. I gave up gluten and periods came back which is great because I would go years without a period. I am exercising and eating less so as long as it works I will stick to it. I started at 195 lbs and am now 162at 5”4. Goal is 130.

PCOS Diet Brick Wall.

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