PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)

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2YrFitnessGoal3
2YrFitnessGoal3 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey fellow ladies with PCOS! Please share your tips on what you find helpful in losing weight being that it is harder for us to lose weight. Thanks in advance! ☺️

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  • Sunnysouth92
    Sunnysouth92 Posts: 30 Member
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    Hey there! Ive been officially diagnosed with PCOS for 6 years, and I have like every symptom :( keeping my cycles regular is one thing I strive for. 3 months post partum right now after my third and trying to lose weight (some baby and some before that). I have been 30 pounds heavier and I still can hardly believe I could have seen those numbers on the scale 😞 keeping my cycles regular is something I really strive for...there are several things I have tried but one I really enjoyed was following the 21 day fix diet (autumn calbrese beachbody-no I am no coach or affiliated at all!) When my oldest was 13 mo I did this diet for 2 weeks and I lost 9 pounds! The best I had ever lost and I felt like I was eating all the time, shortly after I actually found out I was expecting, completely naturally ( my first I used clomid to conceive) I think eating good carbs like brown rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa helped me, as well as eating a very balanced diet. I ate a lot of fruit and vegetables and kept my portions to what they directed. Another thing is exercise...now I know not everyone likes to work out but I will tell you that you will never regret doing it once its done! You feel so good, and it even helps me make better food choices. As far as supplements, I only take Ovasitol currently, for insulin sensitivity and promoting healthy ovulation, and a prenatal when I remember. The doctors told me when I was 21 that I needed invitro...for us we didnt want to go that route. God blessed us richly and I was pregnant before the end of the year. When I went to my first appt after finding out I was pregnant they called that fertility doctor I had and they said "she can't be!". Yes Praise the Lord I was, to God be the glory. We now have 3 beautiful girls. It takes one step at a time, I am trying to remember. One day at a time, one pound at a time. God bless you ladies.
  • Sunnysouth92
    Sunnysouth92 Posts: 30 Member
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    Woah sorry for the long post...im a little passionate this subject 😏😊
  • Sunnysouth92
    Sunnysouth92 Posts: 30 Member
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    About this subject*
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,981 Member
    edited June 2020
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    Enna10 wrote: »
    I was diagnosed a long time ago, over 20 years. I've had two children and am now in perimenopause. I've tried many different diets and supplements meant to help with pcos over the years, but the one that helped the most is...
    Eat well, move more
    That phrase is usually 'eat less, move more' but eating less is not helpful for moving more. Eating mfp's suggested calories and eat half your exercise calories back. That way you can eat a varied satisfying diet, be full of energy and still lose weight.
    I pay no attention to macros, I eat carbs, chocolate, ice cream etc and have now lost 50lb since January.
    scarlett_k wrote: »
    I was diagnosed years ago. While I do blame hormones somewhat for helping me in putting on the weight (burning compulsion to shovel food into my face) I don't find it hinders my weight loss. If I eat at a calorie deficit and log accurately I lose weight. It's that simple.

    My experience matches both of these exactly. the hormones and thyroid issues I deal with made the weight hard to lose because of the mental influence they exerted in making me want to eat all the time, not because of the minor physical influences they played on my metabolism. When they are under control the mental battle becomes winnable, and I've lost 137 lbs since 2017 the method as @Enna10 - my slight difference is that I do try to get in a certain level of protein; otherwise, the other macros fall where they may and I eat whatever I want and just stick to my calorie limit.

    Of course, if you survive this process long enough, you start realizing what's worth the calories and what is not, and your diet will slowly change as you strive to make choices that leave you feeling better and fuller, meaning that you start to judge "is that piece of cake really worth it?" or "you know, I could get that hamburger at McDonald's, but I'll be hungry again in less than 2 hours, but if I go with a healthier sandwich with whole grains, I get to eat more for the same calories and it will last longer".

    Now I was blessed in that while I was insulin resistant, I never developed diabetes and carbs aren't any problem for me at all. Some folks with PCOS do have an issue with carbs and find that limiting them helps them keep their sugar levels down and help them feel better. But PCOS often is different for each person who has it, so we each have to find how to tailor our diet and lifestyle to improve our own symptoms - we have to experience and play with a few different options to find what will work best for each of us.

    but my greatest advice is to keep it as simple and as manageable as possible - don't over complicate things; strive for a lifestyle that makes you feel good and a diet that you can sustain. The exercise videos that I use have the motto of "progress, not perfection" and that is quite applicable in the diet arena as well.

    You can do it without exercise but I can attest that exercise has its own benefits and helps in a lot of different ways - makes your joints feel better, gives you more stamina and energy, etc - not to mention giving you bonus calories to add back.
  • vegasleo79
    vegasleo79 Posts: 63 Member
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    @Raegold I am pretty new to PCOS, but my doctor told me to eat lower carb, at least avoiding the refined/processed stuff. She wouldn’t give me a macro range to aim for. I hope you don’t mind, but I had a couple questions for you. Do you eat a particular max gram amount of carbs? Do you worry about sugar if the source is fruits/vegetables or just watch the added stuff? Thanks so much!! :)
  • netitheyeti
    netitheyeti Posts: 539 Member
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    I was diagnosed back in 2012, I was advised to do low carb but it made me feel too sick to function so I aim for "moderate" amounts of carbs now, I just try and keep my overall kcal within range and I exercise regularly. I'm down from 205ish lbs at my heaviest to, currently, 126-127lbs at (roughly) 5'3. Still get hit with periods of hair falling out or hair *growing* in places I don't want and I'm on bc to regulate my periods - sadly that never improved with weight loss. I should add my blood sugar stuff came back completely normal last time I had it checked (last year)
  • wanderwoman2020
    wanderwoman2020 Posts: 109 Member
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    Keto with dietdoctor.com
  • FatGirlOnaDate
    FatGirlOnaDate Posts: 10 Member
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    netitheyeti wrote: »
    I was diagnosed back in 2012, I was advised to do low carb but it made me feel too sick to function so I aim for "moderate" amounts of carbs now, I just try and keep my overall kcal within range and I exercise regularly. I'm down from 205ish lbs at my heaviest to, currently, 126-127lbs at (roughly) 5'3. Still get hit with periods of hair falling out or hair *growing* in places I don't want and I'm on bc to regulate my periods - sadly that never improved with weight loss. I should add my blood sugar stuff came back completely normal last time I had it checked (last year)

    Just curious how long the hair falling out periods last? I’ve been diagnosed for a couple years and just in the last two weeks have started experiencing the hair falling out symptom. We’re talking handfuls daily. I’ve got an appt soon to make sure it’s not something more sinister as it’s really concerning to see that much hair fall out daily. Maybe it’s more normal for PCOS than I realized.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
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    Hey I’ve got PCOS and I’ve found doing some sort of strength training really helps to build muscle (if you’re a newbie) or maintain it atleast. Doing a lower carb diet will help (100g per day) and eating more fats and protein. I would aim for atleast 100g of protein per day. Eat plenty of veg and fibre. Doing underestimate the power of LISS! I’ve recently cut down on my HIIT sessions and I’m focusing more on walking! It lowers cortisol, low impact and no recovery needed. Yoga has also helped me too. One hour of vinyasa flow can burn upto 300 calories-not bad! I didn’t mention Cico because I assume you already know that so I wanted to give you information beyond that.
  • zena04us
    zena04us Posts: 5 Member
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    I have PCOS and was diagnosed back in 1997. I have been on a roller coaster of different weight loss methods and treatments for irregular cycles. I ultimately finally had a hysterectomy in 2018 at 44 yrs old and now i'm working on trying to get the rest of the extra weight off. I found that diet and exercise are the best ways to get the weight off and keep it off. I did an extreme challenge at a local gym and lost 70 lbs in 18 weeks and have kept that 70 off for the last 5 years. I however then went towards a more extreme approach and was working to compete in a bodybuilding show and reached a plateau and could not loose any more weight. I was converting lot so of muscle but the scale was not moving at all. Found an Endocrinologist and just got a prescription for Saxenda and only been on it for 4 days now but already down 8lbs. I hope this will help me get the last 50 lbs off and i can just maintain after that. I eat healthy I'm a Pescatarian for the last 3 years and don't eat dairy mostly due to allergies and limit gluten due to inflammation so I'm really hopeful that this drug will be the last step to get me closer to my goals. It's been a constant struggle for the last 20+years. I'm sure some of y'all can relate.
  • wanderwoman2020
    wanderwoman2020 Posts: 109 Member
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    wanderwoman2020 wrote: »
    Keto with dietdoctor.com

    Well that’s nice eh.. 6 dislikes and reported for spam?
    Just giving my experience I’ve been on just about every Healthy balanced diet going and keto was my last resort, I couldn’t get my head around how eating fat would make me lose it after years of avoiding it.
    I was diabetic type 2 under active thyroid prolapsed disc in my back meaning I couldn’t walk barely and ended up obese .. also I have had pcos since 15 and told I would never ever be able to have babies.

    I lost the weight using low carb /keto , reverses diabetes, my thyroid meds dropped And I don’t need spinal surgery now.
    Also had 4 babies with 5 years 😜

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