Down 6.4kgs with PCOS!
tashahueifit
Posts: 80 Member
To cut a long story short, I was diagnosed with PCOS in January 2019 and was putting on weight like crazy. However I didn’t know / didn’t bother taking care of my eating habits and naturally, the weight continued to climb. I was at my highest of 95kgs in September 2019 when I decided to make a change. These photos are of me wearing a blouse I could only wear end of 2017.. it was given to me by my boyfriend and I was so sad and depressed I couldn’t wear it when I had put on a lot of weight. It was so tight that I couldn’t even get it past my arms! Then in February 2020 (photos on the left) I tried it on (started losing a bit of weight at that point) and it fit (albeit super tightly!!!) and the photos on the right are from May 2020. I wouldn’t say the differences are night and day but I definitely notice them. 
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You can see a huge difference well done ! Can I ask how you lost the weight and over what period of time if that is not too intrusive ? I have PCOS and was recommended the low GI diet so just looking around to see what others are doing 😊 butttt back to my point...
Fantastic work and you can see the difference. Well done.4 -
There’s definitely a difference - that’s great work! I love the blouse too!1
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@WhitJston Hi there! First off I'd like to give you a big thumbs up for taking an initiative to lose weight with PCOS! I know how tough and frustrating it can be at times. Before I begin, I'd like to disclaim that I am not a medical professional and these methods I practice may or may not work according to the individual
What worked for me are 2 things; diet and exercise (no brainer there haha). In terms of diet, I've been trying to go at least 60% gluten and dairy free (gluten and dairy can trigger inflammation in our bodies hence releasing more androgens, worsening our PCOS symptoms). Going dairy free was tough for me because I LOVEEEE cheese, yogurt, butter and cow's milk. I told myself that I won't go cold turkey so I'm still taking little steps to cut out dairy when it isn't really needed. I started taking almond milk and honestly it tastes as good as cow's milk does! Other than that I also cut down my sugar intake, but not 100% because I like to indulge in sweet treats from time to time as well I agree with the low GI diet you were recommended with! I'm asian and I loooove white rice (super high GI), but when I started cutting down my rice intake I noticed that I didn't feel so bloated and tired, and the scale would slowly go down. Oh and green tea really helps!
In terms of exercise, I totally AVOID cardio. Like literally kicked it out from my routine because cardio is intense for me and it causes a spike in cortisol levels (stress hormones) which worsen my PCOS symptoms. Instead, I do strength training exercises which are so fun and way less tiring. I do 30 minute strength training workouts from HASfit on Youtube and focus more on leg workouts because our leg muscles are the largest muscles in the body and they tend to take up more sugar from the bloodstream during exercise. The best thing is that I only do them about 4-5 times a week, depending on how my body feels! If I'm lazy or tired I'll just do a 15 minute workout and be done for the day. You can try yoga, pilates and even go for long walks which I heard are super helpful with PCOS weight loss.
I started this weight loss journey in september 2019 but lost weight quite slowly because I wasn't really serious about it and was indulging in fast food/ sweet treats very often. I would say that my progress is a bit slower compared to someone else who is more diligent with their eating habits haha. But to put it into perspective I was 95kgs in September 2019 and now (June 2020) I am at 88.6kgs.
Also you don't have to solely rely on the scale to determine weight loss. Take body measurements instead! At one point my arms and thighs became smaller but the weight on the scale increased... so just take small steps to reach your goal(s). I'm still a long way from my ideal weight and my menstrual cycles aren't regular yet, but I'm hoping to get there soon. The most important thing here is to not rush the process... I gave up numerous times because I was so fed up and fatigued from ''fast track'', unrealistic and unsustainable workouts. There are going to be days where you just want to lay in bed from the overwhelming reality of PCOS but I'm here to tell you that it is completely normal! Just go at your own pace and you will DEFINITELY get there. Sorry this post is so long! Hope it helped Sending you lots of positive energies and thank you again for the kind compliments regarding my before after photos! 9 -
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I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2006 and actually had a doctor in 2014 tell me I'd never lose the weight because of it. But I started losing in 2017 and though I plateaued for 2018, I'm back to losing again, and so far the grand total off is 135 lbs and its still coming off! I looked at a picture of my high school class from 1998 and realized that I am now thinner than I was in high school!
So don't let anyone tell you you are stuck with teh weight even with a PCOS diagnosis; you can do it!
For me personally, the biggest symptom I have is the stupid facial hair, and nothing has been able to help that. For me, cardio has been a big help in getting my activity levels up, as well as walking. I actually eat about 50% carbs a day, try to get at least 25% protein, and usually am around 15-20% fat, and that has worked very well for me. I don't limit myself by saying "you can't have this" or "that is not allowed"; but there are things that I'll see the calorie count for and say "yeah, I could have that, but is the calories really worth it?" a lot of the time, I pass it by because no, the calories really aren't worth it - such as donuts! If I really, really want it - pizza, hamburger, whatever - I get it and log it, lighten it up some by changing a few things such as taking mayo off, etc, but i enjoy it!
But like the OP said: that's what has worked for me personally; it's certainly not going to work for everyone! But PCOS is a very individualistic condition, too - its hard to diagnose and really is a diagnosis based on elimination of other possibilities, and the symptom list is long and varied and women diagnosed with it usually only have some of the symptoms; no two of us are really alike with it and how it expresses itself in our bodies, which makes it tough! It's the sort of thing that you just have to try different things to find what will work the best for you personally.
But that's why I thought I'd put my two cents in as well - someone can read the OP's experience and techniques in dealing with their PCOS, and read mine and get a couple of different ideas for things to try out.
Congratulations to @tashahueifit ! It is fantastic to see progress, isn't it? Especially when you're told its impossible! Well done!
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@bmeadows380 Wow! 135Ibs?! Gurl... you’re my new role model! Fantastic work on your end 👏🏻 Hope to achieve the success that you have ❤️ And yes, I totally agree with you that different techniques/ lifestyle changes depend on the individual I totally understand where you’re coming from regarding the lack of support from your doctor. The first doctor I went to told my mom (who accompanied me to my appointment) that “how could you let her eat so much and get so fat?” And the worse thing is that she didn’t even diagnose me with PCOS! She just prescribed me with pills. 😒 Thankfully the second doctor I went to was so much better and diagnosed me
properly. Anyway, congratulations to you again and thank you so much for the encouraging words ❤️1 -
Great Job, nothing better than trying on clothes that didn't fit and now you can slide it on like butter!!4
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Not to derail the thread, but I recently did laser hair removal for that. I understand it works best if you have light skin and dark hair, and it doesn't remove everything, but most of my unsightly facial hair is gone. It also wasn't as cost-prohibitive as I thought it would be, but I suppose that depends on where you go.bmeadows380 wrote: »...
For me personally, the biggest symptom I have is the stupid facial hair, and nothing has been able to help that.
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I can't express how much better I feel about myself and how much more confidence I have now that my "beard" is gone. I would recommend it to anyone who is a candidate; it's worth the expense.6 -
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bobsburgersfan wrote: »
Not to derail the thread, but I recently did laser hair removal for that. I understand it works best if you have light skin and dark hair, and it doesn't remove everything, but most of my unsightly facial hair is gone. It also wasn't as cost-prohibitive as I thought it would be, but I suppose that depends on where you go.bmeadows380 wrote: »...
For me personally, the biggest symptom I have is the stupid facial hair, and nothing has been able to help that.
...
I can't express how much better I feel about myself and how much more confidence I have now that my "beard" is gone. I would recommend it to anyone who is a candidate; it's worth the expense.
Thank you for sharing! Glad you have newfound confidence now ❤️1 -
😱 super awesome! Well done!2
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sirjamerie wrote: »😱 super awesome! Well done!
Thank you so much! Means a lot to me. 💞0 -
@tashahueift I'm a latecomer to your thread, but great job with managing your weight and your PCOS symptoms! I love your bangs in the second picture. I was diagnosed with PCOS through an ultrasound at 19, 12 years ago, and even after all that time I'm really glad to read your posts and some of the other comments. I know there are lots of us out there and we all have very different symptoms, but it always helps me to read other people's experiences with it!
I'll just share for anyone else who happens to come across this that I also have a very different experience from any of the other people above. Extremely irregular periods, light facial hair on my chin, and acne (not severe) are about the only physical things that I really notice. When I started to put on weight a couple years ago, I also noticed that I carry most of it around my stomach and hips. I have several diabetic family members, as well as a few with heart problems, so those are the health conditions I'm personally most worried about with regard to my own weight gain. I know many people with PCOS struggle with fertility, but that's not a concern for me as I'm not particularly interested in having children. I also identify as non-binary, and a little extra body hair isn't too annoying to me because of the way I express my gender identity. I don't restrict carbs, gluten, or dairy, but both my partner and I are vegetarian and eat tons of veggies. I love sweets but try to eat them in moderation.
For me the main issue in both overall health and weight is mood and mental health. The worst for me was when I was dealing with not only severe depression (which is a chronic condition for me, though it comes and goes, and also has high comorbidity with PCOS) but anxiety and panic attacks due to being bullied by a boss at work. Talk about high cortisol levels! I started having acid reflux problems around that time, despite not substantially changing my diet or any other habits. When I managed to get out of that situation, things stabilized a bit. I'm currently in the process of leaving that job and profession completely, and it's made a huge difference both to my mental and physical health. I love both strength training and cardio and don't find that the latter elevates my stress levels or makes me feel worse in any way. But in any case, being active no matter what I'm doing really helps my mood, which helps everything else.1 -
Hey I’ve got pcos and it’s so amazing to see all your stories! I’ve tried to cut out gluten and dairy but it just triggered my eating disorder patterns so I’ve just cut down. I found it much easier to cut out wheat though and have oats, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat and chickpea flour. But dairy is my weakness so I try to get organic cheese and yoghurt. I don’t drink cows milk- I have almond/cashew milk instead. It’s just CHEESE is life for me! I also have excess facial hair and I’ve just started drinking 2 cups of spearmint tea per day. Fingers crossed it works! I do feel guilty every time I eat cheese because I’ve read on all the PCOS websites that dairy is bad for this condition 😖 surely in small amounts it’s fine 🤷🏻♀️. I have cut down on sugar because it makes me tired and sleepy but if I’m stressed I will binge on chocolate. I just can’t help it. I also try to have 4 squares of 70% chocolate per day. Oh and I’ve increased my protein from 95g-100g to 120-130g and I try to have veggies/salad with every meal. I’ve also increased my walking from average 6000/7000 steps to 12000-15000 steps. I do full body weights three times a week and some cardio workout on the other days as well as yoga and Pilates.1
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@xxzenabxx I've personally never had any issue with dairy, including cheese (which I love too!). I've never completely cut it out of my diet, but never noticed any difference between times/days when I'm consuming a whole lot and times/days when I'm not. Other people might, but I just never have seen a difference. If it's working okay for you, I'd say don't feel guilty about it as long as it's in moderation. Everybody's a little different! And I feel you about dietary restrictions triggering disordered eating, which is another reason that I think it's totally healthy to allow yourself a little bit of dairy if it doesn't actively make you feel bad.
I also love mint tea--if nothing else I find it very relaxing. Which has to help, right? 1 -
I also want to say that I get why it's important to eat foods with a low glycemic index/load for those of us who are insulin-resistant (and it's supported by solid scientific research), but I think that everything I've read about dairy possibly being bad for PCOS is extremely sketchy. That's no reason not to cut it out if you want to, or if it helps (and there are great environmental and ethical reasons to consider this too), but also potentially no reason to feel bad for consuming it in moderation, as part of a generally low GI diet.1
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persimmonfig wrote: »@tashahueift I'm a latecomer to your thread, but great job with managing your weight and your PCOS symptoms! I love your bangs in the second picture. I was diagnosed with PCOS through an ultrasound at 19, 12 years ago, and even after all that time I'm really glad to read your posts and some of the other comments. I know there are lots of us out there and we all have very different symptoms, but it always helps me to read other people's experiences with it!
I'll just share for anyone else who happens to come across this that I also have a very different experience from any of the other people above. Extremely irregular periods, light facial hair on my chin, and acne (not severe) are about the only physical things that I really notice. When I started to put on weight a couple years ago, I also noticed that I carry most of it around my stomach and hips. I have several diabetic family members, as well as a few with heart problems, so those are the health conditions I'm personally most worried about with regard to my own weight gain. I know many people with PCOS struggle with fertility, but that's not a concern for me as I'm not particularly interested in having children. I also identify as non-binary, and a little extra body hair isn't too annoying to me because of the way I express my gender identity. I don't restrict carbs, gluten, or dairy, but both my partner and I are vegetarian and eat tons of veggies. I love sweets but try to eat them in moderation.
For me the main issue in both overall health and weight is mood and mental health. The worst for me was when I was dealing with not only severe depression (which is a chronic condition for me, though it comes and goes, and also has high comorbidity with PCOS) but anxiety and panic attacks due to being bullied by a boss at work. Talk about high cortisol levels! I started having acid reflux problems around that time, despite not substantially changing my diet or any other habits. When I managed to get out of that situation, things stabilized a bit. I'm currently in the process of leaving that job and profession completely, and it's made a huge difference both to my mental and physical health. I love both strength training and cardio and don't find that the latter elevates my stress levels or makes me feel worse in any way. But in any case, being active no matter what I'm doing really helps my mood, which helps everything else.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us ❤️ You are so strong for going through all these hurdles, and I’m so proud of you! Wishing you all the happiness and success with managing your PCOS 💞 (And thank you for the compliments! 😘)0 -
I can definitely see a big difference; great job! I have PCOS as well and just straight up calories in/calories out has worked for me. I don't limit any foods and I try to get a balance every day of nutritionally sound foods as well as treats. I mostly don't even worry about macros; the only thing I try to keep an eye on is protein because if I'm not intentional about it I will eat very little of it. I don't do any exercise other than making sure I get at least my 10,000 steps in per day. I'm currently not weighing myself (long story) but I've noticed in the past I would lose only about a half a pound a week for like 3 weeks in a row, and then suddenly lose 3 pounds all at once the 4th week. Not sure if that's PCOS related or if my body is just weird, but either way I managed to lose the weight I needed to. My mom also has PCOS and was obese for most of her adult life, and CICO worked for her too. She tried all of these different diets and the thing that finally worked for her was just focusing on limiting calories and tracking everything. She went from a 3x to a size 4 and has kept it off for 10+ years. She uses a little notebook to write everything down in- basically the no tech version of MFP.bmeadows380 wrote: »
For me personally, the biggest symptom I have is the stupid facial hair, and nothing has been able to help that.
I'm not sure if you've already tried this, but a few years ago I started shaving my face with these specific razors meant for women's faces: https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Flamingo-Facial-Touch-up-Razors/dp/B00K0RWGH8
I was afraid I'd end up with "stubble" but I've had no issues! I did watch a few youtube videos first to make sure I was getting the technique right. It's totally different from how you would shave your legs. Apparently a lot of women use something like this because it makes your make up go on smoother with no "peach fuzz" and it's good for getting rid of dead skin too. You use the razors dry so it's pretty quick and easy. I usually do about every 2 weeks but you can use them as often as 1x per week. I've felt so much better about how my face looks since discovering this!
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Hey I’ve got pcos and it’s so amazing to see all your stories! I’ve tried to cut out gluten and dairy but it just triggered my eating disorder patterns so I’ve just cut down. I found it much easier to cut out wheat though and have oats, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat and chickpea flour. But dairy is my weakness so I try to get organic cheese and yoghurt. I don’t drink cows milk- I have almond/cashew milk instead. It’s just CHEESE is life for me! I also have excess facial hair and I’ve just started drinking 2 cups of spearmint tea per day. Fingers crossed it works! I do feel guilty every time I eat cheese because I’ve read on all the PCOS websites that dairy is bad for this condition 😖 surely in small amounts it’s fine 🤷🏻♀️. I have cut down on sugar because it makes me tired and sleepy but if I’m stressed I will binge on chocolate. I just can’t help it. I also try to have 4 squares of 70% chocolate per day. Oh and I’ve increased my protein from 95g-100g to 120-130g and I try to have veggies/salad with every meal. I’ve also increased my walking from average 6000/7000 steps to 12000-15000 steps. I do full body weights three times a week and some cardio workout on the other days as well as yoga and Pilates.
I totally know how you feel! At one point I was beating myself up for not being strict with the whole GF/DF diet... but I guess trial and error is key. Through lots of experimenting, I realize that going low GI works WONDERS for me. I’m talking about steady weight loss, less bloating, better moods. And way to go with leading an active lifestyle!! 12000-15000 steps a day is amazing 😁 I think I’ll follow in your footsteps (heheh pun intended) soon! I too love strength training! I always see results by sticking to them.😊
Anyway thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us! All the best on your PCOS journey. 😍0 -
persimmonfig wrote: »@xxzenabxx I've personally never had any issue with dairy, including cheese (which I love too!). I've never completely cut it out of my diet, but never noticed any difference between times/days when I'm consuming a whole lot and times/days when I'm not. Other people might, but I just never have seen a difference. If it's working okay for you, I'd say don't feel guilty about it as long as it's in moderation. Everybody's a little different! And I feel you about dietary restrictions triggering disordered eating, which is another reason that I think it's totally healthy to allow yourself a little bit of dairy if it doesn't actively make you feel bad.
I also love mint tea--if nothing else I find it very relaxing. Which has to help, right?
Totally agree with you on that! ❤️0 -
persimmonfig wrote: »I also want to say that I get why it's important to eat foods with a low glycemic index/load for those of us who are insulin-resistant (and it's supported by solid scientific research), but I think that everything I've read about dairy possibly being bad for PCOS is extremely sketchy. That's no reason not to cut it out if you want to, or if it helps (and there are great environmental and ethical reasons to consider this too), but also potentially no reason to feel bad for consuming it in moderation, as part of a generally low GI diet.
Yes you’re right! I found that trying to cut it out 100% was a little difficult for me, and i didn’t really feel any different after reducing my dairy intake. It was the complete opposite when I went low GI though, I’m all for it 😁0 -
swimmchick87 wrote: »I can definitely see a big difference; great job! I have PCOS as well and just straight up calories in/calories out has worked for me. I don't limit any foods and I try to get a balance every day of nutritionally sound foods as well as treats. I mostly don't even worry about macros; the only thing I try to keep an eye on is protein because if I'm not intentional about it I will eat very little of it. I don't do any exercise other than making sure I get at least my 10,000 steps in per day. I'm currently not weighing myself (long story) but I've noticed in the past I would lose only about a half a pound a week for like 3 weeks in a row, and then suddenly lose 3 pounds all at once the 4th week. Not sure if that's PCOS related or if my body is just weird, but either way I managed to lose the weight I needed to. My mom also has PCOS and was obese for most of her adult life, and CICO worked for her too. She tried all of these different diets and the thing that finally worked for her was just focusing on limiting calories and tracking everything. She went from a 3x to a size 4 and has kept it off for 10+ years. She uses a little notebook to write everything down in- basically the no tech version of MFP.bmeadows380 wrote: »
For me personally, the biggest symptom I have is the stupid facial hair, and nothing has been able to help that.
I'm not sure if you've already tried this, but a few years ago I started shaving my face with these specific razors meant for women's faces: https://www.amazon.com/Feather-Flamingo-Facial-Touch-up-Razors/dp/B00K0RWGH8
I was afraid I'd end up with "stubble" but I've had no issues! I did watch a few youtube videos first to make sure I was getting the technique right. It's totally different from how you would shave your legs. Apparently a lot of women use something like this because it makes your make up go on smoother with no "peach fuzz" and it's good for getting rid of dead skin too. You use the razors dry so it's pretty quick and easy. I usually do about every 2 weeks but you can use them as often as 1x per week. I've felt so much better about how my face looks since discovering this!
Wow! Fantastic job to your and your mum! You guys are such an inspiration to the PCOS community. ❤️ I’m so glad that CICO works for you 😁 I too should try clocking in 10,000 steps a day because other than my strength training 4-5 times a week, I realize that my lifestyle is quite sedentary.
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us and all the best to you in your PCOS journey ❤️0 -
persimmonfig wrote: »@xxzenabxx I've personally never had any issue with dairy, including cheese (which I love too!). I've never completely cut it out of my diet, but never noticed any difference between times/days when I'm consuming a whole lot and times/days when I'm not. Other people might, but I just never have seen a difference. If it's working okay for you, I'd say don't feel guilty about it as long as it's in moderation. Everybody's a little different! And I feel you about dietary restrictions triggering disordered eating, which is another reason that I think it's totally healthy to allow yourself a little bit of dairy if it doesn't actively make you feel bad.
I also love mint tea--if nothing else I find it very relaxing. Which has to help, right?
Your message made me so happy! Finally someone who understands that cheese can be eaten in moderation! Thank you for the kind words x1 -
tashahueifit wrote: »Hey I’ve got pcos and it’s so amazing to see all your stories! I’ve tried to cut out gluten and dairy but it just triggered my eating disorder patterns so I’ve just cut down. I found it much easier to cut out wheat though and have oats, spelt, quinoa, buckwheat and chickpea flour. But dairy is my weakness so I try to get organic cheese and yoghurt. I don’t drink cows milk- I have almond/cashew milk instead. It’s just CHEESE is life for me! I also have excess facial hair and I’ve just started drinking 2 cups of spearmint tea per day. Fingers crossed it works! I do feel guilty every time I eat cheese because I’ve read on all the PCOS websites that dairy is bad for this condition 😖 surely in small amounts it’s fine 🤷🏻♀️. I have cut down on sugar because it makes me tired and sleepy but if I’m stressed I will binge on chocolate. I just can’t help it. I also try to have 4 squares of 70% chocolate per day. Oh and I’ve increased my protein from 95g-100g to 120-130g and I try to have veggies/salad with every meal. I’ve also increased my walking from average 6000/7000 steps to 12000-15000 steps. I do full body weights three times a week and some cardio workout on the other days as well as yoga and Pilates.
I totally know how you feel! At one point I was beating myself up for not being strict with the whole GF/DF diet... but I guess trial and error is key. Through lots of experimenting, I realize that going low GI works WONDERS for me. I’m talking about steady weight loss, less bloating, better moods. And way to go with leading an active lifestyle!! 12000-15000 steps a day is amazing 😁 I think I’ll follow in your footsteps (heheh pun intended) soon! I too love strength training! I always see results by sticking to them.😊
Anyway thank you for taking the time to share your experiences with us! All the best on your PCOS journey. 😍
Exactly low GI is much better than cutting out entire foods (dairy/grains). I feel much more satisfied on protein and fats which is essentially what most cheese is. Also eating disorders should not be taken lightly and telling someone with a history of ED that they can’t have something-ever- will make them have a binge episode. Glad to have inspired you to do more walking- honestly LISS in sooo underrated!1
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