PCOS: Caloric intake lower than 1200 cals

Alee4nia
Alee4nia Posts: 168 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everybody,

I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is when you have more than normal amounts of testosterone in your body which can cause insulin resistance, hirutism (more hair in unwanted places), acne, high cholesterol and much more.

So I was at the endocrinologists office for my husband and there was an article regarding PCOS and it said that our caloric intake should be below 1200 calories a day, which may actually make us feel better and have more energy...

Anybody told this? If so, have you tried and how did you feel?
«1

Replies

  • countrydarling1
    countrydarling1 Posts: 386 Member
    BUMP!
  • ScarletFyre
    ScarletFyre Posts: 754 Member
    BUMP
  • Pocket_Pixi
    Pocket_Pixi Posts: 1,167 Member
    I do not have this but I do have a friend who was told to watch her carb intake and not her calorie intake and see how she felt. Within a few weeks of dropping her carbs down to around 100g net carbs she was feeling 100% better and the weight was slowly coming off.


    how much lower than 1200 did they suggest?
  • livi_cowgirl
    livi_cowgirl Posts: 198 Member
    I have PCOS and I have never heard this before. x
  • CelticDestiny
    CelticDestiny Posts: 61 Member
    I have PCOS too and of all the research I have done on it I have never heard this. I know for me personally that if I get under 1200 calories I don't feel I have any energy left and I feel hungry all the time, like stomach growling hungry. I'd be interested in reading the article.

    Edit:
    I do monitor my carbs more closely than anything because of the insulin resistance that goes along with PCOS.
  • jilliebk
    jilliebk Posts: 252 Member
    Hi there, I have PCOS, and I never heard of that I have the PCOS natural... book, but the only thing I take for that is the BCP. I work with a dietitian, nurtionist, and I lost weight. I also get the newsletter if u want u can message me ur e-mail addy and I can add u, or I think I can give u the address
  • LaDiablesse
    LaDiablesse Posts: 862 Member
    I have it & have never heard this. Have heard of lowering your carb intake, but not overall calories to under 1200. What was the explanation in the article as to why below 1200 calories a day?
  • Alee4nia
    Alee4nia Posts: 168 Member
    The article is in EMPOWER magazine Volume 3 Issue 3. It did not suggest a caloric intake, but my educated guess would be 1000 cals...lower than that...I think that's too low.
  • mimigirl76
    mimigirl76 Posts: 2
    I have PCOS and I've never heard that. I've been told that a diet that consists of 50-50% carbs, 25-30% protein and the rest fat is what works best for the weight loss. That the carbs you intake should be whole good foods such as whole grains, veggies, etc.

    I've worked with a nutritionist before and have discussed with my specialists my diet and they recommend that you identify the amount of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight and then deduct 500 calories for each pound you want to lose per week. I've been doing that in the 6 weeks since i've joined this site and I have lost 18 pounds so far. I have set my goals to be 50% carbs, 25% protein and 25% fat and I've found that I am eating more nutritional foods, feeling fuller and now have more energy and have been able to increase my activity levels as I was very sedentary.
  • misstanyamarie
    misstanyamarie Posts: 26 Member
    I have had PCOS for years and just saw a nutritionist Monday. She put me on a 1200 calorie diet..hormone free meats and eggs.
    Don't know how I'm going to do this!
  • LisaC1026
    LisaC1026 Posts: 1,203 Member
    bump
  • vittix
    vittix Posts: 84 Member
    I don't have this, but im on a 1200 cal diet. I was told but my Dr going under 1200 isn't good for you. I make my cals count. Do to bad hip/knee/heel i cant walk like i would like to but i lose around 2 lbs a week. Lots of luck
  • nettleboo
    nettleboo Posts: 177 Member
    i too have pcos i like most heard a lower carb diet is best but i like my carbs but i try not to go over board with them. ive lost weight and i mainly think its due to exercise i really do i think below 1200 cals id be too starved lol ive got my loss set at 1.5lbs a week which makes my cals per day 1320 bt i exercise everyday so i get between 1500 and 1650 per day and most days i eat my exercise cals and ive still lost weight im not sure why this would work for me and not others. have you spoken to your doc?
  • megarooni
    megarooni Posts: 50 Member
    My endocronologist told me to get a 1500 calorie diet with at least 30 mins of exercise each day. And when I was told this I had about 100lbs in his opinion. You should talk to your endocronoligist and see what they advise when it comes to this. Good luck! :)
  • hebby888
    hebby888 Posts: 1 Member
    I have read a few articles in medical journals where they measured women ( not obese ) with pcos and found they have lower basal metabolic rate than women without. therefore what would normal cause weight loss for women without pcos will not do the same for pcos women. Articles concluded that women basal metabolic rate is much lower and to increase it women have to add exercise to daily calorie loss,

    This would suggest that pcos women who are not obese ( because if obese then your basal metabolic rate will be higher ) will need to take in less than 1200 calories to achieve a deficit in calorie intake.

    I have been on a 1000 and hit 900 some days and only just lose enough weight compared to my friends. I exercise 3 times a week and it seems to make no difference.
  • start121
    start121 Posts: 38 Member
    With regard to weightloss and PCOS, the dietician I've just started working with told me that research is starting to show that physical activity is of more importance for weightloss, more so than diet. They are recommending that those with PCOS should aim for 1hr a day 7 days a week. That sounds like a lot to me, but it makes sense when you consider the insulin resistence etc that goes with PCOS and the fact that physical activity improves insulin use. Also, the dietician put me on a 1600 cal limit (based on all the info about me, including PCOS) which is only 50cals different to MFP. I think the key to the diet is low GI and regular intake to keep blood sugars level.
  • Misskittyfantastico
    Misskittyfantastico Posts: 35 Member
    Hi everyone!!

    I have PCOS and I've been eating 1200 calories a day for a few months. I have started to lose weight. Prior to this, I was eating a sensible diet and exercising and did not lose weight. I think you have to eat significantly fewer calories than 'normal' women before you start losing weight. I also exercise a lot, and always 'eat back' the calories - this combo seems to be working!

    If you have PCOS, it's also really important to remember to eat low GI foods, e.g. wholewheat instead of white bread, pasta etc. lots of fruit and veg, only good fats. I would really recommend Colette Harris's PCOS Diet Book (http://www.amazon.co.uk/PCOS-Diet-Book-nutritional-polycystic/dp/0007131844) to learn more about your condition and about what to eat.

    Best of luck and feel free to add me!! Fiona x x
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I have PCOS and I'd be chewing my own arm off to eat it on 1200 cals. I'm eating 1700 (net) and losing weight. I've cut carbs to 45% and when I get under 200 I plan to take 1800 cals/40% carbs and see how that goes. I have a pretty high muscle mass so my GW is 180.

    I actually think my metabolism is running at a pretty healthy level, but I do Aikido 6x/week.
  • emiliewright
    emiliewright Posts: 148 Member
    Hi there, I have PCOS, and I never heard of that I have the PCOS natural... book, but the only thing I take for that is the BCP. I work with a dietitian, nurtionist, and I lost weight. I also get the newsletter if u want u can message me ur e-mail addy and I can add u, or I think I can give u the address

    Can you add me? emiliewrightwebber@gmail.com

    Also, what is BCP? I have PCOS and use NO meds.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I would believe BCP is birth control pills -- I've taken them off and on but am currently off. They're commonly prescribed to alleviate the symptoms, and before I started exercising they were a Godsend.
  • Hols969
    Hols969 Posts: 8 Member
    We do need to eat less than a non pcos lady to get the same results as we naturally store fat very efficiently (lucky us). If we ate the RDA to maintain we would still gain 2lb a month so a stone a year. I tend to stick to around 1200-1400 calories a day and do 45-60 mins exercise.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    F&?%$ no.

    Less than 1200 calories is not a way to have appropriate nutrition. When I eat less then 1500 calories I feel fatigue and life is not worth living
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    I have read a few articles in medical journals where they measured women ( not obese ) with pcos and found they have lower basal metabolic rate than women without. therefore what would normal cause weight loss for women without pcos will not do the same for pcos women. Articles concluded that women basal metabolic rate is much lower and to increase it women have to add exercise to daily calorie loss,

    This would suggest that pcos women who are not obese ( because if obese then your basal metabolic rate will be higher ) will need to take in less than 1200 calories to achieve a deficit in calorie intake.

    I have been on a 1000 and hit 900 some days and only just lose enough weight compared to my friends. I exercise 3 times a week and it seems to make no difference.

    You should work on tyour matabolism instead of shooting it to hell. It is the only way if you want to lose the weight long term
  • BringingSherriBack
    BringingSherriBack Posts: 607 Member
    I also have PCOS and have never heard of this. My Endrocronologist never really did anything for my PCOS. He didn't put me on any meds for my insulin or even birth control pills (I can't take hormonal birth control pills due to previous blood clots). I have heard that low carb eating is best for PCOS patients, but he never told me this either. I was put on a 1200 calorie diet and lost about 20 pounds in 6 months (very slow to lose).
    He was totally against me having WLS, but wouldn't recommend anything else I could do to get the weight off (I was 325 pounds when I had WLS in November). Now that I have WLS, I have lost 70 pounds in 4 1/2 months, but that is slower than a lot of WLS patients. I think it is due to the calorie issue where we require less calories and have to cut more calories to lose weight.
    I know when I was on birth control pills in the past, I lost weight more easily because my hormones were under control. I can't take hormonal birth control now because I had a blood clot in 2006. The weight really piled on after I had to stop the birth control pills and now it is much harder to get the weight back off even after WLS.
    I have been doing a higher protein and lower carb diet since WLS (protein over 50 grams per day and carbs around 60 grams per day. I have switched things around with my carbs to see what works best for me and this works better for me than ultra low carb seems to.
  • Fitburd
    Fitburd Posts: 92 Member
    I have heard of this, it was recommended at about 800 calories. The theory is new and based on research regarding Insulin resistance and VLCD's and the results of the many gastric bypass surgeries that have shown when you eat less than a certain amount of calories you are no longer insulin resistant or diabetic.

    Not sure about eating back exercise calories though I was bombarded with so much information totally new to when I was first diagnosed 14 years ago that I forgot to ask.
  • PrincessNikkiBoo
    PrincessNikkiBoo Posts: 330 Member
    Save for later
  • ravenstar25
    ravenstar25 Posts: 126 Member
    Absolutely. For some women with PCOS, it is the ONLY way to lose weight. I had tried fora while sticking to a 1200 calorie diet and exercising up to two hours a day but my weight loss still stopped. I'm going back to the ONLY weight loss plan that has worked for me before, which is staying under 1000 a day and exercising at least 30-60 minutes daily.

    Of COURSE you can't get the nutrition you need. You MUST eat 2000+ calories a day to get the nutrition you need. This is why every dieter, even an extreme one, should take a complete multivitamin. It's absolutely, completely impossible to get your daily requirements when dieting even at 1500 calories. Nutritionists have tried to figure out a way and they can't.
  • Delicate
    Delicate Posts: 625 Member
    That sounds awfully low, they should look at you, as if you are prediabetic, do they recommend such a low amount for people suffering from type 2 diabeties? I doubt it

    My dr told me low GI, or limit carbs.

    I had success with low GI but it was hard to maintain after a while (then when you mix it with GL eee)

    I've found restricting carbs alot easier, since its alot easier to monitor through MFP.

    My weight loss took years , which is annoying people without PCOS where getting rid of double the weight, however since it took them less time, they had a tendency to get back to old habits and gain back.
  • JenniferMuriel
    JenniferMuriel Posts: 48 Member
    I've read about a a few studies citing good weight loss after a short term VLCD. I too have PCOS and struggle to lose a pound never mind the 30 that needs to go. The only time in the past 4 months that I have lost is when I did a juicing fast for 10 days. it was drastic. I'm going to try something like <800 and see how it goes.

Categories