PCOS- What to eat? (Warning Guys TMI)

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  • TAnne123
    TAnne123 Posts: 21 Member
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    Low carb will only really help if you're insulin resistant (I've got PCOS, and am not insulin resistant). There are some studies that suggest you should watch the phytoestrogens that you eat (there are lists all over the web of foods that are high in phytoestrogens), but some people say that it won't affect it. My GYN told me that limiting them would help, so I trust he knows what he's talking about.
    I heard this as well. I've also read all kinds of PCOS books & articles. My GYN and many studies indicate that a low-carb diet only helps if you have insulin-resistance. But I think I'm gonna try to go low-GI-carb since it has so many other benefits.
    I read that staying away from low-fat dairy is very helpful. But I'm still not ovulating despite only ingesting full-fat dairy for a year or so. So I'm not too sure anymore.
  • zaithyr
    zaithyr Posts: 482 Member
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    I'm not on a very low carb diet, and I do have insulin resistance with my PCOS. Metformin has really helped to regulate my insulin so I don't have to go extremely low carb and I can lose weight like a normal person. I do eat less carbs than I used to simply because bread and pasta is higher in calories but my diet isn't "low carb" like some people do. I just try to eat good carbs rather than bad carbs (whole wheat bread instead of white, ect...)

    I didn't want to have to start taking drugs for the rest of my life.

    i would rather adhere to eating proteins, fats and getting my carbs from fruits and vegetables than to start popping pills, which only leads to more pills.

    Taking prescription is nothing but a gateway to being on more and more drugs like the Doctors and pharmaceutical companies want you anyway.

    I found a doctor that wanted to attack it at the root and actually heal my body, not start giving out prescription band-aids.

    That's not true- the metformin is helping me to lose weight and weight loss can reverse your PCOS and insulin resistance. My mom reversed her diabetes by losing weight (and she took Metformin too). Taking medication is not a bad thing and just because you have to take a medication doesn't mean it's a big conspiracy theory by a pharmaceutical company. The root of my weight is the fact that I have insulin resistance (something that runs in my family). The metformin helps with the insulin resistance. I've tried low carb diets, ect before and they did absolutely nothing for me. Metformin was the only thing that worked for me.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Yeah low carb for PCOS. My wife has had it for 15 years. It went undiagnosed for 5 years or so and led to her getting type 2 diabetes, so you're lucky they caught it early. We try to stay below 50g of carbs per meal... although that is really hard if you like carby sides - a cup of rice or pasta is going to take you over that.

    Watch yourself for high blood sugars. If your doc will prescribe you a meter, it might not be a bad idea to get one and check now and then. Obviously you don't have to do it all the time like a diabetic, but once a week taking a post-prandial reading 2 hours after dinner to make sure you're in normal ranges wouldn't hurt. You get totally used to the finger pricks after a while. Also lookout for the telltale signs of lethargy or abnormally frequent peeing. If you get these then you might want to go in to your doc and have them test you for insulin resistance (pre diabetes). If you become insulin resistant they will probably put you on oral metformin to control it.
  • lostinureyes17
    lostinureyes17 Posts: 112 Member
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    Thanks for all the helpful info, everyone. I really appreciate it! I start on the progesterone tomorrow and then will be going for my fasting blood sugar test. Hopefully all goes well. I think I will lower my carbs at least for a little while until I hear back from the doctor. Thanks again for all the helpful info and I'll def. be looking into soulcyster!
  • Melroxsox
    Melroxsox Posts: 1,040 Member
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    I have PCOS as well. When people say "low carb" how low do they mean? If I stay within the carb limits set forth by MFP, is that "low carb"?

    Absolutely not!!

    The MFP standards, as far as I can tell, are based on the US RDA standards, which are heavily influenced by lobbyists and are very high in carbs. As an example, the corn lobbyists got corn (which any biologist will tell you is obviously a grain, in fact it's the grain we feed our cattle when we want to fatten them up) reclassified as a vegetable by the FDA so people would think it was more healthy to eat... anyway, I would not trust their numbers.

    Also, MFP's standards are designed for the "average" person, and if you have PCOS, then you're obviously not average. Even among "normal" people, metabolisms vary widely. I'm sure you've noticed that some people can eat whatever they want and never gain an ounce, while others have to starve themselves. And some people get really cranky if they don't eat regularly, while others can go all day on a single meal. That's because there's a lot of variety in how efficiently people's bodies metabolize their foods.

    If you do have PCOS, it is likely that you also have some amount of insulin resistance. The best way to handle this is to keep your blood sugar on an even keel and avoid spikes and crashes. Carbs burn quickly, while protein burns more slowly and steadily. So you will need to get fewer calories from carbohydrates and more from protein. You will also need to make sure and eat more often during the day, so that your blood sugar never gets a chance to tank and cause carb cravings. As I said, every person is different, but my doctor has me eating every 3 hours (6 times a day). I am not allowed to eat more than 10 carbs in a sitting and no more than 25 carbs in a day. And I am expected to eat my body weight in protein each day (around 40g protein per sitting). That works out to a ratio of about 5% carbs, 35% fats, 60% protein. As I said, everyone's metabolism is different, so you may not have to limit yours so severely, but I would recommend changing your MFP goals so that the carb level is a lower percentage.

    Just getting on this low-carb, high-protein diet has done wonders for me. Cholesterol went from 210 to 185, I've stopped needing arthritis pain meds, I've stopped having depression and mood swings, and I've lost over 75 lb.

    Good luck to you!
    ^^^^^ this! I also have pcos. mfp carb settings are ridiculously high for a pcos patient.
  • mnomics
    mnomics Posts: 35
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    how do you find out if you are insulin resistant or not?

    Ask your doctor to do a test. It will be a fasting glucose test. Here are other ways but involve you buying a blood testing machine and being incredible methodical about charting at all hours of the day.

    Yes. This. Do not let your doctor get away with being lazy and doing the simple one-time test. Make him do the full 3-hour test. You should fast all night, come in and get your blood taken, then he should feed you a sugary drink (glucose) and take a blood sample again every hour after that for three hours. That is the only way to get a complete, accurate picture of how your body metabolizes and processes sugars.

    Thanks i will try to get this done :)
  • constantchaos05
    constantchaos05 Posts: 47 Member
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    PCOS for 7 years...they told me my ovaries look like chips ahoy chocolate chip cookies....ironic right..lol
  • AdAstra47
    AdAstra47 Posts: 823 Member
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    I've seen several people who were concerned about metformin... while I generally try to stay away from the "pop a pill and make it all better" mentality, sometimes your metabolism does need a jump-start and metformin can help. I'd be wary of a doc who says it's *all* you need to do, or who tells you you'll need to take it forever. But of all the drugs you could take, metformin is fairly mild with few side-effects, and is based on a homeopathic remedy, a plant called Galega officinalis (French lilac or goat's rue). It has been used since the Middle Ages to treat diabetes symptoms.

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