Best Diet/Exercise Plan for PCOS

I have this too. I also find it incredibly difficult to lose weight. My doctor has offered to put my on metformin (it's typically a diabetic drug that also helps PCOS sufferers to lose weight), but I'm too stubborn and I want to lose weight without prescription drugs.

You should check out soulcysters.net. It's an online community for PCOS sufferers, and there's lots of really knowledgeable people there that can give you better advice than me. I haven't found anything that really works for myself yet, so I can't exactly give you advice :-).

But I also found pcos.insulitelabs.com... it's an all natural supplement that's supposed to help PCOS sufferers. I'm thinking of buying it, but haven't done it yet. I think worst case scenario, it looks like a really expensive vitamin. But might be worth the try? I'm going to show it to my doctor first before I buy.

I believe that betty is on the right track. You are eating too little.

I am currently reading Jillian Michaels book "Master your Metabolism" and it talks a lot about how our surroundings and what we eat effect our hormones which then effect our metabolism. She mentions PCOS in it too so I recommend picking it up.

I was diagnosed with PCOS about 3 years ago. Now I'm having trouble having a baby and difficulty losing weight? ]What?? That's just not fair. Okay, I'm done venting and I'll answer your question.

There's a pregnancy thread on here somewhere where women talk about PCOS, getting pregnant, etc. Maybe you should try to find it for more info. For me to lose weight, I have to consistently eat around 1200-1400 calories per day and do moderate workouts about twice a week. I've never worked out more, so I don't know if working out more would help or not. My doctor told me to try a low glycemic index diet, and I just can't make myself give up carbs.

I tried Metformin (glycophage), and it didn't help me lose weight (or get regular periods). It did, however, cause me to experience almost all of the negative symptoms associated with it. I took it for about 3 months before stopping. I just couldn't handle the symptoms.

Good luck, and I know there's alot of information out there about PCOS and dieting.

I'm new and have PCOS as well. Since my diagnosis in '07 I started on the Metformin, Spironolactone and a progesterone only birth control pill. For the first time ever I started losing weight when I dieted and exercised. As of the end of last year I had lost about 60 lbs. I was going to the gym almost every day and working really hard. I had a death in the family last December and have since gained about 35 back due to my tendency towards emotional eating. I have lit a fire in myself to get back on track so I came to this site a few weeks ago. Since then I've lost 6 lbs. I don't know if I could have done this without my meds because I tried for years and nothing. If you're in the Bay Area they have a PCOS clinic affiliated with UCSF that knows what they're doing.

I try to eat organic foods because I've read that the hormones and what not in the non-organic foods can wreak havoc on your system, especially if you have PCOS since we're battling with our hormones already. My rule is when I read a label, if the ingredients aren't something that I can find in nature then I don't buy it. I have my weak days too but overall it really helps me.

what is pcos please let me introduce about it..

Ive lost 185 pounds and I too have PCOS. I found for me the best was to zig zag my calories....I try not to eat carbs too often with my evening meal. Most of my food is unprocessed and that seemed to work for me.

OP I'm confused. You appear to almost be at your goal weight having lost an impressive amount of weight. What exactly is not working for you?

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Hello, I was just diagnosed with PCOS. I am 25 years old and have always been told i had a hormonal imbalance since i was 20 years old. I have since moved to germany because my husband was stationed here and the army doc noticed my hormonal imbalance and referred me to a specialist. (Also my testosterone level was high) The german doctor (endocrinologist) diagnosed me with pcos. I thought to myself why did it take a german doctor 2 seconds to diagnose me with this after the ultrasound and all the american doctors would only tell me hormonal imbalance. He wants me to begin metformin and I am a little nervous about it because i am super sensitive to meds. I hope it helps. I guess i have a slightly elevated glucose level as well. Also, my husband has a low sperm count. Fertility is really against me for some reason and it makes me sad. Anyways, i have started to eat healthier at 1200 calories a day and i have lost 6 pounds in 2 weeks. I eat more protein and less carbs. My favorite breakfast is 2 medium eggs (no salt) and a kiwi. For a snack i like the light string cheese or a greek yogurt. For lunch i chop up some lettuce and put 4oz chicken on top and some tuna (watered) dinner i do whole wheat pasta, steak or a lean cuisine. I love this site because it is nice to look up the calories and ingredients before you decide what you should eat. Other snacks i like are celery, carrots, pears, tomatoes and dessert i do the whole fruit mango bars which are 60 calories. I also love blueberries and raspberries. Now you just decide which fruit you would like for the day and try to stick to one fruit a day since you want to limit sugar intake. I walk about 30 minutes every day and i like to play kinect zumba. I have a long way to go on my eating healthier journey but i have faith in losing this weight and maintaining. Best of luck!

I posted on this a long time ago. Best advice given....inositonol. I've been taking it and it does seem to help. Try it. Got it at GNC.

I didn't read through everyone's comments but here is my two cents, it's what my physician told me when I was diagnosed almost 6 years ago. He explained that the reason we produce to much androgen is because those of us with PCOS don't metabolize carbohydrates properly. He gave me three choices (I only remember two as the third was really lousy), they were the Atkins Diet and the SouthBeach Diet. We talked over the pluses and minuses of both and felt that for me and my needs the South Beach Diet and long term lifestyle was the best.

The books and nutritional information that you gain just from reading the South Beach diet on how different foods work together, how to choose good carbs when you do eat them and a whole host of information were fantastic advice. I was able to stay fairly focussed and lost a ton of weight in the first 6 months then maintained for about two more years. Because of kids, laziness etc I fell off the wagon and regained all my weight back.

This past week I have gone back on South Beach, am doing phase one at the moment. It's difficult but not insurmountable and I have already lost almost 6 pounds.

I hope you find this information helpful.

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Girl, please please please do not listen to any of these people who are telling you you that you need to eat more calories each day. They know nothing about PCOS. I have had PCOS for 22 years and one thing I can tell you is that increasing your calories will only make you gain more weight. Unfortunately for us, that starvation mode would only kick in if we were eating next to nothing (which it probably already feels like). It's all about the type of foods you are eating. It's not fun. It's frustrating. It's not fair. I'm still struggling every day still after 22 years. I'm actually about to start back taking metformin, because with 2 kids, I simply do not have the time it takes to make completely balanced healthy meals 3-5 times a day. Blessed are we with bodies that aren't meant to live amongst this industrial and convenient society. Good luck.

I'm on Metformin but it wasn't for losing weight just what the doctor thought would be good for me to be on. I have lost 2 stone in 3 years (probably sounds rubbish) but I seem to have hit a wall at the moment so I'm glad there are people on here that understand the problems. PS pleased to know that having kids isn't an issue so there is hope for me yet lol.

OK...I know everyone is going to pile on me for this but here goes...

I have PCOS and Hypothyroidism. I am able to lose weight by paying attention to my calories (at a calorie deficit) and exercising 5 or 6 days a week. Nothing crazy - I teach 4 aqua classes a week (that is how I get my cardio) and life weights 2 - 3 times a week. I try to stay active most days - take the dog for a walk, play tennis after dinner with the kids - but that is about it.

In other words, I don't do anything special to combat PCOS. And the weight comes off when I am tracking my food. And it piles back on when I am not. And, I don't eat crazy low calories or take out all the carbs. In fact, I eat a little over 1700 calories a day, sometimes more. I am currently a little on the heavy side for me (5'7" and 154 lbs.) but I only need to lose maybe 10 more lbs to be where I want to be. I have lost 4 lbs in the past month since I have been back to tracking. I gained some weight back over the winter because I was not tracking and eating way too many sweets (I like to bake).

Now...everyone is different and PCOS affects a number of different hormones a number of different ways. But, please don't think that it is impossible to lose weight with PCOS. It is very possible.