stacicali Member

Another list of ideas: http://blog.ayda.co/hormonal-health/naturally-increase-low-progesterone-levels/

I have done intermittent fasting with good results but only the mini-fasts like 16:8 (where you fast for 16 hours and confine your eating to an 8 hour period. Choose to skip breakfast or dinner basically.) Perhaps start slow maybe once or twice a month and make sure no thyroid symptoms crop up. Insulin resistance can hurt…

Here's a great chart for determining carb goals based on your specific health issues: https://chriskresser.com/the-3-step-process-to-determining-your-ideal-carbohydrate-intake/ Keto is awesome for some people, specifically diabetics. However, if you have any thyroid issues, your carb goals will be higher (75+g).

I am no expert, but I will be happy to pass along some things I've learned. It's great that you have a dr that has identified you as insulin resistant and is aggressively treating you with metformin. Poor thyroid functioning leads to greater insulin resistance and vice versa, but my understanding is you need to get your…

Out of curiosity, was it your T3 that was low on your thyroid panel? I recently learned that insulin resistance makes it harder for your body to make T3 out of T4. Here's a link I found useful for motivation: https://authoritynutrition.com/14-ways-to-lower-insulin/

Don't forget increase insulin resistance. That's my personal favorite.

I liked the weight loss of going below 50 g of carb but had some negative consequences (fatigue, hair shedding.) I suspect it has something to do with my thyroid problems (low T3.) Now I stay in the 50-100 range. Check out the chart on this article:…

I am so glad you posted this. I've had PCOS since puberty but had a horrible time getting diagnosed since I "wasn't heavy and hairy." Symptoms are painful, heavy, irregular periods, oily skin (acne as a teenager), thinning hair (started in my 20s), and hypothyroidism that started in my 30s caused not by autoimmunity but I…

@macchiatto - that is so intriguing. My blood pressure runs on the low side also (90/60.) I wonder if that's why I feel so awful after HIIT? And I don't even want to talk about burpees.

I'm considering monitoring post meal glucose myself since I'm borderline pre-diabetic. Here's some interesting info: http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.com/2010/05/understanding-fasting-blood-sugar.html?m=1

PCOS is frustrating on many accounts. One of the big ones for me is the general lack of knowledge that many doctors have regarding it. I depend on forums like this one to spark conversations with my dr and investigate new ideas because with PCOS, you have to be your own advocate. 40% of women with PCOS become diabetic by…

Hi there - PCOS could definitely be to blame. From what I've read lately, most (if not all) PCOSers are insulin resistant. People who are insulin resistant don't process carbs as gracefully as others which could possibly be the cause of the bloating. Here's an excerpt from Dr Mercola: "Intestinal bloating. Most intestinal…

From all the studies I've seen lately, scientists are beginning to suspect inflammation and insulin resistance at the heart of all PCOS cases. Here are some tests you can discuss with your dr: http://insulinnation.com/treatment/medicine-drugs/beyond-bmi-and-a1c-measuring-insulin-resistance/ I too struggle with the hair…

@KnitOrMiss that's a really great point. I'm not sure why that endo was so adamant about the progestin in most birth control pills. Perhaps she meant to say that the progestin in Yaz is the most appropriate because it is the most anti - androgenic? She was pretty firm in saying that my PCOS symptoms would be worse with…

Amen to everything KnitOrMiss said. I am on Metformin and am a big fan. Also, I was told by an endocrinologist that metformin is used as a preventative measure to try to stop the slide into Type 2 diabetes that we are greatly more at risk for than the average population. Sounds like you have a pretty good doctor if they…

Omg MFP just erased 90% of my post. (Sigh) Will rewrite later.

@StephieWillcox - just got finished with the nutrition chapter, and I'm happy to share the secrets!

Yes - pleasantly sweet tasting but doesn't negatively affect your blood sugar.

Got a hold of an awesome new book on PCOS ( 8 Steps to Reverse Your PCOS ), and there's a section on thyroid. There's a relationship between the thyroid and PCOS because insulin resistance (present in most PCOS women) reduces the conversion of T4 to T3 (free T3 is the most metabolically active thyroid hormone.) The author…

Hi Allyson, I'm 5'9 and currently 152 lbs. I'd love to get down to 145 since that's my ideal but will take a size 6 instead because of strength training if it comes to that

Here's a handy site if you'd like to view what dosages researchers used in which studies: http://examine.com/supplements/Inositol/ An important note is if you use the combo of myo inositol and d chiro inositol, make sure it's a 40:1 ratio especially if you're trying to conceive. That ratio improves egg quality whereas too…

I'm so glad that you posted this. 5 months into LCHF, I shed alarming amounts of hair for about a month. I was so freaked out and discouraged by the hair loss that I even considered going on Rogaine, but it did finally stop and now my hair is growing back. I only lost 15 lbs but was not technically overweight so perhaps…

Nothing's wrong with metformin. I'm on it, too, and it's been of great help. My point is that most doctors can only put you on one of two therapies, and that's all they know to do. They are out of ideas to help you after using those two tools. The original poster is asking for what kind of doctor can help her really feel…

The classic advice is to seek out a reproductive endocrinologist, but I just had a disappointing appointment with one. I've had better luck with an integrative doctor. Google mds in your area who specialize in "integrative medicine." They tend to be more holistic and preventative and will be more likely to test you for…

If it's the only thing you can take, sometimes a girl needs antibiotics! I'm glad it worked for you. I'm not sure why I had such nasty side effects except that I suspect I'm already magnesium deficient, so Cipro wreaked havoc with my blood sugar, anxiety, and muscles. If anyone on here does need to take this class of…

A fascinating theory that I read from a PCOS book in the early 2000s was that PCOS women are humankind's insurance policy for reproducing (and surviving) during famine. The dr speculated that most "normal" women stop ovulating in starvation, but PCOS women will ovulate in those conditions. Diabetes and PCOS are similar in…

Oh - and have you tried the supplement Myo-inositol?

First of all, congrats on all your hard work. You are really working your tail off! My 2 cents is to ask your dr for a fasting insulin blood test. From what I've read, if your insulin is higher than 5, you are fighting an uphill battle against your body from storing any extra calories (esp carbs and sugar) as fat. Google…

Thanks, Knit! That is a very intriguing and exciting theory and would explain so much. I am deficient in quite a few things that I shouldn't be (like protein and vitamin C - I get plenty in my diet) so my integrative dr has me taking digestive enzymes. Maybe in addition to the fermented foods that helped me get rid of…