PCOS and Weight Loss

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Butterfly88

Butterfly88

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Any other women have PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome)? For those of you that don't know, PCOS causes insulin resistance which can make it harder to lose weight. I'm still relatively new to PCOS and trying to find a treatment that works for me.
 
I don't have PCOS but I have heard of it.
From memory, ironically best treatment of PCOS is weight loss I think, with good diet and regular exercises.

Insulin resistance does not mean you can't lose the weight, it's like asking someone with diabetes how they lose weight.
Maybe try low-carb, high veges diet, and exercises should still be as per you would normally do?
 
I'm not sure if weight loss is the best treatment but I know I still need to lose weight regardless. I know weight loss is possible, it just might be a little different for me. I definitely need to cut back on the carbs. I should try to eat more veggies too, thanks.
 
Yes I have PCOS :) Weight loss is slow, and I have to work hard for it, but it's worth it.
Food plays a HUGE role, there are 'good foods' and 'bad foods' for PCOS, just look on pinterest or google. I take that into consideration, but I am a firm believer in eating for your body type - so I adjusted it. Weight loss has been hard work, but worth it. As the saying goes, "The food you put into your body either helps to nourish and heal, or it poisons." This could not be truer for PCOS ladies!
 
Glad to know I'm not alone. I have eliminated dairy products and will look to see what other foods I should eliminate.
 
I aim for a low starch, low sugar (I no longer eat processed sugar, only sugar I eat is in the form of raw honey), no processed junk, no breads/pasta (it really disagrees with me, causes severe bloating and cramps for me), dairy (lactose in tolerant - rice milk is a deliciously sweet alternative).. If I can't recognize something on the label, I don't eat it. Lots of beautiful fresh fruits, veggies and delicious snacks :)
 
UTI is not the reason for PCOS.

I have it as well and as I know - it's probably genetic.

When it comes to weight loss - it's true - PCOS makes weight loss bit harder. That 's why I have never been skinny. In my slimmer and fit phases I was still around 165-170 pounds (I'm 5'7).

But - slimming down IS possible, I've losing 10-50 pounds few times in my life. Yes.. It's a bit demanding but it's doable.

From my experience - problem with PCOS is not actually the weight loss because you can achieve that .. exercise and eating habits DO work.
Bigger problem is, IMO, weight maintenance.
I always had the feeling that I gain pounds back very fast every time I become a bit relaxed around food, especially pizzas, fatty foods and sweets.

When relaxed, I'm actually capable to gain 10-20 pounds in just 1-2 months.. although I am moderately active all the time (I'm doing hikes regulary, even now with 230pounds). Yes.. my calorie intake wasn't small (2000-3000 a day), but with all my activity it shouldn't be that bad and have such a great impact on my weight.

I think that PCOS condition become worse high GI carbs combined with fat. We all know people who can eat bad foods and still are fit. But we are not among them. All calories aren't the same for people with PCOS so it's very important for us to watch out for calorie intake and types of foods we are eating depending on the activity.

Any kind od HIIT is good choice because that's the only situation when PCOS body CAN use carbs and sweets.
So it's simple - if we want to eat something bad we have to exercise hard first.
I'm losing weight now and I had big scoop of ice cream yesterday and chocholate bar. But before that I finished wuth very hard hiking training with demanding incline which lasted for 3hrs. I could basically felt my yoga pants were loosy on my hips and belly after that. So I figured something sweet would't be so bad. Actually it was excellent choice because my muscles needed recovery from training.

Otoh, my plans for today is light household work.. a bit of walk and swim and maybe easy core training. So my need for carbs isn't that big today so I'll have mostly proteins and veggies with some low GI carbs. If I'm gonna sit all day tomorrow, for example, I'm gonna have only proteins and no carb at all.

We have to be avare that are bodies are insulin resistant and we have to decide veeery carefuly when we take carbs, and how much of them does we take.

I believe metmorfin is helpful but I suppose that food awareness can be even more helpful for us.

And of course - calories and portion control.
Healthy eating mustn' t stop when we lose weight - it has to be continued to avoid re-gaining weight, and carb intake should be a bit reduced in comparison to women without PCOS.

That's my experence after 20yrs struggling with it.
Btw I have started with my new regimen 3weeks ago and now I'm 10 pound down. I have at least 40 more to go.
 
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So I did some reading on PCOS and it seems that nobody is sure whether insulin resistance is the cause of PCOS, one of the symptoms, or a combination of the two.

Insulin resistance is obviously a part of the problem and I'd like to point out that cutting out carbohydrates (at least completely) ISN'T going to make you more insulin sensitive. Cutting out carbs just avoids the problems, which is a good place to start, but it won't solve the problem.

A lot of people don't know that, so I felt it was important to share.

A few things you can do to decrease insulin resistance or increase insulin sensitivity are:
  • Stop cooking with vegetable, canola, or corn oil. Use coconut oil or olive oil. I personally use lard or tallow and I have no trouble with blood pressure, cholesterol or anything. Conventional cooking oils will go rancid and basically turn into trans fats when heated or exposed to light. This has been linked to insulin resistance.
  • Eat starchy or high glycemic foods, at least some of the time. Doing this right before or after exercise is a good idea if you'r
  • Don't be afraid to eat saturated fat and cholesterol. (This is more general PCOS advice.)I'm not saying go out and eat sticks of butter, but I am saying you should not throw out egg yolks, you should eat them. Don't just eat chicken breast, enjoy a chuck roast every now and again. You need saturated for to process certain vitamins, like vitamin D and you need cholesterol to build hormones.
  • Maybe try intermittent fasting, on an intermittent basis... :D Fasting will increase your insulin sensitivity, but you don't need to fast all the time. Fasting for 1-2 days per week is a good idea. It doesn't need to be a strict eat-nothing-fast, maybe limit yourself to 400 calories or so, something akin to the 5:2 diet.
  • Exercise will increase insulin sensitivity, especially weight training.
  • Use herbs and/or vitamins to increase insulin sensitivity. Things like cinnamon and green tea are supposed to be great for increasing insulin sensitivity. Magnesium levels are linked to insulin sensitivity and so is your omega 3:6. so make sure you're getting enough magnesium and omega 3. You can probably google about a 1000 more things that will help with this
Also consider your stress levels. If you don't have a healthy mind, then nothing will work.

Of course, all of these are just invitations. It'd be cool if you tried them out and if some of the worked! I hope this was interesting or helpful,
Nate
 
Great post Nathan, thanks.

I agree about the carbs. Personally, I was trying that trendy low carb diets and they didn't work well for me. As I'm trying to be active, I just need to eat some carbs on my active days. The key is to limit the portion and choose healthy ones, I think.

I was also trying to fast many times and I have to say that it wasn't bad experience at all. I had that energetic and great feeling after I ate any kind of carbs after fasting.
I'll try to talk to my trainer about including that option in my program.

Great advice about the fats - I have eliminated trans fats like corn oil, sunflower oil and margarine long time ago. We have lot of fresh olive oil here in South Europe, so I took care to always have one bottle of it in my kitchen. I also buy butter from time to time, and I really love to eat whole eggs - i rather eat 2 whole eggs than 5 egg whites. I'm also taking vitamin D in capsules and extra omega 3 and magnesium almost every day.

My total cholesterol is a bit high (but not critical, doctor said) but my HDL is in some middle range which is not bad, and tryglicerides are perfect.

I hope these results will be better in 2 months, after I make some new blood tests.

And I agree, doctors still don't know does PCOS causing insulin resistance, or insulin resistance causes PCOS (and weight gain).

Personally, I think that the diet changes (and personal genetics) in last decades have something to do with all that.
My mother has been using lot of trans fatty acids when I was small, because those were marketed as healthy choice.
Now, when I'm going to have a baby, I will NEVER feed it with any kind of those fats. It will probably eat lot of fish, good meat, eggs, and healthy fats. That is the same plan I have for my future pregnancy menu.
 
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Hello!!,

Lol. By Mistake I selected "Male" but... :) I am a girl.
I have PCOS since I was 12 years old or some. Yesterday, I went to one of the best Endo's of my Country. She told me that, for PCOS, 80% is weight, 15% exercises and 5% Metformin.

She told me to cut almost all the Carbs. To think in "Poison Food" and "No Poison Food". To say by to juices and fruits. It seems that even the fruits have too much natural sugar for us.
I asked her about the milk but she said that it is not a big problem at this moment. That if I want, I could drink Almond sugar free milk instead.

:) You are not alone.
 
The one fristrating thing is - I'm on my regimen for 2 month and I still haven't got my period. Usually I got it every 5 weeks :/

I can't see what could be the problem here... my gynecologist says that I should have it every month as soon as I start losing weight. But this isn't happening.
I'll try to wait for just a bit more.

I have also read about Vitamin D and pcos a lot, so I got the vitamin D levels measured. Turned out -
I have only 20ng in my blood (ideal is 50-80)
I'm taking the D supplement every day and my levels are still that low!

!So I have decided to start taking high potent D capsules and see what's happening.

Some scientists believe that vitamin D insufficiency can lead to PCOs and insulin resistance.
 
I was just diagnosed with PCOS about a month ago. I couldn't figure out the reason to why I was constantly gaining weight. I was dieting and exercising regularly but the pounds kept packing on. I started out at 345lbs but got down to 272 pounds. Withing 2 months I was back at the 300 door. I was about to give up but after going to the GYNO she advised that I was diagnosed with PCOS and that was part of the reason for my weight gain. She prescribed me Metformin and can honestly say it's help me shed the weight. I"m glad that I found this forum now I know that I'm not alone.
 
I have been diagnosed with PCOD 3 years back. I am 20 yrs old, I suffer from irregular periods and I weigh 210 lbs (5'8"). I also suffer from hirsutism. This is heartbreaking. I am in sincere need of advice and motivation to start my weight loss journey.
 
I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 18 and severely underweight. In my case it's genetic and having been under, over and healthy I know that my weight doesn't affect my symptoms personally. What does help is a low gi diet and quite frankly ridiculous amounts of exercise. Neither of which I have the energy for lately.
 
Hi nice to know I am not alone in this world. I was also diagnosed with PCOS during my early years. I was 20 years old when my GYNE told me the news. I was very worried that time since I had my period for 30 days straight. I thought I was dying. I had to take several drugs and the gynecologist had to change it from time to time since those had adverse effects on me. Along with that I was too depressed because of the pills and had to review for an exam. The struggle was intense, I was expecting myself to fail. I had to stop using the medicine and decided to find another way to cope up with PCOS. Then I heard about a non-invasive therapy which helps regulate the blood flow to the body and somehow awakens your hormones. I have'nt tried it yet but I may need to check on it. I'm already 32 and still suffering from PCOS. It's difficult to lose weight and I need all the help I can get.
 
Hi again everyone,

Sorry I haven't been here in a while. A medicine called Actos has regulated my periods and stopped my hair growth. Still working on the weight loss, I must admitting I've been seriously slacking.
 
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