PCOS vs. Weight Loss

Posted on March 2, 2016

2 years ago I was a happy, healthy college girl ready for senior year. Right after graduation things changed. I was working out 2x a day like usual, eating normal and working on my career. Everything was great minus the fact I had gained 40 pounds in 6 months. Confused, I thought maybe I am eating more caloreis than I think I am. I had a 1000 calorie DEFECEIT a DAY! And I was losing what felt like a gram a week. I finally went to the docotr and learned I had a condition called PCOS. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is actually fairly common in women and often goes unnoticed. However mine was a little different. They immediatley put me on metformin ( a medication I will have to take for the rest of my life) and soon my cysts were rupturing almost every 2 weeks. It was debilitating. I have a 5% chance to have children without any asssitance. Luckily, ever since I was a child I always wanted to adopt...maybe this is why.

The number 1 symptom to PCOS is weight gain around your midesection (the worst area possible) that is extremley difficut to lose. In the last 8 months I was so discouraged I gained another 40 pounds. I cant blame that on my PCOS, that was all me. I worked 8-5, didnt go to the gym and didnt eat consistently well like I should have. The best diet recommended for PCOS is a mixture between gluten free and paleo. Both are very strict and take away everything I know about cooking (I am an avid cook and love new recipes).

I havent found the secret yet other than really cutting out my carbs, drininking 127 oz of water a day and exercising after every meal to lose 1 pound a week. It may not sound like much to many but its difficult to maintain for me. On the other hand what is the alternative? I have my first horse show in just over a month and I cant even fit into my show jacket yet. Not to mention I am sure my horse would appreciate I lose a few pounds :) Its now or never! If anyone else has PCOS I would love to hear what you do. I know I cant be the only one!

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Tamara M.

03/02/2016 9:35AM

I have PCOS also. I was diagnosed at 20 years old and was told I would not have kids without fertility treatments. At the time, I was 50 lbs overweight, living in Texas eating all the wonderful southern foods and not very active. I had a cyst surgically removed from my ovary because it was the size of a grapefruit. I refused to take Metformin. Fast-forward 4 years later, I moved back to Canada and decided to take charge of my health, working out 6 days/week and eating 6 small meals/day to keep my blood sugar stable - more protein than carbs and lots of veggies. I lost 50 lbs and ended-up getting pregnant (surprise!). My doctor here told me "Oh yeah! With proper diet and exercise, the insulin resistance goes away, making it easier to conceive". Who knew? (Side note: I also have hypothyroidism. Have you had your thryoid checked? They often go hand-in -hand and may further explain your difficulty losing weight.) I know each person is different and I am not saying you will be able to conceive, but it is worth examining your diet to see what and how often you're eating. Work-up a good sweat for at least 30 minutes/day. The results will come, at least in terms of weight loss.

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Nloitz

Thank you so much! And congrats thats awesome! I have had my thyroid checked (I have hashimoto that runs in my family) So i get it checked once a year, so far so good.

Tamara M.

I have Hashimoto's too.

Susan S.

03/02/2016 6:59AM

I wish you well on your journey and recovering your health! I think there are several DB games that are geared toward women with PCOS - I have noticed this from time to time. I would recommend that you visit alldayidreamaboutfood.com This blog has so many great gluten free recipes that you might find some new recipes to enjoy. There are also community groups on DietBet that you might want to check out - I would imagine that there are some especially for PCOS.

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Nloitz

Oh I did not think about that, I will definitely look for one. Thank you!!