i find it hard to loose weight, as i m suffering from PCOS. is there anything i can do to loose weight?

Answer 1

Your best bet is going to be going on a low carb diet, exercise, and treating the PCOS with an insulin sensitizing drug such as metformin. Here's some good PCOS info and links. Good luck.

I recommend seeing a reproductive endocrinologist. They are generally more knowledgeable about PCOS and the correct treatment. Unfortunately, many doctors are not aware of the proper treatment.

The underlying cause of PCOS is insulin resistance (IR). The best treatment for PCOS is going on an insulin sensitizing drug such as metformin (1500-2550mg per day) combined with a low carb diet and exercise. There are a few important things to know:

1. Many women "pass" the test for IR, but still respond positively from the metformin. No one knows exactlly why..my thought is that the test is not a sure fire way of detecting the IR.

2. You must be on a high enough dose of metformin. I've heard women complain that their bodies dont start working even though they've been on metformin for awhile. Some doctors are hesitant to up the dose past 1500mg...but for some of us it takes more. I don't respond until my dose is around 2000mg a day.

3. It can take a few months on the correct dose, before your body is regulated.

4. It is important to treat your PCOS even if you are not trying to get pregnant. There are higher risks for many things (high blood pressure, blood clots, diabetes, and many other things) when you have PCOS, but if it is treated properly, then those risks are lowered.


When the PCOS is treated properly, all of your symptoms may not disappear, but they should improve some. It will also be a lot easier to lose weight (and keep it off). Our bodies work against us when we try to lose weight on our own, making it nearly impossible to lose weight.

There are TONS of books about PCOS and dieting. There are two that I recommend. Here's the links at amazon for those:
http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0809224275/...
http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0007131844/...

I also recommend a couple web sites:
http://pcos.itgo.com/
http://www.inciid.org/faq.php?cat=infert...

http://messageboards.ivillage.com/iv-bhp... This one is a great message board where you can ask all your PCOS questions or just chat with the women who are also dealing with PCOS. Good luck

Answer 2

Maintaining a healthy weight is one way women can help manage PCOS. Since obesity is common with PCOS, a healthy diet and physical activity help maintain a healthy weight, which will help the body lower glucose levels, use insulin more efficiently, and may help restore a normal period. Even loss of 10% of your body weight can help make your cycle more regular.

If you make a few life style changes you should be able to lose some weight within a reasonable time frame. This is a system that has worked well for me and several friends have also been successful with it.

1. Eat three nutritious meals and three snacks everyday. Cut out junk food. You probably need about 1500 to 1800 calories a day. Many people make the mistake of not eating enough when they try to lose weight and then become discouraged.

2. Drink lots of water - at least 8 big glasses as day. Lots of water is essential. Stop drinking soda and other drinks with useless calories. Eat fresh fruit instead of fruit juices - the juices are very high in calories.

3. Begin a simple weight lifting program at home or at a gym. Ordinary household items (tins of soup, for example) can actually serve as weights for beginners. Buy yourself a good weight lifting book for women. Actually the "dummies" series of books has done a rather good one.

4. Walk, walk, walk. Buy yourself a pedometer and aim for 10,000 steps a day.

5. Record everything you eat and all your exercise to make sure you have a "calorie deficit". Two of the sites I've included will help you do that. Basically buring more calories than you take in leads to weight loss. You need a deficit of 3500 calories to lose one pound.

6. If you drive, do less of it and park at the back of the parking lot instead of close to the door. Always use stairs - never the elevator or escalator.

7. A mini stepper is an easy piece to equipment to have at home and gives great results. I bought mine at a second hand store for $4. Even if you use it for a minute or two several times a day it can make a big difference.

I hope these thoughts help. You can do this. Take care of yourself. Good luck with it.

Answer 3

Hi, i have been suffering form pcos (polycystic ovarian syndrome) for 18 years. I can completely understand where you comming from with regards to loosing weight, but i encourage you to perserveer. I didnt realy do anything for 7 years after being diagnosed, and then was told that i had developed type 2 diabetes (there is a connection between the both) i soon wished i had tryed dieting sooner.

Any how i am now on a low glycymic diet (known as Low GI) and a low fat diet (have been told not to consume anything with more than 5 grams of fat per 100grams (and thats total fat of the product)

I have lost a stone in 5 weeks, but still have 7 to go.
Wishing you all the best with your weight loss.

I have found this following website usefull:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Answer 4

When preparing, swap out the butter for one of those.

Answer 5

YES! there is, I have PCOS too, by the way its sad many woman dont even know about it, I didnt until I got my diagnosis, and it affects as amny as 1 in 10 woman!!

Okay anyway, I know the struggle all too well, the PCOS crept up and made you gain weight, at that point you were gaining for no reason, and had no clue what was going on, now your body is in a state were you can eat and you dont gain weight, but even if you eat salads all week, it seems like you STILL cant lose the weight, am I on to something? Thats how it is for me, and LOTS of other woman with PCOS....
Well good news, is you can lose the weight by changing your eating habbits, in the studies done, most woman with PCOS have REALLY BAD sugar and carb cravings, like we are pregnant, its like "I gotta have it" These cravings are due to an imbalancve of hormones, and because we are addicts to the wrong food, because we give in to the cravings time and time again. Studies have shown however that with a LOW GLYCEMIC diet (by diet I mean life style) we can over come these cravings and our insulin resistance(which many PCOSers also have, meaning that we dont tolerate insuilin, kinda like a diabetic) I have been trying to eat this way for about 5 months now and have lost close to 20 lbs, but every week I start out good at 170 and move up to 175 by the end of the week because of poor food choices.

Low glycemic foodsisnt nessarily like the atkins, its more like, protien, fruits, veggies, and carbs, just the good ones, whole grain pasta, bread, brown rice, sprouted grains, Its not hard to stay with it either, I have a problem with not finding the time to cook and being forced because of finaces, to eat a Mickey D's or something like that

Any way the example of a low glycemic day would be

2 eggs(with the yoke, yes its good for you) and 2 pices of sprouted grain bread, or 1 slice of whole wheat bread(there tends to be added sugar in regular bread, but in sprouted bread they use dates and raisens to sweeten it up) with butter(again its good for you) a large glass of water and a cup of green tea(shown to blance hormones and help with weightloss)

Lunch A salad with olive oil and a tablespoon of your favorite dressing (the olive oil helps you cut down on the need for more dressing) and a chicken casadia(prob spelled wrong) made witha whole wheat/whole grain torilla, and cheese chicken, tomatoe and onuions, dipped in gaucomolie sauce (avacodo, tomatoes,garlic, lightly salt, and lime juice) Another tall glass of water and a cup of green tea again, or red rasberry leaf tea(found in health food stores, known for supporting the female reproductive sysytem and cleasing the liver)

Snack and apple with cheese or almond butter, peanut butter is okay too, but almond butter is more nutrtious

Dinner Turkey, sweet poatoes(they have less sugar, as long as you dont add all the fun stuff to them) and brocol/califlower or whatever vegtable is most palatable to you

and dessert
A smoothie made from 1 frozen banana 1 table spoon of unprocessed coco powder(it has antioxidents, no sugar, and is healthy) and milk, and 1/4 cup of plain yogurt in a blnder until it resembles a milkshake!

Also there are many supplemts that help womamn with PCOS regain balancve over your hormones, and aid in loosing weight
Chromium
Vitam B
Vitex
just to name a few

Check out www.soulcysters.net you can join there website for free, and post questions, ansers, even chat, its like yahoo, for PCOSers!

heres a link that will help you on the weightloss issue, but I urge you to look into all the message boards, and sign up and chat with people there are currently 38,437 members, so your not alone! http://www.soulcysters.net/diet-exercise/
In addition you should purcahse(its under 10 bucks on amazon) New Glucose Revolution Guide to Living Well with PCOS http://www.amazon.com/Glucose-Revolution-Guide-Living-Well/sim/156924457X/1

Its a 5 star rated book, and has all the techniques for using the Glycemic index to your advatage!

hope I have been the help you need, go ahead get motivated, iot is doable!!!

Answer 6

Tell us what PCOS is, then you may get some useful answers.

Answer 7

drink 8 cups of water a day

Answer 8

Spread hummus, mustard, or pureed roasted red pepper on sandwiches rather then mayonnaise.

Answer 9

Use veggies like carrots or zucchini as opposed to spaghetti.

Answer 10

Aim to use at least five grams of fiber to very much satiate your hunger.