[wahinegirl]

I have a few questions if ya'll don't mind!!

1. Which one is making it difficult for me to lose weight?
2. What would be the best diet for this?
3. What is the most effective exercise?

I am sure it's different for everybody but this really sucks. I have been journaling my intake and have found that I eat between 900-1400 calories a day, I average about 1100 cal a day. I am slowing eliminating bread, chips and torillas etc. and sticking with thinly sliced chicken breast, more veggies and as always for me a ton of water.

My doctor said I retain a lot of water and but to keep it going until my body balances out. I've been treated for Hypo for 2 years my TSH is 1.53 and was diagnosed with PCOS in 2000 but just now bieng treated the last 2 months (now that I have gained almost another person..LOL.

I have a treadmill but find it difficult to go more than 20 mins and am really pushing it getting to 30 because of boredom. I also do Tae Bo 2 days a week.

What am I doing wrong? I am SO VERY TIRED of everybody telling me to "write what you eat down, you most likely eat more than you think"...when really I don't. If another person ate what I ate they would be at least 50 lbs lighter.

[Michelle125]

Do you watch the Biggest Loser? (I love that show!) A few weeks ago one of the girls wasn't dropping weight and it turns out she was only eating 800 calories a day. The trainer yelled at her and told her she needs to eat to lose weight, and it's true. There's lots of debate over whether it's 'calories count' or what type of calories, but I think it's a little bit of both. I also think with our condition we are different than the general public trying to lose weight.

What I'm doing is eliminating most grains (corn, potatoes ['cept yams], breads, flours, and sugars). I used to eat whole wheat pasta and breads and whole grain chips, which are healthy for normal people. But I found that I was still ravenous and overeating them. So, I just called it quits and I feel really good. I still eat oats (oatmeal and these awesome Trader Joe's Oat muffins!!) and yams (yams, even though they are a potato actually work wonders with hormones and insulin. Good thing they taste so good and sweet!) I'm trying to eat 1800 (healthy) cals a day, no more and no less. This should be enough to keep my metabolism up and still not store fat.

I am weight training hardcore 3x/week at the gym. I do 12 reps til failure (when I can't lift anymore) then I move on to the next machine. It takes about 20 minutes for my whole body to get done and I love it. I do this because I need to change my body's make-up from frail with lots of fat to strong with little fat. The gaining of muscle will up my metabolism which will then change my body type and burn more calories I eat.

For cardio I've sucked it up and promised myself my life doesn't start until I get in my 60-minutes minimum per day. I used to be wishy-washy about doing cardio everyday and really only went like twice per week. But I wasn't losing weight so I just kicked my own butt. It's been hard wanting to see my boyfriend right after work rather than at 8pm after my workout, but I figured I HAVE to do it. I'm not normal with this condition, so I can't treat myself like a normal person trying to lose weight.

I think we PCOS'ers need to go the extra mile with this. It could just be a blessing in disguise! I'm excited to see just how healthy I can get. I'll be weighing in on Sunday I'm also starting a 12-week Fitness Challenge on Saturday! We'll see what I can do in 12 weeks!

[wahinegirl]

Michelle125
Thank you for the encouragement and the motivation. I really feel like I have some direction now. It feels great to know that I am not that somebody else agrees that we are not normal and do have to do things different and more.

Last night I did something huge thanks to you...when I ordered dinner I ordered grilled chicken and veggies but of course dinner comes with a baked potato, mashed potatoes or rice..lol..so I asked if they yams to sub and she said no so I ordered the baked with the goods on the side knowing I wouldn't eat it!! I figured if the goods were on the side I would want to eat it!!

I do need to work out longer the 60 mins is so overwhelming when I think about it. Can I do it 2-30 min treadmill walks per day or should they be a continuous 60 mins?

Thanks again!!

[zinkemomx2]

Break your exercise up if you have to. Every few days try to increase a few minutes at a time and before you know it you will be able to do 60 at a time.

I am also hypo with PCOS and it wasn't until I started treating the hypo that my weight really changed.

I agree with previous poster that said you may need to eat more. 1100 average is a bit low. I would bump it up to 1400 and make sure to get the hour of exercise a day.

[pedsowk82]

You definitely have to eat to lose weight. Otherwise your body thinks its starving and saves what you do eat as fat so that it has enough energy later. My doctor says that the combination of hypo and pcos are what increase your weight so unfortunately we have two things working against us. dont push yourself too hard at first..slowly increase your exercise or else you will wear yourself out quickly and not be able to maintain that amount expecially with the hypo. I eat no sugar and only allow 1 complex carb a day per my doctor. This seems to be helping. I also make sure that I have protein and some sort of healthy, organic fat each time I eat per the nutritionist and this has been making a big difference for me. but you have to be really careful about how much and what kind it is.

[wahinegirl]

zinkemomx2 & pedsowk82...thats a great idea adding a few extra minutes every day!! I could probably go up in my meds but my doctor is waiting for my PCOS to get under control first. I have lost and kept off 10-12 lbs since taking Levoxyl. I do agree I have to increase my calories...I have been eating this way for quite some time now.

I have lost 6 lbs in the last week! I'm sure it will slow down here soon. I know replace breads and tortillas with lettuce.

Thank you!!

[frustratedieter]

I totally can relate. I don't have PCOS...but am IR and have a hypothyroid. I was sedentary until about a year ago when I began to exercise more intentially. My weight hasn't changed alot but then I found out the food plan I was on was low-fat and that isn't the way to go for my metabolism. Have to do low-carb (South Beach) and have just begun that. I belong to a gym and also have my own treadmill. I've found I NEED to have the t.v. going in front of me and that enables me to get my time in. I "self-talk" and tell myself that what I'm doing is to combat diabetes and I can do this!! I broke my ankle last August and had surgery on it so was "out" of commission for 10 weeks. I've had to re-build my strength and endurance. Eventually I want to up my 30 minutes on the treadmill to 45! I also do the eliptical and exercise bike for cardio at the gym. Once the ice and snow melts I'll begin to walk outside again. I will up my 45 minutes then, to a full hour. This isn't about punishment for me but good health!
I hope with the low-carb plan I will also see results on the scale plus at the doctor with my blood-work!

[Lisa_WY]

Get a MP3 player or even a radio when you exercise. I actually close my eyes when I am on the treadmill and just walk. I also walk around my office when no one is there and sometimes will talk on the phone. It makes the time go so much faster. The gym has tv's but the sound is down and the equipment drown out all the sound anyway. I prefer my MP3 player. You can download exercise music on some websites.

With PCOS you have to exercise harder to lose those pounds.. Add strenght and weights to your rountine too.

Good Luck

[wahinegirl]

A quick update!!

Thanks to you all for the support and the advice!

I have lost 7 (2 tenths from losing 8!!) tomorrow it will be 2 weeks!!! I have been going strong and not earing breads, tortillas, pastas etc. Instead of focusing on myt calories as I already know I eat about 1200 cal. I do cheat sometimes with Golden Spoon or something small! I have reached 40 minutes on the treadmill. I tend to run out of time!! I do have my iPod and that is a great help so does closing my eyes as suggested!!

Most importantly I feel absolutely wonderful! I do believe with PCOS exercise it is required to balance those hormones!

So thank you ALL for the help!!