[Nile1988]

This might be a stupid question but I just have to ask.

I have been browsing around the internet lately and seen that they write that it is more difficult to lose weight if you have PCOS. That it takes longer etc..I was kinda wondering, has any of you felt that? I mean, losing weight in general is difficult. I know that. But have you felt any extra difficulty or that it goes off extra slowly compared to people without PCOS?

[M0vingon]

Hi Nile. I have PCOS and I feel like it's harder for me to lose weight. Of course, it's all relative, right. Like, how do I REALLY know considering I've never lived without PCOS.
I've had times when i was really successful with weight loss and each of those tiems included a pretty clean diet and a lot of cardio. Many PCOS girls (cysters) report the same. It's not that it's impossible to lose the weight, but yeah, it may be harder until you find your zone.

[museumchick]

Not knowing how it would be to try and lose weight without PCOS, I can tell you I think it is much harder to lose weight with PCOS. It seems to be related to the Insulin Resistance you'll commonly find in people with the syndrome. In college I would spend 2 hours a day in the gym, and ate a balanced diet (based on the US food pyramid at the time...pretty carb heavy), and I wasn't loosing anything at all. That's when I knew that something was wrong; I should have been dropping weight like crazy.

I've been able to lose weight, with cardio and a GI diet (I've had the best success with South Beach), but some have done good with a modified Atkins or other things that are low-carb.

[astrophe]

In my experience? Yes and No.

YES -- harder because there are underlying PCOS issues that need to be addressed. For instance, at the start of my weight loss journey, I didn't even have the PCOS dx, did not know I was hypothyroid, did not know I was insulin resistant, did not know my androgens were high, and did not know my HDL/LDL/triglycerides were wonky.

I still tried to eat right and exercise while sorting all this out, but at times felt sad because it felt like no matter what I did, nothing would happen.

NO -- because once I was aware of what's the matter with my full health picture, I could make the changes and see results. Perhaps not as fast at -2 lbs a week, but predictable results.

For instance, now that I had experience, I could "feel off" and pretty much guess what what wrong. know I needed a check up and I could tell the doc -- hey, I think it is THIS. Can you check?

This is a lot different than going to a doc with "I don't know what is wrong with me!"

Several times my meds (thyroid, metformin, etc) needed changing. Then instead of feeling sad and helpless, I felt more empowered about my health.

Diet and exercise still has to be a part of it, but it CAN be done.

GL!
A.

[N1kk1]

I have pcos and the weightloss factor is a problem for me. My pcos allows me to build muscle like a man in his prime. It sounds like a joke, but I am absolutely serious. I built so much muscle once that in 2 weeks my calves developed tendonitis and I had to quite weight training for a while. All that to say I can drop inches, but the lbs are the problem for me.

[museumchick]

Sounds like you might have too much testosterone. I'd get that checked if possible.

[Binky51]

I do find it harder to lose because of the PCOS. I have just been put on Metformin to help with it, but I am still waiting to see results. I am the person who can look at a cake and gain the weight. I have always been. So with the changes I am making and the support I get here I am hoping to see a difference in me.

[slbxo33]

i think it was harder to lose weight before my pcos/thyroid/etc diagnosis. i ate well and even worked out with a personal trainer but still could only maintain my [ridiculously high] weight. since starting the medications, i've been able to drop about 75lbs. the first 40lbs literally melted off, and my best guess says that it's because i never really ate enough to maintain 320ish lbs. the meds didn't MAKE me lose weight, but they allowed my own diet/exercise efforts to become effective. now i'm losing muuuch more slowly (but still losing!) which is probably the same progress as a non-pcos person would experience [as in losing more when i'm good with my diet and more faithful to the gym, and less when i mess up or get lazy]

[Rana]

Yes, I think it is harder for the same reasons already posted here. I had a hard time losing weight even though I would exercise like crazy and "eat well".

I didn't understand the impact of PCOS and the whole insulin resistance deal and what that meant for my diet and exercise.

Once I understood nutrition, started getting the right supplements, started eating well, I started to lose weight (permanently! instead of yo-yoing the same 5 pounds).

Insulin resistance really makes it harder because if you don't eat well, you will overeat/feel hunger and if your blood sugar is off, you'll feel it and what used to happen to me is that I would get so hungry I would eat anything -- then regret it later.

But knowing that my blood sugar is off, I can manage it ahead of time and not be starving (and make bad decisions).

[Kristiavi]

I agree that is harder to lose weight when you have pcos. About 6 months ago my husband and I quit drinking soda, he lost 15 pounds and I gained 5. Thats when I knew something wasn't right. Everything started coming together when we tried to concieve and they did blood work and we found out that i have insulin resistance and im pre diabetic.

My doctor started me on the atkins diet yesterday, I had to empty my cupboards and fill it with things that are sugar free and low carb. Hopefully this diet will work, he said I should be loosing about 2lbs a week.

Good luck with your weight loss!

[RJS]

I calorie counted for my weight loss and found that I lost an amount of weight very close to what I would expect. For those who try to eat intuitively, without counting calories, I think it is much harder. When you have insulin resistance, I think your body will often send signals of hunger even when you don't really need to eat. So, eating only when hungry doesn't work so well as a plan. Even calorie counting is tougher, I think, in the sense that we might feel hungry more than those without PCOS/IR. This is where keeping protein high and sugar intake low helps a bit, though.

I think of PCOS/IR as my body not working quite right. So, I chose calorie counting as a way for my mind to control things instead. I just couldn't rely on my body to tell me what I needed to eat. My geeky brain's calculations have been much more accurate

[PinkHoodie]

My problem is I seem to plateau alot because of PCOS. I can be doing the right things, but my weight just stalls for awhile. I also agree with your blood sugars messing more with are you hungry or not...
Not to mention the fact that because of PCOS being a problem for me since I was in my early teens, I have always had way too much stomach fat, and now sometimes I wonder if it will ever go away!
I hate this disease with a passion, but it can be a huge motivator to lose the weight, since symptoms do seem to improve. Maybe not disappear, but I will take improving any day!

[mandalinn82]

I calorie counted for my weight loss and found that I lost an amount of weight very close to what I would expect. For those who try to eat intuitively, without counting calories, I think it is much harder. When you have insulin resistance, I think your body will often send signals of hunger even when you don't really need to eat. So, eating only when hungry doesn't work so well as a plan. Even calorie counting is tougher, I think, in the sense that we might feel hungry more than those without PCOS/IR. This is where keeping protein high and sugar intake low helps a bit, though.

There is research that indicates that PCOS is related to a lower metabolic rate - that is to say, people with PCOS burn, on average, fewer calories per day than matched counterparts without PCOS. Calorie counters for sure never worked for me, by wide margins. I decided I was going to wear a HRM 24/7 for two months...my average "burn" per day, per my HRM which reflected average metabolism for a woman my age, was about 3500. I was eating 1600-1800 and I gained. So I know I'm not average...research suggests that it may be due in part to the PCOS. Doesn't change it, but may explain why weight loss is harder for those with PCOS.

PATIENT(S): The study included 91 Greek women with PCOS and biochemical hyperandrogenemia, with mean age 24.03 +/- 0.55 years and mean body mass index (BMI) 26.67 +/- 0.69 kg/m(2), and 48 matched regularly menstruating women, with mean age 26.33 +/- 0.93 years and mean BMI 23.35 +/- 0.85 kg/m(2), as control subjects.

INTERVENTION(S): Assessment of BMR by indirect calorimetry, IR by HOMA and QUICKI indices, fasting insulin, and fasting glucose/insulin ratio.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Reduced BMR in PCOS with or without IR.

RESULT(S): Adjusted BMR was 1,868 +/- 41 kcal/day in the control group, 1,445.57 +/- 76 in all PCOS women, 1,590 +/- 130 in PCOS women without IR and 1,116 +/- 106 in PCOS women with IR. Adjusted BMR showed a statistically significant difference between women with PCOS and control subjects, with lowest values in the group of PCOS women with IR, even after adjusting all groups for age and BMI.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18678372

[RJS]

That's an interesting, albeit depressing, study. I'm a geek, so I entered some of the study info to compare it to the formula I used for calculating BMR.

Honestly, this study doesn't make sense to me. It's not that I doubt that there is some metabolic effect of PCOS, there certainly could be. It's just that the control group BMR numbers given make no sense.

For this study, they used controls with an age of 26 and BMI of 23.3. An average woman is probably about 5'5". To get a BMI of 23.3, she'd weigh about 140 pounds. My BMR calculator says a woman with these stats would have a BMR of 1447. The study claims these women measured with an average BMR of about 1868!

To get a BMR of 1868, I tried entering some other heights/weights. Even a 6 foot tall, 200 pound woman only has a BMR of 1741. I don't know how they could get such high numbers for their controls.

It's so far off, that it is casting some doubts in my mind about the results.

For comparison, the PCOS group averaged age 24, with bmi 26.6. A similar 5'5" woman would weigh about 160 for this bmi. My BMR calculator says her BMR would be 1543. The study measured this group at 1445, which at least seems reasonable.

I can't post links but I used the calculator at bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/

and BMI calculator at nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Anyway, there probably is a difference in BMR for PCOS vs. non-PCOS. It's just hopefully not as outrageous as 400-700 calories a day

I've never used a HRM or calorie counting device. I'm pretty sure the best way to figure one's personal caloric needs would be to just journal for a while and see what happens to the scale. I don't know, I can only say what worked for me.

Sorry for the lengthy post, but these studies are always interesting to me.

[LaurenBelle]

I so far havent had much experience with losing weight, but I do know that I gain weight faster than what I assume a "normal" person would. I used to see a personal trainer and I kept a food diary for her, and after 3 months with her I had actually gained 4kg and she was at a loss as to how I could be gaining weight when I was working out and exercising. That was what triggered me to see my doctor and discover my PCOS. I'm into my second week of South Beach and I have had good success thus far. Time will tell I suppose.