Hi Amy!
This article is interesting --
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/pcos...bmr-study.html -- because it talks about BMR and PCOS patients.
So, yes, PCOS patients have a lower BMR than "normal" people. Additionally, if you have PCOS and Insulin Resistance, then your BMR is even lower!
For me, since I have both, it means that yes, I *have* to eat less than a normal person to have the same rate of weight loss.
I've lost over 35 lbs but it's taken me 2.5 years to do it. I get stalls and then I have to shift something (or the latest was a nutritionist who put me on a diet that made me GAIN weight because she used normal BMR charts, not for people like me).
For me, I have to eat 1500 calories and exercise regularly in order to lose weight. I don't lose 2 lbs a week. This week, I lost 0.5 lb and I'm happy that I did!
HOWEVER..... this is NOT meant to discourage you. What it means is that you have to look at your diet as a way of treating your PCOS... your food is your medicine in this case. It's not just about losing weight, but it's about improving your body's response to the food you're eating, if you have IR, improving your cells response to insulin, managing your blood sugar levels, and of course, cholesterol and all the side effects that you can get.
There are plenty of posters here who have lost the weight AND have PCOS. It may just take a little longer than other people. Sometimes, I have a pity party for myself because it seems like all the other posters on 3FC can lose weight so much faster than I can, and I exercise more and eat less than they do! It's very frustrating, but it's the only thing that works for my body.
I also don't eat processed food and I tend to cook at home 90% of the time.