My bio...
 

Name: Nikki

Age: 27

BIRTHDAY: June 3, 1980

LOCATION: Tacoma, WA (Michigander at :heart: )

MARITAL STATUS: Single

SPOUSE’S NAME: -

CHILDREN/AGES: -

TOP WEIGHT: 243

CURRENT WEIGHT: 235

GOAL WEIGHT: 199

HEIGHT: 5'7"

EYE COLOR: Blue

HAIR COLOR: Strawberry blonde

OCCUPATION: Currently a residence hall director at Pacific Lutheran University. I run two of the dorms on campus, supervise RAs, do conduct, that kind of stuff :) Have my bachelor's in psychology and master's in counseling.

More about me: I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2003 and was on Metformin for 2.5 years. Nothing was helping, I wasn't losing weight or getting regular periods. However, I also wasn't seeing a doctor during that time since I was in grad school and away from my regular doctor. I went off Met and took only BC to keep my periods regular. When my long-term boyfriend and I broke up last November I quit taking BC, and have been incredibly irregular ever since. After a horrendous breakup, however, I ate myself into oblivion and gained about 10lbs in about 6 months. It was just not healthy - I was just not healthy.

I am a typical PCOSer... I carry ALL of my weight in my mid-section even though I have very small legs and upper torso. I can't buy jeans that fit but LOVE the fact that empire waist dresses and shirts have come into style ;)

I am happy to have lost a little bit of weight since I was at my heaviest, and am on my 5th day of South Beach. It seems to be working and I really haven't been happier or more excited about what I'm doing for myself! I am thrilled to have found this community!

Name: PJ

Age: 24

BIRTHDAY: March 5th, 1983

LOCATION: Jacksonville, FL

MARITAL STATUS: Married

SPOUSE’S NAME: - Mr. T

CHILDREN/AGES: - N/A

TOP WEIGHT: 262

CURRENT WEIGHT: 236.5

GOAL WEIGHT: 180

HEIGHT: 5'5"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Dark Brown

OCCUPATION: Office Manager

ABOUT ME: I grew up in North Western Pennsylvania where we like a little extra weight on our ladies because it's cold in the winter! LOL. I've used comedy and jokes to cover up my insecurities about my weight my whole life. I got married in 2002 to my high school sweetheart, and in 2006 after having infertility issues I was finally given some answers. PCOS. Which in turn opened up even more questions!

I'm a fun loving girl with an appetite for life, although sometimes I just like to sit on my couch with the laptop and a good CSI or Law and Order marathon.

Hello fellow PCOS-ers!
 

Hi Everyone!

I'm Erica, 27, from Central New York and was officially diagnosed with PCOS just 1 week ago. I'm new at this! :?:

You don't have to read, but I'll share a little of my back story :) It will give me something to do at work today!

Like I said, I was very recently diagnosed with PCOS. I have always had trouble with irregular and super heavy periods since they began at 16. My GYN at the time thought it would just "work itself out". After 6 months of dealing with this mess, I was put on birth control and have been on it ever since. It wasn't until I started having very frequent and recurring yeast infections that I knew something was wrong.

My GYN at the time was just treating the infections and not looking for the cause. He was very nonchalant about the whole thing and I was losing faith and getting extremely frustrated. My roommate was going to this GYN near our apartment and would always rave about HER. Not that men are incapable :), but this Dr. has come through for me big time.

I decided to make a consultation appointment and within 5 minutes of me explaining my history she stopped me. She immediately recognized that I probably had PCOS and did a blood test that day. She told me the hormone 1:1 ratio spiel and that I would need to see an endocrinologist.

Endocrinologists are few and far between in CNY for some reason. So if you're an Endo and want to open a practice, Syracuse, NY is the place to be! Anyway, the two she first referred me to weren't accepting new patients. So they made an appointment for me with Dr. Third Choice and it was just horrendous. I grew completely frustrated and went home crying. He was talking into a tape recorder and to his colleague the whole time and it basically felt like an inquisition. I understand they have to ask me questions, but he was firing them off like he had somewhere else to be. He also made me feel like this was a huge undertaking. He told me I had to go off B.C. for 6 months before he could even begin to do testing for PCOS. I was confused since my GYN said I already had it. He said I would need to lose weight before he would even think about putting me on medicine if I did have PCOS. Now we all know it's soooo easy to lose weight with this. I could go to the gym 5 days a week, eat nothing but broccoli and not lose anything. So to think I had to go off B.C and deal with that, plus try and lose weight before he would even begin to test/help me was daunting. So I decided to do something that is not in my nature - I didn't take "No" for an answer.

At my next GYN appointment I told her I wasn't fond of the Dr. she referred me to. She said she had heard that a lot. So I opened the phone book and started calling around. I did research on my own to find an Endo that didn't make me feel like I had the plague. And this is where I find out there are practically no Endo's in CNY, and if they are here they're not accepting new patients - I felt like I had hit a brick wall. I didn't want to go back to Dr. Third Choice but I needed to find someone. So my AMAZING GYN gave me one last suggestion - a fertility center. Now, I am not trying to have a baby at this point in my life. It's actually the last thing on my mind (I know, what kind of woman am I?). So I thought this place would turn me away as soon I spoke. I figured they would be too busy helping people who actually need fertility treatments to help me. So I explained my situation to the lovely scheduling assistant, and that I wasn't looking to get pregnant, and she said she would speak with the Dr. and get back to me. I figured I would get a phone call saying "Sorry we can't help you at this time". But I didn't!!! They called and said that was fine and to come on in!! I scheduled my appointment, met with the N.P., she explained PCOS in such simple terms to me, did an ultra-sound, confirmed I had PCOS and I was on medicine THAT DAY! After 2 years of unknowns and frustration, I finally had some answers, and help!! I can't imagine what would have happened had I gone back to Dr. Third Choice.

So to anyone who is struggling to find a good Endo, keep looking!! I am now on Glumetza and just started the South Beach Diet per her recommendation. I can't do Atkins and I would cheat on Weight Watchers, so this is it for me. We'll see what happens!

So I apologize for this being so long, but thought maybe my story could help someone out there! :)

DATE: January 23, 2008

USERNAME/REAL NAME: gaia2094, real name is Gaia

AGE: 19

BIRTHDAY: November 23

MARITAL STATUS: Not

SPOUSE’S NAME: none

CHILDREN/AGES: none

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Writing (working on my first romance novel right now), painting, cooking, drawing, acting, singing, and bellydancing (though I don't have much experience)

TOP WEIGHT: 315

CURRENT WEIGHT: 295.4 lbs

GOAL WEIGHT: 140 lbs

HEIGHT: 5' 8"

EYE COLOR: Green/hazel

HAIR COLOR: Red/black/blond/brown

OCCUPATION: Student/writer

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Florida

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Eating late night and exercise

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I have a niece and nephew that I'm living with right now, and I want to be a good example to them. Also, I don't have good self-esteem or a lot of confidence, and I want to get into dating and just meeting people since I don't have any close friends.

Seven Years of Torture is too much
 

Hello Everyone!

My name is Hannah (gagirl266) and while I considered using the format most used to introduce themselves, I figured I would do it the long way...

I am 28 years old and currently working on my Master's degree (in Food Science and Technology of all things). I am unmarried and no children, I figure there will be time for that when I get myself straightened out.

I haven't been what you would call slender since I was 10, however, in 2001 I began to gain weight uncontrollably. In all, my weight ballooned from 190 lbs to 250 lbs in 3 very short months. Every comment you can think of, I heard. Including "Are you pregnant?" and "You are just lazy." I was in the middle of my Bachelor's degree and was losing all control of my body. I went for my regular GYN appointment and she was the first to suggest PCOS. When the insulin test came back, my insulin was 10 times higher than it should have been. It explained everything, the weight gain, the shaking, the abnormal hair growth, racing heart and of all things, the cessation of my period.

So, off to the endo I go. The first endo I saw told me that I would never have children and promptly put my on 1500 mg of Metformin. I isolated myself and mourned for the children I thought I would never have for 2 weeks. The treatment was worse than the disease. I lost 40 lbs in a month because I couldn't keep anything down. The doctor praised me for my weight loss. I decided he was crazy and never went back.

So for 3 years I tried to deal with this on my own. I would sleep 17 hours a day but somehow managed to complete a degree in Chemistry and move on to my first job which had HEALTH INSURANCE...

So, I did a little research, after all that is what I am trained to do, and found an internist that was familiar with PCOS. My first visit, I didn't tell the nurse that I had been diagnosed because I wanted to see if the dr caught it. I gave him 5 minutes to figure it out. It took less than one...

So, he eased me back on medication in doses that my body can actually handle and assured me that when the time came, there was a possibility that I would have children (may take some help). All I can say is MY DR ROCKS! Currently, I am on Metformin (glucophage) 500 mg, spironolactone, synthroid and B-12 (side effect of Metformin).

Now that my head is clear and I don't require so many hours of sleep, I am focusing on losing weight (112 to go). Today is my first day in Nutrisystem. My ultimate goal is to live drug-free...:crossed:

I am excited to have found this group!! Thanks for listening... :tread:

DATE: February 6, 2008

USERNAME/REAL NAME: Nathans mom

AGE: 29

BIRTHDAY: July 7th 1978

MARITAL STATUS: Married 4 yrs

SPOUSE’S NAME: Brian

CHILDREN/AGES: Nathan, 3

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Internet! shopping on ebay.

PETS: Chloe (dog), she's a great dane. Bailey and Jinx are my cats

TOP WEIGHT: 290

CURRENT WEIGHT: 275

GOAL WEIGHT: 160

HEIGHT: 5'6

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Naturally Curly light light brown

OCCUPATION: Veterinary Technician

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: IL

E-MAIL ADDRESS: Ask and I might give it to ya...

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Laying off the Sugary stuff...& feeling good enough to exercise.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I cut out almost all of my sugars and I am finally getting treatment for PCOS.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

Name: Michelle

Age: 26

BIRTHDAY: August

LOCATION: Ardmore, PA

MARITAL STATUS: Single, love my boyfriend!

SPOUSE’S NAME: Boyfriend- Patrick

CHILDREN/AGES: None yet

CURRENT WEIGHT: 202

GOAL WEIGHT: 125 (depending on muscle mass!)

HEIGHT: 5'5''

EYE COLOR: Gold

HAIR COLOR: Auborn

OCCUPATION: Medical publishing


More about me: Diagnosed with PCOS 2 years ago... BC pills (all different brands) made me gain 27lbs in 3 months. I am off the pill and will NEVER touch it ever again. I believe PCOS can be beat with diet and exercise, without touching dangerous meds. My current diet is NO GRAINS OR SUGAR. The only grain I eat is oats and yams. This seems to be working well. Exercise: 60 minutes of cardio everyday, crucial for keeping my hair from thinning and my hormones in check. Eating sugar and grains will actually make balding worse! I am lifting 3x week to correct my metabolism. I'm encouraging everyone to STAY AWAY from the diabetic and high blood pressure meds that doctors push on us when we are diagnosed. They aren't the answer and will only mask the problem. We just can't eat like everyone else anymore. And who wants to? We'll be skinny and they won't!!! :carrot::cb::broc:

DATE: March 13, 2008

USERNAME/REAL NAME: IndyChick829 / Keri-Ann

AGE: 28

BIRTHDAY: August 29, 1979

MARITAL STATUS: living with boyfriend (future husband) Daniel. 1.5 years

SPOUSE’S NAME: boyfriend - Daniel

CHILDREN/AGES: n/a

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Scrapbooking - Genealogy - Photography - Fitness - Kickboxing - Camping - Baseball (GO CUBBBIES!)

PETS: Our Puggy - Petey! 4 year old black male pug.

TOP WEIGHT: 218

CURRENT WEIGHT: 186

GOAL WEIGHT: 160 - 170

HEIGHT: 5'8"

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Brown

OCCUPATION: Desktop Publisher for a Global Clinical Trials Pharmaceutical company.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Indianapolis, IN

E-MAIL ADDRESS: Ask and I might give it to ya...

HOMEPAGE URL: myspace.com/keriannb

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: well, now that i've learned I have Insulin Resistance - THAT would be my biggest problem! lol. But I also have a hard time saying to to Buffalo Wild Wings & Beer...

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: My doc put me on Metformin and while it's NOT a "magic pill" by anymeans - it helps me be more motivated to go TO the gym and exercise and eat right - knowing that this medication is an "aid" to help my body's insulin levels...

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Well - long story short - I've been on this "roller coaster" since the age of 12. I HATE being a "roller coaster" dieter - but I am. Well - at least in terms of my weight fluctuating...I lost 60 pounds in 2003 going from 218 to 158 - but slowly gained 40 pounds of that back - and not because I went back to my old habits either...I continued to eat healthy & exercise - but because, as I learned last year - I have Insulin Resistance (and still unsure of pcos, but as of now, that's a "no".)

Howdy!
 

Hi there! I'm Sara/elmommy. I'll be 35 this summer :dizzy:
I have 2 wonderful boys (thanks to met!) - B will be 4 in 5 days! and J is 16 months. I started back on my met (xr currently taking 1250mg/day) and am down below my prepregnancy weight of 188 (currently 177). I was diagnosed with PCOS when ttc with B. Got back on it when ttc with J. Decided this time around that PCOS isn't just a ttc issue so I plan to be on met for the long haul.

I am a Mary Kay consultant and SAHM. My sister and I have decided to support each other in our weight loss goals so we came to 3FC for ideas and inspiration!

I live in East Lansing, MI with my wonderful MSU law prof DH of 9 years (almost, our anniversary is in 2 days!).

I'm a shortie (5'1.5"), brown curly hair and brown eyes. I think my biggest challenge is finding time to exercise.

DATE: March 25, 2008

USERNAME/REAL NAME: pearljammin / cristin

AGE: 25

BIRTHDAY: february 25, 1982

MARITAL STATUS: partnered up for the journey

SPOUSE’S NAME: brian

CHILDREN/AGES: roland of gilead and kimiko( baby turtles) and ezmerelda lotr
( kitty )

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: brian, my children, music, movies, playing pool, reading, art, photography, batman, elephants, and other stuff

PETS: see children

TOP WEIGHT: 325

CURRENT WEIGHT: around 325. will know for sure on mar. 27th.

GOAL WEIGHT: 175ish

HEIGHT: 5'9.5"

EYE COLOR: Brown-green

HAIR COLOR: Brown

OCCUPATION: not my dream job

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: hayward, ca

E-MAIL ADDRESS:

HOMEPAGE URL: myspace.com/cristin66v

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: pcos- but also motivation to get my *** up and excersize. ive just tryed and failed so much that im discouraged.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: we will see

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? i was diagnosed with pcos in 2002 after having gained about 100 lbs in a year. i have never been able to get this under control. weight watchers helped me lose 35 lbs in 3 months back in 2004 but ive gained that back plus an extra 25because i got frustrated when i couldnt lose anymore and quit. because of all this extra weight i have so many physical issues and depression. the rest of my life is great- but this is such a huge factor holding me back from so much more. i can use all the help i can get.

highest weight - 325(now)
lowest weight - 145(age 15- too skinny on my frame)
goal weight: 175ish

:hug: I would be the Green Smile today.

I am new to this site. I was recently told I have PCOS by my doctor. I have not had my period since November it is now April 18. I have had an irregular period my whole life..I have always had a period sometimes I might skil a month but never this long. I hadve been off birthcontrol for about 7 months and I am now having some facial hair,acne and I need to lose weight. I was extremely upset by this condtion, I just found out not too long ago. I am finally at the poin in life where I have met the man I am going to marry and I want to have kids. I am scared that I am going to have trouble.trying to conceive. Weight has been and issue for me a lot of my adult life mostly in the past 3 years ( ia m 27). I get upset from time to time. I am just trying to deal the best way I know how.

DATE: April 22, 2008

USERNAME/REAL NAME: Princess2211/Jenn

AGE: 30

BIRTHDAY: August, 1977

MARITAL STATUS: Married almost 7 yrs

CHILDREN/AGES: 2 boys (6 and 9), 1 daughter (3)

TOP WEIGHT: 234 (while pregnant with little girl)

CURRENT WEIGHT: 214

GOAL WEIGHT: 160

HEIGHT: 5'8

EYE COLOR: Green

HAIR COLOR: Blondish (Light brown w/highlights)

OCCUPATION: School counselor

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Sugar & getting motivated to exercise.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I am watching my carbs & taking metformin. Also, my oldest son - although very athletic - has started to get a "gut", so I really want to set a good example for my children. (I know that sounds cliche, but I've finally realized what it really means.)

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I was diagnosed last March (2007) after having no period for a year and a half and having an ultrasound and blood work done. However, I've taken Provera, Prometrium, and BCP - only to have the occasional period. I've been to two OB/GYN's whose "big" advice to me was to lose weight - duh? It wasn't until I saw my family doctor (who is also insulin resistant) that I was prescribed met. Right now, I'm on a small dose (1000), but I can already see a difference (with weight & ovulation).

I'm glad I found you all. I hope we can help each other & give each other our needed support! :hug:

Hi all, nice to join everyone here.

USERNAME/REAL NAME: Nando/Alina

AGE: 36

BIRTHDAY: 4th August, 1972

MARITAL STATUS: Married 15 years on 20th August 2007

SPOUSE’S NAME: DH

CHILDREN/AGES: Son, 8 (going on 33)

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, Writing, Sports (spectator now!), Traveling

PETS: 2 cats

TOP WEIGHT: 213lbs

CURRENT WEIGHT: 200lbs

GOAL WEIGHT: 120 - 130lbs

HEIGHT: 5'5

EYE COLOR: Brown

HAIR COLOR: Dark Brown

OCCUPATION: Public Relations and Communication

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Malaysia

E-MAIL ADDRESS: Ask and I might give it :)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Demotivation when weight loss stalls or slows down.
Being a perfectionist ie. I must read everything, learn all that needs to be known, then convince myself that I won't be able to do EVERYTHING that I need to do, and unless I do everything PERFECTLY then it is not worth doing at all. This thinking messed my head and lead to procrastination. Oh, then I get stressed and start comfort eating. Vicious cycle!


WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: Maturity, having learnt to stop beating myself up for every mistake or slip that I or anyone else makes, knowing that the road to success is not a one way street!

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
Having PCOS is hard - knowing that I have to work twice as hard as other people to get to my goals. I am facing up to this a day at a time and pat myself on the back each workout I finish, and giving myself internal snaps each time I walk past the snack aisle, the ice-cream section without taking anything. A day at a time.

Hello there, as a new member I would like to say somthing about me:

I´m from Germany
and my name is Susanne
my absolutly topweight is 145 KGS
my acutally weight is 124 KGS

`Cos my insulin resistance I needed 3 years to lost this weight and it´s stressing me with yoyo. Since January I´m geting help by an Endocrin and hope to get the goal 100 KGS till the end of year. We are wishing to have a baby or being pregnant for next year. But without loosing weight and getting
my menstruation we have no hope.

It was a long and painfull way to know all faq like now. First I got no help, then I lost one ovary and at least they wanted to make a gastric bypass. Now I`m nearly 30 years old, have a medical assistance I trust in, know that there was no needing to lost my ovary, know that I´m needing help to loss weight.

USERNAME/REAL NAME: atwistedlime/Leslie

AGE: 33

BIRTHDAY: November 22

MARITAL STATUS: Attached

HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Hiking, Cooking, Grilling

PETS: 2 Kitties Shadow and Squishy

TOP WEIGHT: 252

CURRENT WEIGHT: 229

GOAL WEIGHT: 170 (at the moment. My Dr. said we should make that an initial goal and than revaluate because of my body structure.)

HEIGHT: 5'8

EYE COLOR: Blue or grey or green depends on the day

HAIR COLOR: Naturally Curly Brown but I dye it from time to time. Right now it is all natural.

OCCUPATION: Admin Assist.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Seattle, Washington

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Right now finding a balance in what I eat and what my SO (significant other) eats so that we can both lose.

WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I am more determined and really know and believe it can happen.

ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I am a geek. I like computers and electronic toys. When I am trying to distract myself from food I usually grab my DS or laptop and find something to read. I love learning new things especially new recipes that are healthy.