[daisygirl1166]

Hello Everyone!

I am still new to 3FC but I am certainly not new to PCOS. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 20 and am now 40, so I have had PCOS for half my life! I was always overweight as a kid, but after my early 20s, my weight really got out of hand. I have been over 300 pounds for about 15 of those 20 years. Now I know that can't blame PCOS for all of that weight gain, but I have many friends who had the same eating habit I did but did not have the same weight issues.

Almost 6 weeks ago, I decided it was time to try again to get my weight under control. I know many with PCOS have success with low carb and I have tried those plans in the past. I can stay on them for a couple of weeks but find them very difficult to stay on long term. This time, I decided to go with counting calories and making healthier food choices. My starting weight was 340 and over the course of 4 weeks, I lost 14 pounds. While this was not the rapid weight loss that I and many others hope for, it was progressive and seemed sustainable. Then all of a sudden, 2 weeks ago, for no apparent reason (same calorie range 1400-1600 and same activity level), the weight loss stopped and I have been on a plateau ever since. I know it is a marathon, but need some progress, even a small amount, to keep myself on target.

So after that long winded explanation, my question is this - what has worked for you to get off a plateau with PCOS as the cement block around your ankle??? Has anyone been my size and actually been able to overcome the weight and PCOS to get to a healthier weight?

Looking forward to your responses. Thanks for your help!

[Lifeguard]

Your weightloss has been nice & steady. I wouldn't classify 2 weeks as a true plateau however. When I seriously upped my exercise routine & cleaned up my eating further last summer I didn't see any progress for 8 weeks. When it did happen it was slow & steady & no big jumps like I would have liked to see. We have to learn to accept that our bodies don't like to let go of the weight & we have to work for each pound.

I would say keep doing what you're doing & have faith that even if you're not seeing changes daily/weekly it is good for you & your body.

[rockstar87]

14lbs in 4 weeks is awesome! I know the feeling though...nothing is ever fast enough when it comes to losing weight. Have you been incorporating any sort of exercise as well? If not, that may be something to consider...even if it's just walking around the block twice a day for 15 minutes. If you are exercising maybe it's time to challenge yourself a little bit more.

Your weight loss has been great so far so I wouldn't worry just yet. Keep counting your calories for the next few weeks (I'm doing the same thing and my carbs aren't what I would classify as "low") and see what happens. I doubt you're plateauing this early into your program. Your body might just need some time to get used to all the changes you're making. Sometimes drastic changes can cause your body to hold onto fat because that's what it's supposed to do from a survival standpoint. You're restricting calories and losing weight and you may have a few weeks of nothing before your body catches up and realizes you're not going to starve to death!

One more thing...are you hungry constantly? If so, I would say up your calories to maybe 1600-1800. If you feel fine stay where you are. No need to up your calories any higher if you're satisfied. I hate being told to eat when I'm not hungry. It seems so counterproductive.

[thesusanone]

I don't know the answer to this question, but is 1400-1600 enough calories for someone of your size? I weigh 305-ish right now, and I feel like I eat quite a lot (I am using the Weight Watchers core plan), but I don't know how many calories I eat. I was thinking of trying one of these free online trackers that count calories for you as well as other nutritional data.

If you want to do this, you could post your menu of what you ate yesterday to give us an example of the food choices you are making.

[witchyonadiet]

I do NOT count calories at all - I read labels and make good decisions based on that. I know I am not eating a consistent amount of calories everyday and I believe that works to my advantage. IMO - if your body gets used to a set amount of calories then your metabolism will adjust to it. By varying my calories I believe my body doesn't get used to an amount.

I also agree that upping your workout will help. Be patient - plateaus are a drag but you'll get through it.