[Nicoyaangel]

What is your exercise routine? And how long after you started did you see results? Also, what do you eat and what do you stay away from? What do you do when you have cravings? What is a typical meal for you for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks?

I need help getting a plan. I can't afford any weight watchers, Jenny Craigs or things like that. But I can buy things and try to cook them. I work late nights so what is a quick dinner meal that you recommend.

Thanks ladies!

[Michi702]

My experience so far with dieting (calorie counting and some exercise) has been going alright, but I feel that I'm losing as a lesser rate than I should be. If I aim for 1.5 - 2 pounds a week between cutting down on food and exercising I lose about a pound or slightly more. It's kind of like my body is only running at about 75% - 80% efficiency when it comes to dieting.

It's frustrating because I feel like even if I've been really on plan, I loose less than I feel I should have and I know people who work less hard and it comes easier for them. I guess it's just the lower metabolism from PCOS?

[astrophe]

I work late nights so what is a quick dinner meal that you recommend.

Slow cooker. Load it up before bed, then when you wake up box up and put in fridge/freezer.

Also, indoor grill. That's a fast way to deal with meats and veg.

I guess it's just the lower metabolism from PCOS?

Yup. I'm totally there. I feel like I've been and down the save 5 lbs for yonks, and until my life situation changes I can't quite yet up the exercise bit. If nothing else, I figure I'm practicing maintaining!

A.

[SMSDREAMER2007]

Yep, so there with ya. For quick dinner ideas. Make a big batch of tuna salad and a big batch of chicken salad that way when you get home you cqn grab that and some whole wheat crackers. YUMMM. I also keep humus in the house and dip celery in it works GREAT! anther thing I will do is cook chicken and put it in the fridge to use it n sandwiches and salads during the week (works with ground meat too) quesadillas are a quick thing. I love astrophe's slow cooker idea. sometimes I will make big batches of simple chilli and freeze that for later then just microwave it (dont stir while microwaving, the beans will get mushy)

[1049jess]

I've had a lot of success by limiting the amount of sugar I eat. I have switched to whole grains and I rarely eat anything sugary. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies every day, and I exercise at least five days a week.

I have tried a lot of other diets in the past. I can't really tell you why it's working this time vs. other times. I think it's my mindset; when I was doing diets like Atkins, where I wasn't allowing myself to have sweets at all, I craved them all the time. Now I pretty much eat what I want, but there's a difference. If there's something I think I really want, like a piece of cake, I eat half of it instead of the whole thing (or possibly even a second helping!). I find I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything this way, and instead of beating myself up for having eaten the cake, I'm proud of myself for having only eaten half.

[g35]

Since the age of 12, I have tried every diet, life style change and I mean everything, to include Low GI, WW, SB etc.. to lose weight. I will lose the 1st wk or so and then nothing. I have both PCOS and Hypothyroidism - double whammy!

I have started a medically supervised plan based on my BMR of 1582 and other factors and so far so good. i'm losing weight and not starving!

My plan guidelines are as follows:
- 80-110g of protein a day (30g at breakfast)
- 75-125g of net carbs (good carbs only fruit, veggie, grains)
- 20-50g of fat
all within 1000-1200 cals a day. Plus cardio and st minimum 3x a week. I do this for 2 weeks and then week 3 up my cals by 200 for a week and then back to the 1000-1200.

I really struggle to get in all my carbs; most days I hover around 50g Net carbs

[Rana]

I exercise (when I'm not traveling!!!!!!) about 8-9 hours a week. I do pilates and spinning/cycling.

I also try to eat around 1500 calories, although usually, I hit just under 1600.

My typical breakfast/lunch/dinner

Scrambled eggs
Coffee/Tea
Chobani Greek Yogurt
Apple
Almond butter/Cashew butter
Chicken breast, grilled on a bed of greens, with goat cheese, cranberries, almonds, strawberries, etc.
Brown rice, black beans, stir fried collard greens

Dark chocolate if I need it (I usually need it!) and if I'm particularly hungry that day, I'll have mixed nuts or cottage cheese and fruit.

[patns]

Originally Posted by g35

Since the age of 12, I have tried every diet, life style change and I mean everything, to include Low GI, WW, SB etc.. to lose weight. I will lose the 1st wk or so and then nothing. I have both PCOS and Hypothyroidism - double whammy!

I have started a medically supervised plan based on my BMR of 1582 and other factors and so far so good. i'm losing weight and not starving!

My plan guidelines are as follows:
- 80-110g of protein a day (30g at breakfast)
- 75-125g of net carbs (good carbs only fruit, veggie, grains)
- 20-50g of fat
all within 1000-1200 cals a day. Plus cardio and st minimum 3x a week. I do this for 2 weeks and then week 3 up my cals by 200 for a week and then back to the 1000-1200.

I really struggle to get in all my carbs; most days I hover around 50g Net carbs

Thank you, this is very helpful. I knew how many calories I could handle but could not figure out the amount for protein, carbs and fat. It seems like a great idea to briefly bump up the cals after 2 weeks. I usually stop losing after the first two weeks.

[redbutton]

Hi there,

I'm not on any specific plan but these are the guidelines I've made for myself.

• All whole grains vs. white flour.
• I always brown rice instead of white.
• Always have hard boiled eggs in the fridge (max 2 per day)
• I eat a lot of small meals.
• I puree frozen veggies into everything, pasta sauce, rice, pizza sauce, any kind of sauce really.
• I stay away from sugar, and even sugar substitutes. I weaned myself off crystal light type juices and now drink my water with True Lime.
• 1 or 2 handful of nuts a day.

There are things that I don't budge on such as I always have half & half in my coffee- no skim in my coffee! I love my morning coffee, and if I had to change the way I have it, I would be starting my day off pissed every morning! So, I allow myself these little splurges so I am less likely to give up on my diet.

Cravings: If I know that it is just a craving, and am perfectly full, I will sip on peppermint tea. It's a hit or miss, but worth trying. Peppermint has been shown to fight cravings. I also like the 100 calorie bags of microwave popcorn.

Exercise: Walk 4-5 days a week for 45 min, and just started kettlebells.

There are lots of free online diet plans so you should google and see what might work for you.

[kkazz123]

I have PCOS and have lost 180 pounds. What has and is working for me is i try and keep the ratio of my carbs at about 40% and try and get my protein as high as i can (usually around 30%) i find if i keep my carbs at the recommended 55% range i dont lose. I eat very clean and rarely eat processed foods....i also watch my sodium and try and keep it under 2300 calories. I also focus on eating organic and eating a variety of foods.