I just saw everyones replies! My email hasn't been notifying me... Wow. I have tears in my eyes reading about everyone's success with IP even though you have PCOS. I've lost 8-9 pounds since I started IP a couple weeks ago, but I can't believe that this might actually work!!! I'm afraid to get too excited and to think that if I stick to this (and I plan to 100%) I might actually reach my goal weight and be happy and healthy again. Thanks so much everyone for sharing your stories with me.

Help with PCOS and weight loss
 

Hi, my sister has had PCOS for a while now and could not lose a pound...it was so frustrating for her. She exercised like crazy, watched her portions etc... Her doctor put her on Metformin which is given to diabetic patients and now is widely used in patients with PCOS. She takes it daily and was able to lose the weight and keep it off.

HI!
Just found this post now, I too have PCOS. I too have tried WW, Nutri System, worked out 6 days a week, all cardio for 65 minutes=nothing! It was soooo frustrating, but this diet works. Stick to it 100% and it will work with your insulin resistance and pancreas-the problems where PCOS occur. I admit, I get frustrated seeing others on here around the same weight and start date with a 10lb + loss on me, but it does come off. I started 5/9 (8 weeks in and I am down 25lbs)! I NEVER thought I would see this and I am still going strong. You owe it to yourself to try this and change your life!!!!

Oh, I forgot to mention, I too was put on metformin and I quickly stopped, it made me viciously ill! But, my good friend, also with PCOS takes it daily and is fine, so everyone is different!

I was diagnosed with mild PCOS plus Insulin Resistance, and it was SO hard for me to lose any weight. I had some success with Jenny Craig, but hit a plateau and didn't push past it. Plus, my doctor said that there were alot of carbs, and when it got down to the end of it, I wouldn't lose as much as I wanted.

This diet has been amazing. I've lost 35lbs and feel amazing. Not to maintenance yet, but I'll keep ya posted. :)

I too have been living with PCOS and insulin resistance for almost half my life (I'm 50). Back then there was no name for it....you just had a "condition". I learned about the low carb lifestyle long before Atkins became a household name. I have been on and off metformin numerous times. Doctor kept trying to convince me it would help me lose weight. It never did.....I just kept gaining no matter what I did. I became obsessed with diet and exercise. I have always been an "overweight fit person" (term coined by my endo) It wasn't until my estrogen dominance was treated that my hypothyroidism reared it's ugly head. Initial treatment of my thyroid with a balanced diet and daily exercise helped me to lose 50 lbs....and then it just STOPPED. 3 months ago I began a new thyroid therapy and 6 weeks ago I began living an IP lifestyle. Down 22.5#, decreased my metformin dose by half (not quite ready to let it go until the weight is ALL gone) and my fasting insulin is at 3 (normal is below 10).

These conditions are not a curse......just keep pushing forward. Life is good! :)

It seems to be working very well for me also...and I have PCOS

I know that this thread is old... But it totally hits home for me.. I was diagnosed with PCOS in February... and become quite the apple shape... Now I can say that because of IP I am starting to have a little curvature now!!

I have it too. I suspected that many of us on here would have it. This diet seems to be best for that.
Actually I first found out about IP on the PCOS thread on 3fatchicks when someone posted that IP was the only diet that had ever worked for her.

Pat

I was never formally diagnosed with it because years ago it just wasn't talked about much. I never had cystic ovaries, but had every other symptom plus I am also insulin resistance. My new gyno confirmed that you can have PCOS without the cystic ovaries and that is why it was probably never caught. Last year I was diagnosed with endometrial cancer, which she said is another confirmation of PCOS. Thankfully the doctor caught it very early and I had a complete hysterectomy and that was the only treatment I ever needed. My oncologist told me to go on IP (she did herself) if I really wanted to lose weight once and for all. Besides my good pathology report it was the best news she ever gave me.

I was diagnosed with PCOS whe I was 13 but never realized how much of an effect it was having on my weight and my life. My husband and I have been trying to concieve unsuccessfully for 3.5 years but I never ovulated on my own. Since starting IP i have lost 30lbs. Got my first period on my own in 6 months and ovulated on my own unmedicated! This diet is incredible for balancing hormones in PCOS patients because as the fat burns we release estrogen and it also helps because it reduces our insulin output and insulin actually mimics a natural human hormone so when you have insulin resistance your body thinks your producing the hormone and stops making it so this diet can completely turn your life around!

Thank you for your reply! Yes, it is SO frustrating. But you're right this diet does work. I've lost 30 pounds since I began in July. It's been a little slow recently, but your encouragement to stick to it 100% and how this is the perfect diet for PCOS was a great reminder and confirmation for me. And your comment "You owe it to yourself to try this and change your life!!!!" made me teary eyed. You're right, thank you :)

I took Metformin for years but it never helped me lose weight and never seemed to improve any PCOS or blood sugar problems I had. It made me sick too, I quit taking it years ago as well.

That's FANTASTIC :) Yes, please do keep us posted.

I have PCOS too, but I have to tell you that since my first round of IP where I lost about 60 pounds, even my cycles got really regular. They are a bit weird now, but I had some other medical stuff going on which has just put some stress on my body, but I kind of expected that. I figure getting back on IP and losing some more weight will help.