Trying to lose weight with PCOS
 

Hi everyone,

I am 36 y.o this year and was diagnosed with PCOS about 10 years ago. It has been an uphill battle, with weight piling on and being so depressed with self-loathing that I ended up eating even more. My worst habit is snacking in front of tv, just before bedtime.

2 months ago, I had to see a doctor who took a look at my 213lbs self and told me outright - "Not good! The way you are going now is not good!" My blood pressure was 150/100, my hormones were all out of whack, on top of that, with migraine headaches, and vericose veins in my legs, she was not able to even put me on any hormone medication for fear of a stroke. She referred me to a gynae - and it was then that I had my second major scare. I had to undergo a biopsy for fear of endometrial cancer, my pap smear was abnormal and had to undergo a HPV DNA test.

I remember driving home with tears falling down my face, thinking of my lovely 8 year old son, and what would happen to him and hubby should I die of cancer.

It took me another week of being depressed and not wanting to be where I was before I started going to the gym. It was bad as I could not even complete 10 mins of 5.0 speed at 1.0 inclination without feeling out of breath and light headed. That was on 1st March 2008.

Since then, I have been going to the gym 5 days a week for cardio (30 - 40 mins) and resistance training (30-40 mins). I am now on Metformin, 1700mg a day. Have cut out sugar and white carbs, and try as far as I can to not eat after 7pm. The weight has been coming off slowly, but there are days when I just dont feel strong enough to say "no" to eating at night, or getting up in the morning and pushing myself at the gym.

As of today, 9 weeks down this journey, I have lost 11.6lbs (5.3 kgs). I am also including whey protein with glutamine and bcaa post resistance training and eating more fruit, veg and drinking more skim milk and plain water, no more diet sodas and coffee. It is very difficult though. I am sure everyone here have gone through/or are going through what I am going through now. Also re-learning portion control, and limiting caloric intake to 1500 a day.

My target is to lose a further 80lbs by March, 2009 and keep it off for good.
Most importantly, I would like to see my little boy grow up and celebrate life with my wonderful hubby for many, many years to come.

Being the person with little self control as I am, I need all the support I can get for those really hard days when I slip up or get demotivated. Thanks everyone for reading this and thanks to the founders of this wonderful site.

:wel3fc: . . . You've definitely come to the right place for lots of support. Chickie . . . we are all here for you.

Sounds like you are on the right track already, but you might want to take a look over in the Dieting with Obstacles area where there is a sub-forum dedicated to those with PCOS/Insulin Resistance.

You have a good day and we'll all be looking forward to seeing you around the site on a regular basis now that you've found us . . . :hug:

Welcome, Nando! :welcome3:
We're definitely here for you. :hug: Please post anywhere you feel comfortable, and don't hesitate to ask for direction or support when you need it!

:welcome3:

WOW! Nearly 12 pounds lost and only 9 weeks. That's wonderful. You're doing great so far. This is a great site. If you keep posting you'll receive lots of encouragement and help. You'll be so glad to be here and you'll probably soon see some differences in your health.

Welcome, Nando, and congratulations on your success so far! Most of all, congratulations on making this important decision to be healthier. You are DEFINITELY not alone in facing the challenges of food-tv-old-habits; I think many of us struggle with similar things.
Take care of yourself, and keep posting.
anita

:wel3fc:

Thanks everyone for the welcome! Feeling pretty good today! It's gonna be a lovely day... Will definitely post some more... and thank you so much for the kind words and support.

I can relate to the weight and PCOS problem. My doc and I decided against hormone therapy for a variety of reasons, and went with Metformin instead. I've been 95% PCOS pain free since I started it. My main problem has been the unexpected, uncontrollable diarrhea! :o But it isn't near as much a problem if I don't eat high sugar or high fat foods.

It is frustrating. It feels like that's just one more thing against me. Glad you had a good day today!

Hey Nando!

Welcome! Your thread title caught my I because I have PCOS too. (Be sure to check out the Dieting with Obstacles thread on it:)). Everyone has tough days but the important thing is to remember all the things you've achieved so far! It looks like you've made some really positive changes and had some really great progress. Consistency is key. No one is perfect. Keep up the great work and I'm sure you'll meet your goal soon enough :)

:welcome3: Nando!
congrats. on the lost so far!
keep it up!

michellenew

Thanks everyone.. I will be checking out and posting that the PCOS forum after this :o) You gals are GREAT! Looking forward to wearing that slinky dress by March next year...!!!