PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
Hello everyone-
I had a Dr.s appointment yesturday and the Dr. put me on metformin. I have been trying to lose weight since Jan 2, 2008 and the first 10 lbs were easy to loose, I lost them in the first two weeks. I am on week week 8 and have only lost 4 more lbs. I know this is good at least it is a loose. The frustating thing is that I have been really good and excercise everyday and eat a low carb diet with tons and tons of water. Anyways, the Dr. said the metformin would help me to loose the weight. I am trying to conceive so he recommended I loose 50 lbs before we start looking on me conceiving.
WeightSmasher I have been on Metformin for about 2 months and have lost actually gained a few pounds. So I'm a bit ditracted. I know there are good amount of people that lose weight so don't be discouraged by my situation. I also have hypothyroidism and really not sure which one is the biggest culprit.
The good things...
I did curb my seet appetite and I do not feel hungry all day every hour. I have lost 1 inch in waist and hips. So that's good!
I as officially diagnosed as having PCOS when I was 18, (I'd been doing tons of research on it and suspected it as a reason I couldn't drop weight since I was 16). I'm on 2000mg of metformin now. Initially I was on 1500mg and didn't see any difference - ie: no significant weight gain or loss. Before I started taking the medication I ate a pretty healthy diet (lots of whole grains, lean protein) as I'd been trying to lose weight since the start of high school. I ran 4-5 days a week for about 40 minutes as well. A couple of weeks after I went up to 2000mg I increased my running to twice daily for 30-40min and within a few months I was down 16lbs. I think metformin, when used appropriately in conjunction with diet and exercise can definitely help you drop the weight. By no means is it a miracle drug but if you're doing everything right, (which it sounds like you are), it's worth a shot in my mind. I've also heard cases of people getting down to a healthy weight and stabilizing their insulin and blood sugar and cutting back gradually on it...
Some people have pretty nasty side effects. Mine weren't so bad. I built up over about a month to 2000mg instead of just taking it all right away (my endo's recommendation). You're not supposed to take it on an empty stomach but my first few weeks it was upsetting me a little and I couldn't handle it in full meals. Instead I would eat it with a small serving of yogurt (good balance of proteins and carbs) and that seemed to help. Water is important too.
Sorry if I gave you more than you wanted to hear! There's lots of great resources out there for people with PCOS and I'm sure you can find a lot of information on others who have had success with it. Good luck!
Hi Everyone I'm new to this forum. It looks great.
About two years ago I lost fifty plus pounds doing low fat and a lot of exercise. Well, over 8 mos or so I gained 30 back. My sugar cravings and carb addiction took over. When I say sugar addiction I mean half gal of icecream every two days. I had to have something sugary every other hour.
I work for a doctor and he and I talked. He put me on Metformin and said it may or may not work.
What I've found after a couple weeks is my sugar cravings are gone. If I do have something sweet I can stop at one pc and not eat the whole bag. I haven't gotten icecream in three weeks. A record for me.
Anyway.....I'm in this to lose 20 lbs. My pants have gone down a size in just a couple weeks. I'm sure it's from not eating all that junk
OH, and my question, I almost forgot. Doc didn't mention what type of diet to eat. I've read where if you are insulin resistant then a low fat diet is not good. Higher, lean protein is best. Please suggest what you think.
My experience is that metformin didn't help me with my weightloss - I fought for every single lb in the gym. But I know others who had the weight just fall off with the metformin.
I'm new to this site because I too am insulin resistant, have hypo-thyroidism etc. I've done all sorts of food plans...low carb, low fat, sugar busters, weight watchers with all the same results. I will lose some lbs (yo-yoing as I go) and then plateau...only to regain again. I KNOW this yo-yo thing isn't good! I've also been told I'm "pre-diabetic". I'm currently reading a book regarding diabetes and it's not a good disease at all. I see an endocronologist and so far she is having me address my issues with "diet and exercise". I've been able to decrease my cholestrol #'s but my blood sugar isn't good and if I don't improve in these next 3 months I'll be going on Metformin as well. I'm here to see if anyone has had good results with it! I'm also taking a cholestrol medication as well. My biggest question is...if I go back to a solely low-carb food plan will I be able to sustain it AND is that the way to go. Everything I read has a common thread to it BUT then "their plan" is the best. Who do I believe?? Who can help with what I should do??
Thank you for all of your input. I started taking Metformin last Wed. 2/27/08. So Far so good. I feel much better. The first day I felt fine not side effects at all. The second day I felt a little tired and queezy. The third day I felt a little icky and queezy, nothing major I just knew I didn't feel 100%. The fourth day I felt much better and by the fifth day I feel good. I have been eating very low carb. I take the medication twice a day either with breakfast or lunch and then dinner. I take it in the middle of my meal. I drink gallons and gallons of water throught the day. I am excercising 6 days a week. Since I started taking Metformin I have lost 4lbs. unoficially because my weigh in is on Wednesday but I just couldn't resist and I got on the scale.
Well, this is my experience so far. I am staying away from the carbs because I don't want the nasty side effects as I hear that when you eat bad carbs you feel really sick. My plan is to eat very low carb one week and the next week eat a little more carbs such as veggies, fruit, fiber.... then the following week go back to low low carbs. I hope my plan works and I can keep loosing this weight and get healthy and some how control the PCOS.
Good luck to everyone else and let us know your progress.
WeightSmasher....thank you for your repsonse! When you speak of very low carbs what types of food are you referring to? What is a "typical" day for you re: your meals? Just curious! As for the side effects you had with the Metformin...that's the kind my endocronologist said people will have. She said gastrointestinal. I took Metformin briefly (under the care of a different physician) for a couple of weeks a year ago. I had some adverse side-effects but my newest doctor said that they weren't caused by the medication. So "if" I'm prescribed it again, I will have to see how I do. Thank you so much for responding!!! Your info was most helpful!
14 lbs in 8 weeks is EXCELLENT weight loss, even for a person without insulin resistance. When you're insulin resistant, your body holds on to weight very stubbornly, and you can often maintain your weight on a ridiculously low calorie level (what I can eat now to maintain my weight today, would have resulted in a 6 - 8 lb loss per week in my college days).
I'm on metformin, and I don't think it's helped me lose weight, though it has reduced my blood sugar to normal levels. Low carb dieting helps, and maybe the metformin does too, but it still isn't easy. The hardest part about weight loss is learning to be patient. You can control what you eat and how much you exercise, but the weight never comes off as fast as you'd like it to.
When you say that if you eat the wrong kind of carbs (food) that it makes you sick: what kind of foods do you mean? And, what are the symptoms of illness that you are refrerring too?
When I first started taking metformin, I felt a bit nauseated now and then. I had other odd symptoms that I don't know if they had anything to do with MET. THE GOOD NEWS is that since I have been on MET and watching what I eat, my sugars have gone back into the normal range (4.9 to 5.2). If they go down too far into the 4.0's, I feel very hungry and weak; so. I adjusted my food intake and that helped a bit.
I had pre-diabetes (diabetes runs in our family) and had other health issues that seem to be better now (ie more regular menses). I was taking 750 mg's (250 x 3 a day); that was upped to 1000 mg; then 1500 mg with dinner only, becuz my lunches and BF'S were small and that made me feel ill. I found (for me personally) taking the pills with dinner only made me feel a lot better. Becuz my sugars have stabilized, I have been able to cut back to 500 mg.
I think my doctor wanted me to stay on the higher dose to help me lose more weight, but it made me feel nauseated, weak, shakey, and just plain odd. Some people told me that MET makes you go to the washroom more: both #1 and #2. A couple of people have told me that MET can be hard on your kidneys (one possible side effect), but my doctor never told me that, so I will ask him about it the next time I see him (becuz that is important to me).
Right now, I am having no problems with the MET; but my weight-loss has slowed down, however, I have lost 12" overall from July 07 'til Dec 07 and lost one size in clothing, and my weight is stable. I am happy with that; I am thrilled that my sugars are normal and stable now too, and the MET along with healthy eating habits helped that I'm sure.
You can hit stalls and plateaus, but as long as you are losing inches or sizes, and/or a lb here or there ... you are still losing. I agree with KAPLODS that we tend to be impatient when it comes to weightloss. I know for me now that I'm in my late 40's, it seems to come off much slower. Some people believe that the longer it takes to lose the weight, the longer it will likely stay off, but some people are too impatient for that theory/method.
I still have a long way to go; but I think it's important to just keep on, keepin' on: in other words ... DON'T EVER STOP! After all, this is supposed to be about healthy weight and good health, for life ... right?
Only side effect my doctor seemed to emphasize that comes with Metformin is digestive. She didn't mention anything else. She also said it's a good drug (safe too, I think she said) to lower the blood sugars. In reading these posts I'm almost wishing she'd put me on it this last time I saw her. I'm wondering if the person saying that "carbs" made them sick is getting the Metformin mixed up with Alli....that fat-busting drug that's out. THAT one sounds really nasty!! Thanks Rosebud for your post...it is most helpful!
I weighed myself today and I am down 2 more lbs. since last time I unoficially weighed in. Well, I guess I can say I love Metformin. I believe it is really working with my system. I know different people have different experiences with it but so fat it has been wonderful for me.
Frustratedieter- It is funny that you mention Alli because I am also taking it. Under Drs. care of course. This is exactly what my Dr. recommended I do and said we would go aggressively at loosing the weight. I take 500 mg of metformin 2X/day. Alli with every meal. Breakfast= Boiled egg and bacon or a protein shake. Lunch=Piece of chicken with a piece of cheese or Chicken salad or Lean Cuisine chicken and broccoli that only has 6 carbs. Dinner=Baked chicken, pork chop, salmon or carne asada with a steamed green Vegetable and a side salad. This is what I eat on my very low carb days. I also drink tons and tons of water. I have noticed that I am not as hungry as I use to be. I use to have a bottom less stomach I could eat and eat and eat and never feel food. Sometimes now the thought of food makes me sick. I find myself forcing myself to eat. I also go to the gym 7 days of week and do 45 min of cardio. As far as the side effects what I mean my making me sick was just feeling eeky. And when I go #2 it is very very runny almost watery. Sorry for the description but you asked. But that seems to be getting better each day. I go back to the Dr. in one month and he is going to do blood work to make sure I am doing ok.
Well, ladies as I said before whatever I am doing right now is working. I don't know about tomorrow or if I will stall sometime soon. All I know is that I am in it for the long run and I am definetly determined to loose this weight whether it takes me 6 mo., 12 mo., 24 mo. or more. I will not allow myself to ever go back to eating for no reason and not carring to take care of my body. I have decided that excercise is going to be part of my life and will have to do for the rest of my life. Good luck to all of you.
I've been taking Metformin since July. I think it did help me lose 10 lbs between July and December. January 1st I started Metabolic Research and have lost 32 since then. I take 500 mg in AM and PM. Dr says my hormone levels and my blood sugar levels are normal now (I'm sure losing 40 lbs helped too). I don't have any side effects now that I am on my diet plan (which is low carb) but I do seem to be more, ahem, regular, than my friends on the plan and I think I can attribute that to my Metformin. So far, so good!
Thoughts and Experiences on Metformin??
ROSEBUD
