PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
Hello fellow pcosers. I'm just wondering how much weight do you lose on average, per week? What exercise, food, medication are you on?
I've been struggling with my own weight loss for over 6 years. Its so hard to lose weight! and after a couple of months of not losing weight I usually give in.
I'm currently on Diane (BCP), was on metformin for a while but had side effects and the doctor took me off of it. The Diane seems to be working, helps control some of the symptoms of PCOS (oily hair, complexion issues, facial hair, missing periods etc). I'm watching what I eat (doing 1400 cals) and exercise between 40 to 60 mins 5 times a week but I can never lose a whole lb in a week.. its frustrating especially when you know you're doing the right stuff and the weight should come off!!!
Just wanted to know how much weight you guys are losing on average and if I can pick up any ideas from what other people are doing and whether they are successful at it
Before I got pregnant - when I was losing weight I was on metformin. I did 20-45 minutes of cardio 5 days a week. I did 60 minutes of weightlifting 3-4 days a week (these workouts were HARD!). My diet focussed on many meals & lots of protein & veggies. I tried to limit starches to immediately after workouts only.
On that schedule I lost 40lbs in about 6 months - but I did not lose a single pound in the first 8 weeks.
We're all different, just hang in there! It's slow, painfully slow sometimes. As you lose weight though, hopefully your IR gets under control and it will start to snowball, and you'll start dropping weight much quicker. Just be consistent. Even when you look at the scale and it doesn't move, be consistent, 100 percent. Are you eating many simple carbs (higher GI) or sugars, or are you eating mostly whole foods, with plenty of fiber and vegetables? You may also have to bump up the exercise. There is an article in the maintainers forum that quotes research saying that a minimum of 60 minutes a day may be necessary to lose weight, with 45-60 to maintain the loss. There might be more current research, but that was the last thing I read. If you are insulin resistant, you will need consistent exercise, week after week. If you are like me, things get in the way and poof there went the window to the gym. If I get in 300-400 minutes a week of cardio, every week, there is always a drop.
Looking back since my start date, I lose on average overall about half a pound a week, but that is not consistent across the weeks, sometimes I will go weeks without losing anything and then all of a sudden I drop 5 lbs. I run for 60 min 5 times a week, I hike twice a week and lift weights 3-4 times a week. During the week I eat about 1400-1500 cals and weekend 1800-2000 cals.
Are you eating the right kinds of calories? You seem knowledgeable about your condition especially if you've been put on Metformin, but it could be that your calories are coming from bad carbs, which could very well be preventing you from losing weight quickly. It's all about the veggies & protein.
The first few weeks I ever started to really, really pay attention to what I was eating and limited myself to lean protein and vegetables for that time, I lost about 15 lbs. over the course of 2 weeks. Of course, since then, I lost track of myself a little bit and have plateaued. I'm back on course now and am gradually losing about a pound a week, eating good carbs & protein and running 10-12 miles a week.
But this leads me to a related question....
Has anyone ever gotten a little curious (read: obsessive) and weighed themselves at different points in the day? I find I am always lighter in the morning after I poop (sorry if that's TMI) than any other time of the day, and that my weight can fluctuate as much as FOUR OR FIVE POUNDS(!!!) throughout the day. Umm, is that normal?? Usually it's more just like 1 to 2 lbs. of fluctuation, but I still find that odd.
I have lost my weight since starting on metformin also. When I started i wasn't watching what I was eating for about two months and lost about 7 lbs, but when I started being careful about what I ate the weight dropped pretty quickly. I am up about 4 lbs now because of TOM but it should start dropping again after this week. I notice my cravings have gone away too when it's not around my period after starting the metformin.
Snoozlebug I am the same way. My morning weight is the lowest and if I were to weigh at the end of the day (without clothes also) I am 4-5 lbs heavier. Who knows....
Thanks all, that's very reassuring. I was worried I was doing the wrong thing but it seems that a lot of you are struggling with the same issue --> slow weight loss.
Honestly, I was kind of disappointed when looking at the rest of the threads in other forum sections where people are actually dropping between 5-10 lbs a month where for me that's impossible! the most I am able to lose is 2-3lbs max!.
I completely cut out bad carbs so my carbs mainly come from fruits, oats, high fiber breads and pasta and brown rice. I eat loads of veggies and lean proteins.
I've been toying with the idea of bringing up my resistance training to more than 25 mins twice a week. I've read somewhere in the exercise forum that its necessary to bring up your metabolism and keep you burning calories throughout the day even if you're not exercising.
Anyway, thanks ladies, this really helps will keep you posted with my progress
Snoozlebug, I'm guilty of weighing through the day. Well I used to be. I did the same thing. It's frustrating to wake up and pee, weigh, then realize Oooh I have to pee again, and then weigh again and find that I gained .4 pounds. I only weigh once now!
Jiggly, are you logging in your exercise? Consistent exercise will make such a huge difference in weight loss for IR chicks. We have to burn that insulin off before we get to the fat burning. If you see less than 200-250 a week, every week, that is going to make a large impact on your weight loss.
Jennifer, for the past two weeks I've been doing over 250 mins a week. Mostly consisting of cardio workouts. I've had success when I was consuming around 1250 cals and exercising for almost 90 mins a day. However with my current job 60 mins a day is the max I can get in.
So I'm back at the drawing board now trying to figure out how to bring up my resistance training as well as protein intake. will keep you posted
You say you only eat good carbs, but how about limiting your carbs to 200 grams a day, not counting fibrous veg and completely avoiding starchy veg for a while. Like no corn, peas, carrots, or potatoes. And, only having complex carbs such as whole grain bead, oats, and brown rice during the day and for dinner just fibrous veg and lean protein. Just a suggestion; because that helped me get through a plateau.
Average weight loss?
will keep you posted with my progress 
I only weigh once now!
