Okay, so I keep trying to look for answers for my situation, but so far, nothing. I've been diagnosed with PCOS recently and have extreme problems with weight loss. When I work out, I can lose 1/2 lb a day, but the days that I do not work out, I GAIN 2 lbs. It just scares me. I mean, I eat the same thing I do on my work out days, so I don't get it. Could it be because I am insulin resistant and that it is more controlled when I am working out? My doctor said he is going to put me on Metmorfin, but I keep rescheduling my appointment because I don't know if that will be the best choice for me. I like to do things naturally, but my body isn't letting me take the natural route. I just want to lose weight, not gain. : [

Look under Dieting Wuth Obstacles there is a forum PCOS/InsulinResistance Support
This might be helpful for you.

Look, do what you have to do for your goals at this time. See your doc, get second opinion, read, etc. Make the informed choice for you. Learn about all the options. Then pick. Nobody said you have to stay with the same option forever. Think of it like picking the best pick for the next year. Then reassess.

The goal in my late teens and most of the 20's was NO KIDS. So the game plan revolved around birth control even when I had crazy cycles. Then motherhood came on the horizon.

For me, there was NO weight loss without getting checked out and getting my thyroid meds right and on Metformin at first. It didn't help me to lose but it did STOP the weight "creep." I had to have all that in place -- Met, Levoxyl, diet, exercise for it to all work. I got cycles regular enough at 60 days apart to conceive and have my kid. That was the goal of THAT time.

I don't want more kids, so I had to change the game plan. Eventually I got the IR under control enough to be able to come off the Met and just maintain it with diet, and I'm working on the exercise. But how I lose weight NOW with a kid is different than as a single. I know what worked for me then as a student, but it's not the same as a wife with other obligations. I can't spend whole afternoons hanging at the gym or the pool, YKWIM?

I like natural approaches too like diet and exercise. But for some PCOS patients, it's going to take more than that at different points in life. We keep aging, and that changes the goals, and how you play ball.

I don't know what menopause will bring but I know it will change the game on me AGAIN. Even though I've got a good 15 yrs to go, I'm starting to learn about it so I'm better prepared when I get into that neighborhood.

Hang in there! Remember you may have PCOS. But it doesn't have you! You can do it!

A.

I can't speak to the PCOS, but I suspect you are seeing normal fluctuations and just don't have enough data yet. Plus, I don't know how you are drawing your conclusions (when you weigh yourself etc), but when you exercise, your body will retain a couple pounds of water that is used for muscle repair.

It sounds like you are doing the right things. Weight loss is generally a slow business, and you really can't see the pattern in timescales of less than a month.

I have PCOS. The ONLY thing that has ever worked for me is going grain-free (yes, that means no bread, wheat products, rice, sugar, corn...). It's basically low carb. Also, my skin rashes clear up when I don't eat grains. The entire "whole grain" message is pure bunk. Think Paleo, Dukan, Atkins for PCOS. I'm getting amazing results on the scale, got a period after only a week of cutting out grains, and FEEL so much better!

Plus I was able to dump some pretty scary meds like Metformin, Byetta, and the pill. I believe we aren't broken by default and PCOS is a symptom of changes in the way we farm carbohydrates. For more info, also read the book "Wheat Belly". It explains how the wheat crop has been genetically modified beyond recognition and we no longer have the 'amber waves of grain' that humans are used to.

Thank you for your feedback : ]

I have actually been keeping up with my weight for the past three months. I check my weight every morning after using the bathroom. On days that I work out, the scale is 1/2 lb less each morning. On days that I take a break, the weight machine goes up 2 lbs and it takes me 4 more days to take that weight off.

I heard a podcast (they're on iTunes for free) by Jillian Michaels recently on this topic. It's also in her Metabolism book. You might see what she says -- I do remember her being very insistent that you learn all you can and take firm control of your medical care, consulting all the specialists and other professionals that you can. She seemed to be very knowledgeable, so perhaps there's something in there that could help.

If your doctor wants to put you on Metformin, you need to figure out what is going on with your body.

It might be PCOS or it might be prediabetes, but either way, you CAN lose weight and you're not that crazy.

First things first.... if you are insulin resistant it probably means that simple carbs are the devil for you and you need to start looking at what you're eating and cleaning that out. Veggies and lean proteins are going to be your friend, and if you can manage it, maybe even some complex carbs (high fiber).

You don't have to use Metformin, but you do have to clean up your eating. Metformin works to stabilize your blood sugar, so you no longer have the spikes. If you don't have spikes, your body doesn't turn the excess glucose into storage of fat.

And yes, exercise stabilizes your blood sugar, which is probably what is helping you, but at the same time yoyoma is right that if you did vigorous exercise (especially if you just started) then that could also be happening.

So, if you don't want Metformin, then start focusing on your diet and exercise (making it consistently, 5-6 times a week). I was recommended Metformin by my Endo too, but I decided not to take it because I wanted to use food and exercise. I also decided to focus on taking supplements that would help the natural deficiencies that PCOS women have including chromium polynicolinate, which is also supposed to balance blood sugar.

My endo knows that I'm taking these and so far, I've been able to lose more or less 35 lbs since I started this journey.