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-   PCOS/Insulin Resistance Support (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/pcos-insulin-resistance-support-70/)
-   -   Relief and excitement (https://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/pcos-insulin-resistance-support/278282-relief-excitement.html)

IrishDMBF 03-23-2013 10:53 PM

Relief and excitement
 
I just officially got the diagnosis of PCOS on thursday but to be honest I have probably had it for years and years and never known. I have always had irregular cycles and have been on birth control on and off to regulate the cycles since I was in my teens. I always wondered if I was going to be able to have kids because my periods were painful and could last for 2 days or could last for 2 months but thankfully it wasn't an issue as I have 3 beautiful kids. I stopped birth control for good after I had my last child when I had my tubes tied and that is when my weight went out of control.
I have always had weight problems and have tried every diet under the sun. Some of them worked well when I was younger (I am now 35) but at some point no matter what age I was I always plateaued and no matter what I did I could not lose any more. The older I got the more quickly I plateaued. Even in my 20s long before I ever had kids people would ask me if I was pregnant! It was all in my middle.

After I had my last child I went on a medical weight loss program and they found out I was hypothyroid and I was seeing my PCP for that but I after a few years I felt he wasn't managing it well because he kept telling me to lose weight and I couldn't. I tried everything but not a pound would come off so I took it upon myself to go see an endo. He understood my concerns and felt that why I still felt like crap might not be entirely due to my thyroid.
At that point which was last november he put me on a new weight loss medication called Qsymia which worked for about a month and I lost about 15lbs but again I stopped losing.
He sent me for a sleep study because he said sleep apnea causes high cortisol. He also tested me for Cushings and after that tested all my other hormones.
It turns out I am insulin resistant with PCOS. I feel so relieved that I can now put a name to what I have. I am still on the Qsymia and my thyroid meds but I am now on 1000mg a day of metformin and I have had no side effects yet. I am hopeful I can lose the weight with the medication and a low carb diet because I have been so depressed for so long thinking that it is just me.

I know Qsymia is relatively new but I am wondering if anyone here who has PCOS has used it in combination with their other PCOS meds with any success???

veggiedawg 03-24-2013 07:35 AM

Hi IrishDMBF!

I've never heard of Qsymia, so you may be our guinea pig! I hope it works well for you. Sounds like you've been through a lot with your PCOS symptoms. I thought it was a relief when I got my diagnosis too. So many little things that I didn't understand about my bodies quirks over the years actually meant something!

Look forward to seeing you around the boards!

Rana 03-24-2013 12:16 PM

Welcome! :welcome:

IrishDMBF 04-04-2013 12:07 PM

The excitement has been replaced with frustration.
Since I have been on metformin I gained 3lbs and then lost 3.5 so overall I am down net a half an lb and the scales hasn't budged in about a week.
I have seriously cut back on my carbs to less than 100g a day total. Calories are usually between 1200 and 1500. I have started a new part time job that involves a lot of walking and a lot of lifting. On days that I don't do that job I walk twice a day for 30 minutes each time. Why can't I shift the weight?
I am taking metformin, levothyroxine and Qsymia (contains phentermine and topamax). I would have thought my metabolism would be on overdrive.
Is there something I am missing??

veggiedawg 04-04-2013 12:53 PM

:hug:
Sorry, no answers...just feeling for you!

I really thought I would have lost weight instantly just by giving up sugar and having smaller meals but the scale wouldn't budge.

I've only lost a few pounds and I've cut out so much!

Keep working at it, maybe you body needs to adjust to all the changes and medication...

Showstoppa1120 04-04-2013 06:05 PM

Sorry , no answer for you either just wanted to tell you I sort of went through the same thing except I was on just 2000grams of metformin I couldn't take the side effects so I got off them. so lately I've just been on a low calorie low carb diet I've been losing between1-2 pounds every other week which is frustrating because I workout 4-5 days a week for an hour. I hope everything gets better for you

IrishDMBF 04-05-2013 08:18 AM

Now I am really mad and upset.
Got on the scales this morning and I am up 2lbs!
With most people with the diet and exercise I have been following they would have lost 10lbs but I am up. If I ate normally I would still be the same.
I know I have to eat like this because the last thing I want is for my IR to become full blown diabetes but grrrrrrrrrr!!!!
I just want to curl up in a ball and cry!!! I am trying so hard to get absolutely nowhere!

veggiedawg 04-05-2013 12:29 PM

Oh Dear! This sucks!

Did you read linsintx's post? She mentioned that she gained on Metformin...

Or could it be that TOM coming? Waaaahhhh!

synger 04-05-2013 02:33 PM

Oh, hun, I know how frustrating it is! PCOS and IR are bad enough for losing weight. Thyroid issues on top makes it even harder.

But don't despair. you CAN lose weight. It's just slower and harder. And once the Metformin builds up in your body, after a month or so, it may make it easier. A lot of people post that Metformin helps the IR so much that it helps you lose weight.

IrishDMBF 04-08-2013 11:05 AM

Thanks everyone for the encouragement and I am not giving up.
For the last week, I have performing an experiment, which may be adding to my frustration but it has also been enlightening!

I weigh myself in the morning and in the evening. I know people generally gain weight throughout the course of the day but I generally can gain anything from 2 to 5lbs over the course of a day (between 6am and 9pm). On the days that I gain 2lbs or less I will weigh less the next morning but on days that I gain more than 2lbs over the course of the day I will not weigh less than I did the previous morning.
The weight I use as my weight from day to day is my morning weight. Like I said before I am counting calories and exercising. I don't know about it being TOM because I am not regular but this has been going on a while TOM should only last a few days!!

Is it normal to gain on average 3lbs over the course of a day???

synger 04-09-2013 08:49 AM

Yes, it's perfectly normal to gain 3 lbs over the course of a day. That's why I try to dissuade myself from stepping back on the scale after my morning weigh-in.

The scale weighs fat; it also weighs muscle, bone, water, stomach contents, and waste. Bone stays constant, muscle doesn't change much, and fat actually takes a few days to add or subtract (remember 3500 calories/pound of fat). So if you're eating at a calorie deficit, you WILL lose fat. The scale may just be showing the weight of the food in your stomach, and the liquid you drank, and the waste in your intestines still working its way through... but under all that, the fat is slowly working off. Eventually it WILL show up as a lower number on the scale.

PrettyMom09 04-10-2013 10:51 AM

IrishDMBF - Welcome to the forum. I don't have any new advice for you, but I wanted to tell you that you are not alone. People think I'm crazy when I tell them how incredibly difficult it is for me to lose weight compared to other people. They automatically think I'm cheating on my diet or something like that. It is extremely frustrating to be on the same plan with other people and either not lose any weight or even worse gain weight while everyone else who is doing the same plan is losing significant amounts of weight. I am still trying to figure out why this happens, but I believe it has to do with PCOS. I hope you find a solution soon. Good luck!


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