PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Reading, listening to music, taking pictures, being with family and friends, the outdoors, and going out.
PETS: N/A
TOP WEIGHT: 240
CURRENT WEIGHT: 218
GOAL WEIGHT: 140
HEIGHT: 5'3
EYE COLOR: Brown
HAIR COLOR: Brown
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Minnesota
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I have a hard time with exercise and if I don't see results I tend to get frustrated.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I want to be healthy for myself and daughter. I see the problems my mom has with her diabetes and don't want to go down that road.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I was diagnosed with PCOS in 1996. I've been off and on birth control since then. I also have been diagnosed with depression/anxiety/traits of personality disorder. I'm on meds for those. Next monday I'm going for a sleep study. The doctor thinks I may have sleep apena. I'm hoping that by losing weight I'll be able to take care of these problems. Not fully, but even a little bit would help.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: reading, music, digital scrapbooking, friends and family
PETS: Dog (IzzyDora) and Cat (Cassie)
TOP WEIGHT: 275
CURRENT WEIGHT: 261
GOAL WEIGHT: 150
HEIGHT: 5'2"
EYE COLOR: light blue
HAIR COLOR: Blonde
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Central Texas
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Consistency. I'll go on kicks where I really watch my weight and do well and then I'll "fall off the wagon" of sorts and go back to not taking care of myself
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I'm really working on eating organically and eating whole wheats instead of the bleached flour and I'm taking medication which should help me as well.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I was diagnosed with PCOS at age 19 in 2001 after going to the OBGYN with an absent mensus. I was off and on with birth control and was really inconsistant. Speaking with my Aunt a few months ago she told me about PCOS and the connection with Insulin Resistance. I'm now on Yaz and Metformin since Sept 24th. I've lost 10 lbs so far! yay!!
MARITAL STATUS: Sort of seeing someone, nothing serious
SPOUSE’S NAME: blank?
CHILDREN/AGES: One angel baby
CURRENT WEIGHT: 172lbs
GOAL WEIGHT: 150
HEIGHT: 5'1"
EYE COLOR: Orange/hazel
HAIR COLOR: Dark brown
OCCUPATION: Unemployed student, just moved home after 2 yrs flatting.
More about me: Well I was diagnosed with PCOS September 07, after I'd say about....3 years living with it. I have hirsutism-stomach, chest, upper thighs, neck, anywhere and everywhere!!! I was 13 and went from 140 lbs to 160 within a 10 month span. And I'm now at my heaviest. I lost a precious baby in 2004, (yes I was young and it is a very long story)and have always blamed myself. I am on a contreceptive pill called Estelle35ED and it's sort of helping with the facial hair but not the chest or anything yet. It doesn't make a difference whether people "like me the way i am"-"like me no matter how much I weigh" etc, It's about how I feel. So finally I'm getting ontop of it.
I will discuss anything, as I am an open person and very able to communicate my thoughts clearly. Hopefully not everybody is put off talking to me because of my age.
USERNAME/REAL NAME: eeyoredja/Donna
AGE: soon to be 30
BIRTHDAY: March 5, 1979
MARITAL STATUS: Married on 11/19/1998
SPOUSE’S NAME: Corey
CHILDREN/AGES: trying after a misacrriage in March 08
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: reading, music, cooking, watching my DH run demolition derby
PETS: Dogs- Bone (english mastiff purebreed), Magellan (lab/pitbull mix), Cinnamon (golden retriever purebreed), and Jazzie (lab/daschund mix) and Peanut the psycho kitty. all our pets were rescues
TOP WEIGHT: 287
CURRENT WEIGHT: 275
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: getting bored, and eating some of the not so healthy things my daycar kids love like donuts!!
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: because I need to be healthy to get pregnant!!
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I just want to get pregnant again, and carry this one to term, I have PCOS, was diagnose a year and half ago, and am currently doing fertility treatments.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: reading, music, scrabble, crosswords, music
PETS: pork chop (choppy) - crazy gray and white short hair kitteh
odysseus (ody) - smart gray and white short hair kitteh
TOP WEIGHT: 176 in oct '08
CURRENT WEIGHT: ?
GOAL WEIGHT: 120-130
HEIGHT: 5'4"
EYE COLOR: black
HAIR COLOR: brown
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: nyc
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: i get frustrated when i don't see results. i have always been at least a little overweight. i used to run about 20 miles a week and eating low fat everything (b/f pcos diagnosis) and was only maintaining not losing weight, so i gave up. i've subsequently gained 35 pounds.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: i can't take it anymore. also, i have finally been diagnosed, and started on metformin 1500mg and spiro at the end of october. hopefully this will help.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? i've been on birth control since high school because of irregular periods. i have been steadily gaining weight my entire life, never losing. i'm back in the gym now, though hard to motivate more than 1-3 times a week (doing about 3-4 miles a pop and have finally introduced some free weights). have been doing this since about beginning november. so far i haven't really seen any real results, but i don't own a scale, so i'm only judging based on clothing fit. really want the met to work. tired of this endless cycle of self-loathing.
also, i think i have ibs-d. not sure how to reconcile the recommended diet for that and for pcos since they seem to be contradictory.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: singing, playing keyboard, reading diet/fitness magazines
PETS: a chihuahua named Fancy. She is 2 years old.
TOP WEIGHT: 203lbs
CURRENT WEIGHT: 190lbs (lost 13lbs in the last 2 weeks, WATER WEIGHT!)
GOAL WEIGHT: 125-130lbs
HEIGHT: 5'5
EYE COLOR: green
HAIR COLOR: brown
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Southeast Texas
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I am literally addicted to the food, like most of us. I find cravings overwhelming to the point of insanity. If I tell myself I shouldn't have something, I want it that much more. I also get very frustrated when I don't see instant results. I am a carb junkie and I know that it's my enemy (PCOS and possibly Celiac disease)
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I have hit rock bottom and can't believe I let myself gain this much weight and become so unhealthy. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. When me and my hubby decide to try and have kids I want it to come naturally without pills and treatments. Hopefully losing the weight I can achieve that.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2005. Fortunately, the only symptoms I exhibit are fertility issues (went a year w/out my birth control pills and never got pregnant), and a flabby middle section. I have felt a couple skin tags in the neck area but they are so tiny you can't even see them. I really believe that weight has alot to do with PCOS. My doctor has told me every year that I need to start dieting to try and correct this problem. I am determined!
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: reading, crochet, trying to be creative
PETS: cat- amalthea, dog- ayla
TOP WEIGHT: 224
CURRENT WEIGHT: 214
GOAL WEIGHT: 160
HEIGHT: 5'6"
EYE COLOR: hazel
HAIR COLOR: brown
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: CA
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I like food. I have two mentalities- diet and no diet. When Im on a diet I feel deprived, so when Im off a diet I eat whatever I want. I don't have a happy middle.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: education and frustration! I'm done being fat. Now I know that the key to success is low carb; and it's not a diet, it's a life style change.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I haven't had a period on my own since the first one when I was 14. I went without a period for several years until I went on birth control. I was diagnosed probably in 2001. I took clomid to get pregnant and it worked on the 3rd cycle. currently I am on actos and 1000mg of metformin.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Work in Utah and live in Nevada.
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
HOMEPAGE URL:
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I have PCOS which doesn't help. But I also tend to eat when I get bored because when I'm in Utah I don't have any friends (sad, I know) and have nothing in common with the people there (think Better Midler vs. Amy Grant) so I tend to be bored a lot.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: New diet...new mentality.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I love to talk about myself but will spare you for now.
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Ladies, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, I just want to say thank you for sharing your stories. After the past few years of PURE **** and not knowing where to go about my weight loss and life with PCOS, I am nothing but grateful to have stumbled upon this site last night. I was officially diagnosed in May of 2008, but it was just the start of my turmoil, later adding Interstitial Cystitis to the mix.
DATE: February 26, 2009
USERNAME/REAL NAME: blissclaire / Bliss Claire
AGE: 21
BIRTHDAY: July 14, 1987
MARITAL STATUS: Engaged, September 19, 2009!!
SPOUSE’S NAME: Jason
CHILDREN/AGES: No human babies. Just Canine babies. Piper (Boston Terrier mix) and Buddy Muttzen (Mutt).
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Depends on the day and my mood. Ranges from sewing and craft-like activities, to cooking and meal planning, to being a nerd and playing video games. I like movies too.
PETS: See Above Post... "Children"... Since my FH decided that I had to choose between the doggies or real babies.... We'll see who wins that battle when we're ready!
TOP WEIGHT: 216
CURRENT WEIGHT: 216
GOAL WEIGHT: 160 ish (may re-evaluate later)
HEIGHT: 5'4
EYE COLOR: Blue
HAIR COLOR: Brown
OCCUPATION: Full-time Student (or slave for Northwestern's Comm Lab, whichever you prefer... i get to help people prepare and perfect their speechgiving skills!)
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Natchitoches, Louisiana (Nack-a-tish)<-- it's an old indian word for red dirt or something. it's one of louisiana's oldest settlements in central la. i'm originally from the bayous of south louisiana though!
E-MAIL ADDRESS: which one?!?! apparently, i havent done enough posts to display it...
HOMEPAGE URL: myspace.com/blissclaire
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Ultimately, I think that my biggest problem is that when I go grocery shopping, I slip up, don't stick to my list and occasionally nab junky stuff. And it adds up and adds up. So, as of this weekend, all the junk is being removed and will be cleansed from my home!! OMG... Resolution for Lent.... No JUNK!
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I am extremely motivated now due to my upcoming wedding. Being overweight and trying on wedding dresses isn't too fun. (or at least i didnt think so) Not to mention, I do want to be able to concieve one of these days, so I want to get healthy just in case that day comes sooner rather than later.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I have always been the "chunky" kid. Even looking back to elementary school, middle school, I was about a size 12 in eighth grade. I broke my ankle the summer before freshman year of high school, and all the physical therapy and being on crutches caused me to slim down to a size 8. Halfway into my freshman year, my mother passed away, and it was extremely hard on me. It still is hard some days. I had to move in with my dad, (my parents had been divorced for over 10 years) and I did not have the emotional stability that I had with my mom around. I turned to food, and got up to a size 14.
I vowed that when I started college, that I would lose it all, but it never happened. I slowly turned into the lazy college kid that occasionally ate healthy, but that didnt do much excercise other than running up and down the stairs in the main hall on campus.
So, needless to say, I am overjoyed that I am here, and that I have all of you wonderful ladies to share with!
And yet I am bummed, because I just had surgery on Tuesday to search for endometriosis (none found!!) and I can't start at the gym til my doc clears me next week...
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: I get impatient, therefore, when the weight doesnt come off fast enough, I lose motivation, and skip a day of exercise, etc.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I want this SO bad. I cant even put into words the drive I have to achieve this, and how proud of myself of I am for doing what Ive already done!
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? Ive had irregular periods since I started having AF at 11. Every Dr said I would grow out of it. Ive also had IR (hypoglycemia) since I was a teen. When it came time to have babies, I noticed a problem with ovulation. I was diagnosed with PCOS in 2003. Ive read up, did research, and thanks to a cycle of Clomid (drug that helps a woman ovulate) in 2003, a little oops, and another cycle of Clomid in 2007, I am a mother to 3 amazing kids! I got my tubes tied in July of 2008 because our family is complete. After my tubal, I started spotting irregularly, and was still missing AF. My dr told me to try diet & exercise, but I thought that was his way of saying he didnt have an answer. I started my plan, not because of what he said, but because I wanted to look better lol. He was right, because since losing 30lbs. the spotting is gone, AF is regular, and I notice a BIG change in my hypoglycemia/IR! I am not on b/c or Met. because it isnt a big issue now that Im done having children. Id like to be a help to any woman out there who is TTC or is struggling with PCOS!
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: art (painting & drawing), crafts, reading, TV
PETS: 1 dog
TOP WEIGHT: 290
CURRENT WEIGHT: 258
GOAL WEIGHT: 165
HEIGHT: 5'8"
EYE COLOR: hazel
HAIR COLOR: Dark brown
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: East TN, USA
OCCUPATION: Art teacher
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Giving into cravings, "special occasions", excuses. I've always been heavy, so kind of scared to be skinny.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I'm on metformin, which has been helping decrease appetite and cravings (also on Femcon b.c. pill). Now have motivation to start TTC A.S.A.P., so it's not about just me anymore.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I had normal, clockwork periods and started various b.c. at age 16. Was on Depo for 2 yrs, pill for 1 year, back on Depo 2 yrs, etc. (Also tried the ring, the patch, everything else.) Don't know if they caused or just masked problem, but once I quit b.c. at age 26, I was all messed up. Started getting hair on face and couldn't lose weight. My sister was diagnosed with PCOS about that time, though she had had symptoms since puberty. I got myself checked out because we wanted to have kids soon, and was diagnosed in February. I'm relieved and hopeful now, and sister and I are doing WW together.
Last edited by Genki; 03-14-2009 at 09:47 PM.
Reason: Add Occupation
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: crafts, horseback riding, gardening and learning to play the harp.
PETS: 3 indoor cats and 4 horses.
TOP WEIGHT: 245 (all-time top)
CURRENT WEIGHT: 227
GOAL WEIGHT: 180
HEIGHT: 5' 9 1/2"
EYE COLOR: Brown
HAIR COLOR: Auburn
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Southeastern MN.
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Since age 14 I have struggled with weight. Recently found I have PCOS and am insulin resistant.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I am using the tools that I read about in a book called the Insulin Resistance Diet. I have already lost 6-8 pounds in the last 3 weeks.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I hope to lose weight so that I can have children some day.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: the dharma, beer, wine, cheese, farmer's markets, cometbus, hiking, cemeteries, meditation, trees, ocean, open spaces, books, film, travel.
PETS: Penny and Pepper (guinea pigs)
TOP WEIGHT: 190
CURRENT WEIGHT: 185
GOAL WEIGHT: 160
HEIGHT: 5'8
EYE COLOR: Brown
HAIR COLOR: Black
OCCUPATION: Human Resources for a mental health non-profit and full time student.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Sonoma County, CA
E-MAIL ADDRESS:
HOMEPAGE URL:
WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IN WEIGHT LOSS: Lack of time and being tired all of the time! I work from 7am-5pm, drive to school and am on campus until midnight most days. My weekends are usually spent on campus at the library or getting some quality time with my husband. My schedule leaves little room of cooking, eating healthy, exercising, or sleeping. I usually eat reasonably healthy breakfast and lunches, but my dinners consist of stuff I can get on campus or fast food (which I hate), and I don't usually have time to get to the gym until after 11pm or midnight which makes it very easy to put it off.
WHAT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME THAT WILL MAKE YOU SUCCESSFUL: I don't know! I have lost weight in the past and hate that I've gained it back! I'm tired all of the time and hate that I consume fast food (which I never used to). I've resolved to change my crappy eating and lack of exercise because I absolutely hate the way I feel about myself since I've gained back the weight.
ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?
I can't think of anything, but if you want to know something you can always ask!