I'm wondering what my fellow pcos'ers have found to be successful in losing weight! Please let me know how much you lost, when you started, and what diet/exercises you did to make it happen!

Thanks in advance!

I've tried many things (excessive exercising, low carb, low cal, diet pills, metformin etc) over the years, and what finally worked for me was a combination of calorie counting (1300-1600 most days), fairly low-intensity cardio and resistance training (so I actually stick with it), and cooking 95% of my food from scratch/cutting out processed and premade foods.
Good luck! It can be done!

I have too! My plan/experience is similar to Mariarose's but I do try to avoid both processed and whole grains.
My carb intake is usually around 80-110g/day, so I wouldn't call it low carb.... but sort of a lower carb way of eating.

Good Luck! BTW, I credit 3fc with my a good part of my weight loss and hopefully weight maintenance. Posting and reading regularly is key for me

Edit, oh timing.. started (this time) 3/08, goal 8/end/08.

I completely cut out starches, cardio every single day and lots of vegetables and fruit and fluctuated between 1100-1500 calories a day (this is my best guestimate. I HATE having to count calories). I am now symptom-free. I started in March of '04 at around 210 (maybe higher, who knows?) and was 130 by Halloween of that same year. I lost about 10 pounds/month (avg), but it feels like it went faster.

It can be done!

I started about 5 years ago.

I cut out all the refined carbs and started weight training. I lost 70 lbs within 3 months. I then maintained for 18 months, doing sporadic exercise and quasi watching what I ate. I then lost 30 lbs within 3 months exercising daily (weights and cardio) and cutting out refined carbs. Then I maintained for about 6 months. Then I started cutting down my portions and again cutting out refined carbs and lost 40 lbs. Then I went vegan and lost 20 lbs. Uhh then I started bouncing around.

What I've found is that cutting refined carbs (bread especially) is very helpful. In the end though I know I need to watch calories and its just tough for me to do. I've been bouncing around the same 10-15 lbs for a year and its just because I need to be stricter in my calories. Nut butters are the death of me. I also exercise regularly.

A lot of it is mental too which is why I struggle some. Breaking 200 has eluded me somewhat because it also scares me.

It can be done.

were all of you takign metformin too? jsut curious.....

No met for me. Just birth control (first desogen, now nuvaring).

Just birth control for me as well.

I started Jan 8th 2008 and I've lost 82lbs!!!

I did it by eating healthy foods like lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grains. no sugar, no soda, lots of fruits and veggies. lots of water. I exercise 4-6 days a week for at least an hour and lift weights at least 2 times a week. I have a high calorie day once a week. I usually eat 1600-1700 calories a day and on cheat day I can go up to 2800. It has been working so far but lately I've had to cut back on cheat days so I can get out of my plateau. I've never felt better! I have tons of energy. I look forward to life now. I am so happy and healthy.

I've been doing south beach, only allow one whole wheat grain(cereal, if I have it), plenty of veggies, water, lean meats, and lf dairy, yet I can't seem to get past 181, if I do it's only down to 178 and goes back up!

Frustrated and ready to call it quits!

tigerchic, I took metformin in the past, but not this time around. Just birth control.

Loriann, do you know how many calories you are eating on a daily basis?

I'm on 1500mg/day Metformin, and I've lost about 20 lbs. since I went on it in July. I'm also running 15-20 miles a week (training for an event), and trying to eat low-carb/whole-grain and low-sugar. Can't tell if the weight loss is just from my diet and exercise increase or if the Met is really helping...probably a combination. Good luck!

No met for me, yes-- Yaz oral contraceptive.

Loriann,

I was in the same situation as you.. and I was on metformin as well. I got to the point where I was hovering in the 180-187 lb range and despite exercise and smaller portions I was maybe getting to 178 lbs and rarely much lower. I even hired a personal trainer for a year 2x week and was running for 30 min 3x a week and STILL only ever got to 172lbs. I wasn't eating poorly either.

I was out of my mind frustrated and talked to my doctors about this. One of my doctors said, "You know.. there's a small segment of the population that can do everything right and still struggle with losing weight." I was mortified at the prospect that I might be one of these people. I'm not an emotional eater, I like to exercise, I work too much and I sleep too little. I started a pretty radical low calorie diet through Dr. Bernstein clinic and so far this is the only thing that has worked for me consistently. It's ridiculously expensive and stupidly low-cal, but supervised and I'm getting results and I will go on their maintenance program. I'm done with the weight - completely fed up.

The diet I'm on is basically this: no dairy (this was very hard for me), lean meats only (chicken breast, turkey breast, tuna, lean veal, white fish), no ground meats unless you grind them yourself from the above, a lot more vegetables (16 oz per day), limited starches (no potatoes, rice, carrots, beets, yellow beans, avocado), no oils (Pam only), no powdered sweetners (liquid or tablet form only). Very limited grains, 1 slice of Dempster's whole wheat bread or Dempster's bodywise bread per day, or 6 Triscuit thin crisps and 10 cheese nips (if you're craving cheese) per day.

The first 2 days were brutal - I had crazy headaches and was very fatigued as my body reacted to not having many of the carbs/starches I was used to.

Things I have learned and am learning that affected my weight:
1. I wasn't eating enough vegetables.
2. I was eating too much rice and other starches (I'd have 2/3 cup serving (cooked) per meal before)
3. I was consuming dairy and my body reacts like mad to that. I'd have 2 glasses of 1% milk per day (tops), used butter/margarine in seemingly small amounts, never thought a few slices of cheddar or creamier cheeses were a big deal (wake up call there)
3. I was eating the right amount of protein already
4. I didn't know salmon was actually something we should only eat once a week! The fats are good, but it's more fat than we need.
5. I wasn't drinking enough water. I was drinking coffee, juice, milk rather than water. All those things are gone from my diet now (decaf coffee occasionally however)
6. I wasn't sleeping enough. I didn't know this mattered to my metabolism, but it does
7. I drank beer. Any amount of this is no good for someone with PCOS. Any alcohol isn't great, but beer is especially bad. When I'm off this diet, I'm learning to drink vodka ..lol


I'm still on metformin and a month and a half into the Bernstein diet. I've dropped.. hm.. well over 20 lbs and I continue to row 2x/week. I should do more...and am working my jogging back into my schedule. Normally I'd be jogging as well but things have been crazy at work. No excuse, but there it is.

I don't recommend doing this diet the way I described on your own. It's really low calorie and if you're taking metformin they really need to monitor you to ensure your blood sugar doesn't go too low. Mine never has, but it's a concern.