I have been trying hard to lose weight for 4 months and I really haven't had much success. I know I have PCOS (I have every symptom you can think of related to PCOS), but have not seen a doctor yet to confirm it due to the fact that I do not have insurance at this time.

I gained the weight quickly over a period of a year - about 60lbs worth. So I feel really ashamed my weight has gotten to this point! I don't know what else I should do to make my weight loss more effective. That is why I came to this forum to ask if any of you have tried something which has been successful regarding helping you to lose the weight. Any advice or tips would be helpful! Thank you!

Hi Kireos, I have PCOS too and have been on a diet since june/july. I lost some pounds on a low calorie diet with exercise but it was very slow and as soon as i started eating again I would gain back very quickly. I went to an endo. doc and he suggested going on a low carb diet like atkins or south beach. I tried atkins but the shakes were awful!! so I decided to search for some low carb recipies online. I lost about 20 lbs on low calorie diet and 25lbs on low-carb. I'm loosing weight faster on low-carb just like my doc said. Also he perscribed me with a medicine often used with PCOS patients called metformin it also helps some women to loose weight but since you dont have insurance maybe you should try researching herbs? i heard they work pretty good too... just a thought! Hopefully my info helped a little bit, good luck and let me know if you want more info

Thank you so much for your advice dys24! I will have to research some of the low carb diets out there and see if anything helps. Thank you again! =)

I would definitely suggest exercise. Believe me, at 317, I was not thrilled at the thought of exercising. But, starting a program like the 30 Day Shred (lots of helpful forums on here) will help your results out a lot. And, you will change your physique while strengthening your body!

Unfortunately us women with PCOS have to work twice as hard to lose half as much as the normal person. Our enemy's are white flour, refined sugar, and white rice. Pretty much any food made primarily of a carb that has been processed in such a way as to strip out ingredients that hinder quick and easy cooking.

I started the fat smash a few weeks ago and have lost 8 lbs (due to this holiday I've just been trying to not gain- not really working on losing.). It basically teaches you to cut out the bad stuff and eat more of the good stuff, fruits and veggies, brown rice, beans, whole wheat/whole grains, etc.

Because you have PCOS you'll have to eat this way the rest of your life, no "diet" will work for life.

I've had it for years and ballooned from 170 to 221- so I feel your pain! This is the only thing that has worked for me- I can't do Atkins because I have kidney problems- I tried and trust me I regretted it- I became so violently ill I almost landed myself in the hospital because I was vommiting my brains out!

Check out the fat smash- the first few days are tough- but if you can make those you can definitely do this- I think it's a great diet for people who have PCOS.

There are also some great PCOS diet books- search for them on amazon "The PCOS Diet" is the one I have and it's diet is basically what the fat smash is telling me to do- but the fat smash goes through phases and is more specific.

Good luck!

Hi-
I also have PCOS and a difficult time losing weight. It seems as though I just look at a slice of cake and gain 10 pounds. I feel your pain. I also suffer from mild depression, and one of the proscribed medications worked well for me, but I gained almost 50 pounds in a year due to the serotonin stimlation.

I've been following a sort of low-carb plan, but its more like medium low carb (high-fiber non-processed carbs in small to moderate amounts) high veggies/medium protein. I can have one fruit serving a day, and it's the thing that I have the most trouble sticking with-I just want the WHOLE grapefruit.

You might try cinnamon as an additive. There's some medical research that it works to control blood sugar to some degree, and you don't need a prescription for that. My MD also suggested that I supplement with something like Fiber one three times a day. I will warn you that it takes a bit of time to *adjust* to the extra fiber, but it does help to make you more full, and I find that when I drink coffee or tea in-between meals it does seem to make me feel more full for a longer period of time.

One of my friends also swears by eating hot peppers or adding hot sauce into things. Something about the capsaicin, I think. I think that it's more that with your mouth on fine, you have the urge to eat less. ;-)

My system doesn't seem to tolerate a lot of hot food, but if your's does, you might find trying that to be helpful.

Juliet