What have you found that works for you and is easiest to do? I've been doing low carb but I'm thinking about calorie counting and still keeping it somewhat low carb by voiding all the "white" foods such as bread, pasta, sugars, etc. I have to be gluten free anyway so that isn't hard.

I see that not all PCOS'ers do low carb. I'm getting my exercise in and I know that helps with IR also. My daughter is in track so when that is over we are going to go to the school track so she can keep in shape and I can GET into shape LOL!

I calories count and TRY to keep net carbs under 100g. I usually end up about 120 and 1500 calories.

That sounds like a great plan! thanks! you have lost a lot of weight!

that's what I do too. Net carbs every day as close to 100 as I can (about 90-110 is normal for me) and between 1400-1700 calories a day AND exercise for an hour every day. I don't have pcos, but it's keeping the cravings away mostly. I don't eat any breads, rice, pasta or anything with simple sugars. I'll eat a bit of potato as I learned long ago it doesn't spike my sugars. Oh, and I'll eat Quinoa too as it doesn't spike almost anybody's sugar levels.

I do both! Calorie counting is important, imo, because you need to know how much fuel you're putting into your body.

But because of the PCOS/IR it's important to have control over the carbs for both physical and psychological ("I'm starving!!!!") reasons.

I use a lower-carb exchange plan. I have to control calories, or I stall. I do have compulsive eating tendencies, so I can eat too much even on Atkins induction level. However, I also have to control carbs, because if I eat too high-carb, I get so bleepin' hungry that I either go off plan and overeat, or I white-knuckle it and become a horrible, horrible person. When I'm hungry, I get very irritable if I don't eat.

Sometimes I think that's where the idea of "sabotage" from loved ones can get misinterpreted. During TOM, I would get such severe cravings, that hubby (without asking) would bring home chocolate and burgers. He'd tease that it was for his own protection, but he'd also say that he worried and felt bad about me feeling so bad. Chocolate and burgers did seem to help me feel much better (at least temporarily) so beyond self-interest, he also was trying to protect me from what seemed like harm.


It's why I don't like the word "sabotage." It makes it sound like the person's motivation is evil and intentionally injurious, when real motives are usually more complicated. There may be self-interest involved, but there also may be legitimate (at least partially legitimate) caring behind the behavior too.

Thanks everyone for your replies! I think I'm going to stick with low carb but make sure I stay under a certain calorie amount. I'm very carb sensitive so I have to be careful there. I have to even watch the amount of salad I eat :/ I think the lower calories might help with weight loss more. We shall see

Same I count cals and do low carb. Mainly I dont worry bout the amount of carbs per say
I usually only allow myself to have bread type carbs once a day normally in the AM it is ALWAYS an unrefined carb. like whole wheat bread etc. other than that I get my carbs from veggies and fruit. I dont count the carbs I just dont eat a lot of them.

I tried Atkins and wasn't loosing much weight after the first week this time. I started on Ideal Protein 2 weeks ago, and though it's hard, I'm doing really well on it!! It's low carb, low fat, and low calorie which works for me because I prefer leaner meats and not adding fat to my food. The biggest thing I love about Ideal Protein is that it gives your pancreas a rest during the time you're on a plan and there is are GREAT phases for reintroducing normal foods again so that your pancreas will have a normal insulin reaction with foods again, so it really helps with insulin resistance.
I wish you the best of luck, I was dx'd with PCOS 9 years ago and it's been really hard to get the weight off!

It's good to hear that some individuals with PCOS are having success with calorie counting.
After cutting out sugar this month (as a bet), I didn't lose the weight I thought I would. I decided to analyse my food diary and figured out I was eating too many calories - even if they were still healthy foods!
I've never really been one to count calories, but desperate times call for desperate measures!

Is there a book I can read on this diet?

I joined this site but already finding great info. I was dignosed with PCOS fe months ... I had all the classic signs but just never knew or even hear about PCOS.

I started calorie counting in Feb ... and recently this month started controlling my carbs and upping proteins. My aim is to be under 100g daily (self set) but so far 2wks in not made it ... looking for motivation and support since i am a carb addict.

I have done both calorie counting and low carb separately, but I've become so carb sensitive that I need to both. Only then was I starting to find success.

I'm tall, so I keep calories around 1600. If I go too low, my metabolism shuts down. As for the carbs, I try to keep it under 120 g/day. And I also avoid all processed carbs. I eat a lot of veggies, only one serving of fruit (like a real piece of not-too-sweet fruit, not juice), and if I want grains, they have to be whole grains. I let myself have a single slice of Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread. I don't eat any legumes. I found I was really sensitive to those as well.

I make sure I get plenty of fiber and healthy fats. Avocado, nuts and seeds, and I eat a lot of greens (collard, dandelion, chinese broccoli, kale). I also take nutritional supplements to support pancreatic health (helps manage blood sugar and insulin), and liver health (because that's what processes the fats we use for fuel). I also do things to manage stress, like get a monthly massage, exercise everyday, adequate sleep, and heavy doses of laughter. I also had to find what I was allergic to, mostly soy, and weed that out of my diet.

All this took quite some time for me to figure out on my own. I'm not losing weight quickly, but it's finally coming off.