I've been having trouble losing weight for years, no matter how much I exercise and eat healthily. I have PCOS so I know it's going to be difficult, but I'm really fed up and don't know what on earth I need to do to actually lose some weight. I recently started the 5:2 fasting thing, which seemed to work for the first week and since then it's completely stopped.

So my question is, has anyone out there ever talked to a dietician to get a specific plan tailored to their needs, and if so, did it work? I'm kind of nervous about seeing one since I live in Sweden and my Swedish is not fabulous and I'm trying to guage if it's worth it!

As a fellow PCOS-er I have seen a dietician in the UK but I have to say that unless you get one who is really into PCOS or any other specific condition you may have, you'll very much get general advice that you could kinda get yourself from the internet. They talked through my food habits, where did I think the problem was etc., was I snacking too much, drinking too much soda etc. and then gave me a 'plan' which was essentially calorie controlled and nothing I hadn't considered/tried before.

My only success (I actually gained weight eating to the dietician's plan!) has come from following the insulin resistance diet, which is more a way of eating than a list of foods you can/can't eat. Just like many doctors don't really know that much about PCOS, you'll find even fewer dieticians who do. Do lots of research before investing anything in seeing a professional, and maybe take a look at the IR diet book which you can pick up online for less than a dietican's appointment....if you haven't already read it of course.

I have PCOS and I haven't found weight loss to be more difficult than it is for most other people. And I've been losing pretty quickly too- almost 50 pounds this summer.

Yes, I've seen a dietitian, but I'm the kind of person who reads a lot on my own so she didn't have anything to tell me that I didn't already know. However, I'm sure there are useful and intelligent dietitians out there, and I suggest you go ahead and talk to one.

Hi guys, thanks for your input. I have read a lot about PCOS too so I do know roughly what I should be doing but it doesn't seem to be working. Knoxie, it's interesting that the dietician you saw couldn't give you specific information, I thought they would know about conditions like this and be able to give good advice. It has been feeling like I've tried everything and nothing works, so I wanted to sit down with someone who knows what they are talking about and really go through everything to see where I'm going wrong.

Kelly, I'm so jealous that you are finding it easy to lose! What are you doing to lose?

I almost made an appointment with the doctor the other day but I've been sticking at the 5:2 plan and my weight finally seems to be moving again so I will probably keep going and see if I continue to lose. Hopefully I won't need to make that appointment after all, I really can't afford it!

I saw one and she was great-not only did she educate me but she had me keep a food journal and send it to her weekly, she would analyze it and give me feedback. She helped me come up with meal plans and healthy alternatives. Most importantly, she acted as my own personal cheerleader-supporting and encouraging me and checking p on me. In 2 months I have lost 25 lbs. I have hypothyroidism and so losing weight has never been easy. But with her help, I have made great progress.

I think it could help you make a plan because we kind of all know what it takes to lose weight but when we do it, for most people it stops after a few weeks because your needs change or you're not getting enough energy to be a fat burner.

I struggled mentally with controlling my food, and my body struggled to lose weight because of hormone imbalances but I found that a training plan helped reverse some of the damage more than diet because even though I was eating really well and switching it up my body was just not shifting it, it was getting stuck but when I kept changing up my fitness plan that helped reverse my medical issues stopping me from losing weight more than healthy diet with normal exercise, I mean starting slow and building up, seeing a trainer and almost ignoring my troubles with losing weight and health issues and just pushing through, which meant that my weight loss was slower and more difficult but the specially planned out exercises were outweighing the fact that my body stored weight really efficiently.

Mer du Japon, wow! 25lb in 2 months is amazing! Sounds like you've been extremely lucky and found a dietician who really knew how to help you. If my weight loss stops, I will definitely consider trying to find one and keep my fingers crossed that I find one as good as yours

Swissy, unfortunately I can't get any kind of training programme - I have a very active job which means I probably burn 1000 - 1500 extra calories per day and, quite frankly, it's exhausting. There's just no way I could do any extra exercise (nor do I think I should need to with the amount I do at work!) and I can't change what I'm doing now.

Well I'm down another couple of pounds so have shifted 13lb so far in the last 6 weeks. It's slightly slower than I would have hoped (although I know it's the healthier rate to do it) but the fact that I have lost this much in just 6 weeks and that I could be 11.5 stone by Christmas is enough to keep me going. I haven't been that weight since I was about 21 (almost 10 years ago now!) and it now feels like it could be realistic. After the last couple of years of trying different diet and exercise programmes and losing a couple of pounds in the first week and then NOTHING ever again, this is a breath of fresh air and something I really needed.