I have mild PCOS, am 50 years old, and am probably close to menopause (had a hysterectomy 13 years ago, so it's hard to be sure). I have tried many ways to lose weight, supervised by my naturopath. I've counted calories on My Fitness Pal, I've been on the Dysglycemic Diet, I have done food combining, and all work for a short time, then they stop working and the weight comes back. I'm not in terrible shape - I only need to lose about 20 pounds. I work out three times a week, and on top of that walk my dog. Thoughts? Ideas? I'd really like to move this weight once and for all.

To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you eat. Do you have an activity tracker. I know that I'm very sedentary (I'm older than you) unless I make a real effort to move. Even then I usually burn between 1700 and 1900 calories a day per my Fitbit (it is probably a little lower than that). So I have to eat less calories than that to be able to lose weight.

When you were counting calories how many calories were you eating? Basically you have to match that up with your calories burned to make sure you have a deficit.

The simplest way to put it is this: either your program sucks or your follow through sucks. If you are truly sticking to your calorie limits then it's time to change it up.

What kind of program does your naturopath give you?

PCOS can definitely complicate things, and understanding the exacerbating factors of the endocrine disruption is really, really helpful. The best kind of diet to manage PCOS is low carb.

Woo is acerbic and brilliant, all at the same time. She just wrote an *excellent* guide on the subject that would benefit you greatly to read:
http://itsthewooo.blogspot.com/2014/...e-that-is.html

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I agree. Low carb, no sugar and higher lean protein will help. Have you looked into Paleo. I find that kind of eating programme helps me shed fat and build lean muscle mass well. It also provides more energy longer term so cuts out the need for snacking. Added benefit no hardcore workout regime! I quite like the blog Marks Daily Apple if you want to check out paleo a bit more. Good luck!

I was diagnosed with PCOS last month. Here's the deal. No matter how many calories you burn (eating 1200 a day and burning 1600) you will see very little weight loss. Bouncing 20 pounds in either direction is quite normal for PCOS patients that are not on the Insulin Resistant Diet. You have to eat more protein than carbs and the diet is very strict and, if you do Ideal Protein or ProtiDiet, the food can be hard to adjust to but it is needed to lose weight with PCOS. Since starting the Insulin Resistant Diet and exercising 3 days a week, I've lost 25 pounds. I'm full (maybe not happy with the taste) and I don't have cravings for anything not good for me (except the occassional Pepsi). Now, the reason your body is different from someone without PCOS is your body sees carbs and produces TOO much insulin to break it down. When you have too much insulin in your body, it stores as fat. So, you see, no matter how many calories you burn, if you're not eating more protein than carbs, you'll never lose more than 20 pounds.