Welcome to the new PCOS forum! I was diagnosed with PCOS this year, and it has taken me a long time to realize just what it is and how I can control the symptoms, especially my weight. I have searched the entire net for quite some time and have listed all of the best links, most of which are maintained or used by doctors, on a new PCOS feature to be launched on August 17th. The link is http://www.3fatchicks.com/links/pcos.html and I hope it will help many of you learn about this mysterious condition!

I started out doing well on WW, but after time the weight loss stopped. It was this Spring when I was diagnosed with PCOS, and my doctor suggested a low-carb plan. I was stubborn and I loved my WW plan and couldn't face the fact that I could no longer fill my day with pasta and potatoes and rolls. I refused low carb for months and lost nothing. I have finally 'given in' this month and I have lost 4 pounds since the first of August. It is very difficult to give up some of my old favorite foods but to finally see the scale move is worth it. I have been struggling for years!
I am not on a specific plan just yet, but so far I am not eating white starches and my other carbs are low glycemic. I'll will choose a plan soon and see how it works long term. I am not happy to have PCOS, but I AM happy to know now why I haven't been able to lose weight for so long.

I am very interested in hearing what diet plans work for other PCOS'ers.

I plan to be in this forum quite a bit. I still have lots to learn about this and I look forward to getting to know you all better!

Hey Jennifer'

I know exactly how you feel. I have struggled for the past 6 yrs with this PCOS. Like you I have researched this topic & know more about it than many doctors. Most doctors really do not know about it unless they are an endocrinologist. And there are not alot of those kind of doctors. I recently have started taking avandia which is thought to be the "new" cure for this disease. I can tell you that the best thing for me is exercise. When i exercise I feel so much better & am able to control by carb cravings. Don't be discouraged. There is hope. Keep up the good work!

I am SO glad you figured out the "problem". If you read my other post, I've been having a "hissy fit" about the slowed/stopped weight loss.

I'm very interested in what you are doing in relation to the "not eating white starches and my other carbs are low glycemic".

Do you not see it as something that you could incorporate into the WW plan? That is exactly what I was looking into doing myself.

Explain more if you could.

Thanks again!!

Yvonne

Hi Yvonne, what I have stopped is high glycemic food. That means no sugar, no white potatoes, no regular pasta, no white rice, no white bread, although sourdough is low glycemic I haven't eaten any yet, and a few other starchy foods. Some starchy foods can be eaten, such as dried beans and oats. The glycemic index is a value that shows how fast the food makes a difference in blood sugar levels. Different diets use the Glycemix Index but the one I am reading right now is The Glucose Revolution.

This CAN be incorporated into WW probably...when I tried to incorporate low carb and WW, it was regular low carb, and it seems like so many of the low point foods were things such as carrots, potatoes, pasta...it didn't leave me much except egg beaters, chicken and spinach! The more I learn about different ways to eat low carb, the better it sounds. You should try the Low Carb forum, there is a WW section called Lite Carbing with WW. I hope it helps you!

Jennifer,

I am assuming that you found that combining WW and low-carb was too hard??

I am terrified of giving up WW. I LOVE to eat fruit (not that I eat tons). I rarely eat bread (maybe 2 slices a week), rice maybe 1/2 cup a week, pasta (the same). It's strange. I do like candy, but i never ever even eat a whole candy bar in a week.

I'm afraid of failure, I'm afraid of it being so stringent that I can't live with it.

I tried Carb Addicts and HATED it. I felt gross all the time, from the only choices being greasy meat. I don't eat tons of it anyways.

I'm going to check out the low-carb boards. I looked at WW and Low-carbing, but the few I read seemed to be more concerned with "the right mix". They were still eating pretty much regular carbs.

I definately could switch to whole grain rice/pasta/bread etc. That wouldn't be a problem.

Do Yukon Gold potatoes count as white? LOL They ARE yellow. hehehe That would be the one thing we eat as a constant, because my fiance is a meat/potatoes man.

Thanks for all you help and support. I finally feel like people can HEAR me.

Yvonne

It sounds like y'all are pretty much following the Sugar Busters way of eating -- it's pretty low glycemic, no sugar, white flour. They encourage Stone Ground Whole Wheat products, Brown Rice AND you get to eat your fruits and veggies! Some of the girls combine SB eating with their points. Even if you aren't interested in trying this WOE, there are tons of valuable information links on that thread.

There's a site on glycemic indexes that I've found to be wonderful as far as rates AND information on the g.i. itself. www.mendoza.com .

My endocrinologist put me on Sugar Busters as soon as she saw me due to PCOS and raised insulin levels.

This is going to be a good group for support. THANKS JENNIFER!!!

Hi. I hate to be nosy but a bit curious. Could someone elaborate on what PCOS is? Thanks.

Dana
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256/209/156

Hi Lakelog,

Check out Jennifer's 1st post on this thread. The link she provided has TONS of information on PCOS. It's also more thorough and better explained than I could do.

I am fairly new the 3FC and was so happy when I saw this forum. I was diagnosed with pcos in the late 80's. It is unbelivable how many people don't know what it is when it seems like so many of us are out there. I was chubby as a child but nothing like I am now. I'm sorry you all have this thing called pcos but it makes me feel better to know I'm not alone in the battle with pcos and weight.

Would love to chat here or off list with any of you. Please feel free to email me. Thanks Jennifer for the web address, I will go there and check it out.

All my best,
Jody
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Hi Jody, I noticed you said you were chubby as a child. I was as well and I have talked to quite a few others that say the same thing. How many others of us were chubby little girls? Does anybody think there is a relation?

From the time I was about in first grade I was chubby and grew into just plain fat by 7th grade. It's very ironic now that I think of it--I've lost some weight since the first of the year and I think I'm about the weight I was in high school. For some reason I feel a lot 'thinner' now than I felt then. Maybe because that was 25 years ago I always assumed I was heavy because I ate all the great desserts my mom made (along with everything else) and would rather read and sew that get up and move (I lived on a farm and my brothers were grown and gone by the time I was in 2nd grade). Maybe it was the PCOS way back then!

Karen

Hi Jennifer,

I was actually a tiny little thing until the summer after 3rd grade. Then I shall we say blossomed. I developed much earlier than any of my classmates, darn sneaky weight. By that torture of school weigh ins in 5th grade I weighed 135 and had gained another 10 pounds by the weigh in the next year. I was also in my 170's by 7th grade. I continued in this manner until I was 16 at which time my doctor stepped in and put me on a 1000 calorie diet. Which we now know is starvation. I managed to diet down to 126 by my 19th birthday. That's when I met my wonderful husband. This was also about the time the evil McDonald's started having 35 cent cheeseburgers, or on special occasions they would have them 5 for $1. As we both love to eat...bags of cheese burgers were in our future. I was back up to 182 when we got married 2 years later. I am now at 245, which my doctor says is partially related to the pcos. Since I had now symptoms of pcos early in life, I was 26 before it manifested, my doctor at the time said my earlier weight gains couldn't possibly have been related to pcos. Well now guess what, lo and behold with the exception of the cheeseburger time frame my current doctor says it is all related in a hormonal way. Go figure. Sorry this is so long and rambling. I got typing and my fingers wouldn't stop. It is so good to have people who understand what I go through. The only other person I know with pcos is a sister-in-law in Illinois. You DON'T even mention it to her.

Well, I will stop babbling now. Hope you all have a terrific day. Keep up the good work. Look forward to chatting more.

All the best, Jody

Hi all,

Been a while since I posted here. I'm still alive....Made it through a two day garage sale and am having another one this Saturday. Sam rebuilt a computer to sell and he has another "order" for one.

We've been busy contemplating opening up this bookstore and one of Sam's friends came to visit and to interview for a job here in Seymour, where Sam works. He has a new wife and a 6-day old baby, that I got to hold and snuggle with. Glad to know that the baby urge has left the building. It was nice to give the sweetie back to mom.

Sam and I decided not to have a baby together. I have 9 yo that lives with us and she is wonderful all by herself. Plus Sam and I enjoy our time together and just like it being the way it is.

Jody - Glad to see that you have joined us. Make sure to read through all the various posts at PCOS messages here. You'll get to know us in NO time.

For me, I seemed to be "average" sized all my life, until I went to college and got it into my head that I needed to be BONE skinny. I was 5'4" and weighed 125lbs. I got down to 108lbs and starved/exercised to death, myself to that weight. The MOMENT I started to eat food, I ballooned up. I think starvation coupled with the PCOS, started and upward spiral for me. I gained 60lbs in 6 months, eating fairly normal food. I slowly gained over the years, had a baby and then ballooned up to my highest of 268.2 and then joined WW.

They say the predisposition is there. They also say that if I had stayed normal-sized, I might not have had the gains. Who knows??

Interesting thoughts though.

Yvonne

Thanks for the welcome Yvonne. I am seeing how supportive this sight is. Everyone has been wonderful so far and it's only one day.

Isn't it funny how they tell us we need to be thin, then when we kill ourselves to get there it's not so great. Then we gain back all the weight and they tell us it's our fault for trying to get thin in the first place. Who knows. My experience getting to 126 was similar to your's.

Well, thanks again and I look forward to sharing more with all of you.

Have a great weekend,
Jody