Hi all ! I really needs some help I am so struggling and discouraged. I started the plan the end of August and had several out of town meetings so that thru me off a bit but I have been doing this the past 2 months and only had 1 stray at Halloween and ate a few mini bite snickers, anyway; I have Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrom and have a hard time with weight coming off. They changed me from purple to blue and I kept gaining and losing the same 4 pounds this has been going on for the past few months I am so discouraged and feel as if they think I cheat and this is why I'm not losing. Which is not the case if anything I have a hard time getting in all the veggies and fruits each day. Last week they switched me back to purple. I do work long hours (9 hr days) but I am so struggling. Any advice would be wonderful. Here is my sample day:
breakfast 1/2 english muffin with lite margine, Dannon Light & Fit yogart 6oz size
snack apple, LA lite
Lunch side salad, Lean Cuisine or either a grilled Chicken Salad with Lt dressing
Snack - apple LA lite
Dinner - Chicken breast, broccoli , carrots or a big salad
Evening - V8 fusion if needed

I have a time with veggies because I don't like a lot of the "good ones" so I tend to eat the same ones.

My friend that joined with me has only lost 14 pounds and she's frustrated too she's on Red 1 I believe; she has more to eat than me and thinks she has too much food; but she has well over 100 pounds to lose. We have not been exercising daily. Maybe we need to do this. I'm so confused, discouraged, I want my clothes to start fitting better. I have lost inches but only in my legs of all places not in the belly. Any help would be so appreciated.

Kayla... The purple plan is the right one for you. I spent a month losing maybe 4lbs and then had a breakthrough so I know your frustration.

Somethings that were suggested for me are below. Let me know if you like any of these things and I'll try to help. Variety is key to not stalling.

Breakfast - Egg beaters. You can even bring them in a bowl sprayed with Pam and microwave them at work. Add a slice of rf cheese and put in a tortilla or on an Alternative Bagel for breakfast. Plain FF yogurt with a packet of Splenda and some frozen berries is a good breakfast. Or some Kashi Go Lean cereal w/milk and frozen blueberries that have partially defrosted.

Do you like fish? Tuna for lunch is great. I make mine with one can of tuna, 1T rf mayo, a little onion and some Mortons, pepper, a dash or galic powder and paprika. I put it in the food processor and it comes out really smooth and blended. Can be put in a tortilla or pita.

Veggie burgers? Easy to take with you for lunch or dinner. Can be put in a tortilla or pita also.

I find that when I stick with tuna and veggie burgers for lunch that I lose weight.

Back to the fish. My COD suggested also tilapia. I have posted a recipe that is the tilapia pan fried and topped with horseradish sauce and rf parmesan cheese. I usually have it with broccoli and mushrooms sauteed.

Help for veggies:

Baby carrots
Celery
Cucumbers

These are good for lunch because they are very portable. Baby carrots are good dipped in dressing if you need it. Celery can be stuffed with FF cream cheese (Condiment) or peanut butter, dipped in dressing, and dipped in salsa. I found a really good fresh salsa in my grocery store's deli and dipped the celery in it. Cucumbers are good with a little garlic powder and rf sour cream, or just some Morton's lite salt.

Lettuce is great with the new Wishbone Salad Spritzer.

Broccoli, mushrooms and onions are usually what I end up with at dinner. They've just been my favorites lately so I sautee them with some spices because I think it tastes much better than just steaming.

As for your friend, you are right that she needs more food if she weighs more. She needs to get all of her food in as well or she will stall. That's why planning helps so much. If you can't plan your whole week at once, maybe try planning two days or so. That way if you have to go to the store, you can get it done all at once. And the planning really helps during those busy mornings when you're trying to run out the door. Just look at your menu and throw it in your lunch box.

Let us know if you need more suggestions.

Hey Kayla,

I also have PCOS and I know how hard it can be to lose weight, but specially to keep it off. I can put on 10 lbs in 2 days if I wanted to lol.

I am new to LAWL. This is my first week, but I started losing weight on my own a couple of months ago.

Most women that I know that have PCOS including myself, have some degree of insulin resistance, and that means that for us, carbs, sugars and all those yummy things, make our condition worse and we store fat very easily. I have been on every diet known to man, and if I am on a diet high in carbs I do very poorly. Not to mention I feel tired and I crave sugars and carbs like crazy.

What I did the past two months to lose weight on my own was, to make sure to balance my meals to always include some protein with any carbs (this keeps your insulin from spiking after eating your meal) I eat, and of course I avoided junk foods, white flour, white rice. I tried to eat as much whole foods as possible, yet still treat myself once a week or so.
I joined LAWL because I need the accountability and they have good plans. I definitely told them that I did not want to go on any of their prepackaged foods, like their bars, or shakes, because I know that they are not helpful for my pcos because of my insulin resistance, and they are so processed, that I rather learn to eat just normal foods, and also they are higher in carbs and sugar than protein for me and will cause me to crave things that I don't want to bother with.

I was put on the red 2 plan without the bars. It is not as much protein as I am used to eating, and it has too many starches for me, but I am working it out with them so that I can have a protein at every meal and, there are some things that they count as protein, which I count more as starches, like lentils, and they said that would be ok for me. The first day of LAWL I made the mistake of eating the two cups of lentils, like they said to do for a serving of protein and I felt very tired and bloated after that because of all the carbs in the lentils. It was just too much for my body to take. From now on I will only do a cup at most and make it count as a half a protein and a starch.

I also found that the ladies that work at my LAWL center knew nothing about PCOS, so I have to sort of educate them on it for my plan to work for me and for my lifestyle. I think that they have great plans, but for people that have certain health conditions these plans need to be more tailored individualy, but for that to happen you need to educate yourself on your condition and take control of your plan and work it out with your councelor at the center, and I am sure that it will work for you.

I am making this too long and I apologize lol. I would encourage you to find some PCOS websites and learn more about "good carbs" "bad carbs", the importance of protein with your meals and the impact of processed foods (like the lites) on your PCOS.

This is just my opinion, I am saying all this from my personal experience, but I hope it helps in any way

Good Luck!

BY THE WAY: what Bizlawchik said is great food advice for us with pcos and very yummy! made me hungry lol

Luisa has a good point about educating your COD. Most of them work out of a handbook that suggests different things, but they are not medically trained. If there is a condition you have that affects your metabolism or blood sugar, or anything else, you could go to a website specializing in that and print out some information for your COD to give to the counselors and to put in your chart. Then you won't have to go over it every time you get a new counselor either.

good idea, I will do that myself, because so far I have seen two different councelors and would have been easier to hand them some information

Kayla--hang in there. I have no doubt you are staying OP--so I also have no doubt the pounds will start to drop--the have to! I am not a veggie girl so I have to incorporate some low sodium V-8 into my day. It's quick and easy. I didn't like the taste when I started but figured I could get 4 oz. down. Now I actually like it and look forward to it. Lisa also recommended warming it for soup--sounds good--just hasn't been cold enough yet. So between V-8 and 100% fruit juice I can manage all my servings if I have to. Of course, the COD would prefer we not drink our foods sometimes it's not possible--especially as busy as you are. Good Luck

Kayla - Because of my history of weight gain, slow loss, etc... I have been tested up the ying yang for PCOS, IR and thyroid problems. Tests come back neg or borderline every time, so I kind of keep an eye/ear out for eating plans that go along with those conditions. For me LAWL has given me a balanced eating plan that I can live with without feeling that I am restricting myself too much.

By way of suggestions, I try to stay away from pre-sweetened/flavored yogurts and go with plain that I add fruit to. And, I hardly ever eat frozen dinners, mostly because you don't get much for your 1P, 1S. Like LeaAnn, I have really come to LOVE my lo sodium V-8. I looked at the fusion - and it didn't have as good nutritionals as the lo sod. I also love the tuna pouches - I just keep some in my desk to throw on top of salad for lunch along with a few sprays of the wishbone spritzers.

I understand what you are saying about the COD thinking you are cheating. I fell the same way most of the time. I just keep telling them that I am comfortable with my progress, that I lose slow, and I have come to not really care if they are judging me. You're not there for them, you are there for you.

Good luck and stick with it - I alway fall back on the mantra - at least I'm not gaining!

Kayla - I know NOTHING about PCOS, but gaining and losing - now that's something I can relate to! Maybe you don't realize it, but just coming back to LAWL after a few bites of snickers is for some of us - a NSV!! And the fact that you haven't given up is another one!!! It sounds to me like you've got your mind made up and that is what it is going to take! So, you've got the "mental" thing done - way to go girlfriend!
I think Cassi, Luisa, and the other ladies answered all the questions much better than I could. Therefore, I won't try.
However, I will tell you that we are here for you! All of us hit times where we are frustrated and we've all had to find what works for us!
DH and I both have a lot to lose and we have turned away from Lean Cuisines because of the salt. I cook in bulk for several days at a time and just mix it up a little every day. We mainly eat chicken, tilapia, ground turkey, and tuna (and egg beaters). Any other protein is a once in a great while, (even less than when we started!)
We MEASURE everything because I found I was slipping in the portions.
If we cheat, it's on salad or veggies.
And if we go out to eat for a major cheat - we plan it out and try to keep the cheat to a minimum!
One thing Dr. Oz mentions is not letting a cheat become the usual and I especially agree with that! (Like I said, it sounds like you've got that under control!)
So, get the info you need for you AND your COD and start from there. It may be trial and error for a little while, but you'll see the changes as they come. Also remember - Dr Oz says inches are more important than pounds! Take those measurements and see whats happening!
Hang in there - You're eating healthier, your blood pressure is going to benefit, your cholesterol is going to benefit, and your family is going to benefit because you are going to be a healthier, livelier you!
Blessings,

Ladies: Thanks so much for your ideas and support. Luisa if you know of a good site on PCOS please let me know; I'll do a seach on it too.

Cassie: Thanks for the great ideas; I am not wild about fish other than shell fish. I love chicken so maybe I can substitiute chicken in your tuna salad recipe. Never tried a veggie burger, any recomendations on which is the best to buy. Are these in the freezer section?

It is just frustrating; I hope I start to see better results in the next few weeks.
Thanks again for your help.

Kayla - See the "Veggie Burger" thread that Shell started yesterday for our discussion on those. (They're in the freezer section)

How about shrimp cocktail for lunches? You can squeeze the shrimp with lemon and even dip in a LITTLE cocktail sauce.

You can substitute the chicken for the tuna. I do that sometimes and it's yummy.

Take what veggies you do like, and add some shrimp or chicken and make a stir fry. You can use Kikkoman's Lite Teriyaki sauce, or make up some different sauces with lite soy sauce, garlic, ginger and a dash or red pepper flakes. If you don't want an asian taste, change up the the spices.

Sautee shrimp or chicken with onions and peppers and some cumin, paprika, garlic powder and a dash of red pepper for a mexican fajita-thing.