Just interested because the possibility of regaining the wieght after losing it is a big fear of mine. I ran into a couple of people who haved mention this happening to them so I was interested in if this is common among PCOS'ers.

I'm not sure if it's common among people with PCOS, but I regained the 50 pounds I lost + 30 extra. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 19, and I lost 50 lbs when I went on Metformin. Well, when I was 20 I decided to move to Ohio, & go off my metformin and birth control. I was consuming more calories than I should have been, though. I blame myself for gaining the weight back, not the PCOS.

I lost 110lbs in 1 year back in 2002, and maintained that loss for 2 years until I became pregnant - then I gained it all back plus some with my pregnancy and complications after.

I don't have PCOS, though I have some of the symptoms, and most definitely the insulin resistance.

I've been dieting since I was 5. I spent far more time on diets than off them (but when I went off I really went OFF, so I could undo every bit of progress I'd made in a week or two, just in a single day).

Until "this time," every time I've lost (big or small) I gained it all back (and then some). Since every diet only resulted, ultimately in my getting even fatter than I started, I was very reluctant to try again.

It was always one step forward, and two steps back. Big leaps in weight loss only resulted in bigger leaps of weight gain.

"The difference" this time is that I am not only celebrating weight loss, but weight maintenance as well. When I only celebrated weight loss, it always felt like I was failing more than succeeding. When failures drastically outnumber success, it seems very reasonable to quit. You start feeling "obviously I just can't do this, so why keep trying."

You get sick of bashing your head into the same wall, over and over. But when maintenance is success, you get to experience a lot more success. There's never a reason to "stop" working at weight management.

And I really think that's the secret, just "not giving up." I really think that most people regain when they stop doing what they were doing to lose and maintain their weight loss. They stop doing it for a lot of reasons, but most of them (I think) boil down to they feel like their failures far outnumber successes to the point that success seems eternally out of reach.

"This time" is different for me, because I've redefined success so that I'm succeeding far more than I'm failing. I haven't just relabeled failure as success, so I can feel happy. I've redefined success in a way that makes it easier for me to stay motivated enough to keep trying at least as hard (and hopefully a little more) than I did yesterday.

It's like brushing teeth. No one thinks "Dang, this is monotonous, there's no way I can do this twice a day, every day for the rest of my life?

And of course, no one decides "Man I suck, I might as well never brush my teeth again," if they forget to brush their teeth one morning. You just do it as soon as you remember, and move on with your day and your life.

I'm not afraid of regaining it this time, because I know exactly what it will take to regain. I know that if I don't devote some time every day to weight loss (or at least weight maintenance) I am going to regain. So not regaining is very simple - looking at weight management as "normal," something that has to be a part of every day. I can't do it just until I lose weight, I have to do it every day, forever. And when I don't do that, I haven't "blown it," I just have to get right back to my "normal" routine, the routine that allows me to maintain the weight loss I've acheived so far, and hopefully allows me to lose just a little more.

My doctor recently tried YET AGAIN to put me on spironolactone and metformin and it made me gain 13.5 lbs back! I got so ill- I guess metformin isn't for me since my fasting blood sugar is already 79-80 area which is the low end of normal. The spironolactone made my blood pressure drop so low all I wanted to eat was salt. I'm still not sure why she gave me the metformin when my fasting blood sugar was already so low- on the dosage she gave me- if what I read online was true my blood sugar was definitely below 70, I had all the symptoms of hypoglycemia. Since I got off the medication I've lost back about 5 lbs of the weight I gained but I'm not giving up. Natural is the way I'm going now but for people who the pills work for I totally recommend using it.

There are so many reasons to gain back weight- not just for PCOSers but everyone. Stress, change in income, loss of insurance, etc.

I think sometimes people gain back also cuz their plan was too hard to maintain for life. So they do great- lose 50 lbs or whatever- then find they can't workout 2 hours a day or eat 1200 calories a day for life so they gain back. Hence why slow and steady seems to work best for most people cuz you learn to change your eating habits for life- not just for a month or so.

I had to learn sure some people can eat more than I can- but oh well- that's not me and I have to learn to find the balance for myself.

I saw a professor giving a lecture on TV, and she said successful weight loss isn't considered LOSING anymore, its losing it plus maintaining the new weight. I honestly think after losing and gaining several times, maintenance is harder then losing. Its forever, and if you get lazy or slack about it, you will gain whether you have PCOS or not.
PCOS itself doesn't necessairly determine if you will be overweight/obese. That is still in your control. Eat healthy, move more, you will lose it and keep it off. It might mean the weight comes off slower, but it will come off.

I take spiro for acne. I never thought about how it would effect my weight loss efforts.
Do you think that it has effected yours?
I think that it's a diuretic....so it wouldn't hold water weight.

I gained back some over the summer and the start of the school year by overeating and eating a LOT of junk food. It had nothing to do with my PCOS. The 15lbs or so pounds I gained back were from neglecting my diet. Part of the problem was I couldn't afford my diet food for a few weeks. So, I was having to eat what ever my parents bought. (I am a college student that lives at home because I am so close to the University, and because I am broke.)

Anyway, if I would have stuck to my plan, I hope I would not have gained the weight back. Now, in general I have read (nutrition classes, articles, college courses) that obese people are more likely to gain the weight back because you can increase your number of fat cells if you are obese, but you cannot get rid of them once you have slimmed down. So, a person may lose the weight, but because of their extra fat cells they are really good at storing fat.

And, also it believed that lipoprotein lipase (it breaks down triglycerides and stores them) is still high in people who have lost the weight versus someone who has not been obese. So, the person is better at breaking down triglycerides and storing them too.

Of course, that may not be true. I think the biggest thing I have learned is that this is a lifestyle. It is not a quick fix. So, I have to work at losing and maintaining.

I actually use to work out like a mad woman. Was not having a period so they put me on birth control gained 60 pounds in 6 months they kept telling me it would fall off later. Uh...never happened then gained 50 when I had my gallbladder out. I find that I HAVE to exercise and have to watch my sugar and carbs. It is not easy but this time around I am ready to gain myself back! Best of luck!

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE THAT HAS POSTED SO FAR!!!! You guys have no idea how helpful the information each of you guys shared is to me. You guys provide a wealth of knowledge and experiene. I'm so happy I decided to join this site.

SO one of the biggest messages that I've gotten is that, Maintainance is key. also that a moment of nondiscipline can ruin your efforts to keep weight off. Also that were probably more prone to weight gain because of the fat cell issue.

Most people of not everyone knew why they might be experiencing the wieght gain...so i figure that if you know why then you can stop it....so that puts a glimmer of hope back in my plans...Thanks guys.

I would disagree on only one point, vigilance is important, but if you think that "a moment of nondiscipline can ruin your efforts to keep weight off," you might actually be more prone to giving up when you experience those moments.

When you tell yourself that you've "ruined" something, you can feel like it's permanent. Moments of nonidiscipline will happen, and they don't ruin anything, it's what you do with chains of moments that are really important, and changing mistake moments before they can become long chains of mistakes. Or changing small mistake chains before they become long chains of mistakes.

Most people are going to step off their path occasionally (sometimes intentionally or even planned for, sometimes not), what matters is that you get back on-path as soon as you can, and you don't turn a stumble into a nosedive.

@Kaplods
I do agree with you as well....this is very true.

I've had PCOS my whole life (didn't get my first period until I was 14 1/2) and have had weight problems my whole life. I could lose or gain weight, but could never maintain. Part of the problem was trying to follow the low-fat conventional "wisdom" that is so terribly toxic for people with insulin resistance and women with PCOS.

I feel that I can maintain this time because I am satisfied on 1400 calories of a moderate low-carb diet. I hope to maintain at about 1700-1750, which should give me somewhere to go if I have to cut back as I get older (I'm 49 now).

As a long-time yo-yo dieter with PCOS, part of me feels like, if I can do it, anyone can do it. But you have to be willing to do it for the long term, so you have to find or create a plan you can live with; then it will take planning and perseverance to stick with it. Fingers crossed, I think I have a plan and I think I can stick with it. I think you're in the right place for ideas and support--hope you find your formula!

@Obeogal
Thank you and I hope your formula works out for you as well.

I agree with what others said. In my opinion, losing the way on maintenance is much more likely than there is a chance of regaining because of a metabolic snafu that you haven't already been dealing with, and have learned your way around. I lost almost to goal, and gained it back and then some, BUT was before I knew I had PCOS (I was just developing it), and I really ate all the wrong things for my system - sugar, pasta, potatoes.

I can't say my chances would have been much better anyway, because I was clueless about maintenance! I truly thought that when I got to goal, I could be 'normal' again and it would stay off. Healthy eating has to become a lifestyle, but the longer we are in that lifestyle, the more normal it feels. Please go read the threads in the Maintainers forum. There are a lot of different methods they use, but mostly they keep very good track of their daily food and exercise. I've learned so much from them!