Hello everyone! I'm Amber, I'll be 23 tomorrow and I'm looking to lose about 15-20 lbs. About a 2 years ago, I took myself off birth control due to not having insurance and it being incredibly expensive for what I was making at the time. About a three months after doing so, I started gaining an abnormal amount of weight without changing my eating habits or exercise routine (which was slim to none). From Sept. 2009 to Jan. 2010 I had gained about 35 lbs. I went from 125 to almost 160 and I was freaked. I began to have more problems with acne which as a teen, I barely had any issue. I also had problems gaining weight up until the time mentioned above. The kicker for me to seek medical attention was when I didn't have a period for 7 months knowing I was not pregnant.

I thought at first it was being stressed from planning a wedding at the time. I asked my mom about her medical history which I came to find she was diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I consulted my doctor who was skeptical because I did not look over weight or had enough excess hair to meet her expectations of PCOS. However, she did some labs and found my testosterone levels were through the roof and referred me to an OB/GYN for further evaluation. The GYN did more labs and an ultrasound confirming I definitely have PCOS back in Sept. 2010. Since then, I have been placed back on BC which took a while to have a normal cycle again but it has now regulated as long as I stay on it.

Oct-Nov. 2010 time frame, my life took a big turn when I cancelled my wedding and ended my 3 year relationship due to a lot of different reasons. I lost about 15 lbs from the not being able to eat and began to do a lot of different activities with friends which is not a healthy way to lose weight at all. By mid-January, I was 135 but not because I was doing well in my eating habits still.

February rolled around and I began to speak with my ex again and we have since mended our relationship and are very happy now. Apart from that, I began to workout and try to eat healthier without counting calories and have managed to put back on 10 lbs and cannot lose it no matter how hard I workout or how good I eat. I know when you begin to workout, your body replaces fat with muscle and I'm okay with that. It's been 5 months since I've been working out regularly and watching what I eat and the scale refuses to budge.

I was doing research last night and found the Insulite system which I spent hours checking to make sure it was a hoax but they seem to check out in my medical professional opinion (I am an EMT). All the ingredients are herbs and vitamins that are not new to me and I'm excited to see how it's going to help put my hormones back into balance because they are driving me nuts with the belly fat, acne, and horrible cravings for buffalo chicken and chocolate. I've had excessive hair everywhere since I was a kid and it no longer bothers me much.

I am looking for a buddy to help with staying on track and just support because as much as my man loves to listen to me, he cannot relate at all.

Thanks ladies!

Welcome!

There's a PCOS area where you're likely to connect with many people who are dealing with the effects of PCOS and trying to keep their weight in line.

There's also a Featherweights section for those who are either losing the last few pounds on their journey or only have a smaller amount of weight to lose.

Not to mention groups for ages and interests =) Participate anywhere you're comfortable!

Hope to see you around the boards!