PCOS/Insulin Resistance SupportSupport for us with any of the following: Insulin Resistance, Syndrome X, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or other endocrine disorders.
Greets all!
I'm Jenna I was just diagnosed with PCOS...a bit of a relief since I've been starving for ages and don't seem to lose weight. I was put on Metformin 2 times a day; I was supposed to take a 1500 cal diet but the dietician felt for me when I started to cry and cut my calories to 800 but I had to promise to eat 800 cals...this is killing me ~ I have been on a 600 calorie diet for years. I've heard IR and PCOS is a commonality in bulimics (which I've been for 13 years ~ I'm 29) ~ tonight I ate chicken and veggies and I purged (sorry, I know it's gross...) afterwards I had chest pain and couldn't catch my breath...I'm all messed up and now I'm afraid to eat anything because my dietician said to avoid carbs...I don't eat meat or dairy. I'm trying, but I find when I eat that stuff I purge. I guess it's a good thing that I am macrobiotic ~ this has helped me tremendously in overcoming purging behavior but I'm afraid this new diagnosis and the need for protein is going to hurl me back into bad habits.
Please help...has anyone been in this situation? I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks!
I'm Aminah and while I was never diagnosed with any eating disorders, my eating patterns have included some certainly disordered eating. I have never heard about IR or PCOS being linked to bulimia, that is interesting. I wonder if the PCOS can cause bulimia or the other way around, or neither? If you find any info on it will you post?
Please, please, please don't purge on this metformin. It says clearly on the package that if your calories go too low, your blood sugar's gonna plummet and you'll feel sick! You could keel right over, maybe in some horrible situation like when you're DRIVING, and nobody would know why!
Does your dietician know about your eating disorder? It sounds like she must if she OK'd an 800 cal diet. Yow. That is low. Make sure you take calcium supplements too sis.
If you want to talk about anything feel free to bring it up. I understand some of the stress and pain you're in and I wish you all the best.
Greets all!
I'm Jenna I was just diagnosed with PCOS...a bit of a relief since I've been starving for ages and don't seem to lose weight. I was put on Metformin 2 times a day; I was supposed to take a 1500 cal diet but the dietician felt for me when I started to cry and cut my calories to 800 but I had to promise to eat 800 cals...this is killing me ~ I have been on a 600 calorie diet for years. I've heard IR and PCOS is a commonality in bulimics (which I've been for 13 years ~ I'm 29) ~ tonight I ate chicken and veggies and I purged (sorry, I know it's gross...) afterwards I had chest pain and couldn't catch my breath...I'm all messed up and now I'm afraid to eat anything because my dietician said to avoid carbs...I don't eat meat or dairy. I'm trying, but I find when I eat that stuff I purge. I guess it's a good thing that I am macrobiotic ~ this has helped me tremendously in overcoming purging behavior but I'm afraid this new diagnosis and the need for protein is going to hurl me back into bad habits.
Please help...has anyone been in this situation? I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks!
Welcome, Jenna!!
I don't think I have ever heard of a bulimic with PCOS before so I am not sure how to answer this one 100%. You are on the right start though because you are realizing you have a problem and are here asking for help for it. I am going to ask Rochemist to pop in here...She is the moderator for the Eating Disorders Forum and I am sure she can help you more than I can with this. But please keep posting and letting us know how you are!! You aren't alone in this PCOS or bulemic stuff...
Thanks for the info. I must say it is terribly frustrating to be a non eater and still be significantly overweight. No-one believes me when I tell them I only eat 600- 800 calories a day because I look like I eat quite a bit more. That's probably what's kept me from being diagnosed for so long. I currently weigh 211 lbs and I circuit train 6 times a week as often as possible. I feel like my Dr. doesn't believe me because he keeps saying I need to exercise more...so I'm adding 45 minutes of elliptical to my daily routine...but I'm looking elsewhere to get information and answers...for the record, I think the dietician believes. I don't have a lot of the other PCOS symptoms...I have very low blood pressure and very low cholesterol (both good and bad) ~ so when my PCP checked me out he missed it all together. It's the acne, irregular periods and inability to lose weight that earned me my diagnosis.
I am trying desperately not to throw up...I don't meet the criteria in the DSM anymore as a bulimic...I guess my eating habits would indicate anorexia but I'm not underweight. I fasted for 14 days in January and didn't lose a single pound.
In the meantime here are some links to PCOS/Bulimia websites. There aren't any that go into alot of detail...basically they state that being bulimic often leads to PCOS.
I read those links you posted and they were very interesting. I always think eating disorders are a kind of chicken-and-egg situation. Have you read about the study of healthy young men, in which the researchers cut their calories below 1000 and then observed them for months? Many of the young men became obsessed with their appearances and weight. Some began bingeing and purging. They began hiding food. It is so fascinating. It is such a serious thing but so many people seem to pooh-pooh it, thinking it's not a problem or just affects spoiled rich girls...please!
I think being married is a huge stabilizing influence in my life. I am much more careful with my health knowing how much it matters to my husband. Typical female thinking, but if it benefits my health, it's all right in my book.
I am going to send you a PM and leave it up to you wether or not you respond. One thing I've got to say though is please don't purge anymore. If your calories are so low we are talking about a complete electrolyte imbalance. Eating disorders aren't pretty, dying with your head in the toliet bowl even worse. Thats the one thing people really forget, they discuss EDs so causually but they are killers.
The other thing I want to convey on the board is you are not alone. Alot of men and women suffer from your disease. We have spent years being ashamed and wondering whats wrong. There are whole communities dedicated to treatment and recovery. Welcome!
Urg, I couldn't figure out how to respond to a PM. I have been to all the sites you have suggested. I know my eating is a problem and I have stopped purging though I confess it's very hard because one of the side effects of metformin for me is belly bloating. I don't know how to cope with a full tummy; it's very uncomfortable for me. The other side effect is loss of appetite...I don't have one at all. I passed out on Saturday 4/10 at a store and fell down some stairs (only about 6-7 steps ~ I wasn't hurt). I don't know whether or not to call my doctor because she prescribed a diet of at least 800 calories but I am definitely NOT getting that many (usually closer to 600) and the days leading up to passing out I was getting about 200-300. This is a big old mess. The doctor tells me I have to workout to lose weight and that circuit training isn't good enough; I should be doing cardio too (elliptical machine) but I am so weak and tired all the time I'm lucky I can drive to work. I don't go back to see them until the first week in June and I know they are going to be upset because I haven't been doing the cardio/elliptical like they said...it's mind numbing to me so I just stick with my circuit training and push so my heart rate is up in the 85% range to make it an aerobic workout rather than a strength building workout. I weigh a whole lot and I'm terrified of food. Would I be out of line to ask them to work with me on the food issue? I mean she is working with me a little...my initial diet plan was 1500 calories ~ I practically cried right there in the office so she came down to 800. I thought she believed me but maybe she thinks I'm sneaking food on the side???? I get all freaked out because I don't look like I never eat ~ I want my body to show that I have control and it doesn't...I'm still not losing weight and I'm afraid they'll be mad at me.
Hey there Jenna. I don't know that much about eating disorders...but I do have PCOS and have been on a few different meds, including Metformin.
My opinion is that the meds are supposed to help with symptoms including losing weight along with a decent diet and exercise. Since your diet is not the norm as directed by a doctor, maybe you should consult the doc again. It is very dangerous to take meds and not be taking in energy. Taking meds is nothing to take lightly because you never know what side effects you can have.
Although I've been peaking in at the forums for about a month now, this is my first post. I felt moved to respond because I have PCOS, and also have been battling bulimia for 6 years.
My only advice is to take a deep breath and look at your eating/workout schedules. If they aren't working for you then you should probably seek a change. I know this sucks if you dont like eating meat or any dairy, but I bet a low carb plan would work for you. More importantly, you must try to protect your health. Exercising excessively is a form of bulimia, as you may know. Anyway, I just wanted you to know there is someone out there in a similar situation. Take care.
Pleasant,
I'm so glad you wrote in...I didn't think I would ever find anyone who had both! Are you still actively bulimic? I've only purged 3 times since I started Metformin, mostly because I don't want to eat but the act of purging has made me so incredibly ill I don't think I'll be able to ever do it again. My dietician did tell me I should eat more meat. I'm trying to re adjust my body but this med is making me so weak and tired that some days I can hardly stand up...I've started passing out regularly. I don't think that's supposed to happen. I want very much to workout but I can barely drive to work some days ~ I worry that this might be causing more damage than good.
Thanks again for sharing. It's good to know there is another person out there with this who understands.
loves!
Jenna
I have pcos and had an eating dissorder for 4 years. Today I would say that I am in recovery and have been for over two years, but it can still be a struggle to stay away from my old behaviors. I really couldn't tell you what came first the pcos or eating dissorder, but they both fed off of eachother. I always stayed at a normal weight or slightly above average and so it took a long time for me to get diagnosed with an eating dissorder as well. Its been hard but i ultimately found something i'm passionate about and i keep that in mind when old behavior seems like the easier route. I'm not going to tell you what you should try in terms how many calories you need or tell you not to purge, because you probably can't hear that at this point, but i wanted you to know that you certainly aren't the only one dealing with these two very difficult things. take care!
Just diagnosed PCOS & eating disordered...help
Better late than never.
Just a couple of thoughts...
