From what I understand, no. But it can put you at higher risk of diabetes. I guess no one is really sure what causes PCOS specifically. It is possible that being overweight causes PCOS or PCOS causes a person to be overweight. But it can make you insulin resistant, which I guess makes it harder to lose weight or keep from gaining weight. Basically the ovaries make different hormones than they are supposed to, and so women who have it, in addition to getting to be overweight and at risk for diabetes and endocrine cancer, can get acne more easily, can have problems with facial hair, and their ToMs are all messed up. Here's Webmd's page on it. It's pervasive enough that 3FC has a forum for people who are insulin resistant, like people with PCOS, and the most commonly cited statistic I've seen is 8-14% of women have it, but I'd never heard of it until the doctor told me I had it, and I only had the weight issues and the messed up periods so I didn't think anything was amiss.

The first couple of months were easy because I changed my habits and didn´t look at the scale. It´s weird because I knew I had lost some weight, but it wasn`t until I was at the gym (surrounded by other women) that I realized that I had lost 10 pounds. From there, I`ve had moments of maintaining and moments of losing. I´m glad that I have never gained in all of this time.

I felt the exact same way!! It was like after trying and failing so many times b4 it's hard to believe that it was actually happening!!

I remember after MANY, MANY failed attempts I used to think, "this will never happen, I don't even know why I'm trying." But then it did!! And it feels great!!!

What helped me most in the beginning was really making myself realize that weight loss is SLOW!!! It isn't quick at all, and I had to make myself really understand that concept in order to stay on plan every time I jumped on the scale and didn't see much of a loss (or no loss at all).

Also in the beginning I chose to slowly move myself into a new eating style. The first day I didn't dramatically drop my calories. I did it very slowly and also kind of "weened" myself off of fast food since I was a junkie!! That took about a month.

Now it is pretty much smooth sailing! It took about 20-25 pounds for me to really notice a true difference. I've lost nearly 40 lbs now, and the difference to myself is huge (others really notice too). I feel much more comfortable in my skin.

The one thing I have done that I believe really helps me stay on track is having a really good dinner every Saturday night. I LOOOOVE mexican food, so normally that's where my boyfriend and I go. I even sometimes get dessert. It hasn't hurt my weightloss at all. I really think it has helped it.

jpye

My motivation came in the form that I didn't want to lose my feet!

Even though I knew I had the symptoms of diabetes, I wasn't prepared for the diagnosis. The only thing I knew about this disease is that you lose your feet. Since one of my jobs required driving, I was petrified. I need my feet!

I was first given Byetta. In the beginning this did curb my appetite, but after a month or so later I felt it was no longer working. I would overeat at dinnertime.

For the first 6 months, I lost 20lbs a month. The 7th month I hit a nasty plateau, which was entirely my fault (I got lazy with the dieting, consuming almost 3,000 calories a day). After I corrected that problem, the weight loss started to slowly come back off again. I now average 2-3lbs a week (normal).

Now that I see the finish line in site, I am more motivated then ever. I am hoping to reach my 199lbs by Christmas. I have a personal trainer 4 days a week that has been pushing me harder then I have ever been pushed before. I had a 1.5 hr interview with a local newspaper (story has not run yet). I have my network of family and friends supporting me every inch of the way.

My last motivation, which I will post in a NSV thread soon. After wearing a 3XL shirt last year, I started to see the shirt size shrinking. Once I noticed that they were getting too large, I purposely bought a smaller XL shirt. 2 months later those XL (which happens to be my high school size) shirts fit nicely. I then bought some larges. I finally bought some mediums (huh? I am no longer LARGE???). Yesterday I purchased a size small. I was actually able to wear it! It was rather skin tight, but that doesn't matter! My motivation is to hope that this shirt fits comfortably in the next 2 months. Or, maybe that will also be my Christmas goal!

You GO Dude! You are awesome! :cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2:

Jay

Cool guys, I am so proud of everyone. Especially to see those who are half way there, it is so encouraging to see that I can get there too!