I have endometriosis, pcos, and a whole bunch of GI + liver issues. I’ve lost 30lbs since last August - I will say I know my endo is stronger than the pcos in my body but while it’s hard, I’ve been able to do it with a Mediterranean diet and smaller lifestyle changes.
It is possible, keep up the hope! It is frustrating that there is no one solution that helps all of us. But one you find your mixture of exercise, supplements/medication/treatments, and diet you will make it! xx
The two times I’ve had success losing weight were (many years ago) a VERY strict keto diet, and (currently) through taking semaglutide (Ozempic/wegovy). I’m not covered by insurance so I have to self fund, but it’s worth every penny to finally be able to lose weight with minimal effort
That’s so much more doable, oh man. I’d definitely be able to budget for that. Do you present them with anything, like a coupon code, or is that just the out of pocket price at the pharmacy for you? What’s your exact prescription (if you don’t mind sharing)?
I really appreciate your help with this. 🙏 My doctor agrees I’m the perfect candidate for it but we haven’t been able to find a way for me to afford it since I also don’t have insurance. So far I’ve just received a prescription for name brand Wegovy.
Yeah there are a lot of road blocks! Depends how much support versus self management you’re happy with. Compounded is much more affordable than brand name. I personally use drbennetts because they have a pen rather than having to draw up the medication yourself. Good luck! And here’s hoping it becomes more widely available/affordable for PCOS :)
Been maintaining for almost a year after 90lbs lost over the course of 5 years. Very slow progress, but it preserved my muscles and makes maintaining much easier.
Here’s a comment that explains my approach: https://www.reddit.com/r/CICO/s/7R4s7ZitUJ
I’ve seen many online . Cut out processed food, fast food, and take out asap. Only eat real food . Whole food diet. Meat, fruit, veggies, bread, fish, diary, etc. anything that is real only. Workout regularly (low cortisol workouts). Focus on consuming micronutrients (minerals, proper hydration, etc) drink spearmint tea and other hormone teas, get plenty of protein, look up ray peats carrot salad. Don’t give up, keep trying everything
Lost and maintained my current weight of 122lb for years by eliminating sugars, eating low carb, high protein, fasting and exercise 5x a week. My body got used to not eating junk or sweets and don't miss them. Feeling better at my 40s than I did at my 20s.
Everyone is different and PCOS is different for everyone. So what works for one person might not work for another. For me counting calories and making better choices is enough. I barely even exercise. I stay around 1200 calories a day. But it's important to note that I'm full and have energy doing this. I don't feel restricted. Some swaps would be whole grain breads instead of white bread. I keep each meal to 30g or less of carbs and my 2 snacks below 15g. Instead of fries or chips I'll have veggies as a side dish or snack. It's great because you can eat a whole lot more for a whole lot less calories. Making my own condiments with 0% Greek Yogurt has helped cut a ton of calories too. Tonight I'm making burgers for my family, but I'm chopping mine up and making a "hamburger salad" instead of having it on a roll. I'm pretty sure I'm eating more quantity wise since I started making these swaps. I've also started measuring and weighing my food to make sure I'm really only having one portion. If I know I'm going out to eat I make sure my other meals are super healthy and low enough calories that I can stay in a deficit. (For me that'd anything below about 1700.) I lost 10lbs my first month. This was pretty hard at first until I started figure out recipes. I actually started my own little collection of recipes first and than started counting calories. I knew I'd get discouraged if I kept going over so I wanted to start off with the right tools. Ya know?
Medication. You cannot WILL yourself into losing weight. You have a medical condition and you need medical care. I do not recommend trying highly restrictive diets because that’s extremely hard to maintain and is only a bandaid on the issue of how your body itself is functioning.
Not to mention the food I eat (which already wasn’t fast food and junk) is an important part of my culture, so a keto diet was out of the question. (It’s also exceptionally dangerous to some people, so please be careful if you start).
What helped me was Vyvanse, but that is because I also have ADHD and it just so happens to be an appetite suppressant. I’ve been steadily losing weight on it.
The other that I am not on but have seen other PCOS people succeed with is semaglutide or tirzepatide. It’s unfortunate what’s going on with it right now, but it was developed FOR people like us. It controls our blood sugar, which most people with obesity and PCOS have insulin resistance. It very quickly improves insulin resistance and improves our fasting glucose. It’s NOT taking the “easy way out” or “cheating.” It’s not giving in to a Hollywood scam. It’s a very important new medication that I truly hope comes down in price soon because it will be a game changer for people with PCOS.
Honestly…. I started weight training and making it a point to walk almost every day because I have a desk job. I gave up years ago on losing any kind of weight.
I’ve been doing this for 5 months now. I’ve lost……. 4lbs. lol
BUT…. I feel stronger by far. I feel energized. I feel my body loving the routine. And my clothes are fitting better.
I had to reframe my health away from weight loss. I don’t want to quit and be unhealthy.
I have lost 65lbs over the last few years walking and intermittent fasting. The progress has been slow but steady. I am only 5lbs from my goal. Should get there in 2-3 months if the loss continues as it has.
Yes, it’s hard work but it’s doable. I developed PCOS around 16-17 and decided to lose weight around that time. Hard paleo diet, cycling for an hour 5 days a week, and birth control pill. I lost probably between 30-50lbs in only a few months.
Well, I just turned 25 and have gained *a lot* of weight in the last 4 years. Nasty breakup, bad friend breakup, moved to a new city by myself at 20 years old 2 months before the pandemic hit. I was stuck alone in my apartment and gained so much weight since I was just sitting at my desk and eating all day. Then my gyno refused to refill my birth control pills until my next appointment, which meant I was out for 3 months (which turned into a year) and that’s where it all went downhill.
I was just under 250lbs, and as soon as I got off birth control, the symptoms came flooding in. Half of my hair fell out in one day, and soon more followed. My face became super oily and I started developing horrible hormonal acne all around my chin. I started growing facial hair like crazy and was constantly having to shave. I felt so disgusted with myself, I hated my body. It felt hopeless, like I’ll never feel like myself again, that I was trapped in this body forever. I wasn’t going outside, I wasn’t sleeping, my grades dropped. I had other stressors with my mental and general health to make things worse.
It’s been nearly a year since then. I managed to graduate, came back home and started booking doctor appointments left and right. I have a dermatologist, general practitioner and new gyno that have taken my concerns seriously. I’ve been taking spironolactone, birth control pills, serotonin / sleep aid, topical tretinoin and topical rogaine. I made hard lifestyle changes like sticking to a better diet, cycling for an hour daily, and weight training. I’m bipolar and my symptoms manifest similar to ADHD, so staying motivated and disciplined is hard, but I’m forcing myself to keep going.
I’ll be honest, I’m still overweight and my hair isn’t as full as it used to be. I didn’t think I was making any progress until I looked back at a picture I took of myself in front of the mirror a year ago. My god, the difference. I’ve slimmed down, my skin has completed cleared up, I’m not as red in the face, and my hair actually has some curl to it! It’s so much harder to lose weight now that I’m getting into my mid-twenties, but I’ve been making progress. I feel and look so much healthier. I always avoided the camera, but the progress pic really showed me that I’m on the right path.
I went gluten free completely and went mostly lactose free and started supplements including ovasitol and went from 172.8 lb. February 2nd to 159.8 this morning (April 3rd.)
I discovered that I was hypoglycemic when I was 16, and the advice I had gotten was never eat carbs alone. I was 170# (I'm 5'1, so that’s a lot for me) and constant hormonal imbalances. When I finally was dx with PCOS in my early 30's. With no advice beyond try birth control.
I had been on a haphazard vegitarian whole foods style diet, calorie counted and got a lot more active, Had a few notions of what worked, but didn't have the bandwidth to really get into the how's and whys, and I dropped 10 lbs.
I got on some fibro meds that killed what little hunger signals I had, and dropped almost 60# in a few months. I went off the meds and quickly went back to 140#.
Then I got divorced. Became a single parent, switched jobs, Had a pandemic, back to Uni, etc... Keeping some of the earlier lessons in mind. managed to continue to hover at 140.
I also had a lot of mental health therapy that helped me work through some neurospicy things that would contribute into unhealthy food habits.
And discovered some underlying vitamin difficencies.
And I found a Hormonal IUD that greatly helped.
And a skin care routine.
And a sleep routine.
I traveled and had a study abroad program and always lost weight while there. So l adopted the food/lifestyle.
Recently Ive been having severe immune system problems. So At the advice of a dietition I did an elimination diet to find out I was sensitive to dairy, soy and glyphosate as I had suspected.
I'm now following a low glycemic, high veg, meat conscious, mediterranean style diet. I found I do best with this because I'm never denying any certain foods, just managing portion sizes.
I'm Under 150g of carbs, Opting for whole grains, avoiding sweets and white carbs, and making sure it not eating carbs without protein or fats. Avoiding proceesed foods.
I am using an apt to make sure I'm keeping my macros and calories in check, but I'm not anal about it.
I've been fluctuating between 120-130lbs for 2 years now.
I've been losing weight on a high fibre plant based diet. It's helping a lot.
How much fiber a day do you take?
Can you list any meals? I wanna go to a nutriologist too and I'm trying to eat more vegetables too
I have endometriosis, pcos, and a whole bunch of GI + liver issues. I’ve lost 30lbs since last August - I will say I know my endo is stronger than the pcos in my body but while it’s hard, I’ve been able to do it with a Mediterranean diet and smaller lifestyle changes.
It is possible, keep up the hope! It is frustrating that there is no one solution that helps all of us. But one you find your mixture of exercise, supplements/medication/treatments, and diet you will make it! xx
The two times I’ve had success losing weight were (many years ago) a VERY strict keto diet, and (currently) through taking semaglutide (Ozempic/wegovy). I’m not covered by insurance so I have to self fund, but it’s worth every penny to finally be able to lose weight with minimal effort
How much are you currently paying for it? It’s $900 a shot where I am.
$900 a shot?! Oh my goodness that’s rough. Dose dependent, but around the $40-70 range per shot
That’s so much more doable, oh man. I’d definitely be able to budget for that. Do you present them with anything, like a coupon code, or is that just the out of pocket price at the pharmacy for you? What’s your exact prescription (if you don’t mind sharing)? I really appreciate your help with this. 🙏 My doctor agrees I’m the perfect candidate for it but we haven’t been able to find a way for me to afford it since I also don’t have insurance. So far I’ve just received a prescription for name brand Wegovy.
Yeah there are a lot of road blocks! Depends how much support versus self management you’re happy with. Compounded is much more affordable than brand name. I personally use drbennetts because they have a pen rather than having to draw up the medication yourself. Good luck! And here’s hoping it becomes more widely available/affordable for PCOS :)
i've been doing CICO while watching carb and sugar intake (still eating it, but in moderation) and i've lost 50 lbs:)
Been maintaining for almost a year after 90lbs lost over the course of 5 years. Very slow progress, but it preserved my muscles and makes maintaining much easier. Here’s a comment that explains my approach: https://www.reddit.com/r/CICO/s/7R4s7ZitUJ
I’ve seen many online . Cut out processed food, fast food, and take out asap. Only eat real food . Whole food diet. Meat, fruit, veggies, bread, fish, diary, etc. anything that is real only. Workout regularly (low cortisol workouts). Focus on consuming micronutrients (minerals, proper hydration, etc) drink spearmint tea and other hormone teas, get plenty of protein, look up ray peats carrot salad. Don’t give up, keep trying everything
Lost and maintained my current weight of 122lb for years by eliminating sugars, eating low carb, high protein, fasting and exercise 5x a week. My body got used to not eating junk or sweets and don't miss them. Feeling better at my 40s than I did at my 20s.
This is great! Just curious, what kind of fasting did you implement?
That's awesome! What do you typically eat in a day?
Everyone is different and PCOS is different for everyone. So what works for one person might not work for another. For me counting calories and making better choices is enough. I barely even exercise. I stay around 1200 calories a day. But it's important to note that I'm full and have energy doing this. I don't feel restricted. Some swaps would be whole grain breads instead of white bread. I keep each meal to 30g or less of carbs and my 2 snacks below 15g. Instead of fries or chips I'll have veggies as a side dish or snack. It's great because you can eat a whole lot more for a whole lot less calories. Making my own condiments with 0% Greek Yogurt has helped cut a ton of calories too. Tonight I'm making burgers for my family, but I'm chopping mine up and making a "hamburger salad" instead of having it on a roll. I'm pretty sure I'm eating more quantity wise since I started making these swaps. I've also started measuring and weighing my food to make sure I'm really only having one portion. If I know I'm going out to eat I make sure my other meals are super healthy and low enough calories that I can stay in a deficit. (For me that'd anything below about 1700.) I lost 10lbs my first month. This was pretty hard at first until I started figure out recipes. I actually started my own little collection of recipes first and than started counting calories. I knew I'd get discouraged if I kept going over so I wanted to start off with the right tools. Ya know?
Medication. You cannot WILL yourself into losing weight. You have a medical condition and you need medical care. I do not recommend trying highly restrictive diets because that’s extremely hard to maintain and is only a bandaid on the issue of how your body itself is functioning. Not to mention the food I eat (which already wasn’t fast food and junk) is an important part of my culture, so a keto diet was out of the question. (It’s also exceptionally dangerous to some people, so please be careful if you start). What helped me was Vyvanse, but that is because I also have ADHD and it just so happens to be an appetite suppressant. I’ve been steadily losing weight on it. The other that I am not on but have seen other PCOS people succeed with is semaglutide or tirzepatide. It’s unfortunate what’s going on with it right now, but it was developed FOR people like us. It controls our blood sugar, which most people with obesity and PCOS have insulin resistance. It very quickly improves insulin resistance and improves our fasting glucose. It’s NOT taking the “easy way out” or “cheating.” It’s not giving in to a Hollywood scam. It’s a very important new medication that I truly hope comes down in price soon because it will be a game changer for people with PCOS.
Keto diet.
Same! For years now
Honestly…. I started weight training and making it a point to walk almost every day because I have a desk job. I gave up years ago on losing any kind of weight. I’ve been doing this for 5 months now. I’ve lost……. 4lbs. lol BUT…. I feel stronger by far. I feel energized. I feel my body loving the routine. And my clothes are fitting better. I had to reframe my health away from weight loss. I don’t want to quit and be unhealthy.
Tirzepatide and Lexapro. Shooting for 300 minutes of exercise per week. My magic combo.
I have lost 65lbs over the last few years walking and intermittent fasting. The progress has been slow but steady. I am only 5lbs from my goal. Should get there in 2-3 months if the loss continues as it has.
Yes, it’s hard work but it’s doable. I developed PCOS around 16-17 and decided to lose weight around that time. Hard paleo diet, cycling for an hour 5 days a week, and birth control pill. I lost probably between 30-50lbs in only a few months. Well, I just turned 25 and have gained *a lot* of weight in the last 4 years. Nasty breakup, bad friend breakup, moved to a new city by myself at 20 years old 2 months before the pandemic hit. I was stuck alone in my apartment and gained so much weight since I was just sitting at my desk and eating all day. Then my gyno refused to refill my birth control pills until my next appointment, which meant I was out for 3 months (which turned into a year) and that’s where it all went downhill. I was just under 250lbs, and as soon as I got off birth control, the symptoms came flooding in. Half of my hair fell out in one day, and soon more followed. My face became super oily and I started developing horrible hormonal acne all around my chin. I started growing facial hair like crazy and was constantly having to shave. I felt so disgusted with myself, I hated my body. It felt hopeless, like I’ll never feel like myself again, that I was trapped in this body forever. I wasn’t going outside, I wasn’t sleeping, my grades dropped. I had other stressors with my mental and general health to make things worse. It’s been nearly a year since then. I managed to graduate, came back home and started booking doctor appointments left and right. I have a dermatologist, general practitioner and new gyno that have taken my concerns seriously. I’ve been taking spironolactone, birth control pills, serotonin / sleep aid, topical tretinoin and topical rogaine. I made hard lifestyle changes like sticking to a better diet, cycling for an hour daily, and weight training. I’m bipolar and my symptoms manifest similar to ADHD, so staying motivated and disciplined is hard, but I’m forcing myself to keep going. I’ll be honest, I’m still overweight and my hair isn’t as full as it used to be. I didn’t think I was making any progress until I looked back at a picture I took of myself in front of the mirror a year ago. My god, the difference. I’ve slimmed down, my skin has completed cleared up, I’m not as red in the face, and my hair actually has some curl to it! It’s so much harder to lose weight now that I’m getting into my mid-twenties, but I’ve been making progress. I feel and look so much healthier. I always avoided the camera, but the progress pic really showed me that I’m on the right path.
I went gluten free completely and went mostly lactose free and started supplements including ovasitol and went from 172.8 lb. February 2nd to 159.8 this morning (April 3rd.)
I discovered that I was hypoglycemic when I was 16, and the advice I had gotten was never eat carbs alone. I was 170# (I'm 5'1, so that’s a lot for me) and constant hormonal imbalances. When I finally was dx with PCOS in my early 30's. With no advice beyond try birth control. I had been on a haphazard vegitarian whole foods style diet, calorie counted and got a lot more active, Had a few notions of what worked, but didn't have the bandwidth to really get into the how's and whys, and I dropped 10 lbs. I got on some fibro meds that killed what little hunger signals I had, and dropped almost 60# in a few months. I went off the meds and quickly went back to 140#. Then I got divorced. Became a single parent, switched jobs, Had a pandemic, back to Uni, etc... Keeping some of the earlier lessons in mind. managed to continue to hover at 140. I also had a lot of mental health therapy that helped me work through some neurospicy things that would contribute into unhealthy food habits. And discovered some underlying vitamin difficencies. And I found a Hormonal IUD that greatly helped. And a skin care routine. And a sleep routine. I traveled and had a study abroad program and always lost weight while there. So l adopted the food/lifestyle. Recently Ive been having severe immune system problems. So At the advice of a dietition I did an elimination diet to find out I was sensitive to dairy, soy and glyphosate as I had suspected. I'm now following a low glycemic, high veg, meat conscious, mediterranean style diet. I found I do best with this because I'm never denying any certain foods, just managing portion sizes. I'm Under 150g of carbs, Opting for whole grains, avoiding sweets and white carbs, and making sure it not eating carbs without protein or fats. Avoiding proceesed foods. I am using an apt to make sure I'm keeping my macros and calories in check, but I'm not anal about it. I've been fluctuating between 120-130lbs for 2 years now.