Hi as you know I am new here. I was diagnosed a few months ago with PCOS w/insulin resistance. I only found out I had this because me and my husband have been trying to have a baby for about a year and a half. The fix to the problem is to get my weight under control. Well my body is working against me because with the insulin and hormone problems make me feel tired all the time. Anyway I have lost some I weighed 281 when I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with this in May and now I am 263. This is my problem I am doing the same things that I did to lose that 18 lbs but nothing is happening. So that is why I am here. Losing weight is sooo important because we want to have a baby and me losing weight and getting hormones and all back in line is what that is going to take. So I thought I would give the forum a shot. Thinking maybe it will help me stay motivated and give me different ideas on how to eat and exercise. So can wait to post with you guys.

Well Mandie sounds like you have all the motivation in the world to succeed.

Here are my tips for someone in your situation:

1. Because of your hormone levels and the predisposition to be tired, you might need to hold yourself accountable on a different level. Namely, a daily blog that details your exercise and your diet for the day.
2. Why do this? Because it helps all the people with significant knowledge on the topic when they can look at what you are doing. For example...your lack of weight loss can be attributed to a number of factors. But the bottom line is this: your calories burned throughout the day has come into line with what you are ingesting.
3. This means you'll need to either a) burn more calories through exercise and daily activity or b) eat less throughout the week.

Can't wait to hear more about your diet and exercise plans!

Michael

Just to add on what ExercisePhysio said about the blogging. It is also good to record your feelings, energy levels etc throughout the day. That way you can look back through the days and see that you ate (food) and you felt more energized throughout the day opposed to when you at (other food) and fely sluggish afterwards. The more energized you are the more work you can put into exercising and everything else. Try to gravitate towards the foods that make you feel good and keep you energized. It's easy to tell right after you've eaten something how it effected you but the next time it is an option you might choose it again because it tastes good...but if you see how it affected you the last few times you had it...you might choose something different (or that again if it made you feel good)

Just a suggestion.

You might ask your doctor about metformin, which will help normalize your insulin levels. I assume your thyroid and adrenal levels came back normal?

I am on metformin and I can feel a difference. Yes my thyroid and adrenal levels are fine he said. I started the November Challenge today here on the forums. My plans are to hit the gym 3 or 4 times a week for an hour and just watch my portion sizes and what time I eat.

Hi Mandie

I am a PCOS lady like you. I never managed to have children. I am 48 years old now.

Maybe things will turn out better for you. I really hope so.

The others are right. Set up a diary. That way you will have a better chance of meeting others in a similar situation. We are not the only PCOS ladies here. Natalie Jo and Abbagirl are also PCOS ladies. There may loads of others that I do not know about.

When my specialist first told about PCOS - he said "life is not fair for PCOS ladies". As I am sure you are aware - there are a lot of very serious health risks associated with PCOS. It also means that we put on weight particularly easily and find it particularly difficult to lose weight. Doctors tell us that the best thing we can do is to lose weight. They normally tell us this after telling us that it is extra difficult for us.

I have worked my way down from heavier than you to 187.6 today - all since February. It has been a hard job - but is certainly my best attempt to lose weight since I became a PCOS lady over 20 years ago.

I am sure that you appreciate how much I wish that I had been able to do this when I was younger and had many failed attempts to lose weight.

The main difference between this attempt and numerous others is that I now walk quite vast distances - but I built that up. My best advice to you is to be sensible with your food and get a pedometer. Wear it all the time and build up your walking. You may want to check out my Newbie thread from late September and my diary.

Good luck. We are fighting the same battle - and I am afraid that it is an uphill struggle. You still may get the big prize though.

Take care
Best wishes
Margaret

Hi Mandie,

Just wanted to welcome you to the forum. Start a diary and maybe join a challenge - there is a Christmas challenge coming up.

The best you can do is eat healthily and exercise regularly, then the rest is up to your body.

I've known lots of women with PCOS - and they all have a difficult time losing weight. But being consistent can only help us.

Good luck!

Wow! Nice to meet you guys. This PCOS is very hard. I have really bad days because me and my husband really want to have a child together and its hard because i know that this depends on me losing weight. Like you said losing weight is a extra hard battle for us. But, the thought of having a baby will keep me going!

I am also a PCOSer, and have been trying for a baby for 3.5 years now. No luck, it appears I don't ovulate. I am also having liver problems from all the excess insulin. The good news is after losing 20 lbs, I got a few natural periods, which I had not had in years.

I fully understand your goals, motivation and struggles. Best of luck to you!