My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Join the chat on our Weight Loss forum.

Weight loss chat

New Low

4 replies

abc123abc123 · 28/11/2013 11:28

I have PCOS and I'm overweight. I've tried to lose weight and sustained efforts alongside running have provided me with very little in the way of weight loss. It's so demotivating. I've discussed insulin resistance with my gynae, but she doesn't really seem too concerned because I'm not TTC. I spoke to my GP and she wanted me to talk to the gynae because of how it relates to PCOS. Today, in a desperate moment I found myself attempting to buy metaformin online, because I believe that my difficulty losing weight is linked to insulin resistance. I was rejected, which is no doubt a good thing since I've not been prescribed it and no one would be monitoring me, but I feel like such an idiot (hence the new ID Blush ).

I'm not sure what I want to achieve by posting.

Am I being silly? Do I have a point? We have private health care through DH work, perhaps a more sensible approach would be to ask my GP for help and if she says no, ask if she'd be willing to refer me for private assessment?

OP posts:
Report
MillyRules · 28/11/2013 11:52

Hi, insulin resistance can be controlled by loer carb eating I believe. No need for drugs.

Report
Peekska · 28/11/2013 11:54

Have a look on the Low Carb diets thread - and you'll see a thread called the Insulin Resistance diet. I've been lurking on it, bought the book and am finally losing weight without feeling deprived.

Report
abc123abc123 · 28/11/2013 13:20

Thank you for replying. That is a diet I had considered in the past, but opted instead to eat normally and calorie count with myfitnesspal. I cook our meals from scratch so wanted to eat what the family eat and not stand out to the children. I've looked at what others have eaten on it and it's not a huge stretch and doable, still some carbs. Having tried and tested the calorie count (which I rarely felt hungry or restricted on) I need to try something else, because doing nothing isn't helping.

I've ordered the book off Amazon and I'll give it a go.

OP posts:
Report
ColdFeetWarmHeart · 29/11/2013 02:46

Hi abc. I also have PCOS and am currently taking metformin. I was originally put on it whilst trying to conceive. I was prescribed it by a GP at my practice, though it may have helped that he specialised in Diabetes and had perhaps read studies on the effect metformin can have on PCOS.
I stopped taking metformin while pregnant but was re-prescribed it when my daughter was about 7 months old. I went back to my GP as many of my symptoms came back with a vengeance a few weeks after I stopped breastfeeding (EXTREMELY bad mood swings [like wanting to scream for no clear reason], night sweats, insane hunger, tiredness, sugar cravings, brain fogginess.....). My GP has told me that he thinks I should remain on metformin between pregnancies.
Perhaps see GP again and see what they say? I discussed my actual blood sugar levels with my GP as well. They would only send me for a basic blood test, but I performed a Glucose Tolerance Test myself at home. This showed that although my blood sugars were not that of a diabetic, they were not normal either (what some would term as pre-diabetic or insulin resistant).
See GP again and ask for metformin or further tests. See another GP at your surgery if that is possible or ask for a referral to a specialist. Not many dr's know a great deal about PCOS, and many refuse to entertain the idea of metformin being a treatment for it.

By the way - metformin is not an instant cure. I wouldn't be without it as it treats so many of my symptoms, and does so almost immediately. I can function normally again! But on it's own, it hasn't made me lose weight (not that I was expecting to). I am still at least 5 stone overweight, and desperately need to start religiously counting calories again. However metformin does make it easier as I am not as hungry as I was before, and have MUCH fewer cravings to deal with!!

I'm not sure if you already do it, but get some regular exercise. In the past I have found that I can only lose weight if I exercise daily (doesn't have to be much - I climb up and down off of an aerobics step for about 30 mins whilst watching tv). Obviously this is in combination with the lower calorie diet, either one alone doesn't work. If you have a quick google you will see that there have been a few studies that show exercise improves your cells sensitivity to insulin.

If you don't already, keep a food and exercise diary. This might help to show you if all carbs are bad for you, or just the high GI ones. But it is also something that you can show your GP if you still aren't getting anywhere on your own. They then might refer you to a dietitian.

BTW - are you in the UK?

Report
Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.