Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

General health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

If you are slim and have PCOS and/or insulin resistance would you mind stepping this way?

71 replies

YesVeryGoodVeryStrong · 27/09/2017 17:43

Posting in here rather than health for traffic.

Went to see my GP about possible PCOS, but she didn't think it was worth pursuing/finding out whether I have it or not because I'm not trying to conceive. She also said that I can't be insulin resistant because I am not overweight. But I am sure I have read about people that are normal weight and insulin resistant. Maybe I am getting this mixed up. Would appreciate any advice from anyone with PCOS or insulin resistance or both.

OP posts:
YesVeryGoodVeryStrong · 28/09/2017 10:47

Yes Cover I'm not 100% sold on the idea of going on the pill either.

OP posts:
Maudlinmaud · 28/09/2017 10:57

I have and I'm a skinny person. It was diagnosed via bloods after my last pregnancy when my periods hadn't returned and I was finding it tough to shake the baby weight (I was at the highest point of my bmi then but still within the normal weight category) I find that my leg hair grows thick and fast despite waxing and I suffer with hormonal acne at times.
Gp put me on the pill to try and regulate my periods, that helped and the weight dropped off me. Then because of my history of migraines another Gp took me off it. I really can't say it effects me greatly, I've finished my family but maybe if I was trying to conceive it would.

GinSoakedBarroomQueen · 28/09/2017 12:34

She also said that I can't be insulin resistant because I am not overweight

What tosh.

Read 'The 8 week blood sugar diet' by Dr Michael Mosley and/or 'Sugar the Bitter Truth' by Dr Robert Lustig, and they will both quote a gazillion studies that show you can be slim but still be insulin resistant, pre-diabetic or have type 2 diabetes.

Your GP doesn't know what she's talking about, but to be fair GPs do very little, if any, nutritional training as part of their medical training.

The NHS are still pushing low fat and carby diets to type 2 diabetics. Type 2 diabetics in hospital are still offered white-bread toast with jam or cereal like cornflakes for their breakfast.

PETRONELLAS · 28/09/2017 12:38

About twenty years ago a colleague caje back from seeing a fertility specialist. She was very slim but had a rounded face and the specialist diagnosed PCOS from liking around her neck/chin(s). I've often wondered how much truth there is in it!

PETRONELLAS · 28/09/2017 12:39

Not liking-looking

GinSoakedBarroomQueen · 28/09/2017 12:40

Just to add to the above.

I had a diagnosis of PCOS around ten years ago. The NHS offered very little in way of support so I did all my own research and reading. I switched to a Mediterranean style low GI diet, very similar to that in 8 week blood sugar diet book actually. I recently had an ultrasound and there were no longer any cysts on my ovaries. My bloods showed excellent blood sugar and lipid levels, all in the healthy range. In effect, I no longer have any signs or symptoms from PCOS and I don't have insulin resistance anymore. Oh and I also lost a ton of weight.

sunseptember · 28/09/2017 12:51

gin thats so heartening to hear - thats amazing, can I ask if you eat any carbs at all please? or cakes at all etc...

CoverYourEarsTeam · 28/09/2017 13:04

I was determined @YesVeryGoodVeryStrong not to go on the pill, but also waned regular periods. I found being slightly underweight worked for me - spent a lot of my late 20s and then 30s around the early 50kg mark (not sure what that is is stone). It worked.
In my research, PCOS women are designed to operate well in a famine - we are the ones whose bodies function when everyone is starving. The 21st century, Western diet of comfort and excess is not good for us - we're meant to eat poor food, and not often. I think of it as a positive thing - luckily, I like lentils and split peas Grin.
Interestingly, I read the other day that PCOS women are much more likely to have sons. Won't be true for everyone, obvs. But I have 2, and Victoria Beckham has 3 (that might be all we have in common GrinGrin).

GinSoakedBarroomQueen · 28/09/2017 13:43

sunseptember very rarely these days, but yes I do occasionally. I stick to fairly low calories most days, similar to coveryourears but because I eat quite fatty, high-fibre protein-y things I'm never hungry or craving anything.

If I go for a meal out, then I'll have rice or potatoes or whatever I fancy. I also drink wine at weekends. But at home day to day I don't tend to eat potatoes, rice, bread, pasta or sugar, and I don't tend to snack. I've got used to it now and it's become a normal way of eating.

GinSoakedBarroomQueen · 28/09/2017 13:45

Sorry, by fatty I mean things like eggs, olive oil, avocados, fish, nuts etc. Not burgers and so on Grin

sunseptember · 28/09/2017 13:48

Thanks Gin, how long on your your diet/new way of eating did it take for you to see and notice results please

sunseptember · 28/09/2017 13:49

we're meant to eat poor food, and not often. I think of it as a positive thing - luckily, I like lentils and split peas

I adore soup mixes with lentils, grains/pearl barley split peas but I dont think we are supposed to eat them. Sad too carby?

GinSoakedBarroomQueen · 28/09/2017 14:00

sunseptember I lost weight really rapidly. I think I had lost something like 10 lb in the first two weeks. And I reached the top of my recommended healthy weight range in two months. It took another month to reach a healthy waist size, but I had a massive waist and needed to lose loads there. I think I lost around 11 or 12 inches off my waist in about 3 months.

That was few years ago and I've kept up that way of eating with a bit of tinkering as I did more reading, except I increased how much I ate once I reached a healthy waist size. I had the ultrasound a couple of months ago that showed no cysts on my ovaries, and I had the blood tests just last month that showed healthy cholesterol, blood sugar and so on.

The closest thing to what I did is Dr Michael Mosley's 8 week blood sugar diet. I'd recommend it to anyone with PCOS, fat or thin. The recipes in there are pretty much how I eat now, but just bigger portions as I want to maintain rather than lose weight.

GinSoakedBarroomQueen · 28/09/2017 14:02

By the way, you're fine to eat lentils.

GinSoakedBarroomQueen · 28/09/2017 14:06

Here's a good summary:

Mediterranean diet:
Firstly, cut right down on sugar, sugary treats, drinks and desserts. No more than once or twice a week and preferably less.

Minimise or avoid the starchy “white stuff”: bread, pasta, potatoes, rice. Be wary of “brown” alternatives: the extra fibre can be negligible. Brown rice is OK, but some wholemeal breads have added sugar. Switch instead to quinoa, bulgur (cracked wheat), whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice and buck wheat. Avoid cous cous as it's very starchy. Legumes, such as lentils and kidney beans, are healthy and filling.

Avoid most breakfast cereals: they are usually full of sugar, even the ones that contain bran. Oats are good as long as they are not the instant sort - choose steel cut oats. Full-fat yoghurt is also good. Add berries, like blackberries, strawberries or blueberries, for flavour. Or a sprinkling of nuts. Start the day with eggs: boiled, poached, scrambled or as an omelette – they’ll keep you fuller for longer than cereal or toast. Delicious with smoked salmon, mushrooms and a sprinkle of chilli.

Snack on nuts: they are a great source of protein and fibre. Try to avoid salted or sweetened nuts, which can be moreish.

Eat more healthy fats and oils. Along with oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel), consume more olive oil. A splash makes vegetables taste better and improves the absorption of vitamins. Use olive, rapeseed or coconut oil for cooking. Avoid margarine and use butter instead. Cheese in moderation is fine.

High-quality proteins to wolf down include: oily fish, prawns, chicken, turkey, pork, beef and, of course, eggs. Other protein-rich foods: soya, edamame beans, Quorn, hummus.

Processed meats (bacon, salami, sausages) should be eaten only a few times a week.

Eat plenty of different coloured veg (from dark leafy greens to bright-red and yellow peppers. Add sauces and flavouring – lemon, butter or olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, chilli, gravy.

Avoid too many sweet fruits. Berries, apples or pears are fine, but sweet tropical fruits such as mango, pineapple, melon, grapes and bananas are full of sugar. Limit fruit to one or two pieces a day. Have a drink, but not too many. No more than one to two units a day (a small glass of wine or shot of spirits is 1.5 units) and cut back on beer – it’s rich in carbs, which is why it’s known as “liquid toast”.

YesVeryGoodVeryStrong · 28/09/2017 15:37

Thanks for all that Gin. V comprehensive! I will check out the Michael Mosley book.

OP posts:
minipie · 28/09/2017 16:03

That sounds a lot like how I ate to control my GD Gin. As you say the key is avoiding high GI starch and upping the good fats and protein. Also, eating little and often was key to avoid blood sugar spikes - so, small meals, 3 a day, with a handful of nuts or other low GI snack between meals.

YesVeryGoodVeryStrong · 28/09/2017 20:50

That's interesting Cover.

V irritating that most of you have had to do your own research/investigating.

OP posts:
CoverYourEarsTeam · 28/09/2017 21:36

Yes, yes to all @GinSoakedBarroomQueen says. I must look into Michael Mosley's diet - I have been a little lax as I hit my mid40s Wink.
I'm in Australia - what is known as the CSIRO diet here is very similar. Low on carbs, especially white bread type ones, high on low-GI food.

sunseptember · 28/09/2017 21:40

Thanks you gin, really inspiring... I did loose lots doing something similar but hard to keep at it, had close personal loss, am going to get the geek yoghurt again

I really enjoyed that with nuts and berries on top

sunseptember · 28/09/2017 21:42

What I love at the moment is a quick cook waitrose soup grain mix, lentil, split pea, pearl barley and something else but I imagine it's carby. It's wondeful with turmeric, lemon, garlic and parsley, topped with feta cheese.

Strokethefurrywall · 28/09/2017 22:10

I had PCOS and I'm slim - I have private healthcare and my OBGYN diagnosed when I was having intermittent bleeds during my cycle. I probably had about 8 on each.

Not thinking much of it (I wasn't TTC but also had weak cervix so figured I'd struggle anyway), a few months later I decided to start doing alternate day fasting and then a whole30 of cutting out all sugar/processed carbs/alcohol etc etc. Went back for a check up, all but 2 cysts had gone.

I actually continued on with the way of eating anyway and don't consume much sugar and have lost more weight but my PCOS has never reared its head and it didn't stop me falling pregnant either.

I highly recommend Michael Moseley's book/TV program. I currently fast 18-19 hours each day and feel fantastic. I basically follow the 18:6 protocol most days (for health rather than weight loss) and feel brilliant.

sunseptember · 28/09/2017 22:19

So you still alternate fast and or eat within 4, 6 hour window

bananafish81 · 28/09/2017 22:50

I have slim PCOS

I'm PCOS but underweight

The diagnostic criteria for PCOS are the Rotterdam criteria - to have PCOS you have to have at least 2/3 of the following

  1. Irregular or absent ovulation
  2. Clinical or biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism (ie outward signs of excess testosterone like acne or facial hair and / or elevated androgen levels on blood test)
  3. Polycystic ovaries on ultrasound

Insulin resistance and being overweight is often associated with classic PCOS but it's not diagnostic

PCOS is fundamentally an endocrine disorder, so even if you're not insulin resistant, the ovaries may be insulin sensitive

I was put on metformin as part of my fertility treatment, even though I'm not formally insulin resistant

It's dundams

bananafish81 · 28/09/2017 22:51

When I was diagnosed the consultant said 'I know what you're going to say, you're going to say you can't have PCOS because you're not fat and hairy, but it's a myth that you can't be slim and have PCOS - lean PCOS is less common but not unusual'

The GP I saw then said they'd never heard of lean PCOS!!!

Swipe left for the next trending thread