Struggling to lose weight despite eating well and excercising :( PCOS

[shellmc]

I am 26 years old, i currently weigh 12st 6lb!
I am 5ft 6ins.
Going back to when i was 18 at my biggest i was 14st. I joined a local slimming world group and managed to shift from 14st down to 10st 12lb...was so proud of myself
Over these past few years, and after becoming pregnant with my DS the weight has started creeping back up.
My DS is 2 and half now, and i just cant get the weight back off!!

I will mention i have been referred by my GP these past 6 months as i had abnormal hormone results. I also have underactive thyroid and am currently on 75mcg. I have just been diagnosed it oct last year with PCOS. I was told PCOS can cause problems with weight loss, so at least all my effort going to slimming groups and gym wernt a waste ov time...there is a reason.

I have been taking Metformin since Oct to help with PCOS and doc did say i should start losing weight with them. Past few weeks i am eating nothing but protein, salads, fruit jacket potatoes, salmon low fat yoghurts and attending fitness class on a monday and workout at home when i can.....not a single lb off!! really getting me down now. Past few months iv tried slimming world again...rosemary connelly, 123 diet plan (cutting out carbs) ...whih i did lose 4lbs on. Now im at stand still, would love to get to 11st or even 11st 7.

Please help xx

Try low gi foods the key is to look at ways of keeping blood sugar levels stable which is why metformin helps. It is worth continuing but try different things to eat rather than what others find works for them aldo eat little and often so small meals this again helps regulayte blood sugar also only eat when hungrey not cos its a meal time

I have an underactive thyroid (100mcg thyroxine a day) and also PCOS....

I have had best success following lowish carb diet am now 8 10 the lightest I have ever been and have maintained now for around 9 months.

Don't eat jacket potatoes they are very high GI, and if you aren't loosing I'd suggest cutting out fruit as well for a few weeks to see if that helps (you can then gradually reintroduce starting with fruits lowest in sugar like berries). Each meal should be protein and non carby-veg and add some low gi carbs eg pulses as well. Yoghurts should be natural greek ones, as they are lower in sugar, but cottage cheese even better as lower gi that yoghurt. Also count calories as eat to overeat even with healthy foods.

You can then gradually reintroduce fruit, and carby veg (like butternut squash, parsnip, carrots and sweet potato) but not potatoes until you have lost the weight).

re: thyroxine, when did you have the last test and what was your TSH level?

Its so hard having pcos, to be honest i have found that since having the implant i have been able to lose weight on a diet, and i am no longer taking metformin! I was on it, they then took me off it cos it seemed not to help, then were going to put me back on it, but whilst waiting for a doctors appointment, i fell pregnant so they never did!

It can be so harsh not to lose weight, my sister is struggling too. She has an over active thyroid though, which should apparently make her really super skinny!

Thankyou ladies :)

I have recently heard that Low GI seems to be the diet to follow and i didnt even realise jacket Potatoes were high GI!! ...oooopps
gothicmama eating little and often is what i tend to do to be honest as i heard that this is best way to keep metabolism going.

foreveronadiet some really gud advice there. Thankyou. ts weird you say because when i lost the 4lb in a week it was on a low carb diet, i was basically eating meats, chicken, pork, bacon, turkey steaks ect, salads and peppers onions and mushrooms...but after a week i started getting bored...of the meat!!! I know if i try to experiment and have more time to plan ahead esp when taking meals to work for my lunch i could give the low carb diet a better shot. RE thyroxine. I had my bloods checked 1st week in Janurary. My levels were actually low and had to reduce my dose from 100mcg to 75mcg, getting rechecked end of march. Level was

Lunch at work - either I make pulses soup - veg and lentils, split peas and kidney beans and I add dried soya mince (or quorn mince) for extra protein, take in flask, or I have cottage cheese and tuna salad with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and pepper.

I have 2 egg omelette plus natural yoghurt (100g) with oatbran (10-20g) for breakfast, occasionally greek yoghurt with no added sugar muesli.

Lunch at home generally salad with tuna or mackeral or sardines (ie from a tin) or smoked salmon. Or pan fried fish (just cheap frozen haddock or similar) and salad or maybe fish with some broccoli / cauliflower (again love tesco value frozen).

Dinner is generally meat (generally poultry or lean beef) or quorn with veggies. Sometimes add chopped tomatoes, and if I want carbs (ie not always) add pulses or maybe quinoa or buckwheat (but small amounts eg 25g uncooked weight, 50g cooked weight)

This the way I want to eat for life now. Have days off the diet (like today) but comply most of the time.

thanks for the ideas foreveronadiet I think i cud follow that. Not sure about kidney beans, and dried soya mince but first time for everything ;)

You don't taste the kidney beans as all pureed together and the soya mince gives texture!

Roughly - 100g each of onions, carrots, sweet potato, any other veg!
100g dried weight lentils and split peas. Once cooked add tin kidney beans and puree. Add 25g dried weight soya mince and 75g boiling water and then 400ml soup.

Jacket spuds aren't completely out of the question though. If you combine them with something low GI such as baked beans it lowers the GI rating of the whole meal

Yes, its true that adding low gi foods to high ones lowers the gi of the whole meal. But if you are struggling with weight loss esp with pcos then best to stick to meals which mainly comprise only of lower GI foods. Baked beans might be lower GI but still have added sugar and are quite carby. If you want to eat jacket potato best to add some lean protein.