Has anyone managed to lose weight with PCOS?

[Avelandra]

Recently diagnosed with insulin resistant PCOS and I’m really struggling with what to eat. I could do with losing 3 or 4 stone really. I am already trying by doing low ish carb and high protein/fat etc but it’s just not shifting

A typical day would be -
Small protein shake for breakfast and a yoghurt
Chicken and steamed veg for lunch
Protein bar if I’m hungry or having a late tea
Steak and more veg/chicken and veg for tea

I weigh and track everything meticulously so I know my portion sizes are correct, and I count calories. I do 15 minutes brisk walk on the treadmill every day, and 3 days a week I do C25K. I also walk the dog twice a day

I’ve been doing so much reading about what I should/shouldn’t eat or drink and I just don’t know where to start

I have PCOS too and am currently starting week 4 of eating low carb / high fat. I haven’t weighed myself as I don’t want to get hung up on numbers, but I definitely feel like I have lost weight - my face looks much slimmer and I am fitting back into clothes I had previously grown out of. My acne has also cleared up which has been a huge difference already.

Your sample day doesn’t seem particularly high in fat - instead of steamed veg at lunch i’d stir fry the veg in coconut oil or melt lots of butter over them.

Also what’s in the protein shake / protein bar? Artificial sweeteners should be avoided - focus on natural whole foods. Eggs cooked in butter, Brazil nuts, cheeses, fatty meats e.g chicken thighs, chorizo etc. Hard boiled eggs, almond butter, berries with cream, salad dressings made with full fat mayo / sour cream, oily fish etc

Fat is what stops us feeling hungry - don’t be scared of it. A typical day for me looks something like:

B: Brazil nuts, almonds, piece of cheese, coffee with cream
L: two eggs scrambled in butter with chorizo, cheese and mushrooms
Dinner: pork belly, green veg cooked in butter. strawberries and cream

I don’t feel hungry at all and feel like I’m heading in the right direction.

It’s bloody hard OP but is possible—have PCOS too and when I crunch the numbers I should be losing weight far faster than I am! But it is so so worth it—my PCOS symptoms have lessened so much after I’ve lost around 2 storm. Have loads more to go, and has been a battle, but really go for it and know it’s worht it.

I eat a tonne of protein, the only thing that makes me feel full.

I lost4stones by just cutting out bread potatoes pasta rice and milk x
And only drinking green tea or water and I have very severe pcos x

Yes, I am currently 31 lb down since beginning of August, losing approx 2lb a week with a few better weeks.

I have cut right down on bread, potatoes, rice and pasta. No chocolate , cake or sweets and reduced my fruit intake, if I have fruit now it's berries.

Typical day is about 1200 calories. I don't eat breakfast but never have, I just don't fancy food in the morning. I stop eating after dinner, no evening snacks at all, reading up on diabetes the idea of Intermittent Fasting is widely accepted as a positive move to regulate insulin.

I eat a lot though, I cannot stick to a diet if I'm hungry, so for me it's important to find low calorie options that I like and that fill me up.

Lunch - I WFH so have access to a kitchen which makes it easier. I cook a combination of whichever of these I have in asparagus, mushrooms, green beans, sugar snap peas, baby sweetcorn. A cup of mushrooms is 20 cals so you really can cook loads of veg. I just steam it in the microwave, then drain, add seasoning, a teaspoon of real butter, 3 slices of wafer thin chicken or ham cut into strips (27 cals) and some thinly sliced spring onions or chillis for freshness. The whole big plateful comes in under 200 cals and keeps me going till dinner.

Dinner - because lunch is so low cal, I can pretty much have what I want within reason. I tend to go with meat and veg but do t worry about the meat being lean. Fat is good, it fills you up, makes you feel satiated and helps your body to regulate insulin. I had chicken stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon with roasted broccoli and carrots last night.

Snacks - if I need a snack I tend to go with high fat, high protein options. Boiled egg, pepperami, cheese string, peanut butter or cream cheese and celery, nuts (weigh them, a surprisingly small amount in a 30g serving and very calorific), chunks of chicken or beef with a touch of mustard.

A medium egg is about 90 calories, full of protein and good fats and filling. You can make an omelette or scrambled eggs with onions, peppers, mushrooms, chilli..... and 2 eggs for about 250 calories that will keep you going from one meal to the next without feeling hungry.

I have also found I need to do exercise to keep the weight loss going. I do at least 3x30 mins a week. A mix of C25K, couch to fitness through the Our Parks website and running round the park with DD. On the days I'm not doing a 30 min workout I still try to get at least 7000 steps in a day.

Most of us have a preconceived idea that we must eat breakfast lunch and dinner or we might die. Have you tried not eating as much ? Perhaps only eating when grelin strikes (hunger hormone) as this is what low carb diets like keto force you to do (which is best for people with pcos like myself) try some fasting with low carb. I have been strict keto and fast for 6 months and lost 30kg right now I’m going as slow and steady as I can in order to maintain I have another 10kg till my goal. Watch dr Jason fung on YouTube this will help you to understand better as the idea of calorie restricting has plagued me for many years but I never managed to keep the weight off until now. Calories do not exist in the way in which we think it does. The body does not have a measuring scale inside nor does it understand the idea of burning calories or consuming calories. Just as we know 100 calories of veg is not the same as 100 calories of chocolate. I hope this can help you rethink what we have always been told was the truth.