Weight loss with PCOS and Insulin

Hi, I haven't got any advice for you, but I feel your pain. I too have PCOS and am type 2. Losing weight is **** near impossible. The only way I ever lose weight is exercising at least 4 times a week. But keeping that up is impossible when you work & have a family. Good luck and let us know how you get on

TrinMonroe said:

I have PCOS and im Type 2 diabetic and i take insulin twice a day.
I take 70 units of insulin before breakfast....70 units before my evening meal.
I also take a 500mg Metformin, slow release as i can not tolerate tablets as they cause bad stomach upsets.

I have been on a healthy living plan (nice way of saying diet lol) for a while and this week i have been on a no carb, wheat, gluten, sugar, fat, processed foods etc detox....exercising every day. (The Body Rescue Plan)
They advise to weigh after 4 weeks but i couldnt resist the temptation of seeing if i had lost any weight in this first week for a little encouragement, only to find i have not lost a single pound.
My partner is also on the same detox and he has lost about 10 pounds.

I know my pcos plays havoc with my hormones and effects my insulin levels and i am going to see my doctor and diabetic nurse on Monday to discuss coming off insulin or at least lowering it or trying new meds but i was wondering if anyone has any advice they can offer me regarding losing weight or trying a new medication as right now i feel very despondent.

I will persevere with this detox as the no carbs have bought my sugar levels right down and i do feel better in myself but its just so discouraging not to lose any weight at all.

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I've always had issues losing weight but since taking medication for under active thyroid and eating low carb full fat I've managed to lose at least 2.5 stone since last August. I know that @Brunneria has PCOS so may be able to advise.

I've had PCOS for quite a long time, and I've been on a rollercoaster of weight loss and gain depending on whether I was keeping to a low carb diet or going mad with high carbs and high fat (the worst combination). I've never been on insulin, though, and I'm aware that amongst other things, it is a weight-gain hormone (but that includes muscle as well as fat gain) - so it is even harder.

My advice is to persevere and keep to your programme for the prescribed 4 weeks, as long as your BG is fine, and then not just weigh yourself but also check your waist measurement and clothes size. After all, with healthy nutrition you could be putting on more muscle but shedding fat, which is the best possible thing. How much do you want to lose? If it's not a lot, it will come off slowly, anyway.

Regarding your partner, it's unfortunate for us women that men have a much easier time when it comes to losing fat. The reason is their larger muscles, which keep their metabolisms high enough to burn fat fast, as soon as they start eating more cleanly. The answer, of course, is for us to strengthen our muscles too, and fire up our metabolism! (This is more for me than you, LOL)
Good luck!

Hi, and thanks for the tag @Daphne917

Yes, I have PCOS and other hormone nonsense going on.

Like most of us with PCOS I've been battling weight (yoyo and diff diets) most of my adult life.

Unlike most people who go low carb, I don't get instant, significant weight loss.
What I do get is relief from reactive hypoglycaemia, high blood glucose, better sleep, sharper brain and memory, and after a week or so, relief from joint inflammation. Weight loss is sporadic and very slow. I lost 19 lbs in 8 months, but have plateaued for the last 8 months.

My advice is carry on with your detox, see how it goes, and expect a fraction of the weight loss your partner gets. - but keep an eye out for other stuff - better energy levels, better sleep, more comfortable muscles, brighter eyes, better concentration... The benefits can be delightful.

After all this time I am accepting of staying fat forever. Happy about it? No. But definitely accepting. And I would MUCH rather stay this size than live the shrink-expand-diet-binge lifestyle so many of us endure. If weight loss happens, I appreciate it, but I don't try for it any more. Too many previous disappointments.

Also, I will never again accept the awful tiredness, lethargy, fatigue, achey, never feeling refreshed ness that comes from my eating carbs. But I don't know if that comes from the PCOS, the insulin resistance, the T2, or my other hormone stuff. I just know that a ketogenic diet (less than 50g carbs a day) makes me feel so well that I consider it a lifestyle, not a diet.

May I suggest you have a look at Diane Cress' Diabetes Miracle book? She outlines an excellent low carb intro program, lasting 8 weeks. Very sustainable, comparatively easy, and you may find transitioning onto it is helpful after your detox. Although when I tried it, I lost no weight at all, it was marvellous for stabilising blood glucose. I didn't have a single BG reading above 7mmol/l for the entire 8 weeks. Did me a power of good.

I wish I could 'like' your post multiple times.

Dare i ask how much Mr Monroe has lost in the same time?

I ask because sometimes i need a wee reminder of how unfair life can be. Sorry.

TrinMonroe said:

He has lost just over a stone...yes very very unfair...grrrrrrr at men LOL

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Excuse my ignorance but what is PCOS?

Polycystic ovarian syndrome