Ladies, I need your help! :)

[va_viv 3]

I was diagnosed with PCOS around May of this year after 5 years of not know what was happening with my body. I gained 80 lbs in less then 2 years (which felt like a snap of the fingers) and it continued going up and up. I was never overweight so gaining so fast and so much was definitely a shock to my system. I tried and tried to lose weight but couldn't. I was never able to yo-yo diet because I could never lose any weight. I remember right before my sister's wedding in 2007 I worked out with a trainer, went to the gym 5-6 times a week and ate PERFECTLY and lost 4 lbs in 3 months. TALK ABOUT DISCOURAGING!!! Anyway, fast forward to May of this year and I'm sitting at the drs office as she tells me that I have PCOS and it is a major contributor to my weight gain and lack of weight loss (along with the dozen other side affects it comes with) and there's nothing I can do about it. That's when I decided that I needed lap band surgery, not only to repair my self-esteem and confidence but to allow me to live a healthier life. I didn't want to live and feel that way any more. Come October 6^th..surgery date. YAY! I can truly say it's the best thing I've ever done. To date I have lost 35 lbs, including preop, slowly but surely.

Now I didn't start this post to tell my not so exciting story but to ask a question. I know that I wouldn't have been able to lose the 35 lbs without lap band surgery, but I've noticed that my weight loss has begun to slow down…wayyy down. The dr said I should be losing 1-2 lbs a week, ideally. That's not happening. Of course I've been doing my very best to follow the plan but I'm not perfect. I have my weak moments as everyone. I have been exercising 4 days a week for about 1.5 – 2 hrs a day. The scale barely moves. I'm wondering if any ladies out there with PCOS have noticed that their weight loss has been slower then what seems to be the norm. Of course I am not comparing myself to everyone else but I'm just wondering if it has to do with that, because if it doesn't then I really need to sit down and reevaluate what I'm doing.

Thanks for reading guys and I hope to hear from ya'll soon.

[Tami_819 17]

Congrats on the 35lbs! That's wonderful. While i do not have PCOS, i was banded in late Oct & i am currently down 35 lbs myself. I have noticed that for a few days I will stay about the same weight & then boom one day i'm down 3 or 4 lbs & it follows that way in routine. Do not forget that muscle weighs more than fat so it may take a few days notice the weight drop. As my mother-in-law would say, don't just weigh yourself, measure yourself too. Your arms, legs, thighs, waist. See if the inches are getting less & less. I do not measure but i have to agree with her because while the weight stays the same those few days, i notice that my clothes are not fitting the same.

Best of luck with your journey.

[va_viv 3]

Thanks for responding Tami! Congrats to you as well. It's a great thing! You're right! I have measured myself and I take monthly pictures, the change is noticeable. I feel WONDERFUL in my "new body" and I can't wait for it to continue. I have lost a good amount of inches so I'm happy about that. What I guess is most concerning to me is that my weight loss will stall and won't go anywhere...that I'll be stuck at 35 like I was stuck at 4 lbs that time I mentioned before.

One day at a time though.

[AKessler731 2]

Hi! I have PCOS too. With PCOS also come insulin resistance. I have noticed that if I eat low carb (no bread, rice, flour, Pasta, potatoes or high sugar fruits) then I will lose dramatically. That's not always easy though. I basically lived off of eggs, cheese, meats and veggies for a few months before i had my daughter and I lost 40-50 lbs. I was banded 11/16 and I have gained 3.5 lbs since my surgery date. But I know its because I haven't been eating right. If I would just stick to that low carb, i'm sure the weight would fall off. Our bodies just dont work like everyone elses. We have to eat on a low carb/ low glycemic index diet. I go get my first fill tomorrow. I hope that helps speed up my weight loss. I guess I should say that two weeks ago at my two week post op i was actually up 9 lbs since surgery. So I have lost about 6 lbs since two weeks ago. I hope this helps!

[SecondHandRose 0]

I was thinking that same thing, Insulin Resistance. You simply don't have the privilege of eating wheat products. Not at All!! From there you really need to cut back on the other 'whites' in your menu. Rice, Potatoes.

It WILL fall off if you make that change. You can't help but loose weight that way. AND, from all I am reading, it is the healthiest way to eat Period!

(Said Rose as she popped another cheese nip into her mouth)

Some habits die REALLY hard, but this is a sure thing.

Congratulations on loosing all that weight!!!

[AlienBandit 10]

I have PCOS and can totally understand you. Luckily (or maybe not luckily) I found out i had pcos nearly 10 years ago when I was 16. I gained so much weight in such a short amount of time and was on tons of meds like acutane trying to help with the symptoms of pcos with no luck. Finally a doctor told me what I had but the diagnosis didn't really help much.

Yes I was able to control the symptoms, but losing weight was impossible. I did weight watchers ( started when I was 11 years old!), Dr Berstein diet etc. I could lose weight but could never keep it off.

Moving to Korea made things even worse because Koreans eat rice 3 times a day, they see fast food as a snack (as in go to Mcd's eat a big mac meal then go home for dinner ) because they believe rice has to be in a meal for it to be a meal.

Finally I got fed up and looked into getting banded here because it is cheaper and back in Canada my bmi was never high enough to be considered for surgery ( luckily or again maybe not so luckily I was overweight but never got really obese).

After being banded I lost a lot of weight at first ( 20 lbs in the first month I believe) but the rest was a struggle. After 4 months I lost about 50 lbs but then after that it stopped. Mind you I was banded oct 2009 and lost my band due to erosion Feb 2010.

From February until July I had no band ( but had a balloon in my stomach instead while my stomach healed) so I didn't lose any weight. In April I went home for a visit and bought a whole new wardrobe. After being rebanded in July I have lost maybe 5 pounds yet my clothes from April just a mere 5 pounds ago and 8 months ago don't fit!

Moral of this story, its hard to lose weight with PCOS but you also need to remember that though the scale might not be changing, your body is This is a slow process for us but it is also good because that gives your body time to adjust and change slowly as well.

Even bandsters without PCOS sometimes have a hard time losing weight. Just don't give up hope. You can do this At least the scale isnt going up.

[HoosierGal 0]

I was also diagnosed with PCOS when I was 16. I was just recently banded (12/2/10) and have started seeing good results but I am also still on a full liquid diet. I know it gets incredibly discouraging to feel like you are doing all of the right things and still not losing weight. I have struggled with that practically my whole life! I am hoping that my band helps my weight come off because I know that with PCOS and this extra weight that my hormones are all over the place. I actually had one doctor spend about 15 minutes telling me just how screwed up my body was currently due to my weight and PCOS!!!

I wish you all the best of luck and if you ever need support from someone that is going through a similar situation, please don't hesitate to contact me :-)

[jones365 0]

I was also diagnosed with PCOS when I was 16. I was just recently banded (12/2/10) and have started seeing good results but I am also still on a full liquid diet. I know it gets incredibly discouraging to feel like you are doing all of the right things and still not losing weight. I have struggled with that practically my whole life! I am hoping that my band helps my weight come off because I know that with PCOS and this extra weight that my hormones are all over the place. I actually had one doctor spend about 15 minutes telling me just how screwed up my body was currently due to my weight and PCOS!!!

I wish you all the best of luck and if you ever need support from someone that is going through a similar situation, please don't hesitate to contact me :-)

[jjades31 0]

I was diagnosed with PCOS back in 2001, along with type 1 diabetes...the weight gain, lack of menstrual cycles, hair growth, dark ring around my neck - the whole 9 yards. I was banded on 10-25 of this year, and I have had a total weight loss of 35 lbs. I have recently joined a gym and I work out 3 to 4 times a week. I am happy that the weight is coming off - I am also happy that once my target weight loss is met, that the chances of my husband and I conceiving are even greater than what they have been.

It takes time - but I know that if you stick to it, the results will have been well worth all of the effort. I wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to reading about how everything has been coming along for you I know it is hard - and I know many don't understand what us women with PCOS have to deal with - but if there is anytime you need help, or just someone to listen - I'm hear - I know you can do it...don't get discouraged...you've made it this far

[va_viv 3]

Thanks so much for responding ladies! Sorry I didn't respond sooner but after I made that post I got a very very very bad case of the flu! It was terrible! Unfortunately I'm not 100% yet but I'm getting there. This is the first day out of bed...I guess the only good thing about being sick is that I lost 7 lbs last week.

Anyway, you guys are right I'm coming to terms with the fact that my body doesn't work the same way as everyone else, band/no band. It's going to be a slow process no matter what and I can take that...as long as it's coming off.

Thanks for your help and advice!

[Javarn 0]

I also was diagnosed with PCOS (and a thyroid issue) - just after college. Although now knowing the symptoms, I think I had it during high school. I was banded in Aug'10 and have lost about 50 lbs. Its a struggle. I do notice that the scale won't move for a few weeks, and then all of a sudden I'll have results. Just keep working at it. I know my symptoms are getting better though even with the 50 pounds gone. (never had a normal period and now its like clock-work!)

Thanks so much for responding ladies! Sorry I didn't respond sooner but after I made that post I got a very very very bad case of the flu! It was terrible! Unfortunately I'm not 100% yet but I'm getting there. This is the first day out of bed...I guess the only good thing about being sick is that I lost 7 lbs last week.

Anyway, you guys are right I'm coming to terms with the fact that my body doesn't work the same way as everyone else, band/no band. It's going to be a slow process no matter what and I can take that...as long as it's coming off.

Thanks for your help and advice!

[emsbugbug 7]

It is the insulin resistance that is the BIG problem with those of us with PCOS. Just watch what you eat. Even a bite of potato is going to cause problems. I used Sugar Busters as my pre-op diet and it worked like a charm. I really watch my sugar intake and my weight loss success is my assurance that what I am doing is right.

[lovemysgt 4]

i have PCOS i have had a terrible time with it and losing weight.

[AquarianCrab 8]

My PCOS was so severe I ended up needing a total hysterectomy. PCOS is just one symptom of a larger problem called Syndrome X. As others have mentioned, it is the insulin resistance that makes it difficult to lose weight, and yes, the trick is absolutely, positively, nothing white - sugar, potatoes, rice, bread, etc. Even when looking for wheat bread, the first ingredient should not have the word "enriched" in it, but must have the words "whole grain". It's tough to find bread like that, but it's out there. We also basically have to follow a diabetic diet, paying very close attention to glycemic index numbers. If you follow the sugarbusters program, you will see a big difference, but it has nothing to do with calories or fats and everything to do with carbohydrates of color. Switch to brown or basmati rice, whole grain whole wheat pasta/bread, sweet potatoes (the darker the color the better) for example and you will really see a difference.

[lovemysgt 4]

i am newly diagnosed with diabetes and i thank you ladies for posting this info