Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome & Sleeve

[MSanti 52]

My surgery is scheduled for Monday and I can't wait! But I am also fearing that because of my PCOS I won't loose weight as quickly as others have. I get discouraged very easily and I am wondering if there is anyone else out there experiencing this same problem. How did it go for you?

[leeblewb 9]

I have PCOS. My surgery was January 17th. I have not lost weight quite as quickly as some, but more quickly than others. I have My now lost 57 pounds and even though was not quite as quick as I would like I have never lost 57 pounds in 14 weeks before and known it would stay off.

I never had regular periods. Usually were every 6-8 weeks. Since about 3 weeks after surgery they are now every 4 weeks like clockwork. I really thought it would take longer for that to regulate out. I am no longer taking Metformin. Any really think that I will probably start ovulating in the near future, if not already.

We don't all lose weight at the same rate. Even if you don't lose as quickly as some, you will lose. Lots of factors play into it. Age, genetics, exercise, starting BMI to name a few. You can not compare your rate to others. You are in it for you and for the long haul. Yes I get frustrated when some weeks I only lose 1 pound or even have a stall, but when I look at the over all picture, I was more than halfway to goal at 12 weeks in. Wow. That is nothing to get frustrated about. Stay motivated and you will get to your own goal.

[MSanti 52]

I have PCOS. My surgery was January 17th. I have not lost weight quite as quickly as some, but more quickly than others. I have My now lost 57 pounds and even though was not quite as quick as I would like I have never lost 57 pounds in 14 weeks before and known it would stay off.

I never had regular periods. Usually were every 6-8 weeks. Since about 3 weeks after surgery they are now every 4 weeks like clockwork. I really thought it would take longer for that to regulate out. I am no longer taking Metformin. Any really think that I will probably start ovulating in the near future, if not already.

We don't all lose weight at the same rate. Even if you don't lose as quickly as some, you will lose. Lots of factors play into it. Age, genetics, exercise, starting BMI to name a few. You can not compare your rate to others. You are in it for you and for the long haul. Yes I get frustrated when some weeks I only lose 1 pound or even have a stall, but when I look at the over all picture, I was more than halfway to goal at 12 weeks in. Wow. That is nothing to get frustrated about. Stay motivated and you will get to your own goal.

Thanks for sharing your story. It gives me a sense of relief knowing that despite your PCOS you have still managed to loose a lot of weight. Congrats on your success!!

As far as my periods go, it is the opposite of yours. I usually get my periods for months non stop, then it will go away for a couple of weeks and return again for months! I was also on Metformin but it wasn't working for me so I started birth control and that really helped regulate it. Unfortunately my surgeon took me off of them because of the risk of blot clotting during surgery. I hope my period regulates as quickly as yours.

Have you been doing ok with the exercise? I know that will be my biggest challenge.

[leeblewb 9]

The exercise was harder at first. You just have to start off slowly, but as the pounds have come off, it has gotten much easier. At first I could only do the treadmill for about 12 min. and was huffing and puffing. Now I can do about 45 without huffing much. I can tell I am working, but it is not the strain it was to start with. I now feel so much better after working out that I am really enjoying it. That is all new to me.

Someone told me once that being 100 pounds overweight is like carrying a washing machine around all day long, thus the fatigue. Now that I am down the 57 pounds, I have wayyyyy more energy. It is great. I can really tell a huge difference.

[MSanti 52]

How long after the surgery did you wait before you began with your exercise routine?

And you are right about the energy part. I remember being able to do so much more when I was 200 pounds. Now that I am this big it becomes so difficult for me to even get the energy to clean up around the house. I feel so tired all the time!

[leeblewb 9]

I started off with outdoor walking about 1 1/2 weeks after surgery. To the end of the driveway the first 2 times, then the corner a few times, then around the block. After that I joined the gym and started the treadmill about 3-4 weeks after surgery. It gets way easier pretty quickly, mainly because the weight starts to drop off pretty quickly at first.

[JoJo 1]

Thanks to both of you for sharing your fears and accomplishments. I too have PCOS and Hypothyroidism and I too have been very concerned that I will be the one fat girl that will not loose weight after the surgery. Its encouraging to hear how well someone experiencing some of the same medical issues as me has been able to turn it all around and be healthy and happy! Its also good to hear that I am not the only one having these fears. I am scheduled to get sleeved on 5/4.

I wish all the best to both of you and hope to see more of your progress! Good Luck!

[leeblewb 9]

Good luck to you too Jojo. That is next week. It is exciting when it get close to time. This has been a long journey for many of us. I know I felt sort of surreal when it got close. Keep us up to date.

[ybnormal 21]

There is a lady on youtube (maybe she posts here?) I can't remember her name but I'm sure if you type in sleeve / pcos she'll come up. She's a great inspiration! She's very beautiful and healthy now and she is honest in her journey, even picking up globs of hair that clogged her vaccume. I would definately look her up and watch some of her videos, some of them made me cry right along with her when she talks about her fears and emotions. You'll do wonderfully well after you're sleeved, I just know it!!!

Renee`

[juliarh 35]

I have PCOS and I am losing well. I do have to say that I did have surgery on my ovaries and had them scraped after having an ectopic pregnancy. So maybe that helped, I don't know. But I do have PCOS. One thing I have learned that NO DOCTOR ever told me is that eating a lot of carbs is really bad for PCOS patients -- leads to increased estrogen levels which lead to creation of more cysts, which leads to increased estrogen levels, etc. So I eat a low carb diet -- it's worked out really well for me. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

[MSanti 52]

Welcome to the pre-op clan JoJo! My surgery is scheduled for 5/2. Good luck with yours.

ybnormal: Thanks for that information I will look her up.

Juliarh: I did not know that carbs affected pcos either! I will be sure to keep that in mind next time I try to stuff any carbs in my mouth! I am happy to hear you have had success despite your pcos! Congrats!

leeblewb: I walked for an hour yesterday it felt pretty darn good!

[red_delicious 0]

I have PCOS and I am losing well. I do have to say that I did have surgery on my ovaries and had them scraped after having an ectopic pregnancy. So maybe that helped, I don't know. But I do have PCOS. One thing I have learned that NO DOCTOR ever told me is that eating a lot of carbs is really bad for PCOS patients -- leads to increased estrogen levels which lead to creation of more cysts, which leads to increased estrogen levels, etc. So I eat a low carb diet -- it's worked out really well for me. If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

This drives me crazy!!! It's something that so many women with PCOS, including myself, had to learn on their own. Completely ridiculous!

[juliarh 35]

This drives me crazy!!! It's something that so many women with PCOS, including myself, had to learn on their own. Completely ridiculous!

Yep, totally agree -- I was pretty flabbergasted when I learned just last month -- seriously, just last month. I have had fertility issues and been obese ALLLL my adult life and NO ONE bothered to say, "Hey, you shouldn't eat carbs." Pissed me off royally.

[Estella 11]

Yep, totally agree -- I was pretty flabbergasted when I learned just last month -- seriously, just last month. I have had fertility issues and been obese ALLLL my adult life and NO ONE bothered to say, "Hey, you shouldn't eat carbs." Pissed me off royally.

Well, it's no rocket science. I've known forever that I eat too much carbs, it didn't make me stop eating them. Knowing I have PCOS didn't scare away the craving for pastries, Pasta, pita-bread etc. All my attempts to go on low-carb diets were terminated when I just couldn't adhere to the orders.

[red_delicious 0]

Well, it's no rocket science. I've known forever that I eat too much carbs, it didn't make me stop eating them. Knowing I have PCOS didn't scare away the craving for pastries, Pasta, pita-bread etc. All my attempts to go on low-carb diets were terminated when I just couldn't adhere to the orders.

Well I am almost 11 years older than you are . . . and I actually put on a BOATLOAD of weight when I had my first child back in 1992. Prior to that, the doctors knew that something was wrong with my hormones . . . but they had no idea what it was. My doctor at the time was a DISCIPLE of low-fat/high-carb diets. He gave me a 40 page handout with specific diet instructions consisting of crap like plain baked potatoes (so good for you! It's low-fat, you know!), Pasta with no sauce, rice cakes, tuna salad made with mustard (mayo is evil!) . . . and I completely followed this diet . . . and I just kept getting heavier and heavier.

So I reduced my intake of the baked potatoes, plain pasta, rice cakes . . . and exercised myself nearly to death! All the while, I had doctors crabbing at me that I was non-compliant! I felt like the biggest failure!!!

By the time I figured out the carb connection (PCOS was not known to be an insulin disorder until not that many years ago) . . . I was already over 325 pounds. I dropped a bunch of weight low carbing . . . and I have been stuck fluctuating between 260 and 285 for years.

If I had known about the carb thing before I got fat and ended up with type 2 diabetes . . . I would have stopped eating carbs. No one told me . . . and I was too ignorant at the time to even think that maybe they didn't know what they were talking about. I am still a little pissed about the whole thing! LOL