How to lose weight with PCOS

Hey Adrian,

I was finding it impossible to lose weight by eating low carb alone, in fact my weight was still rapidly increasing. As a result, I have cut my calories to 1200 MAX a day (I know this isn't healthy but I've been too frustrated to even risk eating more). I also don't eat dairy, any refined sugars, or gluten- my weight isn't horrible but I can't lose 1 freaking pound to save my life. I am 5 ft 5 and 135 pounds. Is this the best I can do given the nature of PCOS? Shouldn't I be losing weight only eating on average 950 calories a day? I feel like I should be a stick - but the only noticeable change for me has been dizziness. I also do an hour of cardio 2 times a week- mainly running on the treadmill, but have cut back recently since I've been experiencing palpitations. I know this is unhealthy but am so very worried that if this is my weight eating this little, what is going to happen when I eat more? Is there any way I can begin to increase my calories, and avoid my body putting it all to fat out of starvation mode? Am I being too impatient about my weight loss progress? I am also currently on metformin, bcp, and take cinnamon and apple cider vinegar before each meal.

please please please help me!

June 13, 2013

dear adrian,
im 15, 5'2 and weight 60kg, which is good and healthy bmi, i have pcos and i am dying to get rid of it, can u please recommend the types of exercises i should do, and the diet plan, and/or any other other tips or tricks will be appreciated

p.s: people say pcos can never be cured, is that true

thank u for ur time

May 29, 2013

Hi Adrian,
I am Hypothyroid, have PCOS, and Insulin Resistance. I have been working out steadily for a year now and I exercise for two hours a week at the gym; 60% resistance/ 40% cardio per my doctor’s advice. I am finally in the normal range for my thyroid, but I am absorbing my medication a little fast and have thus been told to cut my medication in half to take at two separate intervals throughout the day, which I am doing. I am also taking Metformin. My weight has been stable at 205 lbs. and I normally eat around 1700 calories a day. I sometimes eat junk, but for the most part I try to keep it under 125 carbs daily. I am taking the following vitamins: multi, calcium d+k, vitamin C, magnesium, super b-complex, and Iron. I am not losing any weight. Is there something I’m missing? Why am I not losing any weight? What could I do to combat this?
Thank you!

May 15, 2013

Hi my name is Summer and I have been struggling with PCOS and Insulin resistance all my life...most importantly my weight now more than ever. I have met with dietitians and done everything they said to the T and lost nothing. I am 5'4" and 215 pounds but I don't look it. My stomach isn't hugely round and my size is only a 13. But the number looms over my head and I'm ready to give up. I've tried supplements and all different diets and exercise routines... My options are so slim now and I'm not finding anything that works.

May 08, 2013

I've suffered with pcos for around 12 years now I was put on a contraceptive injection which made me put on 4 stone in 6 months and since then I have never been able to lose the weight, how do I know if I am insulin resistant? I exercise every day and have done every diet in the book but I don't even lose a pound the only way I lose a little weight is by literally starving myself! If I don't eat for a while I get shakey and feel really ill could that be down to the insulin? What do you recommend I do because I have given up hope I've even been on diet pills from te doctor which don't help should I ask for metaformin? And if I'm not insulin resistant will it harm me?

May 02, 2013

hi..my height is 5.3 ft and wt is 78 kg..i m almost 20 kg overweight.i have PCOD and wanna lose wt..plz guide me..thx.

April 29, 2013

Hi Adrian,

I have PCOS. I made a lifestyle change and began eating healthier. I limited eating rice, bread, pasta and fried foods and exercised (mostly cardio) 5 days a week for 30 minutes to an hour or more on some days. Within 5 months time I lost 44 pounds but the weight lost was mostly from my lower body. At this point I really do not want my lower body to get any skinnier. I only want my arms to get smaller. I need help in losing the flabby arms. I am afraid to do cardio fearing that my legs and butt will become even smaller. My belly is small but not as small as I would like it to be; I want to tone it up and have abs. What type of diet and routine should I be doing to work on slimming my last bit of stubborn upper body fat?

April 25, 2013

Sorry,forgot last question.

Are there any exercises that will help to lift breast ?

April 09, 2013

Hello Adrian,
I'm Type II Diabetic and as you may well know there are some challenges to building lean muscle in diabetics.I've got a challenge particularly in my lower body
(buttocks,inner thighs,and quads ) where I am wasting due to lack of exercise and out of control blood sugars.I am now on Metformin.
I'd like to know if there is anyway to reverse saggy skin?

Is there anyway to build muscle,lose weight and create curves at the same time?

I know that if I lose weight without strength training that my
problem will worsen.

Please,help.

April 09, 2013

Hi. I have been losing weight since August 2012 (almost 5 months now). I started out at 314 lbs. and I am now down to 272 lbs. as of this week with just not overeating alone, cutting out most junk foods, and increasing the amount of water I drink to over 3 liters a day. I tried Metformin on my own to treat my PCOS, but my ob/gyn put me on Clomid instead (I just finished my last cycle today!). I am trying to make small, manageable changes to my lifestyle because I have found making drastic ones just spells failure for me.

I am 5'7" and 33 years old and according to my electronic scale, have 51.1% body fat (down from 56.4% when I started my current plan). My normal weight was 150 lbs. when I was in my late teens/early 20s, which I would love to get back to, but then I developed PCOS when I was 23 and also began stress eating (my last break-up caused me to gain almost 30 lbs.). Now that my plan has become more or less routine, I am ready to add an extra element - body shaping, especially my abs and obliques where most of the fat is.

I joke that I have more rolls than a German bakery, but it's true... I've got the rolls, the wings, the handles, the pooch, the side boobs, the flaps, and the muffin. I recently purchased an ab-roller (the white metal frame with a head rest), but don't really know how to get started with it.

Can you give me some suggestions?

Also, I live in Taiwan so I don't have the same access to some resources as I would in the US.

January 19, 2013

I am 20 year old, with height of 5 feet 4 inches and weight 175 lb. I also have PCOS. I need to loose all the extra weight.

January 04, 2013

so sorry again, questions keep popping into my mind, with all the squats to get a butt like beyonce or curves and all that of stuff with weights and etc, do I have to do that too even though I do taebo?

December 19, 2012

Hi Adrian,

I just counted my calories just for today and it came up to roughly 1093 for the whole day

December 19, 2012

Sorry to be bothering so much,

the page on lose 20 pounds to 3-4 weeks, the ammount of exercise in those days to loose as much weight as possible, should I be doing that and still eating the same food I am now, which basically is, eating 4-5 meals a day, 3 low carb meals, 1 can be a meal replacement, at others a snacks. I can't have any sugars, not even honey. Limited fruits, no carbohydrates at all, not even potatoes and corn. I try and exercise atleast 45 mins a day, and I would like to do weights but I don't know on which days.

thank you, sorry again.

December 18, 2012

I think I am weighing myself the same time everyday, but I will only do it once a month now.

I am not sure how many total calories I am eating a day, I am just following a website and whatever they tell me to eat, I do it. www.shake-it.com.au

How much should I be eating?

December 18, 2012

Hello Adrian, nice to meet you.

I am insulin resistant, 23 years of age, 5.3 and weigh approx 92kgs, I have been on a strict diet with no sugary foods or any carbohydrates, just a high protein, high good fat and vegetable diet. I have currently lost 3 kgs in the last 4-5 days, but I have 3 questions.

1. If I weigh for eg 91kg one day, but when I weigh myself the next day, I go back up to 92kgs? Why is that?

2. I rather loose more inches because that is more noticeable, is that just done with intensive workouts and stuff like pushups and squats?

3. I am trying to loose as much weight for new years asap, I do taebo - cardio for 45 mins & taebo - basic bootcamp for an hour everyday, I once went to the gym at night and used some weights, what else can I do too loose as much weight as possible?

thank you

December 18, 2012