Diet to help PCOS and Menapause

[kandyfloss]

Hi everyone

Is there anyone on here that suffers with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome plus the Menapause and have managed to diet and lose weight sucessfully on a GI diet.I have suffered with PCOS since my early twenties and as well as being unable to to have children through it,I have found it impossible to lose weight and since starting the Menapause three years ago have found that the weight has gone on even more.

I am only 5ft tall and now weigh 13stone which is far too heavy for my height.I am fairly active with a blood pressure of 130/68 and a Cholesterol of 4.4 I am not on HRT because I have a fibroid which I have been told by my Doctor will grow if I take Oestrogen so take nothing.

When I talk to my Dr about the weight they just ook at me as if I have gone mental as they see me riding around the village on my bike and know that I do lots of hill and coastal walking with my hubby when we go away on our hols

What I would like to know is it possible to lose weight and has anyone got any diets that they follow or have followed to lose the weight.

I have read that with PCOS there is some link between the condition and glucose in the blood.

Any help and advice will be greatly appreciated..Thanks

[Paparika]

My best m8 has PCOS and had a weight problem.
But she did the usual to and from the doctor for several years, to no avail, finally she did the Cambridge diet, and the results are amazing,

It may be something to look into and see if you think you might be suited to

Good luck

[frivolous_fay]

A friend was having trouble conceiving due to her PCOS - I couldn't vouch for her weight loss but a low GI diet certainly helped her get pregnant. I believe it helps the adrenaline levels become more healthy, with various beneficial effects. From what I know about the diet it seems like the best one for this condition - and even in general - it has much more of a balanced view of what you should eat, and less obsessive excluding!

[nzmegs]

I have just been reading a brilliant book called "apples and Pears". You should read it. Basically it points out the sorts of foods best suited to your shape - and more importantly the health risks associated with your shape. If you have PCOS, my guess is that you are large around your tummy area and it really explains why this is the case and how to change it. it also has a big section on menopause too.
It has really made me feel better about having a big bottom and thighs because now i know that it is actually quite healthy to have that shape.
In the meantime it does suggest cutting back on white carbs and sticking to wholemeal and brown and also eating plenty of soya for your hormonal issues.

[Shambler]

Low GI is definitely recommended for PCOS sufferers.

No matter what diet you choose though at the end of the day it is just about consuming less calories than you use in exercise.

Rather than a relatively complicated diet like GI or Atkins etc. you could just restrict your calorie intake.

I have found this to be a good way of losing weight, you can eat the types of food you like and as long as you vary what you eat to contain the essential food groups it can be much less of a hassle when deciding what to eat.

1200 calories is a minimum because this is approximately how many the body needs just to function...eat less than this and you would start to lose muscle ( not good ).

You sound fairly active so I would start on 1800 calories and reduce it down to about 1500 if you don't see any weight loss.

Taking a mulitvitamin is also a good idea no matter what diet you are on.

[ames100]

hi kandy floss just wondering if you have made any progress with your diet? i was diagnosed at 16/17 and was a slim kid up until 12 years of age- am now 21 5'6 and just over 13 stone!
I also have a very sweet tooth and get carb cravings as is a signature of pcos or so i have learnt.
Aiming to try the low gi/ carbs as treied this before for a few weeks and it did start to work i just find it extremley hard to keep up as its like a crash diet cutting out such a high proportion of foods.

[gymfiend]

Hi ames100,
There is a book you can get here (http://www.amazon.co.uk/PCOS-Diet-Book-Nutritional-Polycystic/dp/0007131844/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229893901&sr=8-1) - it explains how the low GI diet can help to reduce the effects of pcos - it's all about hormones and glucose, and the low GI diet aims to level off your glucose intake by using slow release energy foods so there are less peaks/troughs...I can't yet vouch for it but am told it's very good :T maybe try the verity forum for PCOS sufferers, lots of good advice on there, xx

[shykins]

do a google search on lowcarb and PCOS as a few of my american friends have been recommended to try lowcarb... if u do think its for u then we have a lowcarb thread in the Health and Beauty forum with lots of good info and support

u shouldnt have to cut out a large proportion of foods with lowcarb, yes u cant eat bread, potatoes but u can replace these with lots of other things and u acknowledge it was working so maybe its worth another try

good luck whatever u decide

[Ted_Hutchinson]

I have read that with PCOS there is some link between the condition and glucose in the blood.Women with PCOS had an exaggerated insulin response to glucose. Thirty-eight percent of PCOS women had some form of abnormal glucose tolerance. Greater insulin response was seen with impairment of glucose tolerance. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19031221)

Role of vitamin D treatment in glucose metabolism in polycystic ovary syndrome. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18930208)
In this trial they used sufficient D3 to raise status from around 15ng ~37.5nmol/l to around 29ng ~ 72.5nmol/l and saw a reasonable difference. We know though that Vitamin D3 works best when levels are at a natural equilibrium and that generally occurs around 125nmmol/l 50ng so to get from the low levels typical of the UK adult (http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/85/3/860/F1) requires roughly 5000iu/daily (https://secure.bio-tech-pharm.com/detail.aspx?product_id=18&cat_id=2&subcat_id=0) ask your GP for a 25(OH)D test after you've been supplementing for 90 days and then see if you need more or less to maintain 125nmol/l 50ng though the summer.

I think this is the easiest low carb eating plan to follow (http://blogg.passagen.se/dahlqvistannika/?anchor=my_lowcarb_dietary_programe_in) certainly helped me to lose 2.25lbs a week last year and more or less sticking to it has kept the weight off without the need for extra exercise though for those that can exercise is good for the heart and brain. this forum has good PCOS low carbohydrate information (http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=46)

[narabanekeater]

I suffer from PCOS
I have lost 2.5 stone on Cambridge diet
Theres a thread on the health board about it
Its very much an all or nothing diet and the 1st couple of days can be bad but after that its very easy

[madmalteaser]

Hi there, fellow PCOS sufferer here, still with a weight problem!

I'm not entirely sure the PCOS is your problem here since you said the weight has come back on since you started going through the menopause. I've heard of menopausal women developing an underactive thyroid which can lead to weight gain as it slows the metabolism down - have you had any blood tests recently to check your thyroid? It might be worth asking the GP about if you haven't.

I actually have a slightly underactive thyroid which, coupled with the PCOS, is the reason I really struggle to lose any weight, regardless of my calorie intake and how much exercise I'm doing (frustrating!).

Hope you manage to get to the bottom of your problem!

[Savvy_Sue]

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