healthy meals for women with pcos (polycystic ovaries)

fsdss

a while ago i went to the nutritionalist because i couldn't seem to shift the excess weight.
i know a lot of ladies struggle too with weight loss amongst other things.


i have pcos (polycystic ovaries) . i have been told to avoid wheat / starch based products, fatty foods and meats with a high salt content (i.e. avoid bacon / pork). fruit in moderation (as some hold a higher fructose level making the breakdown of sugars bad for sufferers)

and therefore i am looking for insipration to diet as although i can stomach the odd salad or two - every day it is getting boring.


anyone got any decent recipes which dont involve rabbit food

Shambler

Hi, the PCOS diet book should point you in the right direction, available here http://www.amazon.co.uk/PCOS-Diet-Book-Nutritional-Polycystic/dp/0007131844/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206378682&sr=1-2

Basically you should look at low GI diets and get some more exercise as a 10% loss of body weight can relieve the symptoms of PCOS.

I know quite a bit about the subject, even though I'm a guy :rolleyes: I have known more than one woman with the symptoms...you are lucky in a way of getting diagnosed since my girlfriend has the symptoms but can't get a diagnosis...this can take years :mad: before any treatment is offered.

You might like to also look at suppliments of Black Cohosh ( not if you get depression though ) and Saw Palmetto both available from Holland&Barretts.

There are plenty of PCOS help forums on the web too.

Best Wishes, John.

fsdss

you guessed it.......i had the book ......but lent it out ages ago!!!!

never heard about black cohosh but Saw palmetto was a "no - no" from the nutritionalist as i queried this, she told me to take agnus castus. i cant afford the £30 per session she charges a month.

8 years ago i painstakingly went to weightwatchers, at the cost of £5 per week and didn't lose an ounce - despite weighing and recording everything that went into my mouth. 10 months later my consultant told me that i should no longer go to weightwatchers as it was a waste of time and money for me (with PCOS).

Shambler

I'm not sure why your nutritionist dislikes saw palmetto but as is usually the case with all of these type of tablets you will hear good and bad things about them.

Your doctor is the person to talk to, there is a pill ( contraceptive pill ) called Dianette which can help with PCOS.

Also a drug called Metformin is often prescribed.

But the same as with over the counter stuff, women have good and bad experiences with all drugs.

Dr Nancy Dunne is an american equivalent of one of our GP's and she has a huge wealth of information on her site http://www.ovarian-cysts-pcos.com/

http://www.drnandunne.com/

I would join the forum/newsletter and talk to people there about what they have tried.

You will see many accounts there of how hard people had to fight just to get a diagnosis.

£30 sounds a bit steep for a months supply and you shouldn't have to pay for a nutritionist your doctor should be able to forward you to one.Talk to people on the forum or if you already know what dosage you need order some from Holland&Barrett http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/iq.asp?xs=FA5E12AC8B5F461E86E3404C726FEA06&searchtext=agnus+castus

PCOS seems to be an unknown to many doctors and unless ( and even if ) you keep banging on at them for help the route most women take is self help.

cathryn107

There's an excellent British based forum, Verity, which will be able to supply you with tons of advice, info and support.

http://verity-pcos.org.uk/board/

Jei70

Saw Palmetto is a no-no if you're trying to conceive, otherwise I don't see why it's a problem - I used it for years, only stopped because it didn't work as well as medicaments (Metformin, Spironolactone).

Regarding the diet, I've been most successful with losing weight when following a fairly low-carb diet, with only natural ingredients cooked from scratch. Lots of fresh fish (not breaded or tinned), lean-ish meat (chicken - I ate the skin - turkey, lean pork, lamb and beef) and eggs for protein. Now, I have a particular problem with cheese, in that I love the nasty, smelly, rich ones and could eat them every day for every meal, so I had to keep away. The only dairy I ate was greek yogurt (not low fat, as the fat is replaced either by carbs or non-nutritious man-made ingredients) and quark (which is a naturally LF soft cheese) - cottage cheese would be OK too, but I don't like it! Loads of veg, cooked and as salads - I made a point of eating a portion of veg for every meal and snack, including breakfast (that was mostly as crudites or in a fry-up). To avoid the rabbit food syndrome you can make tasty stir-fries with soya and fish sauces, or add a little yogurt or even mayonnaise into your cooked veg. I also ate 2 pieces/portions of fruit every day, in different meals/snacks, always with/just after protein.

Finally, the carbs. I ate small portions of natural carbs such as porridge oats (real, not instant), brown rice, millet, quinoa, potato (not fried). I stayed away from all processed carbs, like flour (i.e. bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits). Actually, no, I did allow myself a couple of oatcakes or rye crispbreads a day. I also counted pulses (beans, lentils - cooked from scratch or tinned in water only) as carbs, although they contain proteins too, so reduced my portion of rice if I was mixing it with chickpeas, for example. And fats, I kept to the natural ones too - extra virgin olive oil, real butter, and some speciality EV oils like coconut or flaxseed. Avocados, if you like them, are a great source of healthy fats, vitamins and protein.

Hope this helps, now I just need to start eating like this again! (Have lapsed for a year and put on loads of weight again).

I just remembered that I based my plan and actual meals on several books which you might like to look at. They were books by Dr Schwartzbein, the Food Doctor, Patrick Holford and even, dare I say it, Gillian McKeith (some of her salad combinations are nice). Probably the Food Doctor is the best, IMO.

snipzychick

I have pcos and take agnus castus, saw palmetto, st johns wort, chromium and magnesium. I buy them all from holland and barrett, and the last time i checked they were having a sale on some of those. Might be worth a look.

fsdss

Jei70 wrote: »

Saw Palmetto is a no-no if you're trying to conceive, otherwise I don't see why it's a problem - I used it for years, only stopped because it didn't work as well as medicaments (Metformin, Spironolactone).

Regarding the diet, I've been most successful with losing weight when following a fairly low-carb diet, with only natural ingredients cooked from scratch. Lots of fresh fish (not breaded or tinned), lean-ish meat (chicken - I ate the skin - turkey, lean pork, lamb and beef) and eggs for protein. Now, I have a particular problem with cheese, in that I love the nasty, smelly, rich ones and could eat them every day for every meal, so I had to keep away. The only dairy I ate was greek yogurt (not low fat, as the fat is replaced either by carbs or non-nutritious man-made ingredients) and quark (which is a naturally LF soft cheese) - cottage cheese would be OK too, but I don't like it! Loads of veg, cooked and as salads - I made a point of eating a portion of veg for every meal and snack, including breakfast (that was mostly as crudites or in a fry-up). To avoid the rabbit food syndrome you can make tasty stir-fries with soya and fish sauces, or add a little yogurt or even mayonnaise into your cooked veg. I also ate 2 pieces/portions of fruit every day, in different meals/snacks, always with/just after protein.

Finally, the carbs. I ate small portions of natural carbs such as porridge oats (real, not instant), brown rice, millet, quinoa, potato (not fried). I stayed away from all processed carbs, like flour (i.e. bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits). Actually, no, I did allow myself a couple of oatcakes or rye crispbreads a day. I also counted pulses (beans, lentils - cooked from scratch or tinned in water only) as carbs, although they contain proteins too, so reduced my portion of rice if I was mixing it with chickpeas, for example. And fats, I kept to the natural ones too - extra virgin olive oil, real butter, and some speciality EV oils like coconut or flaxseed. Avocados, if you like them, are a great source of healthy fats, vitamins and protein.

Hope this helps, now I just need to start eating like this again! (Have lapsed for a year and put on loads of weight again).

I just remembered that I based my plan and actual meals on several books which you might like to look at. They were books by Dr Schwartzbein, the Food Doctor, Patrick Holford and even, dare I say it, Gillian McKeith (some of her salad combinations are nice). Probably the Food Doctor is the best, IMO.

thankyou thankyou thankyou.... this was exactly what i wanted. i just needed prompting.

i have had metformin and dianette before but can't have it again. the hormone imbalance that my pcos causes has previously reacted with infertility dugs causing cancer and therefore my gp will not prescribe me anything that would be contra-interactive.
i had loads of blood tests with the gp for the nutritionalist and i suspect for the above reason, she said saw palmetto was a no no based on my history.

klw270299

Hi I am interested in saw palmetto and or Metformin to control the side effects of PCOS and found your post. I too reacted badly to fertility tretment OHSS due to PCOS. I wondered whether you had any furhter info about whether it is safe to take either or.

yours gratefully

Kate

lostinrates

I know quite a bit about the subject, even though I'm a guy :rolleyes: I have known more than one woman with the symptoms...you are lucky in a way of getting diagnosed since my girlfriend has the symptoms but can't get a diagnosis...this can take years :mad: before any treatment is offered.

If getting a diagnosis really is proving problematic I wonder if your girlfriend could get a private referral for an ultrasound?

its 'intimate' but not uncomfortable and very quick. While its not moneysaving, it could be health beneficial to get the diagnosis properly confirmed?

My PCOs was discovered this way while I was ill in hospital. The only symptoms were hospital were irregular cycle (which I put down to my light but wildy swinging weight) and that I started to gain weight in hospital, very quickly. The other symptoms only became apparent when I had hit 'overweight' but by then I had been diagnosed.

Mrs_Ryan

Know what you mean about problems getting a diagnosis.... took me 5 years and by then it was too late... Im now going through hell on earth TTC and thinking about suing for gross medical negligence....