Dietary tips for managing PCOS

Can anyone actually manage weight gain caused by PCOS through diet alone? I mean, does any specific nutritional plan even make a dent, or is it a losing battle from the start? What’s the most effective way to tackle this mess?

Excess weight is a massive issue for women dealing with PCOS, and doctors almost always push for weight loss because the benefits go way beyond just looking better. Honestly, losing just 5% of your body weight can be enough to get your ovulation cycle back on track.

Nicholas Allen said:So, like, can dieting actually help someone dealing with weight gain caused by PCOS? Is there even a point? What’s honestly the best way to handle this kind of thing?

I mean, I guess the real trick is to get the PCOS under control first... once you tackle that, the weight will probably just start dropping off on its own.

brisknomad6 said:The best way is to tackle the PCOS first, then the weight will follow naturally.

Do you really think it works that way? I've been struggling with this exact thing. How do you even manage PCOS when you're on birth control? I actually dropped over 5% of my excess weight, but my cycle still isn't regular. Honestly, I'm pretty worried about fertility issues.

😕

mistycyclist14 said:Do you think it actually works? Honestly, I'm dealing with the same thing. Like, how do you even tackle PCOS while being on birth control? I managed to drop over 5% of my excess weight, but my period still isn't regular at all. I'm seriously worried about fertility issues.

😕

ugh, tell me about it 🙂

So, I tried doing the UN thing for like a month, and I was being soooo incredibly strict about staying under 1,000 calories... and honestly? I lost absolutely nothing 🙄 🙄

I mean, I never touched soda, I stayed away from mayo (well, except when I was traveling in Europe during the holidays, obviously), chocolate or sweets were maybe once a month, zero fried stuff, and fast food? Zero. Zilch. Nada...

And get this—for the longest time, I was eating less than 1,500 calories a day and I was actually gaining weight 🙄 🙄

But then, I finally just dealt with that junk in my ovaries and

a) my acne totally cleared up
b) my period cramps are gone
c) my cycle comes exactly every four weeks now
d) and wow, look at that—I've dropped 10 pounds... I mean, sure, I still keep an eye on what I eat occasionally, but it's nowhere near as intense as how I used to obsess over everything

The bottom line? 😉

brisknomad6 said:The best way is to tackle the PCOS first, and then the weight will naturally start dropping off.

I honestly think it’s the exact opposite.

But honestly, what you eat is probably way more important anyway.
Stuff with a high glycemic index is definitely not your friend if you're trying to get things under control.

brisknomad6 said:so then I just decided to get rid of all that junk in my ovaries and

Wait, what?
I've been on Diane for years now, I stay active with sports, and for the last three months, I have been obsessively watching everything I eat (meat, veggies, soy, hardly any starch), all in the desperate hope that my next ultrasound might actually show some improvement.

So, I actually had a tumor—well, it was a dermoid cyst, really—and I just went ahead and had it surgically removed 😬

But honestly, I have no clue how to deal with these 'regular' ones 😢

brisknomad6 said:So, I had this tumor—it was actually a dermoid cyst—and I finally just decided to get it taken care of through surgery. 😬

I honestly have no clue how to deal with these "ordinary" ones. I mean, seriously, where do you even start? 😢

I'm honestly just glad you finally got that sorted out. 🙂

Anyway, I'm just hoping I can figure out the solution to these little headaches on my own. 😁
I mean, honestly, it’s been way too long since my last ultrasound. I’m planning on heading in to get checked out, but I guess I’m just waiting until I feel like my body is actually ready to handle it.

I was reading about this recently, and honestly, seeing it play out in real life just confirms it: women dealing with PCOS have a much steeper uphill battle when it comes to dropping weight compared to those without the syndrome. It’s frustratingly real. Does anyone know if there’s a specific diet that actually moves the needle for this?

I deal with PCOS myself, and honestly, I’ve always had such great luck using Montignac whenever I needed to drop some weight.

But now? I’ve been on Dianama for thirty-five months straight, and my appetite is absolutely out of control. I am eating everything in sight—it’s a total disaster!

Look, there’s no such thing as some magic, overnight diet fix for anyone dealing with PCOS. It’s just the reality of the situation—PCOS and weight gain are pretty much tangled up together. People carrying extra weight are more prone to developing PCOS, and then, once you have it, trying to drop those pounds feels like an uphill battle... and obviously, it’s almost impossible to actually manage the PCOS symptoms without losing weight first.
That’s why most doctors suggest treating the symptoms with birth control while we simultaneously focus on eating better and trying to move more to get the weight down. Honestly, if you look closely, the advice is basically the same as what anyone else gets when they're trying to lose weight—no "miracle" foods or crazy fad diets included. It’s just that for us folks with PCOS, we really have to be a lot more patient with our bodies while we work through the scale 😉

Lisa Barrett22 said:I deal with PCOS, and I've always found that following the Montignac diet worked wonders whenever I needed to drop some weight.

Now, I've been on Dianamam5 for about thirty months, and my appetite is completely out of control. It’s a total disaster.

Wait, what exactly is Montignac?

So, I’m actually on a diet right now too, mostly because I’m dealing with PCOS. It’s honestly such a struggle since I’m currently taking Diane, which just makes my appetite absolutely massive. I’ve still got about a month left until I hit my goal, but man, having to keep up with all these pills is such a grind. I’m really hoping that if I cut back on the fats, I can get my cycle back on track. I’m also planning to start sipping on some herbal teas that are supposed to help with ovarian function—I think they recommend things like calendula or sage...

Nicholas Allen said:Wait, what exactly is Montignac?

Basically, the whole thing is built on cutting out anything with a high glycemic index. At least during that initial phase when you're trying to drop the weight. You also have to be smart about how you pair things up—you don't mix proteins and carbs in the same meal.

It’s not actually that hard, though I'll admit the first week was a total nightmare for me. But once I got past that? There was no way in hell I'd be reaching for a piece of chocolate. Honestly, I didn't even miss it.
And I am completely over bread and all those different pastries. Now, if I have to, I'll grab a little bit of whole grain toast with some yogurt in the morning, but that's about it.

coppernomad7 said:I'm actually on a diet right now too, mostly because I'm dealing with PCOS. It’s been such a struggle because I'm taking Diane at the moment, and man, that thing makes my appetite absolutely insane. I still have a whole month left until I hit my goal weight, but I've got so much bleeding to deal with and so many pills to swallow. I'm really holding out hope that cutting back on fats will help get my cycle back on track, and I'm planning to start drinking some herbal teas that are supposed to help ovarian function—apparently things like marigold and sage...

How long have you been on Diane? And have you had an ultrasound done recently?
I was on Cilest for a full year and honestly, it didn't do a single thing for me!

Here's a solid article 🙂
http://www.inciid.org/faq.php?cat=complementarymed&id=2

Honestly, I’ve heard nothing but glowing reviews about the zone diet, and I’m talking from actual athletes here. Apparently, it can even help manage PCOS. I’ve been thinking about switching over to it pretty much constantly lately, though I have to admit, it feels a little bit overwhelming and complicated at first glance. But then again, maybe I'm just overthinking it?

I’ve been dealing with PCOS myself, and I managed to put on about 10 or 12 pounds. I’ve been taking Diane for about eight months now. Currently, I'm sticking to a strict diet and trying to hit the elliptical every single day—hopefully, I'll start seeing some actual results soon.

restlessmarlin6 said:Here is a good article 🙂
http://www.healthline.com/article/example

Healthline: ".1. Does PCOS cause weight gain, or does weight gain cause PCOS?

It’s kind of like asking, 'which came first, the chicken or the egg?'—since it’s not totally clear-cut, it seems most likely that PCOS is the starting point." AND SO ON

INCIID PCOS FAQ:

"Does PCOS cause obesity, or does obesity cause PCOS?

In some ways, this question is akin to asking, 'Which came first, the chicken or the egg?' since it isn't completely understood, but it appears more likely that PCOS comes first." etc

Healthline:

"9.2. Is it possible to be thin and have PCOS?

About half of women with PCOS are overweight, which means that the other half is not."


INCIID PCOS FAQ:

"Is it possible to be lean and have PCOS?

About half of women with PCOS are overweight, which means that the other half is not. "

Healthline: "Prepared by: Vesna"

Me: Way to go, Vesna! 🤣 🤣 🤣 👎 👎 👎 👎

I honestly can't wrap my head around why people do this (like, okay, they write 'this is a translation,' but then what? Does that change anything?!)

Anyway, the INCIID PCOS FAQ has been one of the most detailed info sources for probably a decade now (that's how I recognized the text, I guess; I've been staring at it for a long, long time)

http://www.inciid.org/faq.php?cat=complementarymed&id=2

Lisa Barrett22 said:How long have you been on Diane? Have you managed to squeeze in an ultrasound lately?
I was on Cilest for a whole year and honestly, it didn't do a single thing for me!

I actually started taking birth control even before I turned 15, which looking back, feels like such a massive mistake.
But I’ve had some pretty long breaks too, sometimes up to a year at a time.
The weird thing is, while I'm on the pill, everything seems totally fine—ultrasounds look good, everything stays in balance—but the second I stop, the chaos starts. First, my cycle gets super long, and then after a few months of having a period, they just vanish completely. I end up waiting six months or even longer without one. Usually, during that stressful waiting game, I get so anxious that I just give in and start the pills again, and it’s basically this endless loop.
Anyway, I've decided that while I'm still on them, I'm going to focus on dropping some extra weight and doing a deep dive into herbal teas that might actually help, so I can try that approach next.
I guess there isn't really a "cure" for PCOS; the pills just sort of mask everything and keep it under control, but as soon as you quit, everything just reverts to how it was.👎

Btw, I've been on Diane for five months now (starting my sixth cycle soon) after a long break, and before that break, I was using Yasmin for a while too.