rachael07

I should also clarify the gaining weight thing -- I can gain if I let myself, psychologically, but I have a difficult time doing that... not the healthiest body image to have, I know, but my Dr.s dire warnings of "don't gain weight or your PCOS symptoms will spiral out of control" didn't help things!

When I was very young, I had a super fast metabolism and definitely could not gain weight. I tried to gain weight when I was 12-16. I was a beanpole, and it was terribly embarrassing to me. I often had low blood sugar. Now, if I let myself, I could gain a few pounds, but I just can't get to that point. Once I gain a pound or two, I feel gross and food is less apetizing to me. I'm not at all anorexic and I have no wish to lose significant pounds -- I just tend to think about what I eat in relation to my current size.

I probably think too much about my weight, and I know where it comes from. My mom is very tiny (5', 95lb). She also thinks too much about her weight. She hardly eats anything at meals, but she has a sweet tooth, so she has a lot of ice cream and other sweet things throughout the day. She maintains her weight by removing the healthy food. Knowing that she did this while pregnant with me makes me wonder. Could high sugar during her pregnancy have contributed to my PCOS? Despite her massive sugar consumption and poor diet, she does not have IR.

Anyway, I have some of my mother's tendencies with regard to caloric sources. Prior to my diagnosis, I was very aware of my caloric intake; instead of reducing my sweet intake to keep it under control, I would often reduce my normal food intake. If I had cake in the afternoon, I would just eat a little less for dinner. I would probably have something sweet (a little syrup in my coffee, a cookie) once a day. This enabled me to eat a mostly healthy diet that included a daily boost of sugar without gaining weight. I wonder whether this contributed to my PCOS: could slight caloric restriction with regular sugar intake worsen the body's response to insulin? Maybe if I had eaten heavy meals after those instances of cake and cookies my body wouldn't have this problem? I hate thinking that way, but I often do.

I just posted an article about diet in the ttc board. Now I have removed all sugar and grain-based-carbs. I feel so much better. My weight has stayed exactly the same, but my energy is through the roof.

Even before the PCOS issues, I only ever ate whole grains, lean protein and lots of veggies. I never ate much processed food. No candy or soda, ever. It is so frustrating, isn't it? Sometimes I look around at everyone else and what they eat, and I can't believe that I have this. I guess sometimes you can do all the right things and still not be able to prevent something bad from happening.

I am lucky to live 1 mile from where I work - perfect for a daily walk back and forth. We sound similar diet-wise. However, I do have super high LH (in the 30s now, I think) and very cystic ovaries. Is the PCOS dx just from your infertility and family history?

__________________