PCOS Weight Loss Stories! Success stories, and before, during and after pics!

Maddy · 02-22-2003, 01:24 PM

I hope nobody minds me putting their names in this thread but I was just reading a thread started by Bertiebugg about what diets everyone is following and in some of the threads I noticed some fabulous weight losses

KYBluegrass has lost 134lbs (IR)
CookieMonster .has lost 90lbs (low carbing)
AprilS has lost 91lbs (counting calories and fat)
Kristal has lost 74lbs (see her before and after pics later in thread)
diane in colorado has lost 70lbs (Atkins)
Evita has lost 69lbs on the IR diet
soiasmp has lost 67.5lbs
Sue2116 has lost 67lbs - Weight Watchers
Deni has lost 64lbs (IR)
Shannon_Richardson has lost 60lbs (low carb and curves)
dee2002 has lost 56lbs
DoorInward has lost 51lbs (Protein Power)
Celestine has lost 49lbs
Longing has lost 48.5lbs following Atkins
grrl74 has lost 47lbs (Atkins)
eadreel has lost 47lbs
Dodie has lost 45lbs low carbing
Britsky has lost 42.8lbs
dmp005 has lost 42lbs in 12 months on WW (low GI)
Rosie1028 has lost 42lbs!
boodles77 has lost 42lbs following a low carb diet
Vanessa has lost 41.5lbs following a low carb version of WW
Ju22lija has lost 37lbs low carbing
Janie_t has lost 36lbs - IR
JenJen78 has lost 35lbs - currently following Atkins
Crissy has lost 35lbs
IFBPreacher's Wife has lost 34.5lbs on Atkins
peaceful-Kuan has lost 33lbs
Tamsmom has lost 32.5lbs
Britsky has lost 30.6lbs in 8 weeks on Weightwatchers
JennyJenn has lost 29lbs - (IR)
angelzmom has lost 28lbs (IR)
Alliance has lost 28lbs on the South Beach Diet
Piano Cyster has lost 27lbs - Schwarzbein Principle
julilou2 has lost 26lbs
lucie_nc has lost 25lbs
Urbanbc has lost 24lbs - following ww and watching her carbs
KlassicalKat has lost 24lbs!
cupiecake has lost 23lbs
Tas has lost 22lbs - following a low carb diet
ak82 has lost 21lbs
danielleweather has lost 20lbs
SMGNVA has lost 20lbs (using her own healthy diet)
jbds has lost 20lbs on the IR diet

(If I got anything wrong please correct me or if you want me to take your name off, dont want to offend anyone)

there are so many on this board who have lost over 20lbs!!!! (Sorry, I don't mean to sound like anything less is not a lot of weight, hey, you should see the look on my face if the scales register a 1lb loss, lol) but when it all feels like too much hard work it's nice to see that it can be done!

Also here is a thread that cysters have added to which asks What Made You Decide to Lose the Weight:
What made you decide to lose the weight?

Wow! So, does anyone else out there want to add their success story??? How much weight have you lost? It is encouraging to see because sometimes I feel like I'm climbing a mountain on a unicycle trying to lose my weight!

P.S. post which diet you're following too! I might get some ideas

evita · 02-22-2003, 04:01 PM

Hi maddy...You should stop by our weekly weigh in on the Diet and exercise forum. We have some inspiring women there. We weigh in weekly and give eachother support.

weekly weigh in

We start a new thread each week and it is usually titled something like "weekly weigh in for 2/24-3/2" or whatever the date that week is. It is started every Monday by whoever gets around to starting it. The women on it are following all sorts of different diets and such. It's a great group.

By the way...as of today, I've lost 59 pounds on the IR diet.

I weigh in tomorrow...I'm hoping to get past that 60 pound mark!

KYBluegrass · 02-23-2003, 06:44 PM

So exciting to see so many success stories!!!! I too know how good it feels....I've lost 115 pounds with the IR diet. This diet seems a little confusing in the beginning, but keep practicing...it will become second nature to you. Never eat carbs alone, every time you eat 15g of carbs, you must eat at least 7g of protein with it. Normally, they don't want you to go over 30g of carbs at one meal, so you'd balance that with 14g protein. Mostly, I spent a lot of time in the beginning just reading food labels. I learned to make healthier choices for the amount of carbs I could have in two hours. For example, white bread (1 slice) would put me about at my carb limit for that time, so if I use wheat or wholegrain lite bread, I can have a two slice sandwich, and that is more satisfying for me. The main thing is, accept the fact that you will not be perfect every day. there are just things that only a little Ben and Jerry's will fix!!!

But, I think the most important lesson I've learned is that the splurge itself is not what blows your diet....it's what you do after that. You just have to say, well, I probably shouldn't have done that, but it's back to business...and get right back on your plan. It's what you do over the long haul that brings results...not just what you do today or tomorrow. You have all inspired and helped me along the way so much...we will all get there! Sorry this is so lengthy!!

KYBluegrass · 02-24-2003, 03:33 PM

Let's see....Um well, I've lost 115 pounds in 11 1/2 months, I have about 50 more to go. Hope fully by August, I'll have it all off. Until I was dxd with PCOS a year ago, I was eating only 600 calories a day for nearly 9 years and still gaining. Dr found I had severe insulin resistance and put me on met, and since then, this is the first time I have ever had any success on any diet. (Believe me I tried ALL of them!) As for exercise, I have mainly been walking and doing little toning exercises to see if I can get rid of the extra skin (right now, I look like a cat in a wet sack). I'm no expert on IR, but I'd be happy to share any ideas I can offer...just pm me! Sorry to hijack the thread.....

KYBluegrass · 02-27-2003, 08:54 PM

I've been asked about a few ideas for IR diet meals: Here's what I do-
Breakfast suggestions: (If I feel like cooking)
-2 egg beater omelet with lotso veggies
-egg and cheese wrap (1 small tortilla, wheat if poss.)
-homemade egg, english muffin and slice of lowfat cheese
-Uncle Ben's B-fast bowl (ham,egg and cheese, or eggs and salsa)

B-fast (if I'm in a hurry)
-sm. bowl of cereal
-zone bar
-container of fat free yogurt

Lunch
-Salad with a little lowfat cheese or meat
-one of those little tuna salad kits w/crackers
-bowl of soup
-fat free cottage cheese and fruit
-sandwich, on lite wheat bread
Eating out: an egg mcmuffin is balanced, and if I have to have a burger, I just tear off part of the top of the bun. Watch condiments they use, like BBQ sauce, mayo and stuff...they tend to overdo it.

For dinner, I pretty much eat whatever I'm making for the DH...I just read the food labels and balance out my carbs and proteins, and make my servings accordingly.

I just try to make the healthiest choices I can make. A handful of carrots is always better than a candy bar, ya know? Beware of a few foods that are higher in carbs....rice, mac and cheese, potatoes, corn (my two faves, of course).

I do not deny myself anything. I find that if a food becomes forbidden, you'll want it all the more. If I do crave something "sinful", I allow myself two bites...that's enough to taste. Eat what you like. Some fat free stuff is really good, some of it, I'd rather lick my cleaning bucket! If I don't like the fat free version, I buy the lowest fat version I can stand and watch my portion. You will not stay on a program very long if you don't like what you're eating! Hope this helps, and sorry its so long!!

scarlet · 03-02-2003, 02:30 PM

I have lost 28lbs with a combination of the I.R. Diet and The Schwatrtzbein Principle. I eat between 15 to 30 carbs per meal, have at least 14g of protein ( usually about 30g though) and eat healthy non hydrogenated fats. I also try and stay away from processed foods as much as possible, although I do indulge in chinese or McDonalds weekly.

I've lost this in 6 months. I haven't exercised apart from slow walking of the dog, but plan to start yoga or pilates soon.

KYBluegrass · 03-04-2003, 05:18 PM

120 pounds so far....about 44 more to go! Couldn't have done it without you guys!!!!

Su2116 · 03-13-2003, 01:37 PM

Can I join too? I've lost 67 lbs in 9 months on WW. 25 lbs more to go!

dee2002 · 03-19-2003, 12:25 PM

hi all i use to weigh 13 stone 13 pounds i'm now 10 stone and 6 and a half pounds i have lost over 3 and a half stone i got to a slimming club every wednesday www.hertsslimmingclubs.co.uk i weigh my food out and drink lots of water

i use a work out video at home

GeorgiaGirl22 · 03-19-2003, 03:34 PM

Just thought I'd jump in here. DH and I both are doing Atkins. We started Feb 5th, and I've lost 22 lbs. so far. Not quite sure how much DH has lost...but he's great at keeping me in-line.

The only thing I am having a problem with is getting motivated enough to start exercising...I have decided to start breaking in my treadmill tonight while DH is off playing music, so keep your fingers crossed that I make it...

Thanks for the motivation & support!

Brandy (me-23)
"Moe" (dh-22)

Doing Atkins...(started 2/5/03)
232/210/155

My meds...
Saw Palmetto
Dong Quai
Vitex
Multi-Vit.
Flax-seed Oil

dee2002 · 04-26-2003, 02:47 PM

i have lost more weight i'm 10 stone 3 and a half pounds now only 4 more pounds untill i get to my taget weight

KYBluegrass · 05-08-2003, 11:29 PM

Okay, Japan, Shannon, Maddy, you asked for it....here they are! I'm not done yet, I still have about 24 pounds to go, but I'm almost there! The before pic was taken about 8 months before I was dxd, and it was one of the very few I allowed to be taken. I was in charge of our county fair's floral hall, and the cabbage is the one on the right!

It's a bad pic, but it was from the newspaper. You can get the general idea. The after pic was just taken last night. Living proof that the IR diet works!!!!

Rita So. Cal · 05-11-2003, 12:09 PM

Hello,
I am new to Soulcysters. I have finally been diagnosed with PCOS. I have lost over 100 pounds, three different times in my adult life. The first time on WW, the second on Phen fen, and the third by not eating more than one small meal a day. I regained the weight, and more, very rapidly each time. I was up to a high of 400 pounds! My knees and back were killing me, I had severe edema and no periods. (I was told I didn't have a period because of the excess weight) Well I got to a point were I could not do this on my own, the weight came back sooo fast the last time. I talked to my PCP about weight loss surgery, he helped me get approval for surgery. Here I am almost 14 months later with a loss of 135 pounds. NO MORE PAIN! I feel wonderful. I have recently begun seeing an endocrinologist. I am taking Metformin 500mgs 3x a day. I have had no ill side effects. I will be RXed spironolactone at my next appointment.
If anyone has any questions please feel free to e mail me

Ritawls03112002@Yahoo.com

Rita
35, Single, Pre School Teacher
No Children
Open RNY (Gastric Bypass) 3/11/2002
Size 30/32 to 16/18
400/265/ Under 200
Gym every weekday @5:00 a.m. for 1 hour of aqua aerobic exercise.
Metformin
Zantac
Multi Vits
Citracal (Calcium)
B12

KYBluegrass · 05-12-2003, 07:32 PM

Here's the story to go with the pictures.
As a child, I was normal weight and basically healthy. At the age of 11, I got my first AF. My mom couldn't believe it...it seemed awfully young to be hitting puberty. It seemed like from that point on, the weight gain train was pulling out of the station already.

As the years went by, I was gaining about 8-10 pounds a year, and it wasn't stopping. I was an active kid and teen, playing sports and eating some junk food, (like all kids do), but not enough of it to justify what was happening to me. The weight was still piling on. During the time I still lived at home, I endured the worst bullying from my own family about my weight. "Look at you...you're the fattest one in the family." "I'm embarrassed to go anywhere with you." "No one will want to go out with you or marry you looking like that." I couldn't even watch TV in peace. If a pig or an elephant came on, they'd say, "oh, look there's Tracey", and everyone would giggle (except me). I was eating the same food my family was, and even eating less than my sedentary parents, and I was heavier than all of them. All of my relatives are thin. By the time I was 15, I weighed 185 pounds. I went to Nutri-System to lose the weight. In the beginning, I lost 25 pounds very quickly, and I was looking really good, but then I hit a plateau that lasted for 2 months, even though I was following the diet religiously. This lead to even more nagging from my family..."oh, you're lying...you must be eating something on the side." After those two months, I got discouraged and gave up. The weight was all back on in 4 months, and was still coming. I felt so helpless as I watched my "skinny" jeans get tighter and tighter, and I couldn't stop it. In college, I brought new meaning to the "freshman 15"....I was still gaining, even though I had radically changed my eating habits. Over those years, I tried WW, Overeaters Anonymous, Nutri-System(again), and every crazy diet and diet pill known to man, in a desperate attempt to lose the weight. I starved myself, and took things that gave me palpitations, etc. I went to many doctors over the years, trying to find an answer to what was happening to me. I heard the same thing over and over. "you're just not trying", "be honest with yourself, buckle down and lose the weight." Some weren't even that kind, and some were frankly downright rude. Every one of them assumed I had diabetes, and I probably hold the world record for glucose and FBS testing with a negative result. I once went an entire month drinking nothing but water. I would exercise 5 days a week to a 1 hour workout video. I would follow diets religiously for months at a time and only lose 5 or 6 pounds. During all this time, my cycles were never regular. They were really heavy and the cramps were crippling. I went to a gyno about it, and was prescribed birth control pills. They didn't work, and they only added more weight.
Fast forward a few years.....I began to notice some other strange things...I was in my 30s, and still breaking out like a teenager. My hair on my head was falling out, and growing in places it shouldn't on a woman, and I could tell my BP was way too high. I felt slow and sluggish, like I was half asleep all the time. About 9 years ago, I just got so mad at myself, I figured, well, if I don't put it in my mouth, I won't gain it. So, for 9 years, I ate no breakfast, no lunch, no snacks, only a small dinner, and plenty of water. Even at this rate, I was still gaining about 3-5 pounds a year. I couldn't even maintain my weight doing this!!!!! Finally, I began to do some research on the net, and looked at a list of hypothyroid symptoms. Hmmmm...they sound a lot like me, and my mom and grandmom had thyroid problems. Could be....
I went to an idiot of a doctor in February of 2002. My weight was now at a staggering 298 pounds, and my blood pressure was 185/85, the highest it had ever been. I nearly cried....I was 36, I was too fat to get pregnant. I was running out of options and I was running out of time. I told Dr. Idiot my list of symptoms, and he says "oh, you're much too fat to have a thyroid problem." I told him how I was only eating one meal a day, and I get that well known "OH, SURE...." look.

Two sentences later in the same conversation, he says, "well, when I gain a few pounds, I just skip a meal or two." Okay, now I'm furious. I don't need anyone to lecture me about will power. I don't need pamphlets on eating healthy, and I don't need the condescending attitude. I NEED HELP! It was all I could do not to burst into tears waiting for the nurse to come take blood. I went home, in a major depression, and I didn't eat for three weeks. The tests, as always, came back normal. There was nothing wrong with me.
Over those three weeks, my friends goaded me into seeing an endo. I thought "What the hell for? So she can tell me I'm fat and lazy too?" Finally, I made the appointment, and I figured this...she'd tell me I just need to lose the weight. So, I'll just completely starve myself, and I'll either be thin, or I'll be dead. At the time, either option was okay with me.
I saw the endo, and my life was totally changed. I reluctantly told her my story, and for the first time, someone actually listened. She examined me, asked me a bunch of questions about AF and my fertility, did some tests, and said you have PCOS with insulin resistance, and there is something we can do about it. What???? I never heard of this. She said I probably had it since puberty. She handed me a scrip for metformin, and said if I followed a healthy diet and exercised, the weight would come off. "yeah, right, I saw that last night on an infomercial." I decided to humor her and take the pills. Once I knew that I was insulin resistant, I decided to go back on a diet that I had tried a year ago....the IR diet (I lost about 5 pounds in 4 months on that one). I waited a month to weigh myself, and found I had lost 10 pounds!!! By the end of December of 2002, I had lost a total of 105 pounds. That is one rule I have kept...I only weigh once a month, and I do not keep a scale in the house. I go to the local hospital waiting room and do it there. Well, here we are almost a year and a half later, and I have lost 134 pounds, I have 24 more to go, and I feel 100% better. My cycles are like clockwork, my BP is down, my hair is growing back, and my hirsutism is better. I still burst into tears, thinking about what an incredible miracle this is. For the first time in my life, I have been able to lose weight on my own. I have gone form a size 3x to an 8. I have not seen my family back in PA since August of last year, and that was about 90 pounds ago. So, I guess they will be surprised! After 24 years, I found hope, I found this site, and at long last, I found my health. This site has been invaluable to me for encouragement, support, and information. Well, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

There is hope, and I wish all of my cysters the best of health!!!
Here's my pics, just download the attachment in the post:
http://www.soulcysters.net/showthrea...threadid=43004

KYBluegrass · 05-12-2003, 08:09 PM

No doubt about it, it has helped. I tried the IR diet about a year before I was diagnosed, and I only lost a little on it. After starting met, I could actually see the results for the first time in my life, and that in turn motivated me to keep on going. It's not only the weight loss though. I feel better on the inside too, not as groggy all the time, and my other symptoms are better too. (Read my story in the sticky at the top of this forum). I really believe that with this disorder, your hormones are so out of whack, that your body just can't lose weight like normal people. Now, it's not a weight loss miracle drug....you have to meet it halfway with exercise and healthy eating, and you have to communicate with your doctor to make sure the dosage is right for you to make sure it's really lowering those hormone levels. The gastric side effects do pass after your body gets used to it. I have had no side effects for over a year. Hope this helps!