# PCOS Diet Buddies??



## krissie328

I am working on getting my PCOS under control with diet and metformin. I have done four rounds of clomid and one round of letrozole trying to get pregnant in the last year. I am currently in my letrozole round but looking to take a break after it while I focus on my diet. I have decided I need to lose some more weight and then try fertility meds again closer to November/December. 

I don't have a specific diet I am following but I am aiming to limit dairy, sugar and processed carbs. I want to focus on a more whole foods diet full of fruits, veggies and protein. I am going to aim to keep carbs between 50-100 since I am diabetic and that is how I control blood sugars. 

I would really love some buddies for this adventure. I find I stick to it better with support. I am sure there are other ladies out there with PCOS ttc and diet and I would love to chat and build a support system through this process.


----------



## Jules8

Hi :) I will be your buddy. I am not currently ttc as my lo is 7 months and we don't plan on having another for at least 2 years...unless some sort of miracle happens we will be using a fertility specialist again. 

I have always struggled with my weight and had irregular cycles. My gyno at the time just put me on bc and called it a day. I stopped taking it a year after I met my husband when we moved in together. We figured if it happened then it happened. We got married in Sept. of 2014 of which we actively started trying, however I knew deep down there was an issue and after reading that I had many symptoms of PCOS I started looking for answers. Long story short I found a new doctor, did some testing, saw an endo, and the result was that I had PCOS. I started metformin, but that's all he could do and sent me to a fertility specialist for further treatment. We saw her in February of 2015 and did some testing. The plan was to go on femara in May. Everything got screwed up, but I did take it as planned. I was for sure that it wouldn't work that month so I picked up my next months prescription. Then 3 days before they were planning to give me medication to start a new cycle I found out I was pregnant. 

Currently I am doing low carb. I have talked to many people and researched that low carb is good for those of us with PCOS. I have tried weight watchers, calorie counting, low fat, green drinks, etc. Low carb is the only thing that works for me so I am working hard to stick to it the best I can. I am trying to stick to around 40-50 carbs a day maximum.


----------



## krissie328

Welcome hun! I have also found low carb to be the only thing that helps me lose weight and feel good. I've also ovulated on low carb which I never do on my own. 

Since we are ttc I'm gonna try not to go to crazy being low carb. When I was pregnant with ds I ate 100-120 a day so I figure my target range should be good until I get pregnant.


----------



## Jules8

I think making healthy decisions and having a range is more important than sticking to an exact number of carbs. 
I want this to be a lifestyle and it's hard if it's way too strict.


----------



## krissie328

That's exactly what I want to do as well. I have other factors other than ttc and pcos that make it so lower carb is the way to go. 

So I'm gonna weigh in tomorrow and officially get started. I've been on vacation the last few days so eating has been awful. But hey lots of walking. :haha:


----------



## KylasBaby

Ooh I want to join! I have 15 more pounds I want to lose by when we ttc in January! I lost 35lbs going low carb and dairy free and exercising. Hoping to get back at it again, but honestly OH's mom just had a second surgery to remove a brain tumor and we are closing on our new house at the end of the month so there's a LOT of stress at the moment! I figure if I end up having pasta for dinner then at least I ate well up to that point. Every good meal helps right? 

I gained back a few pounds after I fell off the lo carb and no dairy wagon, but I'm trying to get back on. Already down nearly 3lbs again. One meal at a time!


----------



## krissie328

Welcome over here Kylas! I absolutely believe it's every meal counts. In the end its about a sustainable way of eating. 

Congrats on your new house. It is such a crazy stressful time but so worth it.


----------



## Jules8

Hi Kylas! That sounds like a whole lot of stress, but you seem like you're on the right track. :) 
Every good meal sure does count! Noone eats perfect 100% of the time.

We have a town fair every year, it's seriously my favorite thing ever and is right in front of our apt. building since we live on the main street. You better believe that I will be having 1 or 2 treats. I feel that going into it this way is better than feeling like I have to resist every single urge. When I feel that way I end up doing worse and feeling bad about it.

I weighed in today and am down 4 pounds! :)


----------



## krissie328

Great job on the weightloss Jules. I always enjoy our local fair and have dinner there once while they are in town. 

I am up 2 lbs but I am not surprised given I just got home from 4 days of crap eating. I packed lunch and I am working on avoiding temptation today.


----------



## KylasBaby

Congrats on the weight loss Jules!

Krissie - you can lose it! Sometimes we all need a couple days of crap eating. But once you get back on track you can do it. Temptations are so hard to resist. 

I've lost about 2lbs since I started taking spearmint. Supposed to help lower testosterone. I've also been trying to eat better but seem to be failing one meal a day. Better than all of them I guess. I work in my mothers daycare which is in her house. My grandparents live there too so if OH is working late DD and I will stays r dinner and we don't eat red meal or pork so if they are having something like that and don't have any chicken for us we usually end up with pasta. And my mother had a craving for cake yesterday. Not gonna lie it was delicious :)

I already failed breakfast today, but for lunch I had tuna salad (no bread just with a fork haha) and peas & corn. For dinner I am making baked cod with some kind of vegetable. Maybe green beans or broccoli. Mmm. Nice and healthy. Will help to offset my caramel iced coffee I can't give up ;)


----------



## krissie328

I do find temptations to be the worst!! I often like to eat at my mom's on days she has ds. She doesn't eat the best so it is hard. But her DH was diagnosed with diabetes so it has been more in line with my diet lately. 

I broke down and had a cookie at lunch. I am trying not to keep eating them now. 

I feel so tired and bloated so I am trying to use that as my motivation not to cheat. 

I have been wanting to add spearmint to my list of things to take during my break.


----------



## KylasBaby

My grandfather has diabetes and they still eat horribly haha. Though my grandmother is trying to cook better lately, but it still involves a lot of breads and pastas and such. 

See that's the thing with temptation - I can't say "okay you can give in and have just one cookie so you don't go nuts" no I'll eat them all. I can't just have a little so that I can be having it. I have to go overboard. It sucks. Trying to work on it, but it's difficult. 

It seems to be helping me. Will be interesting to see if it helps me ovulate. I've been ovulating on the inositol, but maybe a stronger ovulation or bringing it forward a bit. I've stopped my b complex too (but keeping my separate b-12 and folate) as I want to see if that's pushing O back, but that's a separate issue not diet related.


----------



## KylasBaby

Just updated my lilyslim and was pleasantly surprised to find I've recovered from my fall off the diet wagon! I was sure I still had a couple of pounds, but I'm actually half a pound under when I last updated it! Score! This is the lowest I've been since I started my diet in March :). 36lb down, 15 to go! I can do that by January if I keep myself focused.


----------



## krissie328

Fabulous job hun!!


----------



## KylasBaby

Thanks!

I just feel I should be further along for having been doing this for 6 months now. Sucks it's so hard for us to lose weight. I yo-yo like crazy. I look at a carb and I gain 3 pounds. I'm 175 now with a bmi of 31 (I'm only 5'3") so I really don't want to go up anymore. I just cannot seem to get under 170. No idea why but I keep getting stuck around here. 

But I have to keep telling myself I did lose 36lbs so I've done a lot even though I think I should have lost more by now.


----------



## Jules8

Kylas- Congrats on the loss! Those are amazing results over the course of 6 months. Slow and steady weight loss means you will be less likely to gain it all back. Be very proud of yourself ! It's never easy!

I tend to eat something "bad" then think...well I already went off track so I end up eating a bunch of junk. I'm really trying to re-wire to be able to have a treat without overdoing it. It's so so so hard!


----------



## krissie328

I struggle with the same thing, once I start making bad choices I cannot stop.

Today is going well. I have a plan for dinner so just got stick to it.


----------



## KylasBaby

Jules - I think the same thing. I already messed up and had a brownie. What's 5 more? Same as one really....

Krissie - I'm glad today is going well for you. One meal at a time!

I was good today too. Though may have had one turkey meatloaf muffin too many for dinner. But they're soooo good! Down a little more this morning! Think it's a combo of the inositol, spearmint and low carb/high fat diet. Haven't started exercising again yet and still losing. Though watch it all come back tomorrow.


----------



## krissie328

Great news kylas. I love meatloaf muffins.

I finished my day good. I did have some fruit snacks but overall length it was good. Hoping tomorrow is also good! I'm pretty sure I have low carb flu as I am not feeling well and my heads killing me.


----------



## KylasBaby

Low carb flu? Is that a real thing? Because I've been in a weird mood. I feel run down and like I want to lay down but it's different from my usual exhausted feeling. Kind of a bit foggy.

I'd be happy to post the recipe of you like? 115 calories each, 2 grams of fat. Though I don't know what else lol. That's all it says for the nutritional content. When I'm doing low carb I don't really look at calories. I'll glance and make sure I'm not eating 800 in one sitting, but I find even if it's higher in calories as long as it's low carb and higher fat then it doesn't go right to the hips. Or butt. Or thighs. Or arms. Haha


----------



## krissie328

Yea, I would love the recipe!

Unfortunately, it is a real thing. You sound like me. I stood in the hall at work for almost 5 mins confused today. I still have no idea what I was doing. Fatigue, dizziness, headaches and mental fog are all symptoms.


----------



## Jules8

I would love the recipe. My husband works nights so I could make then freeze them to pull out when I don't feel like going through the effort to cook for just me. 

I did ok today. I did have my fair cheeseburger and a little bit of funnel cake. Way better than I would usually do!

The low carb flu is the worst. I had it last week. Headaches, tired, and super cranky! Lol


----------



## KylasBaby

Ive been pretty cranky and irritable too. Never heard of low carb flu. Goodness. 

Meatloaf Muffins
We don't use that much barbecue sauce. More ketchup.


----------



## krissie328

Thanks Kylas, those look good. I prefer ketchup too so would make the change. 

Do you ladies cut out dairy? I have reduced it but eating low carb with no dairy seems incredibly hard. In the past I have relied on heavy cream and cheese. 

I have read that goats milk doesn't have the effect that cow milk does on PCOS so I was thinking of switching to that for recipes. I don't drink milk so that is not an issue.


----------



## KylasBaby

I kind of did. It's really hard I love cheese! My coffee has a bit of cream but I don't have any other than that. Trying to switch to almond milk in my coffee. 

I can't drink goats milk. DD does as she has mspi and I don't like the taste. I use almond milk in recipes that call for milk.


----------



## krissie328

Thanks Kylas. I will look for some alternatives. I don't eat a lot of dairy so maybe that will help. I do like cheese though. So maybe sticking with regular cheese and then adding in almond/coconut milk into recipes. 

Any low carb dinner recipes? I get stuck in a rut and I really want to avoid getting bored this time.


----------



## KylasBaby

Those meatloaf muffins are really good. You can google a lot! I also make turkey meatballs. We have chicken breasts a lot. And fish. And sausage.


----------



## krissie328

I have been searching google a lot today. I have found a few so will be trying those soon. My internet keeps crashing so might have to look tomorrow. We are having a horrible storm right now so I think that is why. 

We do eat beef but no pork so that does limit some things. I have a low tolerance for Chicken so that seriously sucks!!


----------



## KylasBaby

Haha when I was 9 I decided I wasn't eating anything other than poultry and sea food. And I haven't. OH says all the time she's sick of chicken so I just tell her hen se is free to make herself something or go get something haha.


----------



## krissie328

I use to only eat chicken but when I got pregnant with DS I developed this dislike of it that never went away. I also had bad cravings for beef at that time and ever since then liked it. Before being pregnant I never did. It has been so weird.


----------



## KylasBaby

Ah. I developed an addiction to strawberry coolattas from Dunkin donuts while pregnant. It's really a miracle I didn't develop gd! I actually had low blood sugar and for all the crap I ate I don't know how!

I have an issue with this diet - I've read that you don't wan to bio your protein really bc your metabolism will turn that I to carbs, but that's what I eat instead of a carb! Like instead of pasta I'll have a protein, instead of a sandwich I'll just have the meat. So I don't know how to not do that? I don't have any other options.


----------



## krissie328

I struggle with that same issue. I overcompensate not eating carbs by eating to much protein. Some of the things I have found that helps is a little olive oil or butter with my veggies, oil based dressings on salads, avocados (not a big fan so one or two a week at most!). When I was eating heavy cream I would add a splash to coffee, make soups with it and make chocolate mousse that I froze. (Tasted like ice cream with hardly any sugar!!) I also like olives so I throw a few of those in dishes and nuts. I like macadamia nuts so spend the little extra at costco. But I also like other ones so usually eat 1 oz or so a day. Also, coconut and coconut oil added to things are delicious. 

I have also attempted to make fat bombs (google keto fat bombs). But honestly so may use fake sugars and I do not. Sometimes I sub in honey but that increases the carbs quite a bit.


----------



## KylasBaby

Honestly though what am I supposed to eat instead of carbs and protein? 

I don't eat breakfast much as I have a coffee and use that as breakfast. Ice caramel mmmmm. We're allowed one vice ;)

Then lunch is a protein and a veggie and dinner the same. Sometimes I'm super hungry in the morning so I'll have an egg or sausage which is more protein. Can't have a bagel or toast.


----------



## KylasBaby

:)


So bad tonight. Stayed at my parents for dinner. Had like 3 rolls . . . They were so good! And I have no willpower. And had a bunch of potatoes which aren't good for PCOS either. 

Fail.


----------



## krissie328

I had a bad night and had a ton of sugar. But I was so sick all night so definitely learned my lesson. At least for now! So I am back on track for today.


----------



## KylasBaby

I wish I'd have issues when I get off track but I don't. I could hinge on a box of donuts or have an entire loaf of bread and I'll feel fine. So sucks my body isn't helping me haha. Probably gonna have pizza for lunch but trying to be strong...


----------



## krissie328

Yea, I am very insulin resistant so to much sugar/carbs and I start feeling sick. I am pretty sure I diabetic or very close. Which is also part of why I want to get this diet thing under control before getting pregnant again.


----------



## KylasBaby

Makes sense. I honestly don't know how insulin resistant I am. I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 13 and never had any testing again. Even at my endo. I was able to get pregnant using herbs and supplements so I'm sure if I had issues or do in the future then I'd get further testing. 

Had pizza for lunch...4 slices....homemade tho so not as bad? I'm out walking now with DD before her nap to walk it off. It sucks working in a daycare bc I do most meals and have to avoid eating the food. Most times I do but sometimes I succumb to temptation.


----------



## krissie328

Yea, pizza is a big weakness for me. I am going out with my mom tonight. I am going to try to stay on track and order soup and a salad. 

I was dx with PCOS at 22, but I have had all the symptoms since I was 13. I never had any blood sugar problems until I got pregnant with DS. I had horrible GD and ended up on a huge dose of insulin. And it went back to normal after him but since then just seems to be getting worse. I feel awful after eating sugar or heavy carb meals. I should get testing but I am not ready to face it yet. So just trying to manage it with low carb diet.


----------



## KylasBaby

Oooh gotcha. As long as you know how to manage it with diet. That's the best way to really. So much better thantaking medication if you can avoid it. 

40 minute walk burned 300 calories! So wasn't a huge loss with the pizza haha. I'll definitely do a simple chicken breast and veggies for dinner to make up for it. I definitely feel better having had a nice walk. Sweaty as hell now though. Had a pretty high heart rate. Which is normal in this point in my cycle. I get better workouts post O-AF haha. I swear a lot without exercising as well. Being a woman is grand lol

Have you tried anything other than clomid and femara to O? Like any herbs or supplements? Just curious. I've had so much luck with herbs and vitamins.


----------



## krissie328

Yes, I have done lydia pinkham. I believe the big one in there that helped was the black cohosh. I o'd that cycle on CD 12 and got a bfp. It did end as a chemical but I do not believe it was related. I am actually going to be doing that again this coming cycle.

I tried vitex years and years ago and it helped regulate my cycle but I have no idea if I was oing. And dh was in the Navy at the time and gone so obviously weren't trying. I also tried maca and just never felt like that really helped. I tried soy isoflavones and I o'd both times but both bfn. 

I think that is it. I think I have clung to the clomid because we got our bfp first round with DS and another bfp in Jan (chemical) on our first round again. But since then I feel like it has been making me crazy. This cycle with femara was so so so much calmer.


----------



## KylasBaby

I used vitex for DD and was pretty upset when it didn't regulate anything when I took it to start regulating things again. Didn't do anything! I had a mini panic. I still am kind of bc I know that does a host of things while pregnant to sustain a pregnancy too. Inositol is also supposed to help with blood sugar levels maybe that's why I don't really have any crashes when I eat stuff I shouldn't. I do get low blood sugar though. I know when as my hands start shaking. Only happens in the morning though and probably because I don't eat breakfast and haven't had much of my sugar loaded caramel iced coffee :)

That's good this time was calmer. I can't imagine being any crazier haha. I'm very affected by my cycles. Anxious and moody, weepy, happy and everything in between depending on where I am in my cycle. At least it shows my body is going through all the parts of a cycle. 

Really liking spearmint now. My most recent addition. Don't have to pluck my chin as often. My face isn't as oily and my hairbrush doesn't seem to have the same amount of hair on it after I brush. The real test though will be next cycle and seeing if it brings o forward any. 

I do find it fascinating how we can so greatly impact our cycles with simple vitamins. Who knew? I definitely think diet plays a huge role too!


----------



## krissie328

I definitely think diet is key. I have o'd on my own only when I am eating low carb. 

I really want to try spearmint and see if it helps. I have also tried inositol but I have never kept up with it long enough to see if it helps.


----------



## Jules8

Sorry I haven't posted much, we have been busy. 

I ate off plan for the fair, but I didn't go overboard so I'm proud of myself. Today I am back on track. :) I get a lot of recipes from Pinterest, Atkins website, Linda's low carb, and peace, love, and low carb. Usually I just do a small amount of meat and lots of veggies.

I tried vitex, tea, and was in metformin at one point. I didn't ovulate on any of it, though I wasn't taking it too long. I got pregnant taking femara so that's what I'll go to when we're ready to try again.


----------



## krissie328

Eee.. just looked up the carbs on my soup and salad I had for dinner. Way more than I would have thought. But it was healthy and so tasty so not gonna worry about it. It's not like I was eating bad carbs. The fact I feel good says it's really the quality of carbs over quantity.


----------



## KylasBaby

I've had a HORRIBLE diet day! Won't wven say what I had for dinner. And dessert. So so bad . . . Every single one of the kids in the daycare were in horrible moods today except one and my DD. Which is surprising since she's been miserable the past couple of days. The scale will go up at least 2lbs! Oh well. I'm eating my feelings haha. There's always tomorrow


----------



## krissie328

That's right, tomorrow is a new day!


----------



## Jules8

Haha! I eat my feelings too. Usually in the form of homemade chocolate chip cookies. Something about baking than having them warm is relaxing to me. Lately I've been making lactation cookies which have flax, oatmeal, and whole wheat flour so at least they are much healthier. Even my hubby likes them. Lol :)


----------



## KylasBaby

And as I thought I'm up 2lbs. Oh well. AF should be coming in a couple days and I usually lose some water weight around then so it's not too bad. Someday I'll lose these last 15lbs. The first bit came off so quick! Like 10lbs a month for 2 months then slowed way down and nothing I did changed. I got really discouraged and gave up for a bit then lose some more and stopped so discouraged again and stopped and then it keeps repeating. Oh well. Someday. I have lost a lot so I'm proud of that.


Mmmmm cookies...we still have cake in the fridge lol


----------



## KylasBaby

Officially hit the 40lb mark!! I'm now 10ish pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight! 11lbs to go!


----------



## krissie328

Fabulous job Kylas! :happydance:


----------



## KylasBaby

Over been doing okay with the diet. Having more carbs and dairy than I should be, but doing less snacks and smaller portions. And not exercising so I think it's mostly the inositol and spearmint!


----------



## krissie328

I've definitely notices the inositol and/or spearmint has decreased my appetite so that's nice. I weighed myself this morning and I am down even with eating what I wanted this week.


----------

