LE PCOS - not losing weight

[Jen26]

Hi! I’m 5’2ish /3 and weigh 128. Ive always had weird cycles- before my first pregnancy I barely got periods. But now I’m regular, just longer cycles - 35 days. So I chose PCOS version. I started the diet about 5 weeks ago and have only lost 2 pounds and now I’ve even gained one, and staying steady. I eat around 1200-1400 calories and stay within the limits. Prior to starting this diet, I was keto so I was eating nowhere close to the amount of carbs I’m eating now. Nothing has helped me lose weight and get sliM like keto has. How can I modify the pcos diet to help me slim down better? I’ve sortof
Cut out animal protein - occasionally I’ll do a little
Chicken. I’m wondering if that’s part of the problem
Too? Anyone experience anything like
This? Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

How much protein and fat are you eating on the diet? in terms of grams

[Jen26]

How much protein and fat are you eating on the diet? in terms of grams

Protein - 45-55g
Fat - 45-65g


These are as calculated by MyFitnessPal - which I guess means the protein included is from
Some fruits as well.
I’ve also added in the one hour cardio - in home stationary stair stepper

[atomic sagebrush]

We want you on 50+ g protein and fat NOT COUNTING any protein and fat in fruits and veg. I suspect you are getting too many carbs. So I'd up protein and fat to 60 g, stop counting the protein and fat in fruit and veg (even if you need to track this on paper rather than an app) but keep cal count the same. This will cut carbs without having to expend any effort on your part.

DO NOT cut out animal protein!! That is not any kind of an issue, and in fact a little chicken can be a good way to get a lot of protein for not too many cals and no carbs at all.

And yes absolutely you need to be on the alternate diet. just want to be absolutely clear that you know that is meant to be done with full fat dairy only, NO SKIM, right?

[Jen26]

We want you on 50+ g protein and fat NOT COUNTING any protein and fat in fruits and veg. I suspect you are getting too many carbs. So I'd up protein and fat to 60 g, stop counting the protein and fat in fruit and veg (even if you need to track this on paper rather than an app) but keep cal count the same. This will cut carbs without having to expend any effort on your part.

DO NOT cut out animal protein!! That is not any kind of an issue, and in fact a little chicken can be a good way to get a lot of protein for not too many cals and no carbs at all.

And yes absolutely you need to be on the alternate diet. just want to be absolutely clear that you know that is meant to be done with full fat dairy only, NO SKIM, right?

Yes! Full fat yogurt and full fat cheese 👍🏻 Also, I mispoke when I said I cut out animal protein. Dairy and eggs counts as animals, right? Lol.

Thanks so much for your feedback! I will make sure to hit 60g protein and fat. Do you think I maybe ovulate so late because I’ve been doing 1200/1300 calories for so long? After reading a lot of your posts, I’m wondering if I need to be on higher Cals. Just worried I won’t lose for a while like that.?

[atomic sagebrush]

yes absolutely!

While eating low calories can make you ovulate late, what you're describing to me (a history of wonky cycles, trouble losing weight, good results with keto) makes me think you have the opposite problem, you may have some PCOS tendencies and I think we need to keep you on the alternate diet, but we can absolutely up cals by adding in some more protein and fat. I don't want you to move towards adding carbs to up calories, let's see what happens if we have you eating more calories in terms of protein and fat first.

[Jen26]

yes absolutely!

While eating low calories can make you ovulate late, what you're describing to me (a history of wonky cycles, trouble losing weight, good results with keto) makes me think you have the opposite problem, you may have some PCOS tendencies and I think we need to keep you on the alternate diet, but we can absolutely up cals by adding in some more protein and fat. I don't want you to move towards adding carbs to up calories, let's see what happens if we have you eating more calories in terms of protein and fat first.

Ok so I did two weeks of 1200/1300 calories hitting the 55-60ish protein and fats and my weight seriously does not move 😭. Is if possible that such low protein just doesn’t work for my body? Or just that macro ratio? Or I’ve read before that yogurt and other foods that we can consider to be “healthy” are inflammatory in certain people’s bodies and don’t allow for weight loss? Any other tips or tricks? Have I just been on 1200/1300 calories for so long that my body is just used to that?
Would love to hear anyone’s thoughts/similar experiences! Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Let's up protein and fat to 65 g and keep cals the same. Then if that doesn't work, we'll go to 70 g, then 75. Eventually we'll find the sweet spot where weight comes off. This is no big deal, some people just have to have fewer carbs.

yes, having been on low cals a long time can def. mess with your metabolism some but this is not insurmountable I promise.

things like "inflammatory foods preventing weight loss" are largely voodoo but if you'd like to change over to cheese instead that's fine. But please don't drop the full fat dairy.

[Jen26]

Let's up protein and fat to 65 g and keep cals the same. Then if that doesn't work, we'll go to 70 g, then 75. Eventually we'll find the sweet spot where weight comes off. This is no big deal, some people just have to have fewer carbs.

yes, having been on low cals a long time can def. mess with your metabolism some but this is not insurmountable I promise.

things like "inflammatory foods preventing weight loss" are largely voodoo but if you'd like to change over to cheese instead that's fine. But please don't drop the full fat dairy.


Okay, thanks!! 🙏🏻 No, I’ll stick with the yogurt :)

I was going to try for the first time in 2/3 weeks (it’ll be 12 weeks on diet, but who knows if I’ll have lost any more weight by then yet) - should I hold off until the weight is coming off?

Also, since I’m lowering the carbs, is there a preferred type of carb to
Make sure I fit in? Like I know on the list it’s 2 fruits / 1-2 whole grain carb servings. Should I make sure to fit in certain amount of fruit vs whole grain or like sweet potato ?

Do you think having one meal “off-plan” a week is messing me up? Like if I go out to dinner Once a week and have regular pasta (not a huge amount - small serving)?

Thanks!!

[atomic sagebrush]

How do you feel about waiting??

My gut instinct is for you to wait. I don't usually do this but I feel you may be fairly insulin resistant and may need more time for that to correct (in terms of lower blood sugar and testosterone) and I'd rather see you take a month now rather than risk jeopardizing your sway outcome.

Don't get worked up about the list, just eat what you want (from the good carbs I mean). That list is more for the people who just can't stick in the limits.

One off-diet meal a week is fine.

[Jen26]

How do you feel about waiting??

My gut instinct is for you to wait. I don't usually do this but I feel you may be fairly insulin resistant and may need more time for that to correct (in terms of lower blood sugar and testosterone) and I'd rather see you take a month now rather than risk jeopardizing your sway outcome.

Don't get worked up about the list, just eat what you want (from the good carbs I mean). That list is more for the people who just can't stick in the limits.

One off-diet meal a week is fine.

I can wait if need be 🤷🏻*♀️ When would be a good time to try? After couple pounds lost or what am I looking for exactly?

Is there anything else I should do in interim to help understand what my issues are? Blood test to check hormones and insulin resistance markers?

I’ve had a lot of bloodwork in past and saw lots of different types of drs and naturopaths etc to figure out what’s wrong with my cycles but no one ever saw anything to really point to pcos!? Or to figure out why the cycles are longer. And I got pregnant very easily when I wanted to with my two boys, so no one ended up caring too much lol. Anywho, I should get some Annual bloodwork done, so if there’s anything you think would help to know for sure, I will ask for it!

Should I add fiber? Haven’t been doing that ? Any specific kind you recommend?

Thank you!!

[Jen26]

How do you feel about waiting??

My gut instinct is for you to wait. I don't usually do this but I feel you may be fairly insulin resistant and may need more time for that to correct (in terms of lower blood sugar and testosterone) and I'd rather see you take a month now rather than risk jeopardizing your sway outcome.

Don't get worked up about the list, just eat what you want (from the good carbs I mean). That list is more for the people who just can't stick in the limits.

One off-diet meal a week is fine.

I don’t know if my last post came through but basically I said I can wait if need be... but I’m wondering what would be a good sign that it’s a good time to try? Losing a few pounds? I feel like I’d read before On here that it’s not actually about the weight loss but just about staying within limits and being LE...is that different for me Bc you’re suspecting the high IR?

What blood tests can I run to help figure out what’s going on with me? I’ve done many many in the past and everything was basically normal. But I’m due for some blood work anyway.

Should I get on any supplements? Fiber?

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, the rules are different because of the potential IR situation. I don't want you to go ahead if your blood sugar is high and your estrogen/testosterone are up. That would be counter to our purposes of getting you a girl, since we suspect it's those things that sway. So in this case, the issue isn't the weight loss but what the weight loss is telling us, if that makes sense.

I don't think you need any blood tests necessarily. You can ask for a diabetes screen but the blood tests really aren't that informative. We'll see what happens with the change in diet.

I want to see what happens when we change the diet before starting any supplements.

[Jen26]

Ok so I've had quite a few "off" days from the diet...but regardless I really just feel myself getting fatter on this diet :0
even though i'm usually at the very least staying at the 1200 calories......

I also had a blood test done and everything was normal BUT my testosterone was high for the first time at 49 (range was 0-48) and also my leptin was 24.5 which also seemed to be pretty out of range. My DHEA also was 688 when the max is 701, which seems functionally out of range. Now I'm all of the sudden panicking like I won't be able to ever even start to try with all these wacko levels!






Yes, the rules are different because of the potential IR situation. I don't want you to go ahead if your blood sugar is high and your estrogen/testosterone are up. That would be counter to our purposes of getting you a girl, since we suspect it's those things that sway. So in this case, the issue isn't the weight loss but what the weight loss is telling us, if that makes sense.

I don't think you need any blood tests necessarily. You can ask for a diabetes screen but the blood tests really aren't that informative. We'll see what happens with the change in diet.

I want to see what happens when we change the diet before starting any supplements.

[atomic sagebrush]

I need more information about what you're actually eating. Calories, protein, fat, and the types of foods. I would also like to know what you mean when you say "off" days on the diet. If you're eating 1200 cals of carbs with insulin resistance then that's not going to work, so I want to know what you're considering as off days.

We would simply start upping protein and fat in 5 g increments till carbs were cut enough so you started losing weight. It is very unusual (as in, I can think of only one other person, and she had messed up her metabolism doing juice fasts for a long time off and on) for a person not to lose weight on 1200 cals a day with 65-70 g protein and fat so I'd start with 65 g. But I hesitate to go this route without more info about what your diet is actually looking like.

Are you weighing yourself or is this a perception?
And can you characterize how often the "off" days are and what they entail?

[Jen26]

I need more information about what you're actually eating. Calories, protein, fat, and the types of foods. I would also like to know what you mean when you say "off" days on the diet. If you're eating 1200 cals of carbs with insulin resistance then that's not going to work, so I want to know what you're considering as off days.

We would simply start upping protein and fat in 5 g increments till carbs were cut enough so you started losing weight. It is very unusual (as in, I can think of only one other person, and she had messed up her metabolism doing juice fasts for a long time off and on) for a person not to lose weight on 1200 cals a day with 65-70 g protein and fat so I'd start with 65 g. But I hesitate to go this route without more info about what your diet is actually looking like.

Are you weighing yourself or is this a perception?
And can you characterize how often the "off" days are and what they entail?


Yes i am weighing myself.

So, i took two weeks to follow and hit my macros very strictly and my weight has not moved, I'm actually now stuck at 129.8 from 128.

This is what I eat generally:
breakfast: 6oz sheepsmilk yogurt, 1/2c berries, coconut water, 2 tbsp PB, 1 slice whole wheat bread (~500 cals )
lunch: 3oz protein (tuna, mostly chicken)/ 1 egg/ salad/ 1 tbsp salad dressing/ 1/2 "good fat" bar/ 1 small bag skinny pop (~400)
dinner: protein/veggies salad/ 1-2 oz cheese

i have been hitting 65-70 protein & fat, and my carbs are at 95g with calories around 1200. I am so confused as to what is going wrong here!

[atomic sagebrush]

Sorry, I am all but certain I've already asked you this somewhere but I have to make sure that you aren't counting protein and fat in fruit and veg, and nothing in low carb veg. I do not at all think that's the issue, and in fact I think your diet looks great but just because I have to ask that question again and again, since several times it really WAS the problem!

It may be that you're just plateaued. I'm going to go back and reread the first page because I have a couple suggestions that may help. But I strongly think your diet looks fantastic, I wouldn't change anything diet wise because we need you to be able to get pregnant at the end of this!

[atomic sagebrush]

Ok I'm back.

I may have missed it in my quick skim of the previous page, but are you exercising?? If not, that's the first change to make. Even if it is moderate exercise, add it in. The benefits to you for blood sugar control and weight loss completely outweigh any potential downside to your sway from building muscle.

I also want to see you add in 1/4 teaspoon (yes, this is a small amount) Ceylon cinnamon (do not use cassia cinnamon) from AF-O and then reduce to 1/8 teaspoon in the luteal phase O-AF (that is an even smaller amount, just a pinch really, but cinnamon is very strong) At BFP gradually wean back to dietary amounts only. and ONLY if you aren't on any other medications or have health issues that might be negatively affected by the cinnamon.

Additionally, let's have you take 1000 mg myoinositol from AF-O and 500 or 1000 every other day from O-AF. At BFP gradually wean off by spacing doses further and further out till down to one per week, then you can drop it.

The myoinositol will take the place of the fiber, no need to add that in

[Jen26]

Ok I'm back.

I may have missed it in my quick skim of the previous page, but are you exercising?? If not, that's the first change to make. Even if it is moderate exercise, add it in. The benefits to you for blood sugar control and weight loss completely outweigh any potential downside to your sway from building muscle.

I also want to see you add in 1/4 teaspoon (yes, this is a small amount) Ceylon cinnamon (do not use cassia cinnamon) from AF-O and then reduce to 1/8 teaspoon in the luteal phase O-AF (that is an even smaller amount, just a pinch really, but cinnamon is very strong) At BFP gradually wean back to dietary amounts only. and ONLY if you aren't on any other medications or have health issues that might be negatively affected by the cinnamon.

Additionally, let's have you take 1000 mg myoinositol from AF-O and 500 or 1000 every other day from O-AF. At BFP gradually wean off by spacing doses further and further out till down to one per week, then you can drop it.

The myoinositol will take the place of the fiber, no need to add that in


Thanks for the info!! Yes, I am exercising. I do one hour of walking or in home stationary stair stepper a day. And correct, I am NOT counting the protein/fats from fruits/veggies.

I know I can lose the weight if I go Keto, but we don't want that right? FYI when I'm keto i do NOT go over 75g protein, and i have 100g fat, and 30g NET carbs. When I was keto i got down to 120 lbs- But when i stopped being keto, I gained the weight and have not been able to lose it!

Also, you had once suggested going to 75g protein, if 65-70 don't work...should I do that now and if so, is that 75g for protein AND fat?

[Jen26]

Sorry last thing - can the cinnamon and myoinositol be added mid cycle...like if i'm already CD10 ? thanks!!

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes go ahead and add them now.

I would not make any more changes in protein/fat, let's see if the myo/cinnamon works first if that's ok with you.

[Jen26]

Yes go ahead and add them now.

I would not make any more changes in protein/fat, let's see if the myo/cinnamon works first if that's ok with you.

Thanks for all your help! I started the Cinnamon for a few days and was good. I added the myo-inositol last night and was still fine. I had my next dose of the myo this morning because I wanted to switch to having it in the mornings...and I don’t know if that was just too close of a time between doses but it’s making me feel a little jittery. Do you think it may have those effects because I don’t actually need blood sugar regulation, since all of my insulin/a1c stuff came back in range etc? Or do those not matter when it comes to this? Only my testosterone and DHEA were high in my most recent labs (they haven’t usually been high in the past...do you think it’s the intermittent fasting causing the testosterone to spike?).

Thanks!

[Jen26]

Thanks for all your help! I started the Cinnamon for a few days and was good. I added the myo-inositol last night and was still fine. I had my next dose of the myo this morning because I wanted to switch to having it in the mornings...and I don’t know if that was just too close of a time between doses but it’s making me feel a little jittery. Do you think it may have those effects because I don’t actually need blood sugar regulation, since all of my insulin/a1c stuff came back in range etc? Or do those not matter when it comes to this? Only my testosterone and DHEA were high in my most recent labs (they haven’t usually been high in the past...do you think it’s the intermittent fasting causing the testosterone to spike?).

Thanks!

Actually my fasting blood glucose was on the higher end close to the range so I guess I wouldn’t call it normal

[atomic sagebrush]

No, you should be seeing weight loss at that cal intake and that you aren't indicates to me you have some insulin resistance issues. Of the two, the myoinositol is more important so drop the cinnamon and try the myo on its own and see how it goes.

[Jen26]

No, you should be seeing weight loss at that cal intake and that you aren't indicates to me you have some insulin resistance issues. Of the two, the myoinositol is more important so drop the cinnamon and try the myo on its own and see how it goes.

I ended up keeping both the myo and the cinnamon ... By when would you say I should see the difference on the scale? It’s been about a week now. If it’s not drastic, should I up the myo dosage?
I feel like I read somewhere before that 4000mg/day was good for pcos? Thx!!

[atomic sagebrush]

No I don't want you to use more than that. We saw a lot of weird stuff happening at higher doses.

It can take time to break past a plateau. I know it's frustrating but I would give it at least a month to see what happens all thru the menstrual cycle (some of us hang on to weight at certain parts of the cycle and then see it fly off later)

[Jen26]

No I don't want you to use more than that. We saw a lot of weird stuff happening at higher doses.

It can take time to break past a plateau. I know it's frustrating but I would give it at least a month to see what happens all thru the menstrual cycle (some of us hang on to weight at certain parts of the cycle and then see it fly off later)


Hi! So it’s been like 6 weeks I’ve added the myo and cinnamon. I rly don’t know what is happening but I am not losing any weight. I’ve actually gained in the last few weeks. Is there some sort of other alternative version of the girl diet l? I’ve never had SUCH a hard time losing weight.

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

We will just keep upping protein in 5 g increments till weight comes off. So try 5 more grams of protein than you were eating with everything else the same.

[atomic sagebrush]

You can try upping both protein and fat in 5 g increments.

[PINKwish16]

Hi, please can I ask how Myoinositol helps sway pink, what is it? Thanks x

[atomic sagebrush]

Myoinositol can help SOME PEOPLE lower their blood sugar levels. It is not right for everyone and should only be used by those people who actually need it.

[PINKwish16]

Ah ok, I’m going to purchase a plan (spring time I think) so that would be figured out and advised to me should I need it? Xx

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes. I either put that in the plans or not depending on if people need it.