Hey there!! Congrats on your achievements!! I have a question.. after reaching your goal weight, have you seen any changes in your PCOS symptoms??

Quote: "I have a question.. after reaching your goal weight, have you seen any changes in your PCOS symptoms??"

Hi!

My symptoms starting improving even before I hit my goal...when my bloodwork started dropping, things really helped a lot. My periods normalized, I had cervical erosion that totally reversed, my male hormones, cholesterol and insulin labs normalized, my black neck faded and I quit getting skin tags. My acne improved a lot too. The only thing that didn't improve was my facial hair. So I ended up getting laser treatments and it has almost completely eliminated it. I have had 7 and another treatment or so and I should be done.

Hope it helps.

Glad to hear it. I have lost 13 lbs on metformin so far, and while I have a bit more to lose, it helps to know there is light at the end of the tunnel!

LKP

Thanks to everyone and especially Smartchik for explaining the IR diet. I ordered the book today for PCOS. I have had some success on phase 1 of South Beach (lost 10 lbs) and a wheat free diet, which was necessarily low carb and recommended by my allergist (4 lbs so far).

I cannot wait to receive the IR book so that I can start that. It sounds very much like how I eat now, with protein at every meal. I hope that you can still have fruits and veggies and it sounds like you can, in moderation (30 grams), right? I miss bread, crackers, and tortillas, but I don't miss the pounds I have lost. I am also taking metformin, so that should help with the sugar balance. Fatigue after high carb meals -- I used to fall asleep! So, this can work for me. Bonus: my husband is losing weight too!

Take care,
Kate

I am interested more in this laser treatment. I have an embarassing amount of facial, chest and stomach hair. It is so humiliating and I am desperate for something that works.

Thanks,

Has anyone read the INsulin Control Diet by Dr Ezrin.

has IR helped with blood sugar ups and downs?
is it true you can not have caffeine on this?
is decaf allowed?
can anyone tell me what you eat for breakfast??seems that I can not find the right things to have .

Jims: I had the gentlelase laser treatments for my chin, neck and above my lip, and it's been a miracle. I have had 8 treatments (about one every 8 weeks or so) and I shave about once every 2 or 3 weeks, although since my last appt I haven't shaved at all. I am in Canada and it cost about 80.00 with taxes for each one. It slowed down the growth from the first treatment, and when it did come back, it was about 20% sparser and it just kept improving with each one. It is expensive, but it is really worth it.

Bloke:

has IR helped with blood sugar ups and downs?

I used to struggle with blood sugar issues and since starting met with the IR diet it is RARE that I have any blood sugar issues.

is it true you can not have caffeine on this?

No, it's not true. Caffieine is allowed, but you do need to have beverages with sugar and sugar substutes (soda pop) with some protein...they still affect insulin. I have cut back on caffeine a lot (I have it about 2-3 times a week now), but I haven't given it up totally.

can anyone tell me what you eat for breakfast??seems that I can not find the right things to have

My favorites:

Cottage cheese and fruit
Toast and an egg
SMOOTHIES! Filling, full of vitamins, antioxidents and DELISH!

We went to Costco and bought Big Valley Frozen Fruit (blackberries, rasberries & blueberries), fresh bananas and Mango vanilla low fat vanilla yogurt. We add some 1% milk and a scoop of whey protein (about $22.00 for a 1 Kg pail that lasts forever).

1 banana
1 cup frozen fruit
3/4 c yogurt
1 c 1% milk
2 scoops whey protein

This makes enough for a big glass for Dh and I each and small glasses for our 2 kids...I would guess about 4 cups or so.

Each 1 cup servings has:

123 calories
1.82 grams fat
17.3 grams carb
11.8 g protein
2.5 grams fiber

Hope it helps!

thnks for the ideas
do these breakfasts keep you full till lunch.. ie the 1 pc toast and egg?
or do you need snack
what i am also asking is..
if carb/protein balance out of whack could that lead to hunger even if calories are high
so that we can cut calories by making sure protein to carb ratio correct?
i think some of my hunger is really blood sugar fluctuations that are not calorie determined
do you know what i mean?

I'm full for 3 to 4 hours with my breakfasts, so yes.

I think what you are asking is, if*did* find that what I ate (ie linked and balanced) made me just as satisfied as a higher number of calories. I certainly found linking/balancing made me feel fuller. The balanmce of protien with carb makes you feel fuller and protien takes longer to digest, so it actually burns more calories metabolically.

Hope that helps.

I have recently been diagnoes with PCOS, I am now looking into changing my diet. Thank you all for the information that I have read before. Hope to see you all on other IR threads.

notorious, do you think calorie count then is less per meal then when linked and balanced?
if you eat ice cream, what do you link with it to balance it?

notorious, do you think calorie count then is less per meal then when linked and balanced?
I have no idea honestly. I didn't start looking at calorie counts until I reached my goal weight.

if you eat ice cream, what do you link with it to balance it?
I usually have a glass of milk. The book talks about how the sugars in milk are lactose, so they don't affect insulin like sugar and can be counted as protein. Obviously sugar added ice cream has a ton of glucose and a glass of milk buffers the insulin spike.

thanks will give it a try

I have gotten the same results by simply plucking unwanted hair. I'm not knocking the laser, but if someone doesn't have a lot of hair or can't afford laser this works too. Many areas of my body are practically hair-free now after a year! My theory is that the hair was stimulated by the excess male hormone, and now that my hormones are balanced that stimulus is gone, but follicles that are growing have a life-cycle to complete anyway. Plucking speeds that up, they grow back finer and slower and then eventually die, and then new ones don't start. Like I said, this takes time and patience and may be frustrating for someone with a bad hair problem, but I want to share that there is hope for this problem no matter what treatment you choose.