PCOS AND THE BAND

Hello fellow bandsters
I was wondering if any of you have PCOS and have had trouble loosing weight with your bands, I am looking for support.

I had my band on Jan 20th of this year, I have lost a total of 40 lbs exactly including the weight I lost before the surgery. I have been the same weight now for almost 2 months and I am following all the rules.

Recently I was diagnosed with PCOS and put on the medication metformin. If there are any of you out there that are in the same boat as myself please let me know how you got past these horribly discouraging plateaus that I am having right now...
Thanks!

Hey Jules, I'm Jamie.  I have PCOS and I was very scared to get the band as well.  The only peice of advice I can offer is do the low carb.  I'm not losing very fast, but I am down 37lb since 3/23(my surgery).  I still have my protein shake in the morning, my lunch and supper...If I'm hungry I will snack on peanuts, cheese, pork rinds (yes I love them), a pc of bolonga, or a greek yogurt or I will even have another Atkins shake or Atkins bar.

I was told to be at 1500 calories a day, but I have yet to hit that.  It seems like an awful lot, but maybe thats why I'm not losing very much right now?  I too have be stuck around 252-249 for the last 4 wks or so.  I go for a fill on 6/27 (I think)...I'm hoping that, that helps. 

Maybe you need a fill?  PCOS is a ***** to deal with.  i am not on any meds at this point, but I was on Metformin. 

I know this wasn't very helpful, but if you want I can be your support person....

Jamie

Jules~
I too have PCOS. I just got the band on June 1st. My doctor and my NUT told me that a low carb diet was the way to go with a PCOS diagnosis. So that is what I am doing I am two weeks out and down 22 lbs. So I am gonna keep that up. But I am only on purees right now. My diagnosis of PCOS is somewhat new, but I did try metformin prior to surgery and that had NO effect on me. Part of the reason I sought the band. As previously posted, PCOS is a beast to deal with and I so wish I did not have it.
Good luck and please just keep plugging along.
Michele

Hi ladies thank you for responding. My question for the both of you is how long were you taking the metformin? What was your dosage? It sounds like you both are loosing weight rather quickly now. I had my surgery in January and my weight loss has been sooooooo slow.

My dosage was 500 mg per meal totaling 1500 mg each day. I took it for several months to help me get pregnant about two years ago and then I was on it for about a year with no success after my baby was born. Are you eating low carb?

Hi Jules!  I'm a PCOS girl as well and I was banded on Jan 14th of this year.  I was diagnosed back in 2001 and had been on Metformin on and off from 2001 through 2010.  I went off of it prior to my surgery and actually have not been back on it since.  I don't really focus on the low-carb diet, although I know that's a good one for PCOS.  The key for me is activity.  When I am getting some regular exercise, my weight loss is steady, when I slack off, I stop losing.

I wish I could give you some magic trick or secret for PCOS but, as you well know, PCOS is enough of an a-hole that something like that doesn't exist.  I find that, for me, having a protein-heavy breakfast is the key to having a good rest of the day.  Like I said, I don't take the Metformin anymore but when I did, I was on 2000 mg of the extended release formula.  The nice thing about that formula was that it really did lessen the... unpleasant digestive effects of the Met.

But really, for me, the big thing is the exercise.  With it I lose, without I don't.  Low carb would probably help too but I just love my sweet, sweet fruits and occasional chocolate way too much for that.  In general though, I eat "real food" in that I avoid chemicals and preservatives and additives in my food whenever possible.  I eat mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and grass-fed meats.  Nothing with more than 5 ingredients and nothing with ingredients that I can't pronounce.  I don't necessarily know if that helps or not but I have noticed that when I follow my "real food" rules, my weight loss is much more dramatic than when I allow myself to slip.  Although I think the main reason that's the case is that my diet is, by default, VERY low in sodium.  Sodium is a KILLER for weight loss and so many "diet" and "low-carb" foods are just loaded with it.

I know that PCOS is SO frustrating.  It seems to make EVERYTHING harder, doesn't it?  Getting pregnant, losing weight, eating right, getting exercise.  I'm so sorry that you are having trouble.  I wish I knew something that would help.  But if I did, I'd be writing this from my private island in the middle of the Carribbean, right?  A girl can dream...

Yes, I am eating low-carb I usually have egg whites in the morning with turkey sausage, for lunch usually its a nice chicken salad with balsamic dressing and for dinner, chicken or sometimes fish or beef and a vegtable.

I do have horrible sweet cravings and also with my wierd hours at work, I have night time eating problems. I go to sleep and wake up several times in the night and want to eat, another craving I have often is oatmeal???

I have been on the metformin now for a week and I think that it may be helping the night eating. I take 5oo mill before i go to bed and I am going to up the dose in another week.

I work out every other day, at the gym at least 40 minutes. Painting chef, how many days a week do you work out? Did you find that the metformin helped with the cravings and weight loss at all? I am going to keep fighting, its one day at a time. Thank you all for your support, this is so far been the biggest battle of my life, and Ive been through some serious crap.
Blessings to you,
Jules