Symptoms and DIET PLEASE READ!!

[qwert123]

Hi I am pretty sure I am suffering from PCOS...The symptoms i have are acne, excess body hair and facial hair and hair thinning. I am a bit underweight....so im confused on what to do for symptoms as i have heard that symptoms improve if you lose weight. My acne HAS GREATLY improved by cutting out dairy AND I noticed when I eat too much dairy and meat I would get my periods early and have severe acne...i would get periods every two weeks and they last 5 days...then i cut out dairy and now periods r every 25 days and last 6 days...my acne is almost gone...and its completely gone when i cut out sugar...as for my thinning hair...still problem and my body hair seems to be getting worse! I dont know what to do! I can not do low carb bc it might bring my acne back...PLEASE HELP ME! Also i have read that low carbing can also cause hair loss in some people!! I am so frustrating bc i have been doing a lot of resrearch and everything and everyone says something different...its like i dont know what to follow anymore! What i do know is EVERYONE is different..but by reading and sharing posts we can learn from eachother...please respond with your imput on diet and symptoms...I am a firm believer of healing yourself the natural way...meaing no PILLS!!

[foxgluvs]

You have all the classic symptoms of PCOS. If you want to look into it and get some good advice, then visit
http://www.soulcysters.com

and go to their message boards. You'll get some top advice from other sufferers.
xx

[qwert123]

Thank you for reading my post, i have checked out soulcysters before, as i have been doing tons of research..im just at loss on what to do to FIX EVERYTHING...bc EVERYONE has or says something different...like there are a lot of thigns saying how high protein low carb diets r GREAT for PCOS then i read things like Dairy and all the hormones in the meat is bad...and in a book "eat to live" Dr. Furhman says u can control insulin levels w a diet rich in greens and beans...and meat should be very limited in diet...im leaning more towards his method...as when i eat that way my skin clears...but i wany my other symptoms to go too...if my skin clears does that mean eventually my other symptoms will improve aswell???

[Bandito]

The body/facial hair will never go away. Once the hormones have changed your hair follicles to produce courser hair, the change is perminant. As far as how long it will take to clear symptoms..... Depends. For me, it took two months for regular periods. Acne took over a year for me, and I still get a few every so often. If I eat too much friut, my periods come late again. This never "goes away," it is managed by controlling insulin spikes. Excess insulin causes your body to step up production of PCOS hormones. So what I think it depends on is how well you manage your insulin spikes. If you eat a higher carb diet, you will average more insulin in your system. This MAY cause your symptoms to take longer be relieved. Any step in the direction of reducing insulin is a step in the right direction.

[Grimalkin]

The body/facial hair will never go away. Once the hormones have changed your hair follicles to produce courser hair, the change is perminant.
Mine went away... I believe using natural progesterone has had a lot to do with it for me. If I don't use it for awhile, and don't always ovulate (perimenopause), the symptoms start coming back (like hair starts growing, bad PMS, other stuff). Then I supplement with a little of it and they go away again.

You should research the stuff though before you run out and buy a tube... if you have a decent doc maybe you could get your hormones tested to see if you are deficient in something? If progesterone's not your problem there's the possibility that it might make things worse. A decent book for learning more about natural progesterone is "What your doctor won't tell you about premenopause" by John Lee. Stay away from synthetic hormones like the progestins in BCPs!

[qwert123]

ive read some stuff on progesterone...and i bought tube in health store...but im too scared to use it...bc i dont know how much or when etc...a book gave me example..but im scared to mess w my hormones...and i tried before getting my hormones checked...and i dont even know if they checked them! I told them to and other things...and they checked a bunch and i didnt see hormones on list! stupid doctors...and every time i talk to doctor or anyone...they look at me like im crazy..my hair symptoms on not that bad yet...but slowly getting worse...like i have fine hair on my face...but up really close in a certain light u can see it..and on my chest...and bikini line is crazy...plus hair thinning slightly on top of head...acne is improving since i gave up dairy.

[Shazzer]

Hang in there. You will eventually stumble across the best diet for your needs. It is great that you are researching and trying to find a solution. What books have you read? Would you be interested in our thoughts on the best books to read?

Here are my suggestions:
In considering what you should do, it is very important to avoid foods that spike your blood sugar and cause high insulin levels. As I'm sure you know, insulin problems lead to so many other hormonal imbalances. Secondly, your body needs animal proteins and fats for cellular growth. Without animal proteins, you will compromise your health. If you can, try to eat free range meats (not corn fed). Make sure your meat also has not received any hormone injections or antibiotics. Try finding this meat at a local health food store. It is more expensive but it could benefit you. How cutting dariy could have helped your acne is that have could have a yeast imbalance. Cheeses can cause an overproduction of intestinal flora, which can cause problems. Or, the hormones found in dairy could have affected you. Long ago, before I was diagnosed with PCOS, I had to give up milk because I found it made me very ill. I tried organic milk, and it suited me just fine. The culprit was the hormones used for dairy cattle. As with PCOS, my hormones were all out of whack and adding cow hormones just made it worse for me.

For your acne problems, have you noticed any trigger foods or trigger behaviors? You mentioned sugar, is there anything else (like corn or wheat based products) that trigger acne? (I found out my trigger food for acne is alcohol.)

As a fellow PCOSer, I'll relate my story to you. I've been on the LC bandwagon for two years (after being on Glucophage and Aldactone for two years prior). I had thinning hair, facial hair, awful periods and hypoglycemia, and fluctuating weight (My weight range was 120-140 pounds and it would swing like that in a year without me doing anything). I decided that the PCOS drugs, although they made me feel a lot better, really masked the problems. I had to get myself in order. So I decided to go LC, then later to a natural LC diet. By natural I mean I eat organic fresh foods, nothing processed or refined. I eat a lot of eggs, meat and dark green veggies, limited fruits, nuts, fish, butter, cheese, and a lot of natural fats. These are my results since going natural: my head hair has stopped thinning and I had a bit of reversal. My periods are normal. My blood sugar is stable. No more hypoglycemia. When I avoid alcohol, my face is totally clear. The only lasting effect is my facial hair. But I can live with that because I feel so much better otherwise.

[qwert123]

Shazzer, thank you for ur response. I have only come across PCOS books that are vague about diet..saying no refined sugars or too many complex carbs. I have been looking at a lot of books on diabetes...bc its the same thing almost..insulin and sugar problems. Its frustrating bc i used to be able to eat what i want w NO PROBLEMS!! I never gained weight....and i love FOOD. Now I have to eat to be healthy and im losing weight...ohwell..i like the extra thin look anyways. I SURE HOPE ALCOHOL does not effect my acne...i dont drink much....but when i stopped (for the summer) it had no effect at all...cutting dairy by far has had the most effect...and too much sugar causes acne on my neck and YES you are so right about the yeast problem...it makes me so ANGRY when i think about it...bc its mainly the stupid dermo fault for putting me on antibiotics and saying diet has nothing to do w it...so for one year i was on antibiotics which CLEARED ME COMPLETELY...but i started getting problesm...like feeling dizzy and paranoid...which after much research figured out was yeast problem...i got off antibiotics and now suffer dandruff, yeast infections, and at first face exploded w acne...till i stopped dairy...i used to NEVER have any dandruff, yeast problems until after antibiotics...in fact i didnt have problem w facial hair or thinning hair until a year after being on them...could that have effected it??? You seem to know a lot...please let me know what else you know on yeast...i have read an anticandida diet book so i learned that dairy aggravates it, peanuts...and those r the foods that seem to bother me..im not sure what else...oh coffee does...right now my diet consists of green veggies, sometimes other veggies, chicken, fish, beans, maybe a piece of fruit, olive oil, houmous, brown rice, whole wheat bread (want to cut that out). anyways iknow its not low carb...but i feel best w this...i dont eat so much brown rice or bread...and the other books i read...by far the best "eat to live" and you are what you eat, sugar busters, two zone books, south beach, vegetarian low carb book....its frustrating bc everyone says something different..but i like eat tolive the BEST...thanks for ur help....

[qwert123]

oh and another question...how do i check my blood sugar levels?? Anyways w out taking blood? I heard something about urine sample...and i cant go to doctor bc my mom just does not understand...she thinks im paranoid...in fact so does the doctor...it really frustrates me how so many doctors are uneduacted about EVERYTHING...in fact the STUPID doctor told me to add more dairy to my diet...when i told her i felt horrible like ive been hit by a train and dark circles under my eyes...which r signs of food allergy...she didnt even suggest it...i figured out from reading...now that is all better since no dairy..i learned...doctors just dont care about u...they just want to dump pills on u and do not even tell u side effects...its like they do not want u to get better...every time u have a problem...they dump MORE pills...its rare to find a good one...i know all are not bad...just all of mine!

[qwert123]

I READ THIS JUST NOW!!! "There are other drugs that augment the blood glucose-lowering effect of insulin, but they are less likely to interact with insulin or have less of an effect. Such drugs include tetracycline antibiotics like doxycycline (Vibramycin), etc....I was on DOXYCYCLINE FOR ONE YEAR!! That was the antibiotic i was talking about...do u think thats what started messing me up even more? Also what exactly does this mean? "augment the blood glucose-lowering effect of insulin" would this mess up your blood sugars? I got this info off of a diabetes medication interferance page...

[Grimalkin]

By natural I mean I eat organic fresh foods, nothing processed or refined. I eat a lot of eggs, meat and dark green veggies, limited fruits, nuts, fish, butter, cheese, and a lot of natural fats. These are my results since going natural: my head hair has stopped thinning and I had a bit of reversal. My periods are normal. My blood sugar is stable. No more hypoglycemia. When I avoid alcohol, my face is totally clear. The only lasting effect is my facial hair. But I can live with that because I feel so much better otherwise.
I've been LC for 3 years but I still need to tweak my hormones sometimes to get rid of lingering PCOS symptoms... I have suspected that I'm very sensitive to hormones from food and other sources and that's why... I'm trying to move in the direction of clean natural foods too, thanks for posting this, it makes sense and its encouraging that it can make such a difference!

And, FOR ME, natural progesterone really DOES stop any unwanted hair from growing. It literally just stops. I wish there was more research into the stuff, but I suspect that since it's natural there's no money in it... anyway... the best information I have so far is that it opposes excess estrogen and balances other hormones and that's why it helps. But I hate to think of it as a permanent solution. Cleaning up our diets first and using supplements second sounds like a better idea to me. I wish our food supply wasn't so polluted :( By the way, I only use the cream during the latter part of my cycle, and not too much, read that book first if you are thinking of trying it.

[plumtired]

And, FOR ME, natural progesterone really DOES stop any unwanted hair from growing. It literally just stops.

Would you be willing to share what brand of natural progesterone you use? I agree that I wish there was more research on it. That would be nice. :)

Thank you for sharing your information & experience. I only lurk here, yet I enjoy reading the information threads such as this one. The one part about PCOS that drives me batty is the excessive hair growth in unwanted places. So, I am very interested in this natural progesterone remedy. Thanks again.

[Grimalkin]

Plumtired, I use Life-flo Progestacare. I know some ladies who really like Emerita Progest, but I tried it and found it too oily-feeling for my skin, although you might like it if your skin is dry. They both work well. John Lee has a list of what he considers good products in the back of his book that I checked when I first started buying the stuff.

BTW, I've been using it off and on for three years, and so far I haven't noticed any bad side-effects.

[Shazzer]

Qwert-
You have been through so much with your health. It just amazes me how physicians will not listen to you and insist that drugs are the cure instead of focusing on everything that can affect your health. This includes exercise, family history, sleep habits, stress levels, work habits, attitude/well-being, drugs you take, and diet. As far as books, try The Schwarzbein books. She writes a bit about PCOS. Her diet recommendations include eating a wide array of foods, but avoiding bad carbs. Dr. Atkins has good info on candida/yeasts. I would not follow anything like a diabetic diet. Doctors say diabetics should maintain blood sugar within such a wide range. And the worst advice ever is that when a diabetic or someone with any blood sugar problems feels hypoglycemic, stuff high/quick absorbing carbs into the body for a quick cure to the hypoglycemia. That advice sends diabetics on blood sugar roller coasters where they get hypoglycemic, have a high carb food (even with protein), get high blood sugar, then have a low sugar episode after the blood sugar plummets, then to eat something high in carbs again. It is insane. Avoiding quick absorbing carbs will help with blood sugar. Eating fat and protein is your best bet for sustaining blood sugar and insulin levels. If you don't feed your body stuff that is absorbed as glucose in the blood, your body will not create the excess insulin that causes all of the problems.

As for the antibiotics you were put on, it looks like they cause insulin to be quicker acting, released in higher amounts, or more effective at ridding the bloodstream of glucose. Whatever it is, it is not natural. There are so many side effects of antibiotics that it is hard to say the totality of their effects. It certainly is bizarre to be put on a non-topical antibiotic for one year. They certainly are not natural and kill off the good yeasts and bacteria in your digestive system.

For checking blood sugar, I used to have a tester. In the days before this diet, I learned to tell the symptoms of high or low blood sugar. If I felt faint, weak, got really grouchy, or couldn't concentrate, I knew my blood sugar was low. If I got groggy and slow, my blood sugar was high. I had big problems with low blood sugar so I had to deal with that frequently. My brother gets migraines when his blood sugar gets low. It took him almost fifteen years of getting migrains before he saw an endocrinologist who properly diagnosed him (and put him on drugs).

I hope I've answered some of your questions. As some of the women here have stated, maybe some hormones could help. In my opinion, you probably need to find a good stable diet that makes you feel well and alleviates your various symptoms. If you can find some sort of specialist with a clue about PCOS, that is an alternative. There is a PCOS group that has listings of doctors across the country who specialize in PCOS. This can be an expensive route. But if you find a good doctor who listens, she may be able to get you started on the right track. Go to http://www.pcosupport.org/.

[qwert123]

Shazzer, Thank you again for your help! I can not go to any more doctors bc my mom gets mad bc she thinks its ALL IN MY HEAD (she is asian by the way and they dont know anything about health...well at least not her family!! My dad sort of has a clue...about eating right..although he also suffers lack of self control when it comes to eating!!)....Its kind of scary how PCOS is becoming so common and so many women are not aware of what it is...i am almost 100 % sure that 4 of my friends have it (i have lots of friends) Anyways I am going to try going on a strict diet..even though its sssooo HARD for me...esp since my metabolism is fast, i get hungry and right away lose weight (im already almost under weight at being 128 and almost 5'8) Anyways im going to try a diet that i feel is right for me, after doing lots of research, and i will keep you updated. I can not go on these too lowcarb high meat diets...im going to go on a high green veg diet, w beans, chicken, fish, and limited color veggies and VERY VERY limited brown rice...i read two success stories on the web and these woman seemed to have similar diets...look up PCOS success stories and they come up...its really only the first 3 or 4 that have real success stroies...the first one is Eva...

[qwert123]

oh i forgot to add...about my current diet...just so u know what a change i have to make...i always start off good...then go WAY OFF!!! For example today: Breakfast:PLAIN oatmeal, lunch can of tuna, low carb bread, houmous. HUGE BAD SNACK!!) 3 bowls of muselei (dont know how to spell) one banana, Dinner: chicken, veggies, whole wheat pita, homous, ANOTHER bowl of muslei!!!! I think thats all...oh and a soy cafe latte....i know its HORRIBLE!! Ive been eating like this for a week!! I just find it so hard to eat right....i know its my health on the line...so starting tomorrow im giving myself a challenge...by the way...how did u guys just give up ur bad habbits??? Wasnt it sssooo HARD??? Of course i know PCOS is even worse to have then eating the bad foods...its just a matter of getting urself on the right track

[Stormie Me]

Hummus is not a bad snack.

Or, is it for LC'ers? I've had it in the past. I think the danger is what GOES with the hummus, such as pita bread, chips, etc.

Please clarify if I am incorrect about the big H.

WAIT - what was the big bad snack you are referring too? LOL Was it that other stuff? Muslei? What the heck is that anyway?? :p

[Shazzer]

I would suggest incorporating protein in with each meal or snack. If you are going to have oatmeal for breakfast, have some eggs or chicken or nuts or something else to make your breakfast stay with you longer.

Also, I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one. But I think soy is bad food, unless it is properly prepared or fermented. It definently should only be a sometimes food if consumed. Because soy has substances that can act like hormones for women, I think women with PCOS especially should avoid it like the plague. PCOSers already have major hormonal issues anyway.

For your fast metabolism, adding natural fats and proteins should help you out. One of the probs with foods like museli is that it is mostly carb so your body burns through it very quickly. I know you are avoiding dairy, but maybe you can incorporate eggs, fish, nuts (almonds, macadamias, walnuts, pecans), fowl, and red meat.

[qwert123]

Hee hee muslei is a health food but it has raisons in it which r high in sugars...and its like oatmeal and other grains...one bowl is not too bad...but three at one time...not good. Shazzer...the thing about eggs...is im afriad they will break me out...i usually never eat them and on south beach ate them like crazy...it could have just been the dairy...but im scared to try! My skin is looking tons better...and w nuts...they sort of break me out too...at least i noticed it when i ate these stupid cashews that gave me huge tummy ache but also they had salt, and were roasted in peanut oil so they r not good for me anyways...maybe plain nuts wont break me out?? I am sorry i am being so difficult when u give me suggestions...im just so scared about my skin breaking out bad again....bc it depressed me so much and i get depressed even when i get a small one...i will slowly be able to add more foods in once im 100% clear and can test what will break me out...until now im going to stay away from the foods that i think do...although im still being bad...i had coffee again this morning! But i will give it up at the end of this week when i stop going to work...as for yesterday i ate healthy all day except only two bowls of muslei for dinner (i finished it off so no more today!!) oh and by the way i do eat fish and chicken...and i agree too much dairy is not good...i try not to have it so much...but rice milk breaks me out on chest (i know i must sound CRAZY but it really does...) and flaxseed oil which is supposed to be good breaks me out in painful pimples on my back that last a long time and scar...i tried flaxseed oil bc i hear all these good things about it..after 2 weeks i noticed my breaking out on back...quit the flaxseeds and no more break outs and now my back clear and no scars (that happened like 3 months ago) as for rice milk...noticed it one month ago stopped and now my chest is clear....its so frustrating bc i have to really watch what i eat...i dont know why ive become so allergice...i suspect im sensitive to too much oils...bc im already very oily...rice milk has saflower oil or something added to it...now i only use olive oil ...which is not a problem...i just pray i solve my problems soon...its like i take one step forward then step back...but i guess its a part of life...learning...

[qwert123]

oops shazzer i meant too much SOY is not good for u agree w u...i dont eat Dairy at all anymore....made mistake

[Grimalkin]

Qwert, many people are allergic to cashews - they have a chemical similar to what's in poison ivy - maybe you could try almonds instead and see if you have any reactions. Pistachios and mangoes are in the same botanical family as cashews and many people react to them as well.

Also, muesli looks pretty high carb to me - if you must have it, try eating it with fat and protein in the same meal, because when you eat a bunch of carbs by themselves you spike up your blood sugar and insulin and that's what we're trying to avoid. I believe those insulin spikes contribute to our PCOS. The fat and protein will help level out your blood sugar jump.

Also, rice milk has a lot of sugar in it, I suspect you are reacting to that and not to any oil in it.

If you feel oily, I doubt it's coming straight from your food - I think it's from your hormones, probably the androgenic ones that are making you break out in acne. I personally had more androgen symptoms when my insulin levels were high, which was when I was eating lots of carbs of course. My skin became drier when I started eating more fat instead. Maybe when you are ready you could try fish oil instead of flax.

Of course, Shazzer has pointed out that we are getting hormones in our food supply that mess us up too if we are sensitive to them, so even a perfect diet might not help us completely if we are eating antibiotics and pesticides.

You poor girl, it sounds like your hormones are a total mess! If you decide to pester your doctor again for hormones tests insist on saliva testing, that's the best way to measure them from what I've read. I can try to Google up a page for you after work tonight if you can't find anything on your own.

[Grimalkin]

Also, I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one. But I think soy is bad food, unless it is properly prepared or fermented. It definently should only be a sometimes food if consumed. Because soy has substances that can act like hormones for women, I think women with PCOS especially should avoid it like the plague. PCOSers already have major hormonal issues anyway.
Oh, and I completely agree with this myself!

[plumtired]

Plumtired, I use Life-flo Progestacare. I know some ladies who really like Emerita Progest, but I tried it and found it too oily-feeling for my skin, although you might like it if your skin is dry. They both work well. John Lee has a list of what he considers good products in the back of his book that I checked when I first started buying the stuff.

BTW, I've been using it off and on for three years, and so far I haven't noticed any bad side-effects.

Thanks so much for sharing this information! :thup:

[qwert123]

Grimalkin, Thanks you so much for ur reply! I think i should stay away from all nuts!! Wow i did not know about the cashews or the pistachios!! GOOD THING U TOLD ME that they r related to mangos! Ive been allergic to mangos for a long time! They make my lips break out in rash!! You can notice it...but it makes them itch and feel like sandpaper. I hate this. I wish I just knew EXACTLY what im allergic too!! This is all so hard and frustrating bc its like i have to watch ALL my foods. What I do notice is when i drink coffee it makes me more oily or smoke cigs...I know both are horrible for u..and im in process of quitting. I used to smoke a pack a day...then cut down to 10...now im at 2 cigs a day...today i smoked one and thats it im going to quit from here...bc now my cravings for it are almost none so i hope it wont be too hard...as for coffee...once i stop it for like 2 days im fine...but once i start again...i get addicted! I just like the buzz it gives me...which is prob really bad that it gives me such a buz...prob makes my insulin levels go like CRAZY!! Im sorry everyone that i keep complaining...I just feel so frustrated..its like ANY FOODS I LIKE has a BAD effect on me!! Its like I can only eat veggies, fish, and chicken...w no problems...the other things im not sure about...and there r a lot of foods i know for SURE break me out....esp FLAX SEEDS AND DAIRY!!! Its really hard for me bc im already thin and when i eat extra healthy i lose weight FAST...like 1lb a day! But I wonder something...i have a bunch of friends...and they hardly eat...like they have to eat very little to stay thin...and they have no acne problem...but my one friend and I who have acne problems are on the thin side...do u think its bc we can eat what ever we want so we eat a lot more.....thus raising our insulin levels and perhaps eating things we react to? My skin has improved a lot since giving up dairy...but its still not perfect...i am almost 100% sure its bc of the coffee and cigs...and im not exactly sure what else. I have a question for everyone....do your symptoms just keep getting worse and worse as u get older? I know they say if u lose weight it helps them...but im almost 5'8 and 127lbs...but u can pinch an inch of fat on my back...maybe its bc i still have some fat on me?? My family is all thin...im half asian...so maybe im jsut meant to be super thin and i could be a bit overweight...for me i mean...most people would think im perfect..but maybe those few extra lbs r effecting me..what do u think?? Who has had their symptoms improve???

[qwert123]

wow...i just read that smoking will mess up your bodies ability to use insulin and insulin resistance does not start to reverse until after 10-12 hours!! By the way im at work...and since i jsut intern they dont give me work so basically i sit at the computer 8 hours a day...looking up things on internet :)

[Shazzer]

Qwert. We're your allies here in this fight to stop PCOS. I think every woman here has gone through the same frustrations with finding a diet that works. And the earth is a bountiful place, so don't give up. You will find foods that work for you. (and don't worry about complaining. You are just frustrated and have a right to be)

As for nuts, there are big differences in what could be a good nut for you. Cashews and peanuts must be heated before consumption to kill off the natural poisons. Nuts that can be eaten raw include almonds, macadamias, walnuts, and pecans. I find macadamias to be the most delicious. Anyway, it might be a good way for you to try adding more fat into your diet. But start out with just a handful.

Grimalkin - How did you first stumble across the natural progesterones as a good solution for you?

[qwert123]

Shazzer, Can you please give me an example of what diet you follow? Also did it help your symptoms?? I just want to get some ideas...like what foods do you stay away from and why? Im so frustrated...my skin is breaking out a bit...it seems like WHENEVER it starts to clear...it breaks out AGAIN!! Its making me upset...of course there are some factors...could have been the soy i started to consume, the coffee that i started drinking again, or the smoking i started to smoke like 10 days ago after i quit for 10 days! OR it could have been the flaxseeds I accidently had in my muselei...which i know i break out from on back and chest for sure...but not sure if it effects my face! Anyways what i find wierd is since ive been home i had break outs on my neck...near my jaw...and on the outside of my face...around my jaw ear area....the different foods i have had since home was the soy and more fruits...but i stopped both 2 days ago...i hope that helps. Dairy is what caused me to break out around my mouth...its like im scared to eat anything bc i dont want to break out...my skin just feels itchy!! What symptoms do you have??

[qwert123]

sorry i just read ur earlier post and u already told me! But can u give me an example of how u eat through out one day please?

[Grimalkin]

Hi Shazzer,

I just heard about it from a friend who used it, and I've been experimenting with it since with good results. I do try to be careful though, there is little research out there and some doctors claim it it is easy to overdose and experience a recurrence of estrogenic symptoms.

Qwert, your reaction to the mango sounds classic for that allergy! I wish I could help you more with your diet, all I know is that the muesli would make me break out exactly as you describe - on the jawline - but the fats don't have that effect on me at all.

[qwert123]

Grimalkin...so you just follow a low carb diet? Like meats and veggies?? And that keeps u clear? My sister came home and the weekend was spent w family and i ate bad whole weekend and now im paying for it big time on my face...its so unfair...that i get such bad reactions just from little things of being naughty....not to mention frustrating

[Kristine]

Qwerty,

I think you need to slow down, pick an eating plan, and stick to it long enough to let your hormones re-set. I don't think it's very accurate to take every food and try to figure out whether it's good or bad assuming a direct cause-and-effect reaction.

Unfortunately for a lot of us, LC is the only solution. The only way I can keep my face clear and PCOS symptoms at bay is strict low carb. Meats, fats, eggs, low carb dairy, essential fatty acids (I think this one is important), LOTS of LC veggies and berries. My carb count is usually under 60 per day. I only rarely eat grains or legumes. I tend to use them only as recipe ingredients, like a tablespoon of gluten flour to make LC pancakes or some chick peas in salad. YMMV, but be prepared. :(