Newly diagnosed

[sallyW]

Hi,

I have been newly diagnosed with PCOS. This is causing my body to produce too much insulin and hence more fat storage. I only seem to store in my top half which is giving me an apple shape.

I was put onto a low carb diet on Monday last week, and have stuck to it very well except this weekend. It seems that it is very difficult to be the only sober person at a party and I had a few whiskeys & water. Would anyone happen to know the effects of whiskey on insulin levels?

Also, I would like to hear some success stories!! I really want to know that when we stick to our low-carb diet we will be able to go down to a normal weight- or am I stuck as a chubby individual for the rest of my lif :-S

I have an appointment with a Gyne on the 20th November and I am hoping that she will prescribe me some meds that will help me along with weight loss. Sorry about all the questions but- will a low carb diet and the prescribed meds help to alleviate the symptoms of PCOD ie. excessive hgair growth?

It is nice to have been diagnosed and know whats going on inside my body but I am some what stuck in a maze with no answers. There is no cure but I am hoping that the symptoms will disappear slowly!

[sandwiches]

i was diagnosed with PCOS at age 12 (!). i store most of my weight in my abdomen, too - i've got small hips compared to my waist. it sucks.

i'm not a low-carb success story (yet!), but i've been low-carbing for a year on and off, and it's helped immensely with my acanthosis nigricans - it's practically gone - and somewhat less with acne and hair loss. i'm certain it'll only get better as time goes on.

as for meds, in the past, i've used metformin, spironolactone, vaniqa and birth control for my PCOS. i think they're worth trying, if your body can handle them - some people seem to have trouble with met. i'm kind of wary of birth control for some reason. but the other meds seemed to help me a bit... but lowcarbing consistently, seems to help a lot more.

i was on a low-calorie diet of my own making while a teenager. i'd eat a bowl of high-fiber cereal with soy milk, no lunch, no snacks, with a dinner of roast meat/poultry and roasted veg, or stew of meat with veg. i did lots of cardio and some weightlifting. i lost 70 lbs and my PCOS symptoms improved immensely - what i take from that experience is that it was the weight loss that helped with PCOS. also... it was relatively low-carb anyway. but i find my current lc diet way more satisfying, though i'm losing more slowly. also, i drink liquor twice a week. life's too short.

anyway, that's my experience. hope that helps...