here is the link for PCOS-insulin connection
http://dianekress.wordpress.com/201.../pcostreatment/

Thanks, primrose! I'll have to give that a read thru.

Also, sorry I've been MIA...just lurking I guess, lol.

Hi girls im new mind if i join in? I'm trying to concieve and wondering if continuing to low carb is ok? like atkins says DONT do low fat + low carb as you'll burn off vital dietry fat thats needed and really un healthy (or something lol) but suggests lots of fat in the way of eggs, cheese, cream etc.. what exactly is healthy when TTC or pregnant? Im torn right now between Atkins and the South Beach diet.. both quite conflicting?! any info most appreciated! mwah! xxx

Welcome! I don't follow a "book" plan (so neither Atkins nor South Beach). I just eat low in carbs, high in fat, and as naturally as possible for me (I eat out a lot, so I know even a steak and vegies is likely hiding some junk in there, but I do what I can within reason for my lifestyle).

Fat, even saturated, is not bad at all as long as carbs are kept low. Low carbing has been said to help with fertility. I low carbed in my first trimester and had almost NONE of the negative "symptoms" that other women get, and I lost about 12 pounds (was overweight to start, so not a concern). There is lots of anecdotal evidence out there to support that low carbing throughout pregnancy appears to reduce the risk of things like excessive water retention/swelling, excessive weight gain, pre-eclampsia, morning sickness...I have yet to find a single resource that directly links a low carb diet before or during to pregnancy to ANY negative effects on mother or baby.

Hi, Starshaped!! Welcome!! I started my weight loss journey 4 years ago with a 14 day juice fast. After coming off the fast, I went straight into Atkins. I've, basically, done Atkins ever since up until I got pregnant and then, I kinda started doing my own version of low carb/high fat. I read both SB and Atkins books before starting my LC diet. SB seemed like a lot of work to me. It allows more carbs and I just felt that it wouldn't work for me. I needed something stricter so that I wouldn't be tempted to "cheat".

I have had no negative problems with following LC while TTC or while pregnant. I kept my carbs below 20 most days and had no problems at all.

my tastebuds are off. meat is tasteless or like cardboard. i'm way off my plan right now and struggling to get back on track. i'm scared that i'm going to end up with gest diabetes if i keep this up.

Sorry, Walnut. I've had my own problems with meat. Blah Hopefully, yours passes quickly.

BTW, I ordered "A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health" after you posted the link. The first part was kinda hard to absorb, but a wealth of information. It was really eye-opening. Some things I knew, but a lot, I didn't. I had PPD after my last pregnancy and it's nothing that I care to re-live.

re ppd: i know, me too. i really hope that this time around it'll be a lot different. i think that book is one that anyone who has ever been pregnant can benefit from.

i saw my midwife again. she was totally supportive of how i'm eating especially with my history of pcos and knowing that with my first i was almost gd.

i actually barfed this morning. if that's not incentive to stop with the carbs, i dont know what is. meh. i picked up deli meat for dinner and that was a lot easier to eat. i prefer to eat unprocessed stuff, but i'd rather eat processed meat than carbs.

eriksgirl, did you do anything specific to help get over the meat aversion thing, or did it just pass on its own?

ugh, I came SUPER close to losing my lunch yesterday, but I'd had chicken (no breading/batter) and some fruit, so I can't blame the carbs! For me, it seems almost completely random and not at all consistent based on types of foods I'm eating. I did puke twice, but once was after some broccoli cheese soup and a low-carb salad from Panera; the second was just after having taken a batch of vitamins and drinking most of a sugar-free flavored water *shrug*

Unfortunately, no, I still have it. For me, I can't eat it at all if I have to cook it. Once I've seen and handled it raw, I wanna throw up and can't stand the thought of putting it in my mouth. However, I can eat it already cooked from a restaurant or if hubby cooks it. And, it has to be well-seasoned, so that I taste the seasonings more than the meat. lol

i was like that with my first (couldnt cook food or be around it when it was cooking, but i could eat it usually), but this time i have no problem actually eating it. it's just that the texture and taste are horribly horribly wrong. i can make myself eat, but it's not enjoyable. i took some zinc this morning and it seems to be better today though. could be a coincidence, or it could be the answer, i have no idea LOL

i'm feeling way better today. the carbs are working themselves out of my system, i guess. i only really get nauseous when i overdo the carbs.

btw, my baby has started dancing the cha cha in there. wowee! s/he went from no movement to all movement all the time.

You can feel movement already?! I'm jealous - I'm due March 27 (I'm 18 weeks and 2 days today) and still can't feel any movement in there I know it's moving because I've seen some acrobatics during my 12-week NT scan, but I feel nothing. I'm also still not showing, still a few pounds below my starting pregnancy weight, and basically don't look or feel pregnant at all. It makes the days/weeks drag by super slowly

i'm only 15 wks, so it's really early to be feeling movement. i was hoping for a mellow baby, not a hyper one LOL. oh well. maybe you'll have a really easy mellow baby, jill?

I don't think it has anything to do with mellow or not. Like I said, he was practically doing acrobatics when I went for my 12-week NT scan, so I KNOW he (or she!) is active in there, just can't feel it *shrug* My OB, who just had a baby over the summer, said she didn't feel movement until about 22-24 weeks. I'm afraid I may be on that same path!

I know I'm also weird to be wishing to be showing, but it's so hard to be excited when you feel nothing, see nothing, etc. Why does this have to take SO LONG? :P

I'm still hanging in there. lol Haven't had a "cheat" for 2 weeks now and it's made a huge difference. I don't even want one at this point. Of course, I'm wondering how I'm going to make it thru the holiday season without gaining a ton of weight. Have you all already worked this out??