This is going to be a lengthy and venerable post that I have been wanting to write for awhile, but finally, after some thought, and some problem solving I want to share with you all.

This past year I was diagnosed with PCOS, also known as Polycystic ovary syndrome. The past couple of months, I’ve done research, spoken to some doctors, and tried to see what I can change to help reverse the symptoms I experience.

Note I am not a doctor and everything I write here is just from my own research, and speaking to my own doctor. Please speak to your doctor, if you are experiencing any symptoms, or want to change anything in your routine.

What is PCOS?

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a chronic hormonal condition that affects about one in 10 women of reproductive age. It commonly starts during adolescence and can lead to hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, excess androgen levels, and ovarian cysts.

Some common PCOS symptoms include:

• Menstrual irregularities: Heavy, long, intermittent, unpredictable, or absent periods, or very light periods
• Hair growth: Excessive hair on the face, chest, back, or buttocks (hirsutism), or male-pattern baldness or hair thinning
• Skin conditions: Acne, oily skin, skin tags, or dark or thick skin patches on the back of the neck, in the armpits, and under the breasts
• Weight gain: Especially around the belly
• Fertility: Difficulty getting pregnant due to irregular ovulation or no ovulation

Is there a cure?

No, there is no cure for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but treatments can help manage symptom.

How did I find out I had PCOS?

For the past 6+ years I always thought I had PCOS as I had a few symptoms listed above. I spoke to my gyno and they said that the only “cure” for PCOS was birth control, and I am already on it, so she wouldn’t recommend me getting off of it to test and then go back on it. Truthfully I didn’t like her response, I knew I had the symptoms, and felt something was off. I knew I had high prolactin from previous tests, I have had cysts multiple times, and her response felt like a brush off. So I spoke to my new primary doctor, and just as I was finishing speaking about my symptoms, he was writing down “PCOS” and told me he thinks I have it. So he got me an early appointment with an endocrinologist who looked at my results, heard my symptoms and told me that I do have PCOS. To qualify for PCOS as there truly is no one and done test you have to have 3 of the 6 symptoms. I qualified for 4 of them.

This experience truly taught me to be your own advocate, and to really listen to your body. Don’t stop fighting until you get a doctor that actually listens to you. It is actually a shame that some doctors don’t listen to you. Truly that doctor (who has now since retired) changed my life more than he knows.

So after speaking to my endocrinologist she told me there is medication that can help with my symptoms, but one thing that really helps is losing weight. At this time, I was pretty active, doing peloton 4-7 times a week, and walking about 1-2 miles everyday. She suggested that I see a nutritionist because I was doing everything right, but with PCOS it is important to have a high protein lower carb diet, which I needed assistance with. Those that are new here, I also have celiac disease which means I must follow a gluten free diet. Eating gluten free actually has higher carbs and higher sugars, everything is a bit more processed so pretty unhealthy for you. I needed to learn more about how to change my diet so it could help me.

After speaking with the nutritionist (who I can make a whole separate post about) I was doing the peloton bike ride everyday, walking two miles and going to the gym 3-4 times a week. I was also tracking my calories very strictly. I did lose weight fast, but I also burnt myself out fast. So then I maintained my weight for a bit. Then some family stuff happened, and my stress went up like crazy and I gained weight, then maintained, then gained again. There was one week recently I gained 5 pounds, even with trying to eat in a calorie deficit.

I really hit my wall last week after stepping on the scale and seeing the highest number I have. It wasn’t necessarily the weight that really made me feel my lowest, it was that I didn’t have energy, I noticed my PCOS symptoms were getting worse, my anxiety was at such a high level, and I felt like no matter what I couldn’t help myself.

My one friend started taking Alpha Fit classes about a year+ ago and loved the results and the way it made her feel. I was literally talking to her about the classes, for probably half of that year. So I decided to take the plunge and try it out, it was a free class so why not, I had nothing to lose, but calories. After the class, I was shook, and I mean literally as I felt like jello. But I also felt like “damn, I did that!!” and I signed up. After that and talking to my boyfriend (who really huge shout out to him for helping me with this) he made me a legit tracker. I have always used MyFitnessPal to count my calories, but his tracker shows it to me on daily/weekly basis which helps me see where I need to improve, do I need more protein, am I eating too many carbs, do I need more fiber in my diet? It shows my activities that I do per day, and how many calories I am truly eating. Literally the tracker has it all. Not only is it super helpful for me, but when I go back to my endo, I can show her a full summary of what I have been doing and if/how it works for me.

So all in all, after a ton of backstory on this, I decided I want to make this a new series on my channels. You guys here will get the full report here, so be sure to subscribe. But I want to weekly show you some recipes I’ve tried, advice I have gotten, along some tricks and tips. And most importantly hold myself accountable and show you guys that it is possible to lose weight with PCOS, it is possible to manage symptoms (I have hope) and more importantly how to live with PCOS. You guys will be along for the ride while I figure out what works for me, whether my doctor recommends medication for my symptoms or if they improve with these lifestyle changes.

Stay tuned for my next post where I break down what my first full week looked like after tracking, how many pounds I lost, and some of my favorite recipes or snacks I have found.