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Re: Any success on low carb diets?From: Kimberly (anonymous@obgyn.net)Sun, 6 Jan 2002 16:07:43 -0600 (CST)
Hi Keri- the low carb diet worked wonders for me...the first time I was on it. The second time it did nothing - but I had also developed a thyroid problem so I don't know if that was part of it. So to preface this, it is always worth a try, but you have to listen to your body in the end. After I was diagnosed my dr. put me on Rezulin, which has since been taken off the market due to health risks, but it was an effective insulin sensitizer. Anyway, I knew about the risks and didn't want to take it so decided to low carb instead. I had NEVER had regular periods - yet after one month on the low carb diet I had a regular 5 day period, and 28 days later I had another and so on for three months. I was not wanting to concieve, but figured I probably couldn't anyway so we stopped using protection and...well, I became pregnant 3 months after starting and had to stop the low carbing. During the time I was low carbing the diffence in the way I felt was astounding, and my acne almost completely cleared up, my triglycerides went from 575 to 99, and I lost all sugar cravings. (I love sugar so much I thought I would NEVER be able to give it up, but it really wasn't too hard once I realized the results could be so great.) I also lost 22lbs and had a ton of energy. After the pregnancy I tried to go back but it never felt the way it did the first time. I had lots of cravings, I lost almost no weight and my skin didn't clear up much. I think it might have a lot to do with the fact that I had gained about 50 lbs. during and after pregnancy, so my insulin resistance was worse. Or, it could have been the thyroid. Or it could have been my age or the fact that I'd done it once before. I don't know, but I do know that the second time around I stayed on it way too long before seeking professional help - and I suffered dearly for it for months and months longer than I should have. So if it doesn't work for you and you feel you are understanding it and following it, then don't continue long after you should have stopped. My biggest suggestion is that you do the diet carefully and follow the directions Dr. Atkins lays out (or any other low-carb dr. guru). You could follow your own kind of plan, but you still need to know what supplements you should be taking. You can also make the diet balanced and full of fiber by eating appropriate vegetables and taking fiber supplements such as psyllium, which is great for anyone, not just low-carbers! It can be a very healthy way to live, or it can be an unbearable, unhealthy boring way to live. It all depends on if you follow the guidelines and constantly remind yourself not to fall lax on your supplements and vegetables. You also need to be really creative about the foods you eat - and there are MANY to choose from, but it's really easy to get into a rut. My ultimate goal the first time around was to lose the excess weight I had, and take up a consistant exercise program - both of which would have helped my insulin resistance - and then I was planning on controlling the PCOS with a lower-carb diet (but not a very low carb diet)and exercise. I wanted to avoid medication - and still live a normal life (as super low-carbing would be hard to maintain for over a year of so, in my opinion). I believe it would have worked well if I had not gotten pregnant. (but of course, I thank God dearly that I did!:) I am on Glucophage now and am really happy with it - and don't regret the med now. So give the low-carbing a chance - but keep the med option open. Also, if your symptoms are extreme or terribly bothersome, I would still seek medical help and possible meds to add to the low-carb diet and exercise. If they are mild, you might even find that a diet of around 100 carbs a day a moderate exercise could benefit you just as much as an extreme low-carb diet. Everyone is really different, so you will just have to find what works for your particular body. But theoretically, with a mild to moderate case of PCOS, low carbing and exercise should be just as effective as meds. Good luck.
At Sun, 6 Jan 2002, Keri wrote:
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