Low carb diet for insulin resistance/PCOS

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Forum -> Health & Wellness -> Healthy Lifestyle/ Weight Loss/ Exercise

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amother

Tue, May 05 2020, 6:40 am

I am about to start a low carb diet for pcos/insulin resistance. I am also trying to lose weight. I am nervous about
1) staying full and not being hungry all the time
2) balancing a higher fat diet than I am currently doing (currently doing whole food/plant based) while still losing weight.
Anyone have any words of wisdom/tips/insight for me?

FranticFrummie

Tue, May 05 2020, 8:13 am

Following. I have PCOS and borderline Hashimotos. I would have a hard time doing keto, because I am not crazy about meat, and eat it pretty rarely (not to mention that I can't afford it often.)

I've been eating the same amount of food, good quality food, and small portions.

I'm still gaining weight, and being out of work has not helped. Sad

Ora in town

Tue, May 05 2020, 8:40 am

I took a not too strict low carb diet...
That said:
no snacking between meals (except hot beverages without sugar, with milk) or raw veggies (e.g. carrot, cumcumber, radish, celery stalks, kohlrabi)

breakfast:
the diet said you could eat as much carbs for breakfast as you want.
In fact I made muesli with 2 spoons of oats (wihout sugar), white unsweetened joghurt, 200g fresh fruit (blueberries, strawberries, or nectarines or oranges), no bananas (but does not have to be strict).

Lunch and supper:
Start with a salad or vegatable soup. (because you need 20' till you feel satiated, so it is better to have 2 courses. Soup has a lot of water, so it satiates well. no flour or cream or milk in soup)
I made a point of putting in at least 4 different veggies in soup or salad

Main course.
Veggies illimited

You can have maximum one carb for lunch or supper, it should be whole grain... Potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes count as carb. (boiled potatoes are very high on satiation index, they satiate well relative to calories count... I ate mainly rice... mostly avoided bread and pasta)

You have either one or two portions of protein (one lunch, one dinner, or just one of them and the other carb)
Most satiating proteins are: white fish (300g, that's quite a lot), chicken/turkey breast (150g), salmon (100g)

So what I would do was mostly: choose 4 or more different veggies, and either make it into a stir fry or bake it in oven with fish...
Lots of spices and herbs

I would try to reach 10, 15, 20 different fruit and veggies a day...
Veggies are over 85% water, they have between 12 and 30 cal per 100g, so you can indulge as much as you want, except corn, and perhaps pumpkin and beets, which should be counted as carbs...
So my mantra was: veggies illimited. I also called it "elephant method" = eat big quantities, at low calory count.
To feel satiated, two aspects are important: how full your stomach is and how many calories you absorb. You should strike the right balance. If you eat just veggies, calories count is insufficient, you are hungry. So it is important to invest in meal preparation and eat two hot meals per day.
Hot food is more satiating.
Soups are more satiating (because the water fills you up)
And lean proteins are very satiating (white fish, chicken breast, lean meat, salmon)
Try to cook as "naturally" as possible, do not transform a lot, avoid blending, avoid sauces...

And I allowed myself 100 cal of sweets per day... which would be around 4 squares of chocolate, for example.

And another rule was: eat calories rather than drink them... no soft drinks, no fruit juices, no fruit smoothies, not too much milk... Just water, unsweetened teas, coffee with milk (also as a snack) and I started brewing lemon-ginger-mint juice...

In general, I drink a lot, more than 2l water a day... (1l would be enough)

...and I tried to expand at least 3500 cal per week through exercise.
Mainly I used the bike as main means of transport, which made up about half of physical activitie, and 3-4 times one hour sport sessions (I did swimming, but others work just as well. If you chose walking, you should add 50% in time, i.e.90 min rather than 1 h for 500cal

I lost 20 kg over 10 months, felt very well...
...but ultimately, yoyo kicked in.... and I am back where I started...

amother

Jetblack

Tue, May 05 2020, 10:16 am

Following. Trying to diet and hungry. I can't figure out how to get more fat into my diet.

amother

Gray

Tue, May 05 2020, 10:28 am

I was diagnosed with pcos around 1 year ago..
I started w/ 2be mindset from Iana Mulstein and it changed my life and how I think about diets..
I really made a lifestyle change and lost over 30 pounds (and bh got pregnant after that weight loss now.. )
I would be happy to explain to u more how the program works. (It's a one time fee and u have tools for life and a frum support group if u want to join..)

amother

Brown

Tue, May 05 2020, 10:34 am

amother [ Gray ] wrote:

Can you give a bit more info? Is it possible to follow while pregnant?

amother

Tue, May 05 2020, 10:54 am

amother [ Gray ] wrote:

Yes!! I would definitely be interested!

amother

Tue, May 05 2020, 10:55 am

Ora in town wrote:

Thank you for such a comprehensive response! So many great suggestions!

dankbar

Tue, May 05 2020, 11:06 am

The best diet for pcos/insulin resistance is low carb like Atkins type. high protein. healthy fats. low carb.. Mainly eat protein & veg.
Remember most fruit are high in sugar. Some veg are very starchy like potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets, corn, beans, peas. They are like carbs.
Most grains have high carb count.

amother

Blue

Tue, May 05 2020, 12:17 pm

Try keto
diet doctor.com has good free information
The secret to not being hungry is eating enough fat
Once you are in ketosis you will not be as hungry
Hunger is your insulin spiking which only happens if your sugar is high
It is a high fat MODERATE PROTEIN low carb diet

In the AM I have coffee in a blender with 2 TBSP real butter. It comes out SUPER creamy and yum.
It sounds gross but once you try it you won’t go back
If you like a little bit of LIQUID stevia.
NOT powder

Then about 10 am - 2 eggs with cheese, a haas avocado, smalll lettuce salad with oil and salt.
Or 3.5 oz lox, tuna, or egg salad, mixed with homemade mayo instead of scrambled eggs

Right after I prep my electrolyte drink to sip through out the day.
In 70oz of water
1 tsp salt
1tsp magnesium
1 tsp potassium - cream of Tatar
1TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP lemon
10 stevia drops or to taste
You can also add a chunk of ginger and/or a cinnamon stick to the bottom
I drink it cold but you can also heat it up like tea

Then around 3 - lunch time
A big salad - I put LOTS of greens, celery, cucumber,
a little bit of
pepper, tomato, red onion, black olive
Mostly lettuce
If I have fennel, radish, cabbage anything I have THATS LOW CARB
I measure out 10oz (put away the rest for dinner)
3+ Tablespoon of oil, mayo, garlic mayo, dill mayo and salt and pepper to taste
3.5-4 oz protein - egg, tuna, chicken, burger, meatloaf - dinner leftover
served with mayo
And then I have a FAT BOMB
My fat bomb of choice is usually chocolate because it’s easy and pre measured so I don’t over do it

Mix equal parts
melted coconut oil
cocoa powder
1 dropperful of stevia
Once it’s thoroughly mixed put 1 tsp full into each well of an ice tray and freeze
If you do 1 tsp you can have3
If you put 1/2 Tbsp you can have 2
I like to use the molds with the silicon bottom you can get them in amazing savings
Or you can put them in cupcake paper

There are many recipes of fat bombs on line but watch your portion control

Some time in the afternoon I’ll have a decaf with 1/3 cup almond milk

Keep sipping my electrolyte drink until it’s done

Dinner around 7 is more or less a repeat of lunch
If I need something hot I add a cup of
Homemade bone broth
I may switch the salad for a cooked veg- cooked in fat

I choose fatty proteins, dark chicken with the skin, salmon, egg yolks

What you will notice after a while you start eating breakfast a little later and you end up eating 2 meals. Sometimes even 1 meal a day
This is called intermittent fasting

There are many recipes for treats on line
THESE ARE TREATS - to be eaten OCCASIONALLY- or instead of cheating and portion control is the key when it comes to treats.

Dr. Berg and Dr. Ken Berry has tons of videos

I hope this helps

I lost 25lbs.
Now I’m at a plateau
But I read that when you plateau it’s ok because your body is using its energy for healing
Weightloss is a breakdown so when given the choice and the proper nutrition the body will rather heal, and that’s ok.

amother

Linen

Tue, May 05 2020, 12:23 pm

My way of life is low carb! And really at this point I need to eat to lose weight I’m not hungry. I also see when I go on carbs im never full I gained 10lbs on pesach, I know carbs are not good for me.

FranticFrummie

Tue, May 05 2020, 12:35 pm

I usually only eat one full meal, and one snack later on.

I like white potatoes, but I used them in moderation, usually cubed and added to a beef stew, along with lots of other healthy veggies.

A friend of mine got me hooked on baked sweet potatoes with home made tahini dressing. It's soooo gooood! You make the dressing with lots of fresh garlic and fresh lemon juice (not from a bottle), and blend it up until you get it as creamy and thick/thin as you want it. You can add an entire bunch of parsley or cilantro leaves to the blender if you want, it makes a nice variation.

amother

Firebrick

Tue, May 05 2020, 12:51 pm

Check out Dr Berg on YouTube.

It changed my life. No more PCOS or insulin resistance.

Once you get the hang of it it becomes the easiest way of life.

Good luck!

amother

Gray

Tue, May 05 2020, 1:19 pm

Ok OP I really don't wanna out myself on here as I included some personal details on my last post but you are welcome to email me at bassy1458@gmail.com and I would be more than happy to help you out by email or phone with the 2be mindset program..

amother

Tue, May 05 2020, 2:07 pm

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

What is a typical day of meals for you That is low carb and keeps you so full?

amother

Linen

Tue, May 05 2020, 2:18 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What is a typical day of meals for you That is low carb and keeps you so full?

Coffee then a yogurt Greek light
Eggs or tuna for lunch
Coffee with low carb kind bar
Protein and veggies for supper
At this point though cutting carbs makes me not hungry and I forget to eat

amother

Blue

Tue, May 05 2020, 3:05 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What is a typical day of meals for you That is low carb and keeps you so full?

b
The secret to not being hungry is uping your fat besides lowering your carb. Also be careful with protein, too much can be turned to sugar in the body

Rappel

Tue, May 05 2020, 4:40 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you for this thread!!!

I have had PCOS, and have Hashimotos, and my thyroid meds went through the roof in the last few months, so I've been experimenting with different diets. First went the gluten, then gluten and dairy, any I'm just (in the last few days) transitioning to a low carb, no dairy, diet. I'm not limiting my food intake in any other way, but I'm making sure I eat a fair bit of veggies and salad. The salad + fat noticeably kills any cravings, and I feel fuller than when I had a lot of carbs. I'm also getting fewer energy dips (insulin?). But again, I'm only 2-3 months into my experimental food journey, so there's nothing scientific about what I'm doing. I'm just going with what feels good, and seeing what happens.

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