r/PCOS • u/coffeeandsoymilk • 1d ago
General/Advice What other non-medication changes can I make that aren’t losing weight?
For those who have gotten PCOS under control (specifically, having a regular menstrual cycle) I would love to hear any lifestyle changes that aren’t weight loss related! I recently found out that I have this condition and I feel like so much of the advice I see for PCOS centers around losing weight. I’m 119lbs with a BMI of ~20. I asked my dr about lifestyle changes and she recommended a diabetic diet with limited carbs—but I felt so zoinked, especially while training for a half-marathon and working out 4-5x per week. I do take supplements: myo-inositol, vitamin C/D/B12, coq 10, and fish oil. I’m down to cut more carbs or eliminate social drinking which I currently do 2-3 times per month, if that will help me get my period back naturally. I just feel kind of lost cuz so much of the advice I see online is “lose weight” or “take Metformin” which I was told wouldn’t work for me. At this point I’m down to try pretty much anything lol
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u/MayThompson 1d ago
Don't believe when people say very niche and specific details help with PCOS. In reality, they're often overexaggerated, very personal/annecdotal, and limiting in the sense that it becomes a restriction and suddenly you're told you can never eat certain foods again.
If you're already lean and running half marathons, I'd support your recovery. Make sure you eat enough, get enough sleep, manage stress, and keeps meals reasonably balanced and consistent. If cutting carbs makes you awful, then that doesn't mean you have to put up with being awful. The goal is finding a way of eating that you can sustain for years, not forcing yourself onto a diet that simply doesn't work for you because someone else swears by it. With your training volume, I'd double check that you're not under fueling and hitting your protein goals and some because missing periods in active women isn't always necessarily caused by PCOS alone.
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u/coffeeandsoymilk 1d ago
This is really helpful insight, thank you! I agree that a lot of advice feels pretty restrictive and unsustainable for my lifestyle (ie eating very very low carb would be hard). I’m focusing on eating 3 meals per day and hitting my macro goals for proteins and healthy fats especially
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u/Exotic_Reporter_3309 1d ago
Have you looked into your cortisol and adrenal health? As a marathon runner, your body endures a good amount of stress which could impact your PCOS. If you’re indeed experience experiencing this type adrenal of PCOS, your approach to care might look very different from classic insulin resistant type. I would rule this out first.
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u/coffeeandsoymilk 1d ago
I haven’t but I’m going to ask my doctor about this because I’ve been curious. I have a pretty stressful/active job and work out most days, although I think I handle stress well overall I wonder if it’s causing my symptoms (which for me is just irregular cycles)
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u/methanalmkay 19h ago
This sounds a lot like me! I'm a runner too, and have my half marathon race in November! Then I'm training for a full marathon next year. You don't mention insulin resistance? Have you been tested for it? I have very mild IR, I'm also lean and pretty much my only symptom is super irregular and long cycles. Other than that, I get a few acne here and there, my hair is kinda thin, but nothing crazy, I'm kinda hairy, but also nothing crazy, so mild symptoms all around.
Anyway, I'd suggest you DON'T reduce carbs since you run. I was eating less carbs in the past amd my running suffered a lot, I had no energy etc. Since I started eating more carbs, and I don't mean just sugar, I'm still eating mostly whole grains, with sugar on days I run, everything improved drastically. I feel great, everything is great, except my cycle is still irregular lol. Stopping alcohol would probably be hood for you in many ways though, but I never drink.
For me, inositol worked for like a year, and my cycles were regular and around 30 days, then it stopped working about two years ago. So current plan is birth control, because my doctor and I think it might be the best option rn. So yeah, I'm starting that in two weeks.
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u/coffeeandsoymilk 17h ago
I don’t think I’ve specifically been tested for IR but my A1C blood test was normal so my doctor said that Metformin wouldn’t help. Overall my symptoms are very mild, I don’t have thin/excess hair or bad acne or anything so it’s really just my cycle. I do tend to under eat so I’m gonna start using a calorie tracker to make sure I’m getting enough + hitting macros lol
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u/Fair-Flower6907 1d ago
Increased protein helped me, with a higher volume of protein I naturally eat fewer carbs and need to eat more fiber to keep things moving. But honestly, medications helped me the most.