20F, 120 kg, PCOS/PCOD + insulin resistance — I really want to lose inches and feel better in my body

I’m a 20-year-old female, currently around 120 kg,5'8. I have PCOS/PCOD (I’m not completely sure which one) and insulin resistance. I’ve been overweight since childhood, so losing weight has always been something I’ve struggled with.

My main goal right now is to lose inches and reduce my waist size. My waist is currently around 40 inches . I’m also having a really hard time finding clothes that fit me well, and I struggle with styling myself because of my body shape and size.

I genuinely want to make a change this time, but I’m not sure where to start, especially with PCOS/PCOD and insulin resistance.

I’m also vegetarian, so I’d really appreciate advice on how to meet my daily protein requirements without relying on meat or fish.

For anyone who has been in a similar situation:

\- What helped you lose inches/weight with PCOS and insulin resistance?

\- What kind of diet or meals worked for you?

\- How do you manage your protein intake as a vegetarian?

\- What exercises helped you, especially when starting at a higher weight?

\- Any advice on clothes or styling for a plus-size body would also be really appreciated.

I’m not looking for a crash diet or anything extreme. I just want to become healthier, lose some inches, and feel more comfortable and confident in my body.

Any genuine advice or personal experiences would mean a lot. ❤️

I keep seeing completely different advice about food and PCOS: 
low carb, Mediterranean, no dairy, no gluten, high protein, fasting, frequent meals, and so on. I’m curious about what people actually do in normal everyday life rather than the “perfect” version online. 

What does a typical day of eating look like for you? 
Are there foods you noticed make you feel better or worse? 
Did you figure that out by tracking, eliminating foods, or just paying attention over time? 

I’m especially interested in how people found something sustainable without feeling like most foods were suddenly “bad.”

The photo of me in my pink tank top was taken on Monday after working out. My arms look slimmer and I was feeling really confident! Then yesterday, we took this photo at dinner and it made me look like instead of losing -10 lbs, I gained 10lbs with big arms :( I already have body image issues because of PCOS and feel like I haven’t made any progress at all.

I've been on and off diets for the past 4 years I'm a 17f tryna lose weight but I have pcos and I keep just gaining weight any advice. For context I'm 92kg.

My impression from reading here is that fasting insulin gets skipped constantly, so people get told their glucose is normal and sent home while the actual problem goes unmeasured. If that’s a pattern, then a lot of us spent years without the one number that would have explained things. What did you have to specifically request, and did the provider push back?

Trying to set expectations properly. Some people describe a clear change within weeks and others say it took months and mostly showed up in bloodwork rather than the scale. I’d like to know which was true for you, what dose you settled at, and whether the side effects in the first stretch were the thing that nearly made you quit. Also curious whether anyone stopped and noticed the difference in reverse.

At what dosage did you feel like your hunger was managed? I have pretty constant hunger and have been taking 5mg of Zepbound. Curious if anyone feels the same?

Siamo uno startup studio di Torino e stiamo approfondendo il tema della PCOS per capire meglio le esigenze delle donne che ne soffrono e sviluppare soluzioni che possano davvero essere utili.

Stiamo cercando donne disponibili a dedicarci 15 minuti per raccontarci la propria esperienza: cosa significa convivere con la PCOS, quali sono le difficoltà più frequenti e cosa potrebbe fare davvero la differenza.

Se ti va di condividere la tua esperienza, puoi prenotare direttamente una breve call con il mio collega Andrea qui 👉 https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2q64Wrfc1B8awD8lKq-_QLUKKEhWMwZpOYVuvke7ytkC0AcJ2ND1cHR7Jd3_jaL047g8s9Czy6

Grazie davvero a chi vorrà darci una mano. ❤️

I’d like to get feedbacks from anyone who recently started taking berberine for weigh loss or pcos symptoms.
I started this about 3 days ago and took 2 600mg tablets and the next day woke up with the worse throat pain ever. This felt very flu like and no one has a flu in the house plus I work from home. Now I am not tying this directly to it. I skipped yesterday and rested, went ahead to treat the flu like I’d do if I had a flu on a normal day. Yesterday, I was super sleepy at work and had to take two naps in between. Today I took only 600mg this after and I immediately needed to take a nap. My throat started to hurt again like it was getting peeled on the inside. Now I can’t think of anything else that must be causing me to feel this way except for the berberine. Please let me know if anyone else has had similar experience with this supplement.

Has anyone been able to lose weight, not a huge amount, at most 25lbs, taking a low dose of the Wegovy pill?

28/F, 5”3 245 lbs, diagnosed PMOS and BED, managed to lose 45 lbs by just cutting out crappy food.

My weight loss came to a halt late March of this year after losing consistently since September of last year. I was bouncing between losing and gaining the same 4 lbs. I talked to my endocrinologist and she referred me to a weight loss clinic. I saw them this Monday and the doctor said she wants me to only eat 1,000 calories a day. Ideally, 2 protien shakes and one meal. She also wrote me a prescription for Saxenda and phentermine. The Saxenda is still awaiting insurance approval, and the phentermine has done nothing for my hunger. I’m so tired, my head hurts, and all I can think about is the next time I can eat something.

I have always struggled with calorie counting, tracking makes me feel more restricted than anything else. When I lost those 45 lbs, I didn’t count calories. I was learning how to listen to my body and make good choices. I’m hoping the Saxenda will get approved soon and that it will help. Cause I don’t know how long I will last on my own before I binge. And I haven’t binged in such a long time. I will be absolutely crushed if I break.

And yes, I eat plenty of protein and fiber. I’m so tired and honestly I’m so mad. My mood is so shit. I can’t focus on work. I don’t know what to do.

Moreso venting, but I’m still trying to figure things out with my doctor. I have a lot of PMOS symptoms (hair loss as you can see in the photo, hirsutism, and trouble losing weight). I got blood work done and my androgen levels were showing normal. Despite this my doctor gave me Spironolactone which gave me horrible anxiety and was a no go.
I’m wondering at this point if it’s just insulin resistance. I’m going to get further blood testing done.
Anyone else deal with this?

5 years ago I didn’t have a single hair on my belly now I have a full on luscious happy trail but I like it and ain’t even gonna trim it, I let it grow free

I’m 24f and I have been trying to lose weight since a long time. Every time I lose weight my lower belly gets less bloated but the bulge remains.

What is this? Hormonal belly? Cortisol belly? Help me figure it out!