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Anyone with PCOS not lose weight after surgery



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I cannot lose weight which I'm told is likely because I have PCOS. I don't mean I can't stay on a diet, I mean I can eat very small amounts of food and not lose weight. Supposedly surgery will change hormones enough to allow weight loss, but I'm terrified that I will have surgery, eat next to nothing but still not lose weight.

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I have the same fear. I hardly eat anything just to maintain at 300. I gain at 1200 calories a day when they showed me the pre-op diet I’m like I have to eat all this food? ? I fear I will get the surgery, hardly eat and stay the same. HOping the surgery really does do a magic metabolic trick to my body.

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I also have pcos, I’m 48. 5’2” and weigh 299

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My PCOS was my reason for surgery. I had been logging my food intake in MFP for 7 years - and at 1300 or fewer calories a day and exercising, I did not lose. Plus the other symptoms that come with PCOS like the facial hair, thinning hair on scalp, cycle irregularity, cystic acne, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, insulin resistance/diabetes.

I have been losing since surgery - but VERY slowly - and I was told that this is due to the PCOS. I'm about 3.5 months out, and have lost 30 lbs. I don;t regret it at all - I wouldn't have lost anything if I hadn't done it. And the silver lining is that I will not have a problem when it comes to maintenance, as I have been eating those smaller amounts for years.

I was able to get off the metformin that I have been on since 2004 pretty much immediately. That alone would have been worth the surgery, as I hated it and never built a tolerance to it. I felt like it cut my stomach to ribbons and I always had to be near a bathroom.

Just be prepared to lose slow and don;t compare yourself to non-PCOSers losing quickly.

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I have PCOS and was never able to lose anything significant and keep if off pre surgery. I have lost about 32 lbs since surgery on 3/12/19 and about 86 total since last July when I started with the surgeon's 6 month pre op diet. I believe the surgery did something to fix my hormones, metabolism, whatever involved with metabolic syndrome and PCOS. For the first time in 27 years I am below 200 lbs. I too was afraid the PCOS would not allow me to lose after surgery. And while at times it has seemed slow, I've averaged 4 lbs lost per week post surgery, which is really quite good.

I believe if you follow the plan your team gives you, you will be successful. That's how I've approached this and I follow their advice and directions. I sometimes struggle to get enough Water and those weeks I lose less it seems.

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I have PCOS, and I had VSG on 2/6/19. Believe me, I had this fear in the back of my mind all the way up until the day I had surgery. This fear still nags at me, but I am 14wks post-op and am down 36lbs from the day of my consult, which was less than a month before my surgery date. I just had my 3m follow-up with my surgeon today and met the goal he set for the appt (168lbs). I'm still scared that it's all too good to be true and that the weight will just come back, but I'm working hard to make sure that doesn't happen.

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Wow - I'm so sorry you have all had to suffer with PCOS, but how encouraging that you have found help at last! I hate it that there is so little help for women suffering with this. One of the worst things for me is that no one believed me for so long. I finally have a doctor now that does even though she really doesn't understand it. Hey something I noticed - we are all short (I'm 5 feet 0") - does that have something to do with PCOS? Did any of you consider having a gastric bypass or a mini bypass? Some people say that the bypass has more metabolic effect than the sleeve, but I would really prefer the sleeve.

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I don't know if height has any correlation to PCOS, would be interesting to find out. I did not consider a different surgery. I've known several people (5 maybe) who have had RNY and gained back the majority of their weight. So I figured it's the work you put into it, not necessarily the type of surgery. And that's been my focus. My surgeon said to me, that now it's up to me, he's done all he can for me and now his job is that of cheerleader for me, but the real work is up to me.

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I didn't consider bypass, though my surgeon would have preferred it for me because I my endoscopy showed some small ulcers and reflux. I was adamant I wanted the sleeve. I was worried about the malabsorption - really worried. I already have a harder time getting everything I need from my diet because I am vegetarian (well, post-surgery I don't because all the supplements I take, but I used to). And I have the PCOS thinning hair - I know that Hair loss can be a problem with bypass and malabsorption, and I was terrified to lose more hair. (I am getting a little more hair left in the comb now - but I believe the 3-6 month hair loss common with WLS is due to the anaesthetic, and is not permanent. At least that's what I'm hoping.)

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I lost the vast majority of my hair from Hypothyroidism and/or PCOS and started wearing a wig 6 years ago. At least there are good wigs out there. The weight bothers me a lot more.

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You know where I am losing my hair the most? Oh the crown is a little thinner, but I have almost lost my bangs, I tried to make a part and push it to one side, not too good. I wake up in the morning with it standing on end, and then I go try smoothing it. Sometimes it works, most of time I just give up fighting it, I'm just gonna like I am going to look. Still a work in progress, don't you know!

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He's anybody gotten a permanent? I had my hair cut short, thought that it would be easier to take care of, Maybe I'm just getting picky but it seems to be tufty, hard to control, tried to mousse it , just plastered it to my head and made it stiff. I just don't know, Tomkitten says I still look okay but maybe he's l etting love blind him.?

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I had my bypass May 6, 2019 and I also have pcos... I’m also down 23 pounds as well. I lost 9 pounds during my 5 day pre liquid diet and 14 pounds after surgery. This is Day 10 for me from surgery.

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I have pcos and had trouble losing weight before surgery. I lost 14 pounds pre-op and 8 pounds post-op. I had my surgery two weeks ago. I am pleased with the results so far.

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Let's keep posting and sharing on this thread to keep it active so we encourage each other! PCOS is a special kind of torture!

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
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    • Doughgurl

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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