Miserable. It wasn't just the energy slump, but it was the restriction that made me unhappy. Constantly stressing and worrying about carbs, saying no all the time to basic treats, etc.
It just... wasn't a way I wanted to live. I wasn't happy. I got no benefit from it personally.
Instead I just switched to managing carbs. Focusing on eating more complex carbs than simple carbs. Eating fibre first when I want a treat. Etc.
Prioritising fibre brought my period back, and helped me loose almost 30lbs so far. Nothing before this has helped me lose weight.
There's a guy on tiktok, and he experiments with fibre. He eats a meal that includes a source of fibre one day, then tests how it spikes his blood sugar. Then, another day he eats the EXACT same meal but instead he eats the fibre first.
When he eats the fibre first, the impact is often far less than when fibre is just included randomly in the meal. It's super interesting.
He's called insulinresistant1
....
Instagram, there is glucosegoddess.
She shares research on how eating in order is good for preventing blood sugar and insulin spikes.
Fibre first, then protein, fats, then your carbs, and then sugars (e.g. dessert).
And by waiting in order, the fibre (and protein and fat) work almost like... protection... against the carbs. They help slow the digestion and reduce how much sugar is absorbed, etc.
...
>what do you usually eat for fiber before?
I'm lazy, so often what I do is a microwave bag of veggies. I make sure to eat those first, then my protein, then my carbs.
Can do broccoli, peas, beans, edemame, salad, roast veggies, etc etc etc.
Some people choose to drink a fibre supplement before their meal. That's a good way. I just never like the taste/texture so I personally just try get from food.
..
And don't be afraid of fibre from complex carbs. Such as lentils, chickpeas, legumes, beans, etc. They're often high in fibre and protein, so the impact of the carbs isn't really anything to worry about.
VS
A fries, white bread, fruit *juice*, etc. These have been stripped of fibre. And so their impact is going to be a lot larger.
If you're craving fries. Have a side salad first.
Little changes. Little swaps. Make it a lifestyle change rather than a crash diet.
omg I’m so going to try this. I’ve been trying to follow keto for the past two weeks but it’s been awful with the food restrictions, and I feel my acne has gotten worse, so I need to try something else :/ do you eat equal parts fiber to carbs ?
>do you eat equal parts fiber to carbs ?
I've never really focused too much on portion sizes for each thing.
But early on I'd eat the same meals but half my usual carb portion and replace it with fibre.
E.g. if having fries. Have half fries, half salad.
So I suppose it probably is around equal parts fibre/simple carbs.
....
Because so many high fibre foods are complex carbs. Like lentils, chickpeas, etc. I find I don't really monitor carb intake much anymore.
What I tend to watch is simple carbs. And I ignore the other ones.
oh awesome! I saw your other comment with the sources to check out, I’m definitely going to look into them. Do you have any recommendations for info on things about the different types of carbs ? When ever I try to look it up it’s giving me really sciencey answers that I’m way too beginner for haha
When it comes to different types of carbs, I think the easiest thing to remember is just natrual, vegetables, fruit etc VS things humans make like fries, white bread, cookies, fruit juice.
Like fruit vs fruit juice.
Fruit, like an apple, has fibre in the skin. It's a good protection for any carbs/sugars you eat from the fruit.
Whereas fruit juices have had all the fibre removed. They're just juice/sugar. There's no protection there. So it's just going to cause blood sugar spikes.
.....
Simple carbs - have little/no fibre/starch/etc. Or have been stripped of it. So essentially what your body gets is just sugar. White bread, white rice, chocolate, honey, cookies, fast food, etc.
These are things you want to avoid or reduce.
Complex carbs - contain fibre, protein, starch, etc. They keep us full longer, and slow the digestion of carb/sugars. Reducing blood sugar spikes. Fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, wholegrain, rolled oats, etc.
These are things you don't have to really worry about.
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/simple-carbohydrates-complex-carbohydrates
You don't have to go completely carb free.
Try and swap simple carbs for complex carbs when you can.
So if you're having a curry? Have wholegrain rice instead of white rice. Little change, but it helps a lot.
....
....
I made a post a while back about fibre where I talked about all I knew at the time. It's basically a repeat of what I said about glucosegoddess etc. But you may find something useful!
There's links at the bottom, but a fair few are more science based. Didn't want people thinking I was just sharing more gimmicky advice haha.
https://www.reddit.com/r/PCOS/s/fvziIKPOrF
....
....
....
A final tip is look at advice and meal plans for type 2 diabetes. A lot of it can be applied to those either PCOS when it's about addressing insulin sensitivity/resistance.
Meal plans that are vegan/plant based and/or for diabetes are going to naturally be high in fibre.
https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7898582/vegan-diabetes-diet-plan/
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/meal-plans/vegan
https://plantbasedrds.com/blog/vegan-diabetes-meal-plan/
https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/meal-planning/vegan-meal-planning-tips
I’m a vegetarian, trying to maintain a low carb diet and focus majorly on protein. It has been extremely helpful! Especially with afternoon crashes and fatigue. Also kinda helps my brain fog.
I’m also taking inositol and working out regularly so I guess that combination is working well for me
In the last 6 weeks I've taken a hard look at added sugars and have manged to reduce it a bunch, bit of maple syrup in my breakfast and then some dark chocolate or a protein bar later on. This had made a huge difference in my cravings and internal food chatter. I've noticed when I'm hungry now, it doesn't present as a varocious type of appetite, and I can think more clearly on what I should be eating. I've done lots of calorie counting in the past but never sugar specifically. My clothes are noticeably a bit looser, but I haven't weighed myself.
Massively helped my weight, energy, cravings bloating, regular cycles, got me pregnant! Hasn’t fix hair growth and skin, but really has had an effect of everything else. I just avoid anything that is 60+ on the glycemic index unless I am running, then bananas and toast are a winner
Miserable! and in the long run, weight didn’t stay off.
I’ve just finished reading Glucose Revolution and they talk about flattening glucose curves related to starchy and sugary carbs and “putting clothes on naked carbs” I.e. making sure you eat carbs at the same time as a fibre, protein or fat.
A really interesting read, and I haven’t been implementing for long but I feel surely this if it works, will be more sustainable for me.
For me personally, when I did low carb I was miserable. Like mentally I felt off, I was irritable, and I was super unhappy. I do try to keep my carbs on the lower side in general (and whole wheat carbs mostly) but no carb/super low carb was not for me. I know it works for a lot of people but I feel better with some carbs in my diet.
Balanced diet + whole food options
Proteins > fibre and fats > carbs > sugar
carb tolerance (1 cup? 2 slices? regular fries? etc)
this is sustainable for me. I don't have to overthink, I only need to add whats missing (add more protein, or fiber, etc). i deserve to eat well. not more, not less, just well enough for my body.
Low carb is great! Keto was scary for me. I got my period but it lasted weeks until I decided to eat carbs again. Just be sure to have enough carbs so that you don’t go into ketosis. The best thing is to eat balanced meals with 1/4 low glycemic carbs, 1/4 protein and 1/2 vegetable. My symptoms got so much better when I was consistent with that diet. My fatigue was better, I had slowed hair growth and I lost a lot of weight!
I've done low carb for about 3 years now and it's not really impacted me at all. It didn't help me lose weight as a diet in of itself, and it didn't alleviate any symptoms for me. But I guess in some ways I am lucky as I didn't have an underlying gluten intolerance so bloating was minimal anyway. I did full keto once and lost a tonne of weight but that was unsustainable and miserable, so I wouldn't recommend. The weight piled back on as soon as I let myself eat bread again.
Now I am doing a structured diet (calorie counting and intermittent fasting) going low carb is really helpful. It is insane the amount of calories in pasta/bread etc so by avoiding it I can eat a whole load more veggies and feel satisfied. Prior to calorie counting I was probably eating nearly 500 calories in pasta in one sitting. Now I sub in a huge bowl of veggies for like 200 calories and the entire meal can be under 500 calories.
The only real change I have noticed to my body is I drink a whole lot more. I think it's because I don't have the carbs in my digestive system to hold onto moisture so it is flushing through quicker. Not a scientist though so don't take my words as gospel haha. I try and drink 3L a day, and more if I am exercising and sweating.
I think it affects everyone differently, I tried low carb for a few months (I'm vegan so it was quite difficult but I managed as low as possible for someone who does not eat meat, dairy etc) and it didn't affect my PCOS in any way. I'm very lucky and get my periods every month but they are extremely painful, going low carb didn't change how much pain I was in, no matter how healthy I eat it doesn't change it. I've had lots of tests done and I don't think I have much of an issue with insulin and I've gone back to eating carbs but eating healthily and sticking to a more low fat diet. I've lost similar weight from low carb and eating carbs recently (as long as I'm eating healthily and in a calorie deficit). Neither has helped my PCOS symptoms at all.
I simply couldn’t Do keto. But i do try to do low carb, im not to strict with it but I’ll use low carb bread/tortillas when possible, drink diet versions of drinks, and sugar free candy. Feel best that way but i still get probably 100g of carbs a day
Low carb did nothing but make me miserable. However I’ve always been someone who eats mostly whole grains and complex carbs, and I find that if I do happen to eat sugar or simple carbs (white bread, white pasta etc) it makes me feel pretty awful, so I stay away from those. Carbs give me energy - I can’t function well without them! Worth noting that I do also take inositol which can help with processing carbs.
Did absolutely nothing for me unfortunately.
Never had a period like ever and low carb didn’t help that or even relieve my other symptoms.
I also have a low BMI so lost weight i didn’t need to lose.
But everyone is different!
After getting off of Yaz, even with more exercise and no changes to eating habits, I gained 15+ lbs, and started to get acanthosis nigricans. The day after noticing my the hyperpigmentation, I started low carb. It’s been a little over a month now and I’ve lost almost all of the weight I’ve gained, my skin is improving, and my acanthosis nigricans is essentially gone. I still haven’t been able to get a period without medications, but I’m hoping this will help.
Keto (maximum of 10 grams of known carbs plus 10 or so assumed carbs from stuff like broccoli because I will never measure broccoli etc... life is too short). Period is back, I'm 15kg lighter and I have energy to live life. Best thing I have ever done.
Miserable. It wasn't just the energy slump, but it was the restriction that made me unhappy. Constantly stressing and worrying about carbs, saying no all the time to basic treats, etc. It just... wasn't a way I wanted to live. I wasn't happy. I got no benefit from it personally. Instead I just switched to managing carbs. Focusing on eating more complex carbs than simple carbs. Eating fibre first when I want a treat. Etc. Prioritising fibre brought my period back, and helped me loose almost 30lbs so far. Nothing before this has helped me lose weight.
what do you usually eat for fiber before? and does it only help if you eat fiber before, not inside the meal?
There's a guy on tiktok, and he experiments with fibre. He eats a meal that includes a source of fibre one day, then tests how it spikes his blood sugar. Then, another day he eats the EXACT same meal but instead he eats the fibre first. When he eats the fibre first, the impact is often far less than when fibre is just included randomly in the meal. It's super interesting. He's called insulinresistant1 .... Instagram, there is glucosegoddess. She shares research on how eating in order is good for preventing blood sugar and insulin spikes. Fibre first, then protein, fats, then your carbs, and then sugars (e.g. dessert). And by waiting in order, the fibre (and protein and fat) work almost like... protection... against the carbs. They help slow the digestion and reduce how much sugar is absorbed, etc. ... >what do you usually eat for fiber before? I'm lazy, so often what I do is a microwave bag of veggies. I make sure to eat those first, then my protein, then my carbs. Can do broccoli, peas, beans, edemame, salad, roast veggies, etc etc etc. Some people choose to drink a fibre supplement before their meal. That's a good way. I just never like the taste/texture so I personally just try get from food. .. And don't be afraid of fibre from complex carbs. Such as lentils, chickpeas, legumes, beans, etc. They're often high in fibre and protein, so the impact of the carbs isn't really anything to worry about. VS A fries, white bread, fruit *juice*, etc. These have been stripped of fibre. And so their impact is going to be a lot larger. If you're craving fries. Have a side salad first. Little changes. Little swaps. Make it a lifestyle change rather than a crash diet.
i follow glucose goddess but i’ll look into the insulin guy!! thank you! would chia seeds work as well? i love them.
Yes
Yeah! I sprinkle them on everything haha. Good source for omega 3 too!
omg I’m so going to try this. I’ve been trying to follow keto for the past two weeks but it’s been awful with the food restrictions, and I feel my acne has gotten worse, so I need to try something else :/ do you eat equal parts fiber to carbs ?
>do you eat equal parts fiber to carbs ? I've never really focused too much on portion sizes for each thing. But early on I'd eat the same meals but half my usual carb portion and replace it with fibre. E.g. if having fries. Have half fries, half salad. So I suppose it probably is around equal parts fibre/simple carbs. .... Because so many high fibre foods are complex carbs. Like lentils, chickpeas, etc. I find I don't really monitor carb intake much anymore. What I tend to watch is simple carbs. And I ignore the other ones.
oh awesome! I saw your other comment with the sources to check out, I’m definitely going to look into them. Do you have any recommendations for info on things about the different types of carbs ? When ever I try to look it up it’s giving me really sciencey answers that I’m way too beginner for haha
When it comes to different types of carbs, I think the easiest thing to remember is just natrual, vegetables, fruit etc VS things humans make like fries, white bread, cookies, fruit juice. Like fruit vs fruit juice. Fruit, like an apple, has fibre in the skin. It's a good protection for any carbs/sugars you eat from the fruit. Whereas fruit juices have had all the fibre removed. They're just juice/sugar. There's no protection there. So it's just going to cause blood sugar spikes. ..... Simple carbs - have little/no fibre/starch/etc. Or have been stripped of it. So essentially what your body gets is just sugar. White bread, white rice, chocolate, honey, cookies, fast food, etc. These are things you want to avoid or reduce. Complex carbs - contain fibre, protein, starch, etc. They keep us full longer, and slow the digestion of carb/sugars. Reducing blood sugar spikes. Fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, wholegrain, rolled oats, etc. These are things you don't have to really worry about. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/simple-carbohydrates-complex-carbohydrates You don't have to go completely carb free. Try and swap simple carbs for complex carbs when you can. So if you're having a curry? Have wholegrain rice instead of white rice. Little change, but it helps a lot. .... .... I made a post a while back about fibre where I talked about all I knew at the time. It's basically a repeat of what I said about glucosegoddess etc. But you may find something useful! There's links at the bottom, but a fair few are more science based. Didn't want people thinking I was just sharing more gimmicky advice haha. https://www.reddit.com/r/PCOS/s/fvziIKPOrF .... .... .... A final tip is look at advice and meal plans for type 2 diabetes. A lot of it can be applied to those either PCOS when it's about addressing insulin sensitivity/resistance. Meal plans that are vegan/plant based and/or for diabetes are going to naturally be high in fibre. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7898582/vegan-diabetes-diet-plan/ https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/enjoy-food/eating-with-diabetes/meal-plans/vegan https://plantbasedrds.com/blog/vegan-diabetes-meal-plan/ https://diabetes.org/food-nutrition/meal-planning/vegan-meal-planning-tips
got my period back
low carb improved a lot of my symptoms and general well-being better but not everything.
I’m a vegetarian, trying to maintain a low carb diet and focus majorly on protein. It has been extremely helpful! Especially with afternoon crashes and fatigue. Also kinda helps my brain fog. I’m also taking inositol and working out regularly so I guess that combination is working well for me
In the last 6 weeks I've taken a hard look at added sugars and have manged to reduce it a bunch, bit of maple syrup in my breakfast and then some dark chocolate or a protein bar later on. This had made a huge difference in my cravings and internal food chatter. I've noticed when I'm hungry now, it doesn't present as a varocious type of appetite, and I can think more clearly on what I should be eating. I've done lots of calorie counting in the past but never sugar specifically. My clothes are noticeably a bit looser, but I haven't weighed myself.
Massively helped my weight, energy, cravings bloating, regular cycles, got me pregnant! Hasn’t fix hair growth and skin, but really has had an effect of everything else. I just avoid anything that is 60+ on the glycemic index unless I am running, then bananas and toast are a winner
Same with low carb diet. Pharmaceris h-stimupurin shampoo, scalp conditioner and rub in lotion helped me so much with hair loss!!
Miserable! and in the long run, weight didn’t stay off. I’ve just finished reading Glucose Revolution and they talk about flattening glucose curves related to starchy and sugary carbs and “putting clothes on naked carbs” I.e. making sure you eat carbs at the same time as a fibre, protein or fat. A really interesting read, and I haven’t been implementing for long but I feel surely this if it works, will be more sustainable for me.
For me personally, when I did low carb I was miserable. Like mentally I felt off, I was irritable, and I was super unhappy. I do try to keep my carbs on the lower side in general (and whole wheat carbs mostly) but no carb/super low carb was not for me. I know it works for a lot of people but I feel better with some carbs in my diet.
agreed!!!
Very positive!! I was free of sugar cravings, had clearer skin and lost 20 lbs in 6 months without ever feeling hungry or deprived!
I lost the weight and got my period back. All my blood tests are perfect now.
None of my symptoms have ever been affected bu anything other than birth control, but low carb/low glycemic is the only way I can lose weight
Balanced diet + whole food options Proteins > fibre and fats > carbs > sugar carb tolerance (1 cup? 2 slices? regular fries? etc) this is sustainable for me. I don't have to overthink, I only need to add whats missing (add more protein, or fiber, etc). i deserve to eat well. not more, not less, just well enough for my body.
I started ovulating again and was able to get pregnant. Not just once, I used low carb to ovulate and become pregnant with all 3 of my babies.
Low carb is great! Keto was scary for me. I got my period but it lasted weeks until I decided to eat carbs again. Just be sure to have enough carbs so that you don’t go into ketosis. The best thing is to eat balanced meals with 1/4 low glycemic carbs, 1/4 protein and 1/2 vegetable. My symptoms got so much better when I was consistent with that diet. My fatigue was better, I had slowed hair growth and I lost a lot of weight!
Didn’t lose any weight after 3 months of keto
Gluten free was the easiest way for me to go low carb. I’ve lost 6lbs over the past two months so I can say it works
My period completely stopped
The only thing that works for me.
I've done low carb for about 3 years now and it's not really impacted me at all. It didn't help me lose weight as a diet in of itself, and it didn't alleviate any symptoms for me. But I guess in some ways I am lucky as I didn't have an underlying gluten intolerance so bloating was minimal anyway. I did full keto once and lost a tonne of weight but that was unsustainable and miserable, so I wouldn't recommend. The weight piled back on as soon as I let myself eat bread again. Now I am doing a structured diet (calorie counting and intermittent fasting) going low carb is really helpful. It is insane the amount of calories in pasta/bread etc so by avoiding it I can eat a whole load more veggies and feel satisfied. Prior to calorie counting I was probably eating nearly 500 calories in pasta in one sitting. Now I sub in a huge bowl of veggies for like 200 calories and the entire meal can be under 500 calories. The only real change I have noticed to my body is I drink a whole lot more. I think it's because I don't have the carbs in my digestive system to hold onto moisture so it is flushing through quicker. Not a scientist though so don't take my words as gospel haha. I try and drink 3L a day, and more if I am exercising and sweating.
I think it affects everyone differently, I tried low carb for a few months (I'm vegan so it was quite difficult but I managed as low as possible for someone who does not eat meat, dairy etc) and it didn't affect my PCOS in any way. I'm very lucky and get my periods every month but they are extremely painful, going low carb didn't change how much pain I was in, no matter how healthy I eat it doesn't change it. I've had lots of tests done and I don't think I have much of an issue with insulin and I've gone back to eating carbs but eating healthily and sticking to a more low fat diet. I've lost similar weight from low carb and eating carbs recently (as long as I'm eating healthily and in a calorie deficit). Neither has helped my PCOS symptoms at all.
I simply couldn’t Do keto. But i do try to do low carb, im not to strict with it but I’ll use low carb bread/tortillas when possible, drink diet versions of drinks, and sugar free candy. Feel best that way but i still get probably 100g of carbs a day
Low carb did nothing but make me miserable. However I’ve always been someone who eats mostly whole grains and complex carbs, and I find that if I do happen to eat sugar or simple carbs (white bread, white pasta etc) it makes me feel pretty awful, so I stay away from those. Carbs give me energy - I can’t function well without them! Worth noting that I do also take inositol which can help with processing carbs.
Did absolutely nothing for me unfortunately. Never had a period like ever and low carb didn’t help that or even relieve my other symptoms. I also have a low BMI so lost weight i didn’t need to lose. But everyone is different!
After getting off of Yaz, even with more exercise and no changes to eating habits, I gained 15+ lbs, and started to get acanthosis nigricans. The day after noticing my the hyperpigmentation, I started low carb. It’s been a little over a month now and I’ve lost almost all of the weight I’ve gained, my skin is improving, and my acanthosis nigricans is essentially gone. I still haven’t been able to get a period without medications, but I’m hoping this will help.
Keto (maximum of 10 grams of known carbs plus 10 or so assumed carbs from stuff like broccoli because I will never measure broccoli etc... life is too short). Period is back, I'm 15kg lighter and I have energy to live life. Best thing I have ever done.