Starting IF with PCOS & little exercise

Hi all! I am 5’4 20F, after high school I went from around 140-145ish to currently 194 pounds. I dealt with a lot but some of the big ones that stand out to me are hormonal issues and arthritis. I also dealt with COVID hitting my second semester of college. At the start COVID I was around 170. I basically have PCOS, I don’t say officially bc the only main symptom I have is no periods (I have no ovarian cysts, no excess hair, and not sure ab insulin resistance) but I have the small symptoms like fatigue and stuff. My doctors say my period issues are a mystery but thats a discussion for another day, but they basically said that it is very very similar to PCOS. I also recently got diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis, making it hard for me to workout. I really want to lose weight and get healthy again. I was wondering if this is possible through IF? As stated, I have the hurdle of dealing with female issues and arthritis which makes it hard to workout (and i am not a big exercise fan but i want to start doing small ones). I feel like it is important to note that I am vegan, while I was in high school I was, and when I started college I stopped. I realized being vegan is what works best for me and recently started this lifestyle again. Two days ago I started 16:8 and am doing well with it (aka no bad hunger pains), ad hope to work my way to 18:6 one day. I would like to get to around 150, if anyone has any advice that would be really helpful. Some more about me: I have high stress levels and I am not sure if that has to do with diet, my high school measurements were 34-27-39 and am now 42-39.5-46.5 , so as you can see I gained a lot and it is very noticeable. As far as working out, I am trying to do small walking workout videos in my room to get some exercise. Thank you all!

Answer

I have similar hormonal issues but I haven’t been officially diagnosed. My doctor told me if I lose 5-10% of my body weight I wouldn’t experience some of the symptoms so I feel you! These last couple years have been hard on everyone and it’s important that you recognize that!!

I never exercised before but I started with low impact workouts and walks. Try growwithjo on YouTube. I’m sure if you type in “low impact workout arthritis” or something you could try those too! Go for walks when you can as well!

Another tip that is working for me is don’t focus on the end result! Focus on building the habits to get you there instead!

I’ve lost 17 lbs since Jan 4! I just make sure to drink enough water, have protein and fruit or veggie with every meal.

Answer

Sounds like you’re doing lots for your health. I have endometriosis & pcos and losing weight has really helped with my cramping and pain. My periods come back when I don’t eat too much sugar. It’s been mostly helpful for symptoms and I haven’t noticed and special difficulty to loss weight. I did 30-40 min walking a day for the first year because everything else was too difficult. Now I am able to do some more high intensity workouts. Good luck to you!

Answer

I also have PCOS. IF has been better for me than any other attempt I’ve made to lose weight. I’ve gone from 180 pounds to (last time I checked) 147, so far (starting May 2021). I am pretty sedentary, working a desk job and mostly just walking around the neighborhood. I do OMAD, but I think any IF schedule that works for you is the right one.

And also, this month I went off birth control pills and actually had a period, which hasn’t happened since I was about 14 (not counting birth control withdrawal bleeds). Like I genuinely did not believe my body was capable of ovulating, and now it seems to have managed it. I can’t say for sure it was the IF, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it helped. PCOS and insulin resistance are related for sure, and insulin resistance is known to be a cause of PCOS, not just a symptom.

Being vegan is no problem. IF doesn’t prescribe any specific kind of diet. I’ve found that I feel better when I eat more protein, healthy fat, and vegetables and eat less starches, but that could be done with vegan protein sources.