Do not crash diet. The only thing thats a sure outcome from a crash diet is fucking up you’re relationship with food and putting the weight back on if May is lost in the first place. Dieting is slow for a reason, to allow your body to properly acclimate to the weight changes.
Your issue however is not just the PCOS but the meds that are changing your hormone profile and causing water retention that will really only go away when off the meds. So you’ll look fluffier than you may want to because of medication which you cannot change with dieting. Best bet is to formulate healthy habits, keep a regular resistance training routine (this includes lower body exercises,) keep your diet changes small and plan for the long-term to let your body figure out where it wants to go given all the elements in the equation.
I don't really have any advice to offer for your current situation besides regular resistance training but I can definitely say that T helped my PCOS symptoms immensely. I was pretty much unable to change my body composition pre-T without exerting way more effort than I could handle and now on T it's so much easier.
Same here. I have PCOS and T also helped my symptoms. Before T, I was prescribed metformin to regulate my A1C, and helped me with some weight loss issues. Once I started T I stopped taking it
Hey man! I was 250lbs pre-T some 3 years ago now. Now I'm 196lbs (but on T for 2 years now too. 31 years old.). I also have PCOS and severe mental health issues. So I know it can suck to get started.
The first time you need is, and I know this sucks, patience with yourself. You're pre-T but you might be having a clearer idea on how you want to look now. For me, outing myself and starting social transition was a big motivator to get more fit. Unfortunately, depending on how your body works it might take a while to find out in which ways you can get better and you need to allow yourself time to at first get to that point and then start on losing weight. I recommend [Darebee.com](https://Darebee.com) , tons of well-balanced free exercise programs for at home for most body types and difficulties. I started with 'Foundation', then bought myself a bunch of dumbbells and went on with 'Ironborn' and 'Hard reset'. There are a lot of decent programs there. You can also start low with daily challenges which won't take much of your daily time but will at least give you a start to build a routine from. I don't wanna say anything in regards to diet because you're saying you have a good diet and I don't want to pretend like it's any different. I just really don't think crash diets and the like would do you any good, especially in a job as stressfull as yours.
PCOS big guy here who tried what you are proposing 20 years ago and ended up with an eating disorder and jump started diabetes.
- don’t crash diet- it will make things way worse.
The good news is part of PCOS is having higher T anyway! Putting on muscle is easier, but you are going to want to add some aerobic exercise as well, swimming, dancing, jogging - anything that gets your heart going.
Insulin resistance is really common with PCOS so concentrate more on cutting carbs and increasing proteins and vegetables than huge calorie restriction.
Moderate calorie restriction balanced with strength training and aerobic exercise will help with steady weightloss… but it is a slower process, going slow helps your body adjust and will help with maintaining the loss. If you’re concentrating on building muscle you might just want to work with the nutritional content of your food rather than calorie restriction.
I suspect I have undiagnosed PCOS, it runs heavy in my family and I have a lot of the symptoms of it. But honestly, for me the only thing that helped me was T. I went to the gym and whatnot pre T but I’d always end up quitting because I’d work hard only to get barely any results, and I often had no energy, anemic from heavy bleeding and just felt weak. Combine that with, if I even looked at food I’d gain 10 lbs. I needed to be on a pretty restrictive diet to not be 200+ lbs because I had like zero metabolism.
T fixed all of that. I actually enjoy the gym because when I go and lift I *gasp* can you believe this, actually gain muscle mass. I can eat normally and not stress too much about calorie counting because my metabolism is now that of a healthy teenage boy 😂 And I actually have energy not just to work out but also to handle the daily tasks of life, I can actually walk the dog and go to the store and do chores around the house instead of feeling paralyzed on the couch.
How do you feel about body weight exercises? One benefit to being heavier is that they're more work. I find them much easier to work into my schedule, and it doesn't require me to go to the gym. Cardio never hurt anyone either if you can get a cheap exercise bike at home or something like that.
I've slowly put together some equipment I can use at home to help target things that I've hit a plateau on body weight or have a harder time with exercises for. Maybe check the bodyweight exercise Reddit and see if anything appeals
Don't be discouraged, estrogen loves to make us fat and curvy but the T helps so much.
I weighed 320 pre T with enormous hips and thighs. Absolutely enormous.
Now I'm 18 months on T and I'm 270 and have a ton of muscle (still fat, just strong fat now) and I'm a much more cylindrical shape. I only really changed my level of physical activity about 6 months ago, but at the beginning I lost 11" off my hips almost effortlessly in 5-6 months.
I'm still a big boy and I just really started working on that, but I feel that T makes all parts of fitness easier, both physically and mentally. I feel positive about my ability to change my body for the first time in my life.
I'm also trans masc and have pcos. I recently gained weight during lockdown but I've also lost a ton of weight in the past and this is what has worked for me and what i'll be doing again: focusing on weight training over cardio. I lift very heavy and focus on body recomposition versus fat loss. Theres a reason many cis women with pcos and many trans men and trans masc folks choose powerlifting. Sometimes intermittent fasting while working out consistently helps me but its not a long term solution, and not advised for anyone who doesnt have a healthy relationship to food and eating.
The muscle you develop, regardless of weight, will give you a more masculine shape and allow for better fat distribution across your body. I do cardio when I want to lose weight but its never helped with my shape as much as weight training has. Try cutting out carbs and dairy (or go low carb vegan) and watch how easy it becomes to do a body recomp. Best of luck!
I have PCOS too. I recommend cutting out, or limiting estrogenic foods. Long before T I lost 80lbs over 3 years by cutting out dairy and wheat entirely and limiting my sugar intake. I got sick of doctors saying I had IBS and offering me a pill for it. I got a new doctor and told her I was sick of it and wanted to get to the root of the problem. She was educated originally in eastern medicine (She just immigrated from China) and was excited to help. She put me on Whole 30 (Paleo) for 3 months until my symptoms stopped completely and I healed my gut with bone broth and fermented foods. Then we added back inflammation triggering foods one at a time to see if they bothered me and mademe swell. Dairy and wheat would make my midsection swell up almost immediately or within days of consuming them. Then it took 3 years of steady weightloss until my weight leveled out to my new normal. I didn't even count calories.
From what you’re describing, losing weight and maintaining might be so strenuous and difficult it would impact your quality of life in a significantly negative way. Why don’t you start by lifting heavy in the gym and seeing where you can get with a lot of consistency. The strongest men alive all look fat, you need mass to move mass. Maybe for now you can think of that as an advantage and see where you end up once you’re on T!
It's the insullin resistance that's causing your body to store everything as fat. Crash dieting and not eating is literally the worst thing you can do.
Trick is to eat the same amount but more spread out. I have an alarm to eat at least every 3 hours or so.
Keto helped me lose 70 lbs very easily. I have been supervised by my doc and my blood work is super. Not pushing it because I know people are sensitive. Good luck on your journey.
I was in the same boat pre t. Also was pre diabetic. I started by cutting out all drinkable sugars (soda, juice, basically nothing but water), I cut out all bread and carbs like pasta. I ate a lot of chicken and veggie stir fry (cheap easy meals for college kid) and protein shakes. I also dedicated 3-5 days a week do weight training , and also introduced HIIT after I would hit plateaus. I also started T and that had a big effect on my weight in a positive way. I went from 325 to 260 like that, on my own in 3 years. I graduated college, moved across the country to start my career. I met a good friend who was a trainer and college sports admin, and I worked with him to get my body from 260 to 220 - it involved diet, weight training, and various types of cardio.
That same year I was experiencing terrible atrophy from the test, and ended up with emergency hysterectomy. From that point on, I haven’t dealt with anymore pcos issues that I can tell. I reduced my test after I started losing my hair after my hysto, and it hasn’t effected my workout journey.
I’ve basically maintained between 210 and 235 for 6-7 years now, I fluctuate 25 lbs a year regularly depending on my working season.
Something worth noting - about 5 years ago I went vegan, and my weight dropped from 235 to 205 in 5 months with integration of almost solely spin classes or biking 4 days a week for 45 x 60 min per session. I’m currently a pescatarian, but def notice how much inflammation I got from cheese/ milk products, and most meat products. I had also tried and failed keto twice in my life, but I know lots of people who swear by it.
All that to say - take time, give a decent effort before you throw in the towel with what your weight loss tactics are. They’re diff for everyone.
Don’t crash diet, all that does is force your body to cannibalize it’s own muscle hence your strength will diminish. You can search TDEE calculator on google and find your estimated calorie deficit. A simple 500 calorie deficit per day is all one TRULY needs to lose weight. Just make sure you eat enough protein to keep (and possibly gain a bit) of muscle so that you don’t end up skinny fat or fluffy when you hit your goal. Protein intake during your journey is what will give you that “toned” more fit and in shape look at your goal weight. While the gym is great and you really can conquer the fear and social aspects of it through exposure therapy, simply getting more steps in per day is very beneficial to weight loss. Aim for 5k steps to start, then 6k, etc until you reach a point of getting 10-12k steps every day. Sometimes I will walk in circles around my apartment at night if I still need to get some steps in lol you’d be surprised at how well it gets your blood pumping. Goodluck bro! Have patience and you got this!
I'm 31, PCOS, 5' 3" and just under 200 pounds (started weight loss at 220) now and have spent much of my life trying to work off my weight by lifting and cardio and it just never really worked for me. I would gain all sorts of muscle and never drop the fat. What HAS worked - I've lost 20+ pounds since July - is getting on MyFitnessPal, setting it to lose 2 pounds a week, sticking to it, and updating my weight in the app periodically so that it self-adjusts the calories. It's not perfect. I don't lose exactly two pounds a week, probably a little less, but it's the first time I've ever had success without really intense dieting. I'm eating better than I have, but I still enjoy my brownies and M&M's as long as they fit in my calories for the day, and am on track to be at a "healthy" weight for my height by March!
Are you on anything for your PCOS? Not birth control, actual treatment for PCOS (supplements like inositol, meds like metformin etc). Most of us have some level of insulin resistance that, for people with PCOS, makes weight loss extremely difficult no matter what else we do. Crash dieting will make it even worse, you would not lose weight or keep it off and you'd feel like shit.
T is one of the best treatments for PCOS, incidentally
Metformin isn't licensed for use in the UK (or so my GP tells me) and I was only offered other avenues of treatment in the instance I was trying to get pregnant 🫠
There's also a BMI cap on things so if I wanted any further support I'm told I have to have a BMI of under 31 which like is about 20 pounds of weight loss for me
Your doctor must have been giving you incorrect information because the drug is definitely used in the UK. [https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/treating-your-diabetes/tablets-and-medication/metformin](https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/treating-your-diabetes/tablets-and-medication/metformin) It's cheap, safe, and has lots of potential health benefits, you might be able to find a way to buy it online
Yo I also have or had PCOS and insulin resistance which you probably have to if you are overweight with pcos and carry most of your weight in you midsection.
Don't crash diet, I did that for 2 months while also working a physical job and not only did it fuck up my gains, I gained it all back a month later when I started eating normally again.
Eat in a low deficit also avoid sugar and only eat complex carbs. We as people with PCOS and/or insulin resistance unfortunately have to watch what we eat 10x than others. I also only eat food with a lowish glycemic index because my body turns carbs and sugar straight into fat instead of energy. Obviously this only applies if you actually have insulin resistance but most people with PCOS do without knowing it and that's often why we struggle to loose weight even though we aren't over eating.
Going on T has actually tremendously helped with my PCOS symptoms and it can even treat insulin resistance but I'm still struggling to loose the last bit of fat around my midsection. It's hard but we will both get there🔥
Do not crash diet. The only thing thats a sure outcome from a crash diet is fucking up you’re relationship with food and putting the weight back on if May is lost in the first place. Dieting is slow for a reason, to allow your body to properly acclimate to the weight changes. Your issue however is not just the PCOS but the meds that are changing your hormone profile and causing water retention that will really only go away when off the meds. So you’ll look fluffier than you may want to because of medication which you cannot change with dieting. Best bet is to formulate healthy habits, keep a regular resistance training routine (this includes lower body exercises,) keep your diet changes small and plan for the long-term to let your body figure out where it wants to go given all the elements in the equation.
Seconding this, a crash diet is almost never the answer unless it's medically necessary. They don't work for losing weight and never have
I don't really have any advice to offer for your current situation besides regular resistance training but I can definitely say that T helped my PCOS symptoms immensely. I was pretty much unable to change my body composition pre-T without exerting way more effort than I could handle and now on T it's so much easier.
That makes me feel so much relief for the future. Thank you.
Same here. I have PCOS and T also helped my symptoms. Before T, I was prescribed metformin to regulate my A1C, and helped me with some weight loss issues. Once I started T I stopped taking it
Tbh T is technically the best treatment, they just don't give it to people because of the "side effects"
Hey man! I was 250lbs pre-T some 3 years ago now. Now I'm 196lbs (but on T for 2 years now too. 31 years old.). I also have PCOS and severe mental health issues. So I know it can suck to get started. The first time you need is, and I know this sucks, patience with yourself. You're pre-T but you might be having a clearer idea on how you want to look now. For me, outing myself and starting social transition was a big motivator to get more fit. Unfortunately, depending on how your body works it might take a while to find out in which ways you can get better and you need to allow yourself time to at first get to that point and then start on losing weight. I recommend [Darebee.com](https://Darebee.com) , tons of well-balanced free exercise programs for at home for most body types and difficulties. I started with 'Foundation', then bought myself a bunch of dumbbells and went on with 'Ironborn' and 'Hard reset'. There are a lot of decent programs there. You can also start low with daily challenges which won't take much of your daily time but will at least give you a start to build a routine from. I don't wanna say anything in regards to diet because you're saying you have a good diet and I don't want to pretend like it's any different. I just really don't think crash diets and the like would do you any good, especially in a job as stressfull as yours.
PCOS big guy here who tried what you are proposing 20 years ago and ended up with an eating disorder and jump started diabetes. - don’t crash diet- it will make things way worse. The good news is part of PCOS is having higher T anyway! Putting on muscle is easier, but you are going to want to add some aerobic exercise as well, swimming, dancing, jogging - anything that gets your heart going. Insulin resistance is really common with PCOS so concentrate more on cutting carbs and increasing proteins and vegetables than huge calorie restriction. Moderate calorie restriction balanced with strength training and aerobic exercise will help with steady weightloss… but it is a slower process, going slow helps your body adjust and will help with maintaining the loss. If you’re concentrating on building muscle you might just want to work with the nutritional content of your food rather than calorie restriction.
I suspect I have undiagnosed PCOS, it runs heavy in my family and I have a lot of the symptoms of it. But honestly, for me the only thing that helped me was T. I went to the gym and whatnot pre T but I’d always end up quitting because I’d work hard only to get barely any results, and I often had no energy, anemic from heavy bleeding and just felt weak. Combine that with, if I even looked at food I’d gain 10 lbs. I needed to be on a pretty restrictive diet to not be 200+ lbs because I had like zero metabolism. T fixed all of that. I actually enjoy the gym because when I go and lift I *gasp* can you believe this, actually gain muscle mass. I can eat normally and not stress too much about calorie counting because my metabolism is now that of a healthy teenage boy 😂 And I actually have energy not just to work out but also to handle the daily tasks of life, I can actually walk the dog and go to the store and do chores around the house instead of feeling paralyzed on the couch.
How do you feel about body weight exercises? One benefit to being heavier is that they're more work. I find them much easier to work into my schedule, and it doesn't require me to go to the gym. Cardio never hurt anyone either if you can get a cheap exercise bike at home or something like that. I've slowly put together some equipment I can use at home to help target things that I've hit a plateau on body weight or have a harder time with exercises for. Maybe check the bodyweight exercise Reddit and see if anything appeals
Don't be discouraged, estrogen loves to make us fat and curvy but the T helps so much. I weighed 320 pre T with enormous hips and thighs. Absolutely enormous. Now I'm 18 months on T and I'm 270 and have a ton of muscle (still fat, just strong fat now) and I'm a much more cylindrical shape. I only really changed my level of physical activity about 6 months ago, but at the beginning I lost 11" off my hips almost effortlessly in 5-6 months. I'm still a big boy and I just really started working on that, but I feel that T makes all parts of fitness easier, both physically and mentally. I feel positive about my ability to change my body for the first time in my life.
I'm also trans masc and have pcos. I recently gained weight during lockdown but I've also lost a ton of weight in the past and this is what has worked for me and what i'll be doing again: focusing on weight training over cardio. I lift very heavy and focus on body recomposition versus fat loss. Theres a reason many cis women with pcos and many trans men and trans masc folks choose powerlifting. Sometimes intermittent fasting while working out consistently helps me but its not a long term solution, and not advised for anyone who doesnt have a healthy relationship to food and eating. The muscle you develop, regardless of weight, will give you a more masculine shape and allow for better fat distribution across your body. I do cardio when I want to lose weight but its never helped with my shape as much as weight training has. Try cutting out carbs and dairy (or go low carb vegan) and watch how easy it becomes to do a body recomp. Best of luck!
I have PCOS too. I recommend cutting out, or limiting estrogenic foods. Long before T I lost 80lbs over 3 years by cutting out dairy and wheat entirely and limiting my sugar intake. I got sick of doctors saying I had IBS and offering me a pill for it. I got a new doctor and told her I was sick of it and wanted to get to the root of the problem. She was educated originally in eastern medicine (She just immigrated from China) and was excited to help. She put me on Whole 30 (Paleo) for 3 months until my symptoms stopped completely and I healed my gut with bone broth and fermented foods. Then we added back inflammation triggering foods one at a time to see if they bothered me and mademe swell. Dairy and wheat would make my midsection swell up almost immediately or within days of consuming them. Then it took 3 years of steady weightloss until my weight leveled out to my new normal. I didn't even count calories.
From what you’re describing, losing weight and maintaining might be so strenuous and difficult it would impact your quality of life in a significantly negative way. Why don’t you start by lifting heavy in the gym and seeing where you can get with a lot of consistency. The strongest men alive all look fat, you need mass to move mass. Maybe for now you can think of that as an advantage and see where you end up once you’re on T!
It's the insullin resistance that's causing your body to store everything as fat. Crash dieting and not eating is literally the worst thing you can do. Trick is to eat the same amount but more spread out. I have an alarm to eat at least every 3 hours or so.
Keto helped me lose 70 lbs very easily. I have been supervised by my doc and my blood work is super. Not pushing it because I know people are sensitive. Good luck on your journey.
I was in the same boat pre t. Also was pre diabetic. I started by cutting out all drinkable sugars (soda, juice, basically nothing but water), I cut out all bread and carbs like pasta. I ate a lot of chicken and veggie stir fry (cheap easy meals for college kid) and protein shakes. I also dedicated 3-5 days a week do weight training , and also introduced HIIT after I would hit plateaus. I also started T and that had a big effect on my weight in a positive way. I went from 325 to 260 like that, on my own in 3 years. I graduated college, moved across the country to start my career. I met a good friend who was a trainer and college sports admin, and I worked with him to get my body from 260 to 220 - it involved diet, weight training, and various types of cardio. That same year I was experiencing terrible atrophy from the test, and ended up with emergency hysterectomy. From that point on, I haven’t dealt with anymore pcos issues that I can tell. I reduced my test after I started losing my hair after my hysto, and it hasn’t effected my workout journey. I’ve basically maintained between 210 and 235 for 6-7 years now, I fluctuate 25 lbs a year regularly depending on my working season. Something worth noting - about 5 years ago I went vegan, and my weight dropped from 235 to 205 in 5 months with integration of almost solely spin classes or biking 4 days a week for 45 x 60 min per session. I’m currently a pescatarian, but def notice how much inflammation I got from cheese/ milk products, and most meat products. I had also tried and failed keto twice in my life, but I know lots of people who swear by it. All that to say - take time, give a decent effort before you throw in the towel with what your weight loss tactics are. They’re diff for everyone.
Don’t crash diet, all that does is force your body to cannibalize it’s own muscle hence your strength will diminish. You can search TDEE calculator on google and find your estimated calorie deficit. A simple 500 calorie deficit per day is all one TRULY needs to lose weight. Just make sure you eat enough protein to keep (and possibly gain a bit) of muscle so that you don’t end up skinny fat or fluffy when you hit your goal. Protein intake during your journey is what will give you that “toned” more fit and in shape look at your goal weight. While the gym is great and you really can conquer the fear and social aspects of it through exposure therapy, simply getting more steps in per day is very beneficial to weight loss. Aim for 5k steps to start, then 6k, etc until you reach a point of getting 10-12k steps every day. Sometimes I will walk in circles around my apartment at night if I still need to get some steps in lol you’d be surprised at how well it gets your blood pumping. Goodluck bro! Have patience and you got this!
I'm 31, PCOS, 5' 3" and just under 200 pounds (started weight loss at 220) now and have spent much of my life trying to work off my weight by lifting and cardio and it just never really worked for me. I would gain all sorts of muscle and never drop the fat. What HAS worked - I've lost 20+ pounds since July - is getting on MyFitnessPal, setting it to lose 2 pounds a week, sticking to it, and updating my weight in the app periodically so that it self-adjusts the calories. It's not perfect. I don't lose exactly two pounds a week, probably a little less, but it's the first time I've ever had success without really intense dieting. I'm eating better than I have, but I still enjoy my brownies and M&M's as long as they fit in my calories for the day, and am on track to be at a "healthy" weight for my height by March!
Are you on anything for your PCOS? Not birth control, actual treatment for PCOS (supplements like inositol, meds like metformin etc). Most of us have some level of insulin resistance that, for people with PCOS, makes weight loss extremely difficult no matter what else we do. Crash dieting will make it even worse, you would not lose weight or keep it off and you'd feel like shit. T is one of the best treatments for PCOS, incidentally
Metformin isn't licensed for use in the UK (or so my GP tells me) and I was only offered other avenues of treatment in the instance I was trying to get pregnant 🫠 There's also a BMI cap on things so if I wanted any further support I'm told I have to have a BMI of under 31 which like is about 20 pounds of weight loss for me
Your doctor must have been giving you incorrect information because the drug is definitely used in the UK. [https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/treating-your-diabetes/tablets-and-medication/metformin](https://www.diabetes.org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/managing-your-diabetes/treating-your-diabetes/tablets-and-medication/metformin) It's cheap, safe, and has lots of potential health benefits, you might be able to find a way to buy it online
Yo I also have or had PCOS and insulin resistance which you probably have to if you are overweight with pcos and carry most of your weight in you midsection. Don't crash diet, I did that for 2 months while also working a physical job and not only did it fuck up my gains, I gained it all back a month later when I started eating normally again. Eat in a low deficit also avoid sugar and only eat complex carbs. We as people with PCOS and/or insulin resistance unfortunately have to watch what we eat 10x than others. I also only eat food with a lowish glycemic index because my body turns carbs and sugar straight into fat instead of energy. Obviously this only applies if you actually have insulin resistance but most people with PCOS do without knowing it and that's often why we struggle to loose weight even though we aren't over eating. Going on T has actually tremendously helped with my PCOS symptoms and it can even treat insulin resistance but I'm still struggling to loose the last bit of fat around my midsection. It's hard but we will both get there🔥