New here. Just introducing myself :) I have PCOS.

[ishy]

Hello there. Sorry if I posted this in the wrong category. I have PCOS and as a result am overweight. Dieting and counting calories does nothing for me so I've decided to try low carb. The vast majority of my diet involves carbs and as I am a vegetarian too, this is going to be hard. Does anyone have any advice? How many carbs can I actually eat?

[ishy]

Oh I see this has moved categories. Sorry for putting it in the wrong one. I want advice because I have PCOS. I love carbs but they are no good for me.

[Nigel]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

I didn't know what PCOS was so I went and did some research. I'm sorry you have this condition.

This is what I found that might be helpful.

"The Paleo diet eliminates the elements of modern eating that leads to insulin resistance. These foods include grains, added sugars, artificial chemicals, and processed oils. And it adds back into the diet many of the missing links to recovery like protein, saturated fat, and added nutrients.


Some women will need to be more strict than others but in general there are some things to avoid when recovering from hormonal imbalances.

• Keep carbohydrate intake low, no more than 80 grams a day. For many it may need to be as low as zero.
• Avoid foods that you are intolerant to.
• Avoid vegetable oils to balance omega6 and omega3.
• Avoid dairy.
• Avoid grains.
• Avoid processed foods of all kinds.
• Avoid artificial ingredients."

On another note, there is a Paleo Diet Thread also on here, but it's probably not vegetarian, but it should have some ideas and recipes and helpful information that you can adjust to suit your way of eating.Here is the link: http://www.lowcarbfriends.com/bbs/pa...c-neanderthin/
The first thread has recipes.

For me, I usually use any recipe and just substitite or omit the meat and use faux meat or else veggies instead.

My advice would be to start out with as few carbs as you can stand for a week or two and see how you feel. Then you could add in more carbs as you go along. On the other hand, you could start out high and taper down....start with 80 carbs for a week and if you still feel bad, slowly have less carbs each week until you find a point where you feel pretty good. For the old Atkins diet, the carbs were low in the beginning and you could add more in every week or two.
You will have to see what works best for you. If you like faux meat products, Boca burger and Morningstar Farms are decent. There are other brands like Gimme Lean, etc. that aren't bad. We also have a thread on product reviews, but just know that it's only the opinion of the poster...some things that others dislike, I like a lot and vice versa. If you can eat beans, they are very good for keeping your insulin levels low too.

[Nigel]

Also, if you can eat small meals every 2-3 hours, you will have more energy. It seems like a lot of eating, but once you get used to it, it isn't.

You don't have to eat a lot, just eat often so your blood sugar doesn't drop.

[ishy]

Thank you so much Nigel for the advice. Fortuntely I am not insulin resistant but PCOS is linked to it and it can happen if I am not careful which is why I am trying so hard to lose weight. 80g I can manage. I was starving myself on 50g lol