“I followed a PCOS diet to manage PCOS, hypothyroidism and lost 110 lbs”



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My name is Megan Birke (@meggylosing) and I am 33 years old. I’m from Louisville, Kentucky, and I’m a registered nurse. I have successfully lost over 100 pounds with polycystic ovary syndrome and hypothyroidism in


I’ve always struggled with my weight, but I really started to take it during my first pregnancy 12 years ago. I gained a total of 60 pounds during this pregnancy. After giving birth to our son, I lost a few pounds, but gained them over and over again for the next six years. Then I gained even more weight during two more pregnancies.

During this time, I was diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hypothyroidism, both of which can make weight loss difficult. I was put on medication for both conditions, but unfortunately I continued to gain weight.

I tried countless diets and typically lost five to 10 pounds, but the scale would stop moving and I gave up.

It went on for years. There was a long time that I didn’t even step on a scale, but my highest recorded weight was when I was 29. My weight had reached 260 pounds. My PCOS symptoms were getting worse. My back, feet, and legs were in constant pain. I could no longer do simple tasks without feeling short of breath and sweating.

While my blood sugar, blood pressure, and heart rate were still within a normal range, they all tended to increase. I felt extreme fatigue most of the time. As a nurse, I knew it was only a matter of time before my health deteriorated and I developed high blood pressure and diabetes.

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I was 31 when I finally felt bad enough to change.

I told my husband, Chris, that I was going to try to lose weight one more time on my own, and if I didn’t lose eight pounds that month, I was going to have weight loss surgery. I had a consultation with a weight loss surgeon and was 100% convinced that this was the route I was going to take.

I started this last ditch effort on March 25, 2019 and lost 20 pounds in that first month. I never performed the operation.

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I have read a lot about the best diet for women with PCOS. I didn’t just want to lose weight, I wanted to be healthy and in fact to feel Well.

I have read that women with PCOS would benefit from eating a diet consisting of protein like fish, eggs, chicken, and turkey, along with plenty of vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds, and complex carbohydrates that help keep you going. more stable blood sugar. I did my best to avoid processed foods and cut the added sugar out of my diet. (Although I have it on special occasions.)

Initially, these dietary changes were difficult. During the first two weeks, I had intense cravings and irritability. But over time I adjusted, and now I don’t even think about my eating habits most of the time. It has become a new way of life. And now that I know how great I can feel when I give my body the nutrition it needs, I can’t go back to eating junk food day after day. It’s not worth it.

This is what I eat in a day.

  • Breakfast: Two eggs, a chicken sausage with apples and mustard.
  • Lunch: Bowl of tuna! Solid albacore tuna, spinach, cucumber, olives, red onion, balsamic vinegar, black pepper and Italian seasoning.

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    • Snacks: Apple with nut butter, cottage cheese and avocado, fat-free vanilla Greek yogurt with clementines, blueberries or flaked almonds.
    • Having dinner: Salmon seasoned with chili powder, lime juice and garlic powder, cooked in a spray of olive oil, with a side of roasted asparagus in garlic powder, pepper black and olive oil spray. I also have a salad of spinach, strawberries, almonds and vinaigrette.
    • Dessert: Bar cookies and protein bar with cream or peanut butter square at noon

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      I also started exercising from day one.

      As a mother of three young boys and with limited time, I knew I wanted a home workout that was effective but didn’t take a lot of time, and didn’t require equipment. I searched for workouts on YouTube and came across Jeanette Jenkins free workouts on YouTube. They were surprising. They last around 45 minutes and consist of cardio, kickboxing, and bodyweight moves.

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      At first, like everything else on this trip, training was incredibly difficult. I was sweating and panting and had to pause the video a lot, but my body finally adjusted! I did his workouts almost every day for about six months, and it was very effective. I got stronger and saw my stamina improve dramatically and my body change right before my eyes. Today, I mostly weightlifting (about five times a week) with some cardio.

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      These three changes made the biggest difference in my weight loss results.

      1. I cut out the junk food. I stopped eating junk food and started giving my body the nutritious food it needed and it made me feel better! Changing my nutrition has been the biggest and most important change in my opinion. I would never have lost weight or felt good if I hadn’t made this change.
      2. I have become active. I started to move my body. I made it a priority to have some form of physical activity every day for at least 30 minutes. At first I had no idea which exercise I would like, so I tried everything! Exercise has helped me feel so much better physically and mentally.
      3. I stopped looking for excuses. We all have reasons for not eating healthy, not exercising, but in the end, I chose not to make my health a top priority for years. I stayed in the victim mentality that I couldn’t lose weight because of PCOS and hypothyroidism. But it was a lie. I could and did after I stopped making excuses, changed my diet, started exercising, and made my health a priority.
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          I lost 110 pounds in total. In the first six months, I lost 100 pounds.

          I want other women to know that no matter if you have PCOS and / or hypothyroidism, you * can * lose weight. It’s possible, even if healthcare professionals, social media, and the internet tell you otherwise. I had completely convinced myself that I would never feel good or healthy again. I can, and I do.

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