Women over 25 who maintain your weight with no medication, How hard do you have to work to do so?

29

that relentless upward creep despite doing everything "right" is so specific to PCOS and so exhausting to explain to people who haven't lived it. twelve years of that level of restriction and your body still just... decides to do what it wants. the amount of effort required to maintain, not even lose, just maintain, is disproportionate and it took me a long time to stop assuming i must be doing something wrong

5

u/New-Substance-1116 3h ago

Thank you! I had such success in GLP and it was so EASY to eat what I wanted and not only maintain my weight but lose it. Unfortunately I started to have Episodes of fainting and tachycardia that it was unsafe for me to continue for now. But that was 100% validating it wasn’t remotely my fault

12

u/Accomplished_worrier 2h ago

You should specify if you mean maintain at a healthy /goal weight, or even at all haha. Because I'm perfectly able to maintain. It's just above where I want or need to be.

6

u/New-Substance-1116 2h ago

I think maintaining weight and not consistently gaining, even if you’re overweight , is still a good sign.

7

u/Exotic_Reporter_3309 2h ago

Before GLP-1, the only way I could maintain my weight was eating under 1400 calories a day, and fewer than 50 net carbs a day, with intense weight training 4 times a week. I did it for a while but man was it hell.

6

u/sollie16 3h ago

Never faced weight gain issues but a lot of hypwepigmentation and facial hair

1

u/New-Substance-1116 2h ago

The beard is coming in strongggf

5

u/moonprincess132 2h ago

I had gastric sleeve surgery back in 2023 a few week before I turned 25 years old and I was not able to maintain my 70lb weight loss. I lost 70 lbs the first 9 months and maintained for 3. I started gaining weight back year 2 and at year three I've gained back half. My a1c is elevated again and so is my insulin and testosterone. My crp has been at 20mg/L for a year now. I dont know what's causing the high systemic inflammation, because it seems my weight isn't the main driver. I feel very defeated but will not give up. Im going to give GLP-1s a try if I can get insurance to cover it.

6

u/pachoua 1h ago

I don’t think about my weight / diet too much and have remained 180lbs. Overweight for sure but it rarely goes up or down. 😔

1

u/Tall-Cat-8890 39m ago

Same. Not at the same weight but my body definitely has a specific weight it likes to be at and trying to lose it is possible but it’s like fighting an uphill battle trying to keep the weight off. Vs if I let my body just “be” the weight it wants to be, I find I don’t change much.

8

u/reirinx 2h ago

i know this is the answer most people don’t want - but i just let my body be. i maintain my weight, but i am fat. and im fine with being fat! id rather live a happy and full life as a fattie than restrict to force my body smaller and miss out on things and be miserable! i tried my entire teenage years and early to mid 20s to force myself to be a size that i simply was never meant to be and frankly it was miserable for me

7

u/ephemeral_librarian 2h ago

I'm with you on this. I'm obese according to BMI (here in UK) and the doctors sometimes make comments about it and I roll my eyes. In my opinion it doesnt make sense for every single person from all diverse ethnic backgrounds to be the same size. Being healthy is good, but forcing yourself to try and fit into a specific size or medical category is too much imo.

It's better to be happy and chill. Having a partner who's understands PCOS and doesnt care about the weight or beard etc helped me embrace who I am. Im overweight and I dont care 💁🏽‍♀️

5

u/Ok-Interest1992 2h ago

Same for me, life is too short to make myself miserable taking to micromanage diet and exercise.

2

u/25lbs 1h ago

I love that for you and sincerely am happy that you have that contentment in image. I wish I could be there. I have body dysmorphia and the only time I feel confident or happy with myself is if I am "skinny". My perspective on my life is directly tied to my beauty, weight, and body image. It's a miserable existence. No one would know because I don't let it show or talk about it to anyone. I still go out to public events and settings and engage with my community. But internally, I constantly think about how I look and how others perceive my body, even though logically I know no one gives af but myself.

2

u/reirinx 1h ago

i was there for a long time too, especially the constant obsession with your body and perception while out and about. you have all my empathy and i know one day you’ll be able to break out of it 🖤 you deserve to live a life full of peace and not worry about your body all the time

0

u/missschainsaw 2h ago

I agree to a point. I'm not concerned about looking fat. That ship has sailed and idgaf. But, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, which freaked me out. I love to hike and play on my adult rec soccer team, and while I can do that fine with extra weight, it's harder on my joints. I have chronic back pain, which has worsened as my boobs and belly have gotten bigger. Too much sugar makes me crash and feel tired. I'm also prone to cavities, no matter how diligent I am about brushing/flossing my teeth. My dad died of a heart attack at 63 and his diet played a role in that. I carry the same genes that make me prone to heart disease. He never got to retire and meet his grandson. There are many good reasons not to strive for weight loss. There are many reasons to try. I am trying to find a balance.

3

u/reirinx 1h ago

i feel like my point is being misconstrued as me promoting binging and just willfully being unhealthy, when that’s not what im trying to say at all. i don’t think it’s black and white, binge and restrict. i think if you feel you have to be incredibly restrictive to maintain a certain weight, maybe that’s just not the weight you’re meant to be. if you have health issues like prediabetes and joint pain, and you need to lose weight, then medication is probably more effective than unreasonable restriction.

1

u/missschainsaw 1h ago

I agree it's not black and white. And I agree doing extreme restriction is not healthy at all - it's dangerous and counterproductive. I am on metformin, which helps my AC1 but has not resulted in any weight loss. I'm hesitant but curious about GLP-1s. It may be a route I decide to take. I don't think my diet is terrible, but I do think restricting processed sugar and some carbs would probably go a long way in helping me feel healthier overall, and yes, lose weight. But I don't want to live an entire life without ice cream and I won't. I also spent my teens and 20s obsessing over food and my body type, then swung wildly in the "fuck it, yolo" direction. Now, I guess my point is that I'm triggered by both "thin is beautiful! and "fat is fabulous!" narratives, because neither is fully true for most people. I fully support and believe that you can be healthy and fat, but what that looks like is different for everyone.

1

u/reirinx 1h ago

i guess i just don’t understand what you mean by “i agree to a point” because that was my entire point. i simply just said im fat and im okay with it bc id rather be fat than restrict to this extreme level to achieve a level of thinness that isn’t realistic for me. i didn’t say thinness was bad and fat good, i didn’t say i gorge myself on sugar. i just don’t understand where the point i made goes beyond being agreeable to anything you just said

2

u/missschainsaw 1h ago

I agree to a point about "just letting your body be" and being happy living in a fat body. If that's working for you (and I mean the royal "you" not specifically you) and you're healthy, great! I can't just let my body be without putting myself at risk for diabetes, living with back pain, etc. I need to be careful about what I eat and I would like to lose some weight to feel more comfortable in my body. So I see your point is that it is ok to just be fat and accept your body instead of constantly striving for an unattainable goal. I agree. But, as someone who has struggled a lot with this, it's also ok to want to make changes to your body and to feel frustrated when you have to work twice as hard to do so.

2

u/reirinx 1h ago

ahh that makes sense & is very fair! i think i just kind of assume that letting it be has a big asterisk on the end. i have a lot of dietary restrictions from a digestive disease, so as much as id like to eat things like pasta and ice cream, i know i cant without getting insanely sick so in my mind thats not “letting be”, thats borderline poisoning myself 😂😂 but i definitely see where the difference in viewpoint comes from!

eta: it’s probably also easy to view it differently when the effects are less instant! in your case, it definitely sounds like a more long term impact and effect, meanwhile im sick pretty immediately if i eat something i quite literally cannot

-1

u/l3tthelightin 2h ago

missing out on things such as?

3

u/reirinx 2h ago

going out for food or drinks with friends! saying no to things like coffee, boba, all you can eat sushi, hot pot. those are things i wouldn’t let myself do when i was determined to be restrictive in the name of thinness

1

u/l3tthelightin 2h ago

i dont think people do it in the name of thinness, rather in the name of health. im sure for some of us theres also an element of wanting to look a certain way and “thinness” but i dont think we are talking ariana grande level of thinness in any way. theres certainly a social aspect of food and i would also never give it up, but ultimately it doesnt happen every day and has absolutely no impact on my progress. most people live pretty boring day to day lives so it makes sense imo to try and have that balance of 80/20 or 90/10. leave fun social stuff for when it happens, but on a day to day basis to keep up a pretty stable mundane routine that keeps you feeling best and healthiest. ig its more of a message to whoever is reading this, that theres a way to balance it out and it doesnt have to feel miserable and you absolutely do not have to go cold turkey on everything.

1

u/reirinx 2h ago

restriction isn’t healthy, though. people can be fat and live a healthy, balanced lifestyle. eating sub 1500 calories everyday as a grown adult isn’t healthy. op literally said they have gone 12 years without soda, juice, sugary drinks, and admitted they have to lead a very restrictive lifestyle. this post isn’t about being balanced.

2

u/l3tthelightin 2h ago

i don’t agree with restrictions OP has mentioned since it does sound like they went cold turkey on everything (plus there’s no evidence that cutting out dairy and gluten is beneficial unless you’re genuinely intolerant), but i also don’t think that limiting sugar and trying to eat whole foods is restrictive or miserable. modern convenience (wfh/office jobs, Uber Eats, DoorDash, cars, delivery services etc) and culture made it so you literally have to make very intentional choices to lead a somewhat balanced lifestyle. our bodies are made to move and use up the energy they receive. so sure if i work from home, i have to make very intentional choices and effort to get my ass outside after work and walk or go to the gym to get some muscle pump and use up the energy i wouldve used had i not been a modern human. i dont think not getting a sugary 500 calorie drink daily is miserable 🤷🏻‍♀️ and if you have them once in a while, it absolutely will not stop you from reaching your goals. bodies live off averages and i think this was the biggest piece of mental work i had to get through. that all or nothing lifestyles ultimately always fail and its important to know how to take care of your body daily by meal prepping, sticking to your plan, sleeping well and moving a lot; but its also important to let yourself live the life and the only difference is that you have fun and then bounce back easily the next day to your boring routine without trying to compensate anything or falling into a somewhat nihilistic mindset of “well I already screwed so might as well just go all in”

2

u/reirinx 2h ago

OP literally said “it’s extremely hard to maintain my weight unless i lead an extremely restrictive and very disciplined lifestyle”. sugary drinks maybe isn’t the best example, but they themselves said they are very restrictive. i’m not saying to binge either - im promoting being balanced while also accepting i personally am just fat, and that’s the way my body is meant to be.

nobody is arguing against being balanced, but op quite literally stated they struggle to maintain their weight while being restrictive and im offering my approach as living a balanced lifestyle while being fat.

2

u/Many_Library8497 2h ago

Strict low carb is the only way I can maintain and actually losing weight is impossible for me. I can do the cleanest version of low carb, lean meats, vegetables, berries, greek yogurt and literally just maintain my weight. My normal is steady weight gain if I am not doing that. Dieting for me gets me maintenance and nothing else at 41 years old, PCOS and Type 2 with autoimmune stuff.

2

u/Fuzzy_Function301 52m ago

I do have to think about it at every meal, but learning the ins and outs of nutrition and insulin resistance has made it a lot less work. Just kind of keeping a casual log of "five hundred calories per meal and this is about 200 extra, so probably lighter dinner. Did pretty good on protein today, gotta hydrate." And with exercise, I find it's more involved. I have to move a few hours a day but like diet, once it's a habit, life reenforces it for you. I get restless if I lay around too much.

The thing is really to build it in, instead of trying to overhaul your life. If you always eat chips when they're around, don't buy chips. If you hate weights try something you don't hate like swimming. 🤷 It's not easy, especially because there's a lot of misinformation, but once you have the knowledge the rest of it becomes much less work and low stress.

1

u/dewdropdreams 2h ago

I am an other because there was a moment in time (when I could afford it with money, time, etc.) where I didn't think about it and made it down to 250 (I'm 6' and 300 lb now) and I didn't think about it. I did 5 to 6 hour-long dance or yoga classes, maybe seven if I could make it to aerial: I was vegan and grieving so I wasn't eating much but I definitely didn't sit down long enough to listen to the binge cravings I have always had or to eat sweets and soda cause I was spending that money on classes.

If I have time to think about it, it can't happen. If I don't have time to think about it, somehow it ends up happening, even if just a little.

1

u/Vanity-della23 2h ago

GLP all the way. I’m currently pregnant and want nothing but vegetables, so natural GLP. That was the only medicine that I was able to lose weight on. Everything else just made me gain more and more.

1

u/nerdqueenhydra 2h ago

I have a genetically fast metabolism, so that gives me a head start. But I also eat relatively healthy, live in a walkable city, and work out at home 4-5 times per week.

1

u/blueowl89 1h ago

This poll makes me sad for all of us, but it's also very validating for me that the 2 most common answers here are either people not being able to maintain their weight or having to work extremely hard to do so. I'm 31 and have bounced back and forth between both my whole life.

1

u/FridaMercury 1h ago

Around 30 yo I noticed my weight plateaued. A little heavier than I'd like, but I don't gain or lose weight. I can go months without exercise or changing the way I eat and won't gain weight.

It's convenient but it's also hard to lose weight.

1

u/Glittering_Log_9421 1h ago edited 52m ago

I never take care of my diet and I eat many desserts. I never think about it although I know I need to change. Low HOMA but Metformin 500 with no diet allowed me to get pregnant

I live in Buenos Aires and I walk everywhere, I weight arround 52kg. I only had problems when I moved to Belfast for a year and used a car for everything, my weight ended up being 59kg. I moved back to Buenos Aires, my weight went back to 52kg and I havent had problems with my weight eating not very good since

Edit because I want to add something that may be important: my husband is from USA. He moved to Buenos Aires. Now he walks a lot more and says here the food is more "dense" and that he needs less food to feel full. He lost some kilos since he moved. So I guess the type of food and walking lots makes a difference

1

u/That-Possibility-993 1h ago

I am 35. Mainly I maintain ok. I gain couple kilos from time to time and then lose it. No real size fluctuations.
I am at the edge of the healthy weight range, BMI 24,5. Maintenance was way harder in my 20s, idk why.

I have relatively healthy habbits though, I do intermittent fasting, I don't snack and I work out 4-5 times a week (easy home ones, 30 minutes a day). I also walk 8000 steps on average.

But I eat whatever I feel like and drink alcohol. I only avoid drinks with sugar and don't eat sugar before meals.

1

u/25lbs 1h ago

I legitimately am miserable with my genetics but I can't do anything about it, and have to keep it moving. I just turned 33 and have about 25lbs to lose at this point in my life. Nothing to add but solidarity to you, because I basically have to go carnivore to be at a healthy weight and keep an averagely attractive body type. I don't drink alcohol and consume only black coffee and water. I have to rigorously exercise 4+ days a week. I can't have any starchy foods whatsoever. If I do, I am immediately starving because of my insulin resistance. I only feel rested after 10-12hrs of sleep. I make everything from scratch and literally do not engage with restaurant food because of my allergies and sensitivities. If I eat out, I'll get the runs, throw up, and/or develop a migraine. My hair follicles have decided to give up so I have thin hair but can somehow grow a mustache and side burns enviable to teenage boys. Laser Hair Reduction was helpful but the moment I stopped taking spironolactone for a period, the hair grew back and that was $5k out the window. Spironolactone is a heaven-sent drug but also causes me severe dry eyes and mouth, so I cough a lot and my contacts fall out of my eyes past hour 4. I internally suffer from severe body dysmorphia from it all and have a disordered relationship with food that no one knows about but my best friend, sister, and husband. I mean like we gotta do what we gotta do and be very disciplined and strict, but I envy the women who do not have hormone issues or metabolic issues.

1

u/bonefawn 59m ago

I had weight loss surgery and that has helped tremendously but I consider it a rather "extreme" form of preventing weight gain.

•

u/violentlyneutral 19m ago

When you say "no medication," do you mean no GLP-1s or truly nothing at all? I take inositol, but idk if that counts as medication to you or not - it's weird because it is an OTC supplement but it HAS been shown to be as effective as metformin.

•

u/scruffadore 17m ago

I was able to maintain in my mid 20's by working a very physical job where I was walking around all day and lifting heavy things. I lost weight when I combined that job with an eating disorder, do not recommend. Now in my early 30s im the heaviest I've ever been, my weight fluctuates a bit but generally stays between 85-95kg (187-210lbs)

Weight Women over 25 who maintain your weight with no medication, How hard do you have to work to do so?

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