I have not posted in a long while, because after loosing almost 30 pounds I finally got pregnant and gained 25 pounds. I am happy to say that I have lost all but 3 pounds of my pregnancy weight.

Finding out in October 2002 that I had PCOS was an amazing day for me. I finally found out why I could just look at a hot fudge sunday and gain 10 pounds! I immediately went on a modified low-carb diet and after almost 10 years of marriage gave birth to a beautiful baby girl.

For two years I have almost always avoided the following foods:

• Flour (including pasta, all breads and oatmeal)
• Sugar (including corn syrup, table sugar, etc., but not inlcuding the natural sugar in foods like milk, apples, etc.)
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Soy
• Caffeine (now that I am no longer pregnant I am enjoying caffeine again)

I avoid the soy because of my already mixed up hormone levels and giving up caffeine has allowed me to be hot-flash free for the first time in nearly 20 years. You may notice that fat is not on this list. I ate pounds of no sugar added (not low fat) ice cream and cans of (no sugar added) peanut butter for nine months and gained the exact right weight for my pregnancy. I still eat the ice cream in any amount I want, and I am still slowly loosing weight. I do limit pork, and never eat margarine, lard or any oil except olive oil.

While researching the problems associated with PCOS, I was shocked to find out that according to at least one study 80 per cent of women with adult onset diabetes have PCOS. This should be a wake up call to all women who have any symptoms of PCOS, get in touch with your doctor, insist on getting tested for this.

PCOS symptoms:

• Adult acne
• Irregular periods
• Infertility
• Hair growth on feet, chin, etc
• Weight problems
• Thinning hair
• Insulin problems (insulin resistance, diabetes)

Some PCOS sites

http://www.pcosupport.org/medical/whatis.php

http://www.soulcysters.com/

http://www.obgyn.net/pcos/pcos.asp