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I thought I'd make a personal post today. It's been 1.5 years since I changed my lifestyle. I officially got diagnosed with PCOS in May 2014. The lab results showed that I had cysts on my ovaries, my LH hormone was higher than the FSH hormone, and my cholesterol was way too high. Total cholesterol was 260 ml/dL, triglyceride 308 mg/dL, HDL 37.12 mg/dL, and LDL 161.25 mg/dL. My male hormones were within normal range, but I still had hirsutism 🙁 Ugh.
In September 2015, I had a mandatory physical check-up at work. In Japan, every year all employees need to take a physical check up which the company pays for to see how healthy you are and if you need to do some lifestyle changes. My total cholesterol lowered from 260 to 235 mg/dl, triglycerides from 308 to 133mg/dL!!!, HDL stayed the same and LDL got a little bit higher from 161 to 171 mg/dL.
In June 2016, I decided to go to a gynaecologist and do a full check-up to see how everything was going. I hadn't had an ultrasound since 2014. She checked my ovaries and she couldn't find any cysts. I had normal ovaries with normal count of follicles that showed I had ovulated already. She then checked my thyroid hormone which was completely fine. I did a pap smear too which was fine too. She checked my hormone levels on CD3 and found that my LH was not higher than the FSH hormone. Usually women with PCOS have higher LH. This is good because that means my hormones were normal again. Since moving to Japan in February 2015, I have been getting my periods every month so maybe that's why my hormones got normal.
She then checked my cholesterol levels. They only checked total and triglycerides so I'm not sure about HDL and LDL. We'll find out next September during my yearly check-up at work. Anyway, the total cholesterol went from 260 to 224 mg/dl. A normal range according to that clinic is between 130-219 so I'm almost there! The triglycerides went from 308-133 to 85 mg/dl!! Amazing! I read that doing sports and eating healthy can affect these for the better and that's exactly what I did. I don't go to a gym but I do use my bike instead of public transportation.
She then checked my testosterone levels and it showed that they were in the normal range again. I have been doing electrolysis since February 2015. I started going there every week for 45 minute sessions. I think around October 2015, I started going every week for 30 minute sessions. Around February 2016, I started going every 2 weeks for 30 minute sessions. And since May every 3 weeks for 30 minute sessions. So the hair is definitely disappearing. I think that since my hormones are in the normal range again and male hormones are normal, the hair shouldn't come back. I'll see where I am next year. 
Ever since I started getting my periods again, I've been taking my BBT every morning and using the ovulation pee strips. This is an example of my June-July BBT. I should be getting my periods in the next few days now. I usually get tender breasts and slight cramps for about 4-10 days before my periods start again.
By using the strips I can tell when I will ovulate and the BBT usually confirms it 1-2 days after that I did indeed ovulate. My cycles usually last 31-37 days and so the days I ovulate are often different because my cycle length is different each month.
As for my weight loss, I'm hanging in there. I've been losing 1-3 kgs a month for the past few months. I was 110 in June and now I'm 107.2kg. My weight isn't going up which is good, and it is slowly going down! I haven't been losing a lot of weight since February 2016 because I broke my knee and tore 3 of my knee ligaments. Two of my ligaments had to heal for 2 months before doing the ACL surgery on April 8th. I was then in the hospital until April 25th and have been wearing a leg brace and doing physiotherapy since. I'm not allowed to jog until September and run until December or else I'll break my ligament again. So I think that I'm not losing weight as quickly as before because I can't exercise like I used to. Right now my focus is being able to go down the stairs!! When you lose all your thigh and calf muscles, you literally cannot do anything! So I'm slowly building muscle again so that I can do sports again. I used to lose maybe 2-4kg a month when I could exercise, but now 1-3kg with dieting alone. This is going to be a slow year for me, but that's alright. As long as I keep on eating good food and slowly healing, my PCOS should only get better.
I wanted to share this post because you may not see results at first, but after a year if you do a health test and you indeed see a difference in the results it's because what you're doing is actually working for you. For me, eating low-carb, gluten-free, sugar-free and exercising by biking everywhere is working for me. Check out my beginner's guide to keto to learn how to start, count your macros and finally take control of your own life. I wanted to share this because the food I eat made a huge difference in my life. It's improved my health tremendously and made my body normal again.
I think that if you put your mind to it and make healthier choices, you will definitely see results in the long run. I'm not done losing weight and still have to get my cholesterol a little bit lower, but everything is definitely going in the right direction. I started at about 290-299lbs ish and now I'm 236lbs. It may not seem like a lot to some people, but that's a huge accomplishment for me. I didn't think I could get here by simple eating better, but I did.
If you don't know what to eat or what to do, ask me anything 🙂 I can help as much as I can. I think if you believe in yourself and believe in what you want to accomplish then you'll definitely reach that goal. You just have to put your mind to it and stick with it. I know it's harder for us, I mean I struggle every day to stay within my carbs and calorie limit, but I do it because I want to be a better me, because I want to have children in the future, because I just want to be healthier. I hope this posts helps you and shows you that change for the better is possible!
Jess
Hi there, I’m wondering if you would post an update about your testosterone levels and your electrolysis / facial hair ?
Mira
Hi Jess, my levels are the same and facial hair is practically gone. I wrote a huge guide on electrolysis which you can find here: https://www.mypcoskitchen.com/pcos-facial-hair-electrolysis/
Vanessa
Hi! Just found your website and I just want to say thank you for giving me a ray of hope. I’m going to try your eating plan as it looks delicious!! Please don’t stop blogging; your helping so many Women who are struggling with PCOS.
-Vanessa
Mira
Hi! Thank you so much!
I have uploaded my latest health test results for this year and they are even better! https://www.mypcoskitchen.com/pcos-september-2017-health-update/
Asia
I just discovered your website today and I am SO glad I did. I've been struggling with PCOS since I was 16 years old... I'm now 26 and it hasn't gotten any better. Every year I gain more and more weight. I have tried SO many "diets" and some have worked but it's so temporary. Part of it too is my fault. I accept responsibility for not keeping up with healthy eating, I just can't help it! But I was just telling myself this morning that I've GOT to do better...I HAVE to. I'm not happy with myself.. with how I look or feel and the only person that can change that is ME!
I found your 7 day meal plan and it looks soooo good! I'm going to be starting that ASAP. I'm ready for a change and your story helped me 🙂
Kelly
Hi Mira,
Thank you for sharing your amazing journey. I started doing keto a year and a half ago and I will never go back. Out of curiosity, have you stumbled on Dr. Eric Berg on you tube yet? If you haven't, I think you will love him, he has SO much information for free and has lots of videos on keto, insulin resistance, and how to heal your body with food. I can say since stumbling on him earlier this year, my weight loss and health have changed dramatically, more so than just doing keto alone. Just thought I would pass it on since you are a research junkie like me.
All the best,
Kelly
Winnipeg, Canada
Mira
Hi Kelly!
I've never heard of him! I'll check out his channel! Keto really does help and I wish there were more ladies with PCOS who would try it! But unfortunately, it seems to mostly work on women who have insulin resistance. I haven't heard of it helping where the women is skinny and doesn't have insulin resistance. Doctors really need to find something that works for everyone.
May
Hey Mira!
I recently ran across your website and I absolutely love it. Your story is so motivating and I am so happy you were able to manage your PCOS in the end. I myself was diagnosed about a year ago. I am going to be 16 soon and am looking for some advice on how to approach managing my PCOS. Fortunatley, I don't have much of the common symptoms, however, I do have trouble having regular periods (going as long as 6 months without one) and also have ovarian cysts. I have a healthy BMI and am not even close to being overweight. I still feel the need to lose weight and cut down. I get a lot more hungry ever since I cut down on carbs and there's nothing really in my house that I can eat that doesn't have loads of carbs. I thought about trying a keto diet but I'm not sure about the long term effects I've read about online (damage metabolism, deteriorate kidney). I exercise every now and then too so I'm not sure how my body will react. My doctor has put me on progesteron pills but recently took me off them to see if I can have a period on my own without any pills. I really hope your advice can help me make that happen!
Thanks 🙂
Mira
Hi May!
For the keto diet, I would suggest vising some of the support groups on Facebook like Keto-Adaptation or Low Carb Keto Eating. The keto diet is by far the healthiest diet out there and trust me there are lots of research that proves it does not do any damage. Usually the articles that state that it does do damage are sponsored by sugar/wheat companies. I would suggest watching some of Dr. Jason Fung videos on youtube, he's by far the best keto doctor out there <3
It seems that you have a different type of PCOS as me, as there are 4 different types. I am the insulin resistant type so eating low carb is a necessity for me. I suggest eating healthy, eliminating grains and sugar will do a huge difference and exercising regularly. I can't emphasize that enough. Exercise is SO good for PCOS!
AdventureGirl
Hi Mira,
First off thank you for this blog it has made creating a proper pcos diet a breeze. I was diagnosed with pcos in April of 2016 and I have just started trying to manage it. Only a month and a half after I was diagnosed I left to study abroad for a year. I spent the first two months in China where eating low carb, low sugar, and low dairy was really easy because rice is eaten only at the end of the meal and if you are full it's totally acceptable to decline the rice. I lost twenty pounds in two months in China but then I moved to Taiwan for ten months and Taiwanese food has a heavy Japanese influence so the carbs, and sugar were much harder to avoid. I couldn't cook much for myself because I was living in a dorm but it is nice hearing that I am not the only one to struggle with this.
Now I am back living in the United States and I am trying to properly regulate my pcos. My problem is that I am still a college student, working as a waitress, in a college town, during the summer (meaning I am not making any money because no people=no tips). Money is really tight for me right now and trying to buy all the things I need to eat right is going to cost me a minimum of $70 a week. Could you recommend to me a few of the least expensive recipes on your site? I really need to start managing my pcos because I am high risk of diabetes. Everyone on my father's side of the family has either Type I or Type II diabetes. I get my blood tests from my recent check up next week so hopefully it will be better news than I am expecting.
Thank you for sharing your experience on this blog it has been really helpful and inspiring for me to read!
Mira
Hi there,
Grocery shopping can be pretty cheap if you stick to fresh food and avoid the processed food in the aisles. Whenever I go to the grocery store, I stick to the veggies/fruit, meat/seafood, and dairy aisles. This saves me quite a bit of money. I don't know if you've seen my meal plan, but here's an idea for a 21 day meal plan that only uses veggies/meat. http://www.mypcoskitchen.com/21-day-keto-paleo-pcos-meal-plan/
For tricks, make big portions and separate that meal into different portions so that you have food for a few meals during the week. One thing I like to do is whenever you buy a vegetable or a bag of veggie, we usually tend to use it all at once for the food we're making. So for example, I buy a yellow pepper. Instead of adding it all to that one recipe, I like to use a quarter or half, and then I can use the leftover in another recipe without having to buy another one. Maybe doing tricks like that could help you?
For the diabetes part, that will only disappear with a proper diet. Diabetes usually appears because of extra insulin, so you really must stop eating sugar/wheat, etc. Insulin is caused by eating carbs which will later cause diabetes. If you stick to eating low carb, all while eating gluten-free and sugar-free, then you will never have diabetes. Here's a grocery cheat sheet I created, this will help you decided what kind of food you can get at the grocery store. Don't worry about the organic, grass fed stuff. You're a student so only do what you can afford 🙂
https://www.mypcoskitchen.com/my-pcos-diet-cheat-sheet/
browniecarlisle
Love this. Printed it out and am making a menu right now. Found out I had PCOS as a teenager, although it wasn't labeled until my mid-twenties.
However: I gotta say. Expensive. For me, my entire family eats on about $75 a week. The first week alone would constitute $30 just in meat--not counting what I would spend for my family. So I am picking and choosing and not sticking the plan exactly. See here, I have to buy by the pound. Chicken breasts? I'm looking at a minimum $15 purchase. I can't buy the individually.
I will be blogging about my experience at brownbirddiraies.wordpress.com and susannebayescarlisle.blogspot.com
Thanks for what you do. Incidentally, I teach ESL too, I just do it from my office here in the states.
Mira
Hi! I'm not sure which meal plan you're talking about, maybe the 7 day or 21 day one? For me, it costs about 50$ a week and in Japan most things are sold and packaged individually (meat/seafood/veggies/fruits) so maybe that's why it's cheaper for me.
Do what you can afford and it'll work out!
Erika
Hey Mira!
I cannot tell you how much I rely on your meal plans to get me through the busy weeks when I have no idea what to cook or what I can eat. I was diagnosed with PCOS about 6 months ago and still struggle daily with what my diet should consist of.
I am actively trying to lose weight, but I am not making a whole lot of progress and I would love to really focus on my macros, but I just don't know what I should be shooting for. Do you have any advice or suggestions on what your daily macros look like? I see so many conflicting articles about how many Carbs to eat each day with PCOS and how much fat you want to consume.
Thanks so much, can't wait for your next meal plan!!!
Mira
Hello!
Macros will all depend on your weight and activity level, but this is a general guideline that I like to follow.
If you're simply doing low carb, for PCOS, I have found that every day needs to be under 75g net carbs in order to not gain any weight. I did the 75g for about a year and lost 50lbs, then I stopped losing so I figured I needed to change it up. I then did about 30-50g net carbs and lost about 20 more and again, stalled. So now I'm doing 20-30g and losing again. Remember weight lost with PCOS can be much slower than anyone else eating low carb.
So an easy trick to figure out your macros is, take your ideal weight. Mine is 140lbs. Divide that in two and you get 70. That is your protein goal. Next, from 70g-140g that is your fat goal. Just try to eat above 70g, you don't have to reach 140g as that's just a limit. As for carbs, always below 20g net carbs. Those are my current macros and this week I went from 100kg to 97.5kg. Once I get to 90kg, I'll have lost 100lbs!!
Also, I started going to the gym last week, so I will start upping my protein to 70-100g. If you notice you're not losing weight, change up your macro, or eat less starchy veggies, or stop eating dairy. Change things up and see what works for you.
LaTonya York
Thank you for all your blogging and recipes!
Ummey Sumaiya
Hi Mira,
My story is also same as yours. I have pcos, hypothyroidism, insulin resistance. I got my diagnosis in 2015 even though i was seeing doctor since 2012. Finally my doc suggested low GI food. My periods are regular since then and i am 2 month pregnant now.
But on the top of all issue, i am suffering most from hirsutism. I tried laser for 8-10 times, but hair returns. Do you think that electrolysis is better that laser treatment?
Thanks for sharing inspiring story!
Mira
Hi Ummey, I did laser for 8 treatments as well and all the hair came back triple the amount. I've been doing electrolysis for 2.5 years now and all the hair is gone. I go for touch ups once a month for 30 minutes now. Highly recommend it as laser is not permanent, whereas electrolysis is.
PCOS Overcomer!
Hi Mira, I've read a ton of websites where women have overcome pcos but I've not felt their struggle in their writing... Reading your experience, I truly am happy for you.. Your experience is helping me change my eating habits and overcome pcos... I would like to thank you for sharing your story.. I am going to try every recipe of yours, thank you very much.. You rock!
Mira
Thank you!!!
I really appreciate it 🙂
Feel free to ask me any questions and I can help you as much as I can!
We can do this!!