Hi everyone. I'm posting my weekly shopping cart because I'm honestly feeling quite frustrated and could really use some advice from people who understand PCOS.

Here's my weekly shopping cart over on r/whatsinyourcart.

Before anyone judges the shopping list, I want to clarify that the lasagne, Gouda, wholemeal bread, salami, Bunny Bites crisps and chocolate are for my husband's work lunches, not necessarily things I'm eating throughout the week myself.

My biggest frustration is that I gained around 12 lbs from wedding stress back in 2018, and I've never, ever managed to lose it. It's been years of wanting to get back to where I was, and I feel like I've been stuck with this weight ever since.

The thing is, I'm not sedentary. I do cardio, biking, strength training and wild swimming daily. I have a collection of medals from doing 5Ks in under 30 minutes, and I track pretty much everything with my Garmin watch. I'm putting in the effort, keeping active and trying to be mindful of what I eat, but the weight just doesn't seem to shift.

Having PCOS makes the whole thing even more frustrating because I don't know how much of this is down to PCOS, whether I'm missing something, or whether I'm simply doing something wrong. I don't want to crash diet or live miserably on tiny portions. I just want to understand why losing this weight feels so impossible when I'm already doing so much. I was diagnosed at age 9, rediagnosed at age 14 and 26. I'm 37 now. Never had kids due to infertility.

Has anyone else experienced this? Did you eventually find something that helped, whether it was changing how you approached food, adjusting your exercise, getting medical support or something else entirely?

I'd especially appreciate advice from people with PCOS who've been active for years but still struggled to lose weight. I'm feeling really disheartened, and I just want to lose these 12 lbs without having to make my entire life revolve around weight loss.

Thank you for reading.

Heyo, i signed up for the gym for the very first time in my life. I want to start off slow and build up my stamina, so which machines would be useful to start?
I also don’t want to overexert myself since I have long classes almost everyday. Would anyone guide me a bit, please?
thank u!

Over the past year and a half, my periods have been wonky. I’ll skip a month, skipped two months once. And now, I haven’t had a period since July. I had an ultrasound August 2025, and from there they said I had adenomyosis and still have PCOS and lab work confirmed. However, I’ve been SO anxious that I’ve now gone 3 months without a period. Has this happened to anyone else? I’m 33, 230pbs, 5ft 6. Not sure what in the Sam Hill is going on. I met with 3 drs and they said it’s probably just my Pcos and ordered labs and another pelvic ultrasound. If you’ve gone through this, what did you do to get regular? I can’t take birth control bc of a heart condition and I haven’t started zepbound yet, but my dr did prescribe it.

i have just got diagnosed with PCOS. can anybody help me? no wonder i have been cranky, gotten fat so fast, oily skin. i have been trying to fast but gadamn, i would get mood swings, cramps, i do have pimples on my chin and jawline. everything is just falling apart 🤕

Hi everyone, I am posting here in hopes of getting some advice. I am a 22 y/o F, currently 255 lbs, on weight-loss medication, and I can't seem to get the weight off. I have Hashimoto's Disease (hypothyroidism), PCOS, and anemia. I have completely altered my diet; I aim for 80-100 g of protein per day, 1600-1800 calories, and I work out regularly. I am honestly at a loss for what else to do. My goal weight is 190-200 lbs; any insight or advice is appreciated.

it makes me so angry lol. i track my calories, do strength training, i walk after meals, its been 2 months of being nothing but hungry, weak, fatigued, i have cut out so many things i love eating lol, i am so tired and can barely get as many reps in anymore and yet ive only lost maybe 4 pounds.

but it feels like the weight is either steadily creeping up or staying the same. what's extremely angering is that because i'm fucking TEN POUNDS heavier this year, i'm now having trouble going up the stairs.

i have never struggled with that in my life , and i am very lucky for that, but i never thought one reason would be because i am too fat.

it is so so frustrating, i am working so damn hard and now i can't just take the subway or work a job requiring me to be on my feet like i used to. every time i need to go out and do something and there's stairs i almost start crying looking at them because it looks like a daunting, astronomical effort whereas before i only got slightly out of breath.

i seriously took being able to use the stairs for granted. it's so ironic too because you need to take the stairs to get more fit lmfao. how am i supposed to do that when my chest and my whole body is in pain and i feel like dying every damn time. it doesn't even get a little easier it seems.

edit: oh right and i have to add fucking KNEE PAIN because my body isn't used to the EXTRA 10-20LB OF FAT. what the FUCK.

I’ve gone from 250 down to 119, yet as of recent I’ve been cycling through the same 4 pounds for a whole month! Maybe even longer. All I eat now (not exaggerating) is skinny pop, Greek yogurt, SF chocolate chips, and rice cakes. Anyone got any advice on how to get out of a plateau? Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m 29F and have been dealing with female pattern hair loss (FPHL) and PCOS for several years.
My periods are regular but very short — usually around 2 days, although the flow itself is normal. I’ve been using minoxidil and taking iron supplements for about a year, and initially I did notice some improvement in my scalp/hair density.
However, my hair fall has increased significantly after I lost around 10 kg through a high-protein, low-carb diet. During this period, I was also taking whey protein. My dermatologist believes the whey may have triggered telogen effluvium, and I was also taking Caberglow (cabergoline), which had been prescribed by my gynecologist.
I stopped whey after my doctor advised me to, but my hair shedding has continued and I feel like I’m back to where I started.
My recent prolactin level was 24.71, and my other hormone tests were reportedly normal. I’m still using minoxidil and taking iron, but I’m struggling to meet my protein requirements without whey.
At this point, I honestly don’t know where to start. I’m feeling really insecure about my hair and it has started affecting my confidence a lot. I’m also scared about my PCOS and elevated prolactin and whether they could affect my fertility or future pregnancy.
Has anyone experienced something similar — especially hair shedding after significant weight loss, PCOS + FPHL, or elevated prolactin?
What helped you identify the actual trigger and get the shedding under control? And should I be concerned about a prolactin level of 24.71 in terms of fertility?
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences.

Hi, I have never been active in Reddit but I am getting legitimately desperate. This might be a tad long but it’s been years of stuff building up. I (22F) got diagnosed with a very bad case of PCOS at 14 and I have had all the symptoms (high cortisol, hirtuism, hair loss, apron belly, abnormal periods, insulin resistance, horribly low libido etc.) It got bad enough that about two years ago I had to have an ovary taken out as it was fully engulfed by my cysts and was decaying. I have tried everything to get the weight off. I’m right at 6 ft tall and around 315lbs. I will note I have a very large amount of muscle mass as I have always had very labor intensive jobs. My weight has started to affect me again like crazy I have tried every medication and nothing has worked. I have done high protein keto carnivore intermittent fasting every supplement on the shelf water fasting and I have had the best results with cutting out everything processed but that one is almost impossible to maintain. I have lost interest in everything thanks to this. I don’t want to workout anymore after seeing no health related results I have no libido I don’t want to dress up I don’t want to do anything as I am admittedly just disgusted with myself. I’m looking for any help. Diet ideas, supplements, mindset tips, life practices, higher ing my libido etc. I will note I have never taken a GLP-1 and I would really like to avoid it but I guess you gotta do what you’ve gotta do. I have some money in an HSA and my insurance won’t cover it so if anyone has any experience there too I would love some insight. Thank you for listening and I appreciate all of you guys!!