Who are you going to compare yourself against, huh???

Thanks for your comments in my post about celebrities with PCOS. 

Perhaps we should think whether it is fair and sensible to set a standard of what is "normal" and what is not for women with PCOS?

PCOS - polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a syndrome. That is what it is. It is a "collection" of signs and symptoms, and different women may experience different signs and symptoms of PCOS. On the more extreme end, you probably have everything "listed". I have almost everything now. Does that make me the "perfect" PCOS woman? Are you going to aim to have all my symptoms to be properly PCOS-ed? I did not have all these symptoms last time....and you don't have to have all of them to join the Victoria Beckam club.

My weight was normal when my periods became irregular. Within two years, my weight crept up really quickly and weight control became a big struggle. (In other words, stop telling me I made myself fat and therefore I deserve this PCOS, ok??)


Someone pointed out that  losing weight can be done, and she did it! The rest of us should stop our excuses. 


Right, sometimes I do use that as a convenient "excuse", especially when my weight remains the same after weeks of hard work and watching everything I eat carefully. How else am I going to cope with that?


Just because you could do it, it does not mean others can achieve the same results doing exactly the same as you did. Also, not everyone has the same amount of "resources" to lose weight! For a start, I have no soda or junk food to cut out from my diet - honest. The gym had been too expensive for me. Going low carb and high protein? Fine. How many people can afford another piece of pure lean chicken breast to replace that piece of bread or potato in these trying economic times?


Before I had PCOS, I had put on weight when I had injuries, but those would go off with "sensible diets" and exercise. I am not kidding or finding excuses when I say I find it hard now. I don't deny that I am faultless. It is just more difficult - you have to be even more disciplined and watch what you eat even more mercilessly. I have to keep on reducing my intake and keep on increasing my exercise and watch for the "occasional slip-ups". There are more cravings to fight. It is not an impossible job, but it is a big struggle. It is like climbing up a slippery slope - you have to hang on and keep moving or you will go straight down. See what I mean?

Even when my periods were irregular, my scans showed all the cysts and I ballooned; I still did not have the hair problem. I only began to notice more hair growth some time after that, but my doctors would still dismiss them simply because many other "normal" women are more hairy that I was. If you look at my older posts, you might see it somewhere - I remember writing down my frustrations. They would not do anything for me, even when it was a problem for me, and people around me noticed the change. However, against the standards of "normality" - I was "normal".

And now, as other symptoms become more prominent, my facial hair seems to lessen, or at least grow more slowly(I don't know why!). At its peak, I had to shave my "mustache" every week. Now, i can do it once a month (yay!!). However, I begin to have more skin tags! Urgh...

It is never that straight forward or easy, you see? I think, we should just focus on the problems we have, and try to tackle it as best as we can. Everyone is different. PCOS is already hard on us, so let's not make it even harder than necessary (emotionally). 


PCOS already take away so much from us (partners,  husbands, babies, opportunity to be pregnant, being stuck with this fat body and ugly hair and therefore not as pretty as we can  be blah blah blah.....). What we need is encouragements and help, not "if Victoria can be stick thin, why can't you". Since Jules Oliver is getting another baby (making it a total of 3 or 4 kids?), does that mean women with PCOS with 2 kids have lost the game?  If that is the way you think, or expect other women to think..  i think you have lost the plot!


Get inspired by others - yes! Despairing about "why can't I" when she could - No!