Student who piled on 6st in months discovers takeaways AREN’T to blame after PCOS diagnosis
WHEN Shannon Wedley started putting on the pounds, she put it down to her unhealthy university lifestyle of regular takeaways and snacks.
But the student was shocked to discover her sudden six stone weight gain was actually down to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
The mail-order operator, from Cheltenham, Glos, admits she had always struggled with her weight and been ";chunkier" than her friends.
But in her first year of studying Fine Art at the University of Gloucestershire in 2015, Shannon noticed her body was changing.
She said: "As most students do, I adopted unhealthy eating habits like having regular takeaways and snacking loads.
"However, I noticed I was gaining weight far quicker than I should have been.
"Before I knew it I had gained four stone in one year and watched my periods come to a halt."
Getting diagnosed
Desperately worried about her health, Shannon visited her GP and was later sent for more tests which revealed she had PCOS.
The condition, which affects around 1 in 10 women, can cause weight gain, acne and difficulty getting pregnant, according to the NHS.
Although there is no known cure for PCOS, Shannon was advised to shed some of the weight she had gained to help her condition.
She said: "It was like a catch-22 as weight loss will help PCOS, but weight gain is also a symptom itself.
"I stayed ignorant of what I needed to do and become depressed - even suffering panic attacks.
"By the end of uni three years later I had gained six stone."
It was like a catch-22 as weight loss will help PCOS, but weight gain is also a symptom itself
Shannon Wedley
The rapid weight gain was having a serious effect on Shannon as she ballooned to 20st 10lbs and wore a size 26.
Shannon also suffered a miscarriage with her fiance, Tom, 22, a photographer, whom she met while they both studied at the same university.
On top of this, Shannon also refused to apply for jobs which required tight-fitting uniforms and frequently cancelled plans with friends out of shame of being seen.
After her miscarriage, Shannon was worried about her fertility and went to see a gynaecologist who warned her about her lifestyle habits.
Symptoms of PCOS
Women who have PCOS find themselves prone to putting on weight, and it can be a lot more difficult to lose it.
Clare Goodwin, the PCOS Nutritionist, previously told The Sun: "Weight gain in PCOS is usually caused by something called insulin resistance (or pre-type 2 diabetes), and up to 80 per cent of women with PCOS have some insulin resistance.
Failing to regulate blood sugar is what causes intense sugar cravings.
"Insulin is your ‘storage’ hormone. When you eat, your body releases insulin to store that food (glucose) in your cells for later use.
"Insulin acts like a key in a lock, to let the glucose in. But insulin resistance is when the key doesn’t fit into the lock properly anymore. In response, your body produces more and more insulin - hoping that more insulin will be the key that finally fits the lock."
Clare says that the consequence is two-fold: Your body stores food as fat rather than energy, and insulin stays high - stopping the body from burning fat as energy.
And that's why it's so hard to get rid of body fat - because your body is actively working against you to store up any food you consume, rather than burning it.
That high insulin can also cause the body to over-produce testosterone, and it's that which is responsible for PCOS sufferers to have irregular periods, acne, hair growth or loss, and also makes the insulin resistance worse.
According to the NHS, symptoms are often be experienced in early twenties or late teens.
However, in many cases doctors can struggle to diagnose the condition.
Symptoms can include:
- irregular periods, or no periods at all
- excess body hair, including facial hair
- difficulty getting pregnant
- weight gain
- oily skin or acne
- thinning hair or hair loss
Having polycystic ovaries also increases a woman's chance of developing type 2 diabetes, depression, high blood pressure and high cholesterol and sleep apnoea later in life, the NHS warned.
Irregular periods can also increase the risk of developing womb cancer.
Shannon said: "They told me if I lost weight my periods should return and I could conceive later in life.
"Hearing this made me realise I had to be more proactive."
Shannon made it her New Years' resolution in January this year to change her life and she started the Keto diet, which involves cutting carbs and eating high-fat food.
The graduate made a weight loss Instagram account for extra inspiration and healthy meal ideas, where she still shares her own body-transformation journey.
Since then, Shannon has lost exactly 4st and now weighs 16st 3lbs and wears a size 16 thanks to her new diet.
She also does high-intensity exercise sessions as the gym two to three times a week.
Shannon said: "My confidence has improved so much, even the smaller things like picking an outfit every day are better.
MORE ON WEIGHT LOSS
"It's also so much easier to do day-to-day activities like walking up the stairs to my flat, which I would have struggled with before.
"In terms of my PCOS - my periods have returned and my PCOS-related acne has cleared up. I'm nearly at my goal of losing 100lbs by Christmas.
"I'll also be getting married to Tom in August 2020 - picturing myself in my wedding dress will always motivate me to get to my goal."
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