PCOS & Weight Control

A while back I started a series on PCOS. You can read parts 1,  2 &  3 and the post on treatment if you'd like. Today we'll talk about weight control, which is a challenge for many women with PCOS.

Quick Review

Most women with PCOS also have difficulty losing weight and keeping weight off, which is not their fault and completely unfair. Because of the imbalance of hormones, they also have an underlying Insulin Resistance, in simplified terms means that they are more likely to gain weight.

How this happens:

• Eating starches and carbohydrates makes blood sugar.
• Insulin helps transport blood sugar into muscle, fat and liver cells.
• With Insulin Resistance, there are lots of roadblocks to this transport.
• This leads to higher blood sugar levels.
• It also causes more fat to develop, especially around the waist area.
• This can lead to Type 2 Diabetes.

Nutrition recommendations

It's a good idea to ask your provider to check your fasting glucose level and cholesterol & triglycerides in a Lipid panel. If you can see a nutritionist, that's even better.

Most women with PCOS will be able to lose and maintain their weight if they restrict their carbohydrates with a diet much like South Beach. Some start from the beginning if they want to lose weight, others use the 2nd phase or maintenance plans to control their weight. 

My patients have found that limiting carbohydrates not only helps with their weight loss, but also improves their triglyceride & cholesterol levels.

Comments

[pcosspot.com]

Thanks for raising awareness of PCOS. Awareness is the cure. Don't let young girls eat sugar!