Losing weight can be difficult for anyone and particularly for the women with PCOS weight loss can be a real challenge.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is a common hormone based disorder that affects the woman in the fertile age group. PCOS is directly related with insulin insensitivity in the body, which makes it difficult for the body to use up the insulin properly.
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[su_spoiler title=”What effect will women with PCOS face because of weight loss?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]For women who have obesity, weight loss can help to make their menstrual cycle regular. Hence, a loss of 10 – 15 pounds is enough to regulate the periods. It also improves cholesterol, insulin levels and helps to get rid of excess hair growth and acne. [/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Is Keto diet good for women suffering from PCOS?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]Keto diet restricts the consumption of insulin-resistant food that helps to lose weight. So, this diet is suitable for women with PCOS to reduce weight and the risk of diabetes. [/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Can you cure PCOS by losing weight?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]PCOS is a condition that can be dealt with medication, exercise and diet. Losing weight alone will not cure it but will play an important role in it. [/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Which fruits are good for PCOS?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]Women who have PCOS suffer from low-level of inflammation. To avoid converting that into a high level of inflammation, you should consume anti-oxidant fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. [/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Is egg good for PCOS?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]The egg white has a high level of protein and the yolk contains omega-3 fatty acids, folate, iron, thiamine, and other vitamins. These properties can help in improving the PCOS symptoms.
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[su_spoiler title=”Is coffee bad for PCOS?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]Yes, women with PCOS should avoid coffee. Coffee contains caffeine which boosts the stress hormones that increase the insulin levels. If you get addicted to it then it will reduce your resistance to insulin. This makes it harder to control the sugar levels. [/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Why is it tough to lose weight for women with PCOS?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]Women with the condition of PCOS tend to gain weight quickly because of an increase in the level of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that converts the fats of the body into energy for the body to function properly. As you are in fat storage mode, it becomes hard to lose weight. This can also lead to the risk of having diabetes. [/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Which is the best diet for women with PCOS?” open=”no” style=”default” icon=”plus” anchor=”” class=””]Women with PCOS should follow a diet that includes raw and unprocessed food items, fatty fishes that is rich in fiber such as tuna, salmon, mackerel, and sardine. They should also include leafy vegetables like kale, and spinach, fruits such as blueberries, red grapes, papaya, and citrus fruits. Dried beans, lentils, olive oil, broccoli, and cauliflower are also beneficial. [/su_spoiler]
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The primary function of insulin in the body is to convert sugars to energy and when insulin is not able to perform this conversion efficiently, generally we tend to gain weight. This is what happens in case of PCOS.
In addition to that, the increased insulin level also adds to the formation of more male hormones in the body, which results into a number of problems like acne, growth of excess body and facial hairs as well as irregular periods.
Higher androgen levels also trigger fat gain typically in the abdominal region and hence as in this case the fat gain is supported by the hormones, losing it can be really difficult.
The good thing is that, if you are able to lose weight even with PCOS, be sure that it will cure or at least help in curing the disorder as well and though losing weight with PCOS can be difficult, it is not impossible.
To lose weight with pcos you need to be actually serious about it and follow the instructions mentioned here religiously at least for 3-4 months continuously to see some results.
Taking special care for your weight loss regime in one week of the month and then forgetting it all together, is most likely to not to yield any effective results for losing weight if you have PCOS.
You have to be persistent in your try to lose weight particularly when you are suffering from PCOS. Here are the details on how you can lose weight even with PCOS,
Eat right
The right diet is always the key to maintain a healthy body weight and by modulating your regular diet you can actually get the best weight loss effects even when you are suffering with PCOS. Here are details of the diet changes you need to make,
Include more leafy and green vegetables in your diet
Leafy and green vegetables should make a primary part of your regular diet when you are trying to lose weight with pcos.
Leafy green vegetables are filled with dietary fibers that helps in keeping you satiated for longer, controlling hunger effectively and stopping you from unhealthy eating.
In addition to that the vitamins and minerals loaded in the green and leafy vegetables can actually be helpful to bring your body back to its normal condition helping in curing the hormonal imbalance in the body.
Protein intake is vital for weight loss with PCOS
According to a study, women who take a diet that is richer in protein than carbs tend to lose more weight compared to the women who take a diet that is higher in carbs.
For burning protein body has to put on more effort and hence fat is used in protein metabolism which directly results into losing weight. So, when you are trying to lose weight with PCOS, make it a point to include high protein diet in all your meals.
Watch your carbohydrate and sugar intake
Most part of the carbohydrate present in the food is converted to fat in the body and more so when you have PCOS.
So, when you are trying to lose weight, minimize the amount of carbohydrate and sugar in your daily diet. Replace rice with chapatis and eat more vegetables and protein than carbohydrate and sugar.
The good fats can help in losing weight with PCOS
Fat is something that we all hate and the objective of this article is to inform you how to shed excess fat to get back in shape when you have polycystic ovarian syndrome, but the point is that, every fat is not bad.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are the fat that can do a lot of good for your body and health and can also offer weight loss benefits.
According to a study performed at the University of South Australia, people consuming Omega-3 fatty acids rich diet showed higher metabolism in the body resulting into more weight loss when combined with regular exercises.
Bank on fruits to stop unhealthy snacking
When you are trying to lose weight with PCOS, one of the first things that you need to do is to stop unhealthy snacking. Munching on French fries, chips, other fried and junk food is sure to ruin your weight loss regime completely.
However, do not starve. Replace the unhealthy snacks with fruits that are loaded with more water, vitamins, minerals and fibers, to ensure better weight loss effects.
Have fermented food
Healthy gut bacteria help to maintain weight and plays a role in metabolism. Some studies show that women with PCOS have fewer healthy gut bacteria compared to the ones who do not have this condition.
Eating food that is high in probiotics helps to increase the healthy gut bacteria. So, you should consume yogurt, sauerkraut, kefir, and similar food items.
Try to adopt mindful eating
Women with PCOS have tried to follow different diets. Mindful eating is a good solution as it promotes awareness of feeling hungry and full. It also helps to solve eating problems like emotional eating and binge eating.
Limit intake of processed food items
It is important to cut down the intake of unhealthy food items. Women with PCOS process sugar in a different way compared to the ones who do not have this condition. Limiting intake of process food keeps the sugar levels in control. Minimally processed food helps you to satisfy your hunger. So, you should avoid food with added sugar and refined carbs like cookies, cakes, candy, and fast food.
Reduce inflammation
Inflammation is a result of injury or infection to the body. Chronic inflammation is related to obesity. Food items like sugar and processed food may cause inflammation so you should avoid them.
To protect against inflammation, you should go for a Mediterranean diet which includes fruits, vegetables, olive oil, omega-3 food items and whole grains.
Avoid under eating
When you restrict the calorie intake for a long time then your metabolism slows down. Restricting it for a short time will help in weight loss but over time, the body starts to adapt to this restriction. Eating fewer calories will negatively impact the appetite-controlling hormones. So, instead of restricting calorie intake, you should focus on avoiding unhealthy food items and whole food.
Take proper sleep
If you have a condition of PCOS that includes feeling sleepy in daytime, insomnia and sleep apnea. When you do not get enough sleep, it increases the urge of hunger that makes you eat more food. It also can lead to obesity.
Exercises for PCOS
When you are trying to lose weight with PCOS you just cannot compromise with your regular exercises. Apart from maintaining a healthy diet you need to spend good hours on regular exercising to lose weight, particularly if you have PCOS.
You should exercise at least 1 hour each day of the week to get results. However, you should not start heavy exercising all of a sudden, start with 20 minutes of exercise 5 days a week and then increase as you go.
Also skip your exercises on few days for other physical activities and sports; this will help more in calorie burning. You can pick a mix of the following exercises to ensure that your body is able to lose the extra fat,
Lunges
Lunges are easy to do and they are highly effective for exercising some of the major muscles of your body, including the muscles of your thighs and hips.
You can do lunges with light weight in your hands to ensure maximum efficiency of this exercise. There are a number of variations of lunges, and you should try out all of them to maintain variation in your daily exercise regime.
Squats
Squats are another common and effective exercise for losing weight. Squatting helps in toning the muscles of your thighs, back, calves, hands, hips and abs.
Taking some light weights in your hands while squatting is also a good idea. There are also a bunch of variations possible in squatting and all of them can be good for you.
Plank
Plank, side plank, side plank with hip drops all the variations can be highly helpful to workout your abs, thighs and back muscles together helping you to burn more fat.
So, try out the different types of planks and make sure that you get enough of them on a daily basis.
Bridge
Bridge is another simple exercise that works out your hips and stomach muscles along with your back and shoulder. While doing bridge you need to ensure that you are doing at least 10 repetitions of the exercise and holding your top position at least for 30 seconds, before touching the ground.
Crunches
Crunches and its variations like bicycle crunches, crunch to boat pose, all can be effective to lose the fat at the abs. It also tones your hips, back, shoulders and legs. So, as a complete exercise opt for sufficient repetitions of crunches and its variations.
Rope skipping
Rope skipping is another simple exercise that can give you quick weight loss benefits even if you are suffering from PCOS. You should do the skipping to a minimum count of 300 times at a stretch. Start with 100 skips a time.
Jogging and running
Jogging and running can also be effective exercises to perform for losing extra weight when you are suffering from PCOS.
Apart from the above exercises including an active sport in your regimen can be a very effective way to lose weight as you will naturally find more interest in the sport than simple exercises.
Swimming, cycling and any other active sport can work in this case. Just pick whatever you like and maintain a proper combination of all the exercises throughout the week, to ensure better and quicker results.
Lifestyle changes
Quit smoking
According to a study performed in 2009, smoking can lead to increased insulin and testosterone levels in the body of women, which will naturally make the PCOS worst making it more difficult for you to lose weight.
Fight stress
Stress is sure to make the already disrupted hormonal balance in your body due to PCOS even worst. When you are already suffering with PCOS, stress can make things even more wrong.
So, keeping stress away is important, Adequate sleeping, coupled with proper exercises and a healthy eating plan can be effective to fight stress and to lose weight quickly.
Drink more water
Water can increase the rate of metabolism in your body thus burning more calories. It also helps in suppressing hunger and thus can be helpful in weight loss. So, drink more water at regular intervals throughout the day.
