5 Effective PCOS Weight Loss Tips
Does this sound familiar, “I have PCOS and I want to lose weight, so I’ll just move more and eat less.”? What if I told you eating less and moving more may just jack up your insulin, increase your cortisol, and bump up your androgen levels?! The secret to weight loss and PCOS lies beyond transforming yourself into a gym rat or eating salads all day, every day. Check out my top 5 PCOS weight loss tips to get you the results you have been looking for!
Jump to the section you’re most interested in learning about to start your PCOS weight loss journey:
Address Your Hormones
Even if you and your BFF both have PCOS, that does not mean your weight loss journey with PCOS (or journey in general) will look the same! This is why testing your hormones is a must to not only understand where you are at but what approach you should take for your journey.
If you don’t know what type of PCOS you have, now is the perfect time to discuss this with your doctor. You’ll want to ask your doc for a full hormone panel or take the Dutch hormone testing with me. Once you test, then you’ll know what to prioritize in terms of diet and lifestyle changes for your PCOS and Weight loss journey.
Balance Your Blood Sugar: PCOS diet
Raise your hand if you’ve heard you have to cut gluten and dairy out of your diet to see weight loss results… or how you should try the keto diet… or intermittent fasting…
Here’s the thing cysters, diets like these are unsustainable and mentally exhausting. I don’t know anyone who would be ok adopting a restrictive diet forever! It’s just not possible. Will you see results in the short term? Yes. Will you relapse, causing your PCOS symptoms to come back with a vengeance? 100%.
To see sustainable weight loss results with PCOS, you need to first understand how to balance your blood sugar. In other words, do you know how to properly balance your plate?!
Why is balancing blood sugar important for PCOS weight loss and symptoms management? PCOS makes it more difficult for the body to use the hormone insulin, which normally helps convert sugars and starches from foods into energy. This can cause insulin and sugar to build up in the bloodstream and store body fat, making it harder to lose weight.
So what does a PCOS-friendly plate look like? When preparing a PCOS-friendly plate for any meal (snacks included boo thangs), you’ll want to incorporate more protein, fiber, and fat, and less carbs. This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy rice! You just have to be mindful of how much rice you put on your plate. I always recommend sticking to ¼ cup!
Incorporate Daily Movements
You don’t need to become an Olympic athlete, but you do need to get some movement daily, even if it’s just a long brisk walk. Even walking 30 minutes a day can be SO beneficial for our hormone health.
So what are the best workouts for PCOS? Some may say that running and other high-intensity workouts can cause our cortisol to spike, and while this is true for some, it isn’t true for everyone with PCOS! Remember, everyone is different.
In fact, studies published in the journal Sports Medicine regarding types of exercises, such as strength training and aerobic activity, did not find one specific exercise type was the most beneficial to women with PCOS.
A PCOS workout plan needs to be sustainable and enjoyable! Taking rest days and mixing in yoga, weightlifting, and other cardio exercises can give you better results and allow you to have FUN!
I'd MUCH rather you incorporate a couple of rest days, than have you feeling miserable because you had to "run 5ks" all week.
Reduce Stress
Stress plays a HUGE factor for so many cysters on their PCOS weight loss journey. The PCOS/adrenal connection is 100% real, and the best PCOS weight loss tip I can give you is to find a way to incorporate some serious self-care into your daily routine.
So how does adrenal health affect weight for PCOS?
Cortisol’s job is to ensure you have enough energy, and when stress triggers you to release cortisol it remains in your system for around nine hours. If cortisol is overproduced, then it can trigger gluconeogenesis. This is when you end up with an excess of sugars in your bloodstream, which usually gets stored as fat.
Feeling overwhelmed at work? Take a break and walk around or stretch. Invest at least an hour every day to do something you love, or just take 10 minutes to meditate and re-focus yourself.
Join PCOS Boss Academy
After speaking to thousands of women with PCOS, I designed a program dedicated to helping women become the BOSS of their PCOS. This successful program is filled with PCOS weight loss tips and PCOS symptom management.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed with your personal journey, then this is the perfect program to get you on the right path. Check out what other women have to say about their PCOS weight loss journey through the boss academy *link to weight loss highlight*.
PCOS Boss Academy teaches women what changes they should make to help their symptoms and manage their weight efficiently and EFFECTIVELY. You'll learn how to...
Understand the *root* cause of YOUR PCOS and how to eat to fix it through diet and lifestyle changes.
Exercise - Learn my favorite exercise routines to help manage your PCOS symptoms and fast track weight loss
Cycle Tracking - All of our cycles differ a little, especially with PCOS. Learn how to understand your unique cycle and what you can do to regulate it
Stress Management - Stress is one of the biggest culprits making your PCOS WORSE! This program dives deep into adrenal health and what you can do to support it
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - What are these, and how can we limit them?
Sleep & Gut Health - Everything is correlated loves! Let's learn some tips and tricks to get you feeling your best
Supplements - Which ones to invest in, and which ones you can ditch!
BONUS Libido Module - Because we all deserve some more fun if you know what I mean
This program is also open WORLDWIDE! There are multiple downloadable guides, exercise videos to follow, guidelines to create a sustainable self-care routine, and so much more!
