What is PCOS?

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is one of the most common endocrine disorders among women, affecting 9% to 18% of women of reproductive age. 

The term polycystic literally means “many cysts” which grow on the ovaries. Symptoms include irregular periods or lack of ovulation, as well as high insulin levels/insulin resistance, acne, and excess body hair. 

PCOS used to be considered a condition just affecting reproduction and fertility, but it is now understood as something that affects the entire metabolic system, meaning it can lead to conditions like prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Knowing this connection to the metabolism, it makes sense then that one of the biggest struggles with PCOS is weight loss.

The cause of PCOS is still unknown, although there is a correlation to high insulin levels, as well as levels of androgens that impact how the ovaries function. There seems to be a strong genetic component as well. 

Signs of PCOS and diagnosis

Unfortunately, you can’t be diagnosed with PCOS through ultrasound (although that would make things more simple for sure). Your ovaries look different every single month depending on how successful ovulation was and the visible cysts will vary. Also, polycystic ovaries are not exclusive to PCOS.

Diagnosis typically requires 2 or 3 of the following:

• Polycystic ovaries
• Excess androgens
• Exclusion of other conditions that would lead to excess androgens
• Anovulatory cycles (not ovulating/irregular periods)

Traditional treatment of PCOS includes hormonal birth control, anti-androgen medications, and/or metformin. 

Natural approaches to PCOS treatment include investigating the root cause of the PCOS symptoms. What is driving the insulin resistance, potentially increased inflammation, and increased androgens? Is there a genetic component? Is there exposure to certain environmental toxins or endocrine-disrupting chemicals (like phthalates, pesticides, and BPA)? What lifestyle factors need to be adjusted to support the body better? 

We always recommend consulting with your primary care provider if you are concerned about symptoms of PCOS. 

If you are interested in a more natural approach to PCOS management and/or struggling with symptoms despite medications, we have Coach Cara on our team who could be the practitioner you need to dig deeper and find answers. You can learn more about Cara’s support here.

Why is it hard to lose weight with PCOS?

For women with PCOS, achieving a healthy weight* has been shown to reduce symptoms and regulate periods…however, weight loss can be much harder in this situation. 

*I want to make a note here that a healthy weight for YOU does not have to follow the BMI markers. A healthy weight is where you feel your best and can manage your weight without extreme measures.

Why is it more difficult?

PCOS affects the body’s management of insulin, making the body more insulin-resistant. This requires the body to need more insulin to manage blood sugar levels, meaning the body is in fat-storing mode more often (insulin is a fat-storing hormone). Higher insulin levels can also lead to increased and intense cravings for carbohydrates. 

This is why treatment for PCOS almost always includes managing better insulin and blood sugar levels to allow the body to get out of fat-storing mode more often. You can manage insulin resistance through diet, exercise, medications, and/or supplements. 

PCOS is also linked to sleep apnea in some cases, which significantly impacts the quality of sleep (a huge factor in healthy weight loss). Working with your care team to diagnose and treat this would also be important. 

Now…is it still possible to lose weight with PCOS? Absolutely.

Here are 6 helpful tips to consider to help you achieve healthy weight loss with PCOS:

#1: Eat an anti-inflammatory diet

This means focusing on lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes (beans and lentils), fish, lean meats, nuts, and seeds most of the time. Whole foods! These types of foods are loaded with antioxidants which lessen the effects of free radicals in the body. 

A 2015 research study investigated the effect of an anti-inflammatory diet among women with PCOS compared to those without. The results were great, with the average weight loss being 7.2% and also reductions in fasting blood sugar levels. 

Women with PCOS have also been studied eating the DASH diet (another example of an anti-inflammatory diet) and there were significant drops in insulin levels and physical measurements. 

#2: Strategic supplementation

Some of the most promising supplements for PCOS and weight loss include:

• N-Acetylcysteine (NAC): this is an antioxidant and amino acid. It can also impact insulin receptors for the better. 
• Inositol: this has been well studied in women with PCOS and has shown really promising results. It can help improve insulin sensitivity and ovulation. 
• Fish oil: found to improve inflammatory markers 

#3: Avoid undereating

Regardless of if you have PCOS or not, undereating can be a huge culprit for weight loss resistance. The metabolism needs to be fueled properly in order to thrive and therefore burn excess body fat. Undereating long-term leads to the metabolism slowing down over time and matching the intake it is getting: AKA it can’t thrive with only half a tank of gas every day!

Support your best metabolism by eating enough! Read more about this here. 

#4: More protein, healthy fat, and fiber

All three of these food groups are EXCELLENT and keeping blood sugar levels steady throughout the day and therefore leading to better blood sugar/insulin management. 

We like to call this PHFF: protein, healthy fat, and fiber and talk about it allll the time with our clients. It is truly the secret sauce to healthy long term weight loss for anybody!

Not only does it balance your blood sugar (amazing for PCOS) but it also keeps you full and satisfied so much longer between meals which means less cravings and hanger for you. This is incredibly helpful when trying to lose weight. 

You can read more about PHFF here. 

#5: Staying moving

This one might be expected when it comes to weight loss, but it can’t be forgotten about! Movement is really not just about burning calories. In fact, I’m much more interested in its positive effect on blood sugar levels throughout the day!

Did you know that even walking for 10 minutes after a meal can reduce your blood sugar levels by about 10 to 20 points? It also has a positive effect on your blood sugar for an entire 24 hours after as well. But the more the merrier with walking! We recommend getting at least 6,000 steps a day to stay active in general and keep your metabolic burn higher.

Movement is also an amazing opportunity for strength training, and strength training means more muscle! Muscle is money for the metabolism and weight loss. 

Putting more muscle on the body directly increases the metabolic rate – meaning we burn more energy at rest, even if we’re just watching Netflix at night. Talk about a huge bonus and support of weight loss over time.

We recommend strength training 3-4 times a week and following a progressive overload style program to support muscle building over time.

#6: Learn the ins and outs of your metabolism

This one is a game-changer. What do I mean by this? 

If you’re like me and thousands of other women, nobody taught us how the metabolism ACTUALLY works growing up. And even when I was trying to lose weight as an adult, my typical method of eating fewer calories and staying in a calorie deficit just wasn’t working and was impossible to stick to for more than a couple of weeks. 

The truth is our metabolisms are not a simple “eat fewer calories and burn more calories” equation. It’s more like an ecosystem that needs support in 6 specific areas to thrive (sleep, stress, muscle, movement, blood sugar, and gut health). 

If you’re looking to optimize your metabolism and hormones for PCOS, one of the best things you can do is ditch the traditional weight loss methods and support your healthiest metabolism possible instead through blood sugar balance and eating ENOUGH!

We teach you exactly how to do this in Metabolism Makeover. It’s the science class for your metabolism with the coaching support you need to reach your goals. 

Learn more info and get on the waitlist for the next round here. 

You got this!

Coach Elle

**This is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Always seek the advice of your health provider regarding a medical condition.