We all have that one friend: the one who can eat like a horse and never gain a single pound. Most of us also accept that this individual has been blessed with the holy grail of genetics: a fast metabolism. This, however, is one side of a double standard I’ve encountered far too often in western societies.
When a person is overweight or obese, their size is seldom attributed to genetics. Rather, excess weight is assumed to be the product of poor diet, lack of exercise, or general slovenliness.
If our thin friends are the winners of the genetic lottery, we should comparatively say that those with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome have been hormonally…robbed.
Women with PCOS are insulin-resistant, meaning our bodies have a difficult time using the hormone insulin. As you may know, insulin helps healthy individuals convert sugar and starch into energy. Accordingly, insulin and sugar build up in the bloodstream.
This buildup of insulin causes the chain reaction of symptoms we PCOSers (or “cysters”) know and hate. High insulin leads to increased production of male hormones, which leads to excess body hair, acne, irregular periods, and weight gain.
To lose weight with PCOS, one has to learn work with what their genetic makeup has left them with. This means working in ways to combat a naturally sluggish metabolism. This means:
- Eating several small meals throughout the day (about 4 – 6)
- Avoiding processed sugar and carbohydrates
- Increasing fiber intake
- Engaging in routine (daily) exercise (1)
Fortunately, these tactics work just as well for most of the general population as well, and there are a wealth of affordable and effective dieting programs out there for cysters to use to their advantage. One such program? Weight Watchers!
Weight Watcher’s new SmartPoints program trains participants to choose foods low in sugar and saturated fat, and high in protein. From February to July of 2016, I’ve lost 30 pounds with this program – and seen even more improvement with my symptoms.
Soutce:
- “PCOS Weight Gain Causes and Treatments.” WebMD. WebMD, LLC, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
The PCOS Skinny 