Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) may be a condition characterized by hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, and/or the event of small cysts on one or both ovaries.
This condition can impact up to 7% of adult women (1Trusted Source).
The hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, and inflammation associated with this condition make it difficult for ladies with PCOS to shed weight.
Yet, even a little weight loss of roughly 5% can improve insulin resistance, hormone levels, menstrual cycles, fertility, and overall quality of life in women with PCOS (2Trusted Source).
Here are helpful tips for losing weight with PCOS.
- Reduce Your Carb Intake
Lowering your carb consumption may help manage PCOS thanks to carbs’ impact on insulin levels.
Approximately 70% of girls with PCOS have insulin resistance, which is when your cells stop recognizing the consequences of the hormone insulin (3Trusted Source).
Insulin is important for blood glucose management and energy storage in your body. Research associate’s high levels of insulin with increased body fat and weight gain within the general population and in women with PCOS (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).
- Get Enough Fiber
Fiber helps in stay full after a meal, a high-fiber diet improve weight loss in womens with PCOS.
The Reference Daily Intake fiber is 14 grams per 1,000 calories — or around 25 grams per day for ladies. However, the typical daily fiber intake for U.S. women is merely 15–16 grams (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).
In the study, higher fiber intake was linked to lower insulin resistance, total body fat, and belly fat in women with PCOS — but not in women without PCOS (10Trusted Source).
In another study in 57 women with this condition, higher fiber intake was related to lower weight (11Trusted Source).
- Eat Enough Protein
Protein helps stabilize blood glucose and increases feelings of fullness after a meal.
It may also aid weight loss by reducing cravings, helping you burn more calories, and managing hunger hormones.
In one study, 57 women with PCOS got either a diet — quite 40% of calories from protein and 30% from fat — or a typical diet consisting of but 15% protein and 30% fat (12Trusted Source).
- Eat Healthy Fats
If you Having many healthy fats in your diet may assist you feel more satisfied after meals, also as tackle weight loss and other symptoms of PCOS.
In one study in 30 women with PCOS, a diet (55% carbs, 18% protein, 27% fat) was compared to a higher-fat diet (41% carb, 19% protein, 40% fat) (13Trusted Source).
After eight weeks, the higher-fat diet resulted in additional fat loss — including belly fat — than the lower-fat diet, which also reduced lean body mass.
In fact, although fats are rich in calories, adding healthy fats to meals can expand stomach volume and reduce hunger. this might assist you to eat fewer calories throughout the day (14Trusted Source).
- Limit Processed Foods and Added Sugars
Another tip to reduce with PCOS is to chop down on your intake of certain unhealthy foods.
Processed foods and added sugars may raise blood glucose levels and increase your risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to obesity (22Trusted Source).
Research shows that ladies with PCOS experience larger spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels after consuming an equivalent amount of sugar as women without this condition (23Trusted Source).
Studies indicate that minimally processed, real foods not only raise blood glucose but highly processed foods but also are more satisfying (24Trusted Source).
