How can someone with PCOS lose weight?

Hi,

We welcome you to the icliniq.com family.

I appreciate the confidence that you place in me for your healthcare consultation.

Today's generation is getting more obese when compared to the older generation, due to massive lifestyle changes, which is mostly a sedentary lifestyle. The food choice is full of preservatives and is sugar or salt-loaded. Consuming high carbs leads to high sugar levels in the blood, which leads to a faster deposition of fats in the body, which in turn can result in obesity and can trigger metabolic disorders like diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It has become a concern for young girls because obesity triggers PCOS, and due to insulin sensitivity in PCOS, weight gain is observed.

First, you need to check your body mass index (BMI), which will let you understand your obesity stage. Your current weight is defined by your current diet and activity, which is 70 percent from diet and 30 percent from exercise, so do not make a drastic shift, but start with dietary changes, then get into a workout routine like adding 2 kg dumbbell first or step counts of 5000. You have not mentioned your current exercise routine. For a customized diet plan, I need more details like height, weight, age, medical issues, etc.

I recommend you to avoid the following:

1. Sodas and sweet drinks like aerated drinks, and tetra-pack fruit juices are to be avoided in your diet because they are high in carbs, which increase blood sugar levels. Also, their high fructose content has been linked to insulin resistance and an increased risk of obesity, fatty liver (a condition where fat accumulates in the liver), and other diseases.

2. Refined carbs like white bread, pasta, and rice are low in fiber and they are high in glycemic index. This combination can result in high blood sugar levels.

3. Fruit-flavored yogurts are usually low in fat but high in sugar.

4. Breakfast cereals like cornflakes, sugar-coated muesli, and sugar-coated wheat flakes.

5. Honey, maple syrup, jaggery, and sugar.

6. Packaged snacks are typically highly processed foods made from refined flour that can quickly raise your blood sugar levels, so one is prone to gaining weight.

7. Fruits like bananas, chikoo, mangoes, dates, and raisins are high in glycemic index as well as load. Thus, these need to be avoided.

8. Starchy vegetables need to be avoided like potatoes, yam, colocasia, beetroot, squash, corn, and sweet potatoes.

9. Eat less salt (use less salt in cooking, replace salt with other herbs and spices, cut out commercial soups and gravies that have a very high salt content, or use a salt substitute).

I hope this information will help you.

In case of further queries, please revert.

Thank you.