It is possible to lose weight with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) although many women report do they find it harder to lose weight with PCOS. A healthy eating PCOS diet plan from an Accredited Dietitian / Nutritionist can help you lose weight. Here's some tips:
1. Get an individual eating plan
Fad diets don’t work, and in most cases you regain the weight lost plus more. An individually designed lifestyle plan that takes into account your own needs, lifestyle and medical history is the best approach. It’s about healthy eating for life, not weight loss at any cost!
2. Get the energy balance right.
Getting less kilojoules from food and burning more kilojoules by being active is the best balance for weight loss. It’s easier to over-consume kilojoules if your meals are high in fat because these foods are more ‘energy dense’. Reducing portion size is also very important!
3. Choose mostly low glycemic index carbohydrates.
It’s also important to pay attention to the overall portion sizes of carbohydrate foods, so that ‘glycemic load’ (the amount that the total meal causes your blood sugar level to rise) isn’t too high. As a general guide, a reasonable serve size of carbohydrate foods should be about 2 slices of bread or 1/2 cup muesli, or 1 cup of ready to eat cereal, or 1 cup cooked pasta or rice. Let your dietitian guide you as to how many serves of carbohydrate you need each day.
4. Eat a variety of foods from all the food groups, including fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, dairy foods and lean protein.
It’s OK to have a treat occasionally, and also important that your eating plan is flexible enough to allow you to eat out occasionally and enjoy celebrations.
5. Be active most days.
This is really important to managing insulin resistance. Find an activity you enjoy doing and try and build up to at least 5 sessions of 30 minutes a week of something like walking. You can even break that into smaller lots of 15 minutes at a time. Always check with your GP before commencing a new exercise program.
6. Get some long term support.
Research shows that people who have more frequent contact with health professionals are more likely to be successful in changing their behaviours and losing weight. We can help you stay on track, recognize your great progress and get support in other areas of your lifestyle if you need it.
Get started on the road to a happier healthier you today.
Claire Daly is an Accredited Practising Dietitian / Accredited Nutritionist who works with women and families. She has particular interest in working with women who have PCOS (Claire has PCOS herself), fertility problems or who are wanting to achieve a healthy weight and good health prior to and during pregnancy. Claire has her own private practice in Melbourne. For more information visit www.eatwell.com.au
Like to use this blog post in your own newsletter or publication? Just email Claire to let her know which article you would like to use and how I would like you to acknowledge the source of the article, then you are on your way.
