PCOS and Weight Loss Struggles

Why Losing Weight with PCOS is So Hard?

• Hormonal Imbalance Makes It Tricky: PCOS is a hormonal disorder where your body produces excess insulin and androgens (male hormones). This hormonal imbalance causes your body to store more fat, especially around your belly. High insulin also makes you feel hungry more often, leading to overeating.
  According to Dr. Shreya Sharma, a leading Hormone doctor in Dehradun, understanding these hormone shifts is the first step to successful weight loss. Standard diet tips often ignore this crucial factor.
• Slower Metabolism: Research shows that women with PCOS tend to have a slower metabolism. This means your body burns fewer calories, even when you’re resting. So, you may need to work harder than others to lose the same amount of weight.
• Sugar Cravings and Emotional Eating: Hormonal imbalances caused by PCOS often trigger intense cravings for sugary and processed foods. Add to that the emotional stress of dealing with irregular periods, acne, or hair growth, and it’s easy to see why emotional eating becomes common. This can worsen insulin resistance, creating a never-ending cycle.
• Chronic Inflammation: Women with PCOS often experience chronic low-grade inflammation. This inflammation slows down fat burning and increases the risk of weight gain. It also makes you feel tired and achy, reducing your motivation to exercise.
• Poor Sleep Quality: PCOS is linked to sleep disorders, including sleep apnea and insomnia. When you don’t sleep well, your hunger hormones (ghrelin and leptin) go out of balance. This makes you feel hungrier the next day, often for high-calorie comfort foods.

Why Standard Diets Don’t Work for PCOS?

If you’ve tried standard diets like low-calorie plans or crash diets, you might have noticed that they rarely work for PCOS. That’s because these diets focus only on cutting calories, not balancing hormones.

For PCOS treatment in Uttarakhand, Dr. Shreya Sharma recommends a completely different approach — one that focuses on managing insulin resistance, inflammation, and stress, rather than just reducing food intake.

Eat to Balance Your Blood Sugar:

Instead of just eating less, focus on eating right. Build meals that keep your blood sugar stable. This means:

• Add protein to every meal (like eggs, paneer, chicken, or tofu).
• Include healthy fats (like nuts, seeds, avocado, and olive oil).
• Choose fiber-rich foods (like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains).
• Avoid refined carbs (like white bread and sugary snacks).

Balancing your meals this way helps reduce insulin spikes, which is key to controlling weight in PCOS.

• Strength Training Over Hours of Cardio: Many women think they need to run for hours to lose weight, but for PCOS, strength training works better. Lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises helps improve insulin sensitivity and boosts metabolism.
  Combine this with short bursts of high-intensity exercises (HIIT) and regular walks for the best results.
• Manage Stress: Stress raises cortisol, a hormone that triggers belly fat storage. Women with PCOS are more sensitive to stress, so managing it becomes even more important.
  Try meditation, deep breathing, journaling, or spending time outdoors. Even hobbies like painting, gardening, or listening to music can help lower stress levels.
• Prioritize Quality Sleep: Sleep is non-negotiable if you have PCOS. Aim for at least 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. A proper sleep schedule helps balance hunger hormones and supports weight loss.
• Follow Personalized Nutrition Plans: Every woman’s PCOS journey is different. That’s why working with a specialist like Dr. Shreya Sharma, who offers expert Endocrinology consultation in Dehradun, can make all the difference. She helps women with PCOS create personalized nutrition and lifestyle plans that work for their bodies, rather than against them.
• Focus on Sustainable Lifestyle Changes: Crash diets and extreme workouts often worsen hormonal imbalances. Instead, focus on small, realistic changes you can stick with. These might include:
  • Cooking more meals at home.
  • Walking after meals to support blood sugar control.
  • Drinking enough water throughout the day.
  • Eating mindfully and slowly to prevent overeating.