53: Why eating less and moving more isn’t often the key to your PCOS weight loss

The PCOS Nutritionist Podcast

The amount of times I’ve heard “my doctor said ‘You have PCOS. So you need to move more, eat less. To manage it, we’ll put you on the Pill and come back when you want to get pregnant” is literally outrageous.

Picture this, you’re leaving the doctor's office and they’ve just diagnosed you with PCOS. You’re still confused on what PCOS even means - so it’s a syndrome? Where did the cysts come from? Are they cancerous?! All they really told you was that you should go on the Pill until you want to start a family and of course to eat less and move more so that you can lose weight.

That’s exactly how today’s podcast guest, Danielle, started her PCOS journey - confused, annoyed and struggling to figure out what to do next since the doctor’s recommendations were exactly what she was already doing.

Her insulin resistance was getting so bad that she was pre-diabetic, was struggling with hair growth, acne and couldn’t shift weight that seemed to come on so quickly. A year and a half later, she’s 38kgs (26kgs in the first 6 months) down and has her other symptoms in remission. Not only that, she went from feeling fatigued and low to making it up to the summit of Mt Kinabalu - the highest mountain in South East Asia!

We talk all about weight (her struggles with it, how doctors view it and how she lost it) as well as her other symptoms, understanding her root cause and her advice to other women who are where she has been. It’s a goodie - even if weight hasn’t been a major symptom for you - it’s definitely worth a listen.

This episode is for you if:

• You struggle with weight gain and trying to shift weight
• You’re very active and eat healthily (so the weight gain doesn’t make sense)
• You’re on or have been on the oral contraceptive Pill
• Your symptoms seem to get worse during periods of stress
• You’re at college or live in college accommodation
• Your weight gain seemed to be really quick
• You didn’t get much explanation on what PCOS actually was when you got diagnosed
• You’ve been told to go on the Pill, lose weight, eat less and come back when you want to get pregnant
• You’re on Metformin
• You have depression/anxiety due to your PCOS
• You struggle with hair and acne

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Doctors attitudes towards PCOS
• Weight gain and PCOS
• Cambridge diet
• Appetite Suppressants
• Disordered eating, relationship with food and PCOS
• Walking and weight loss
• Why no exercise is bad for PCOS - but how to tell what’s right for you

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated