Weight loss programs, lose weight, quick, fast, hormones, women, female, secrets, tips, natural, free hormone health test

Weight loss programs, lose weight, quick, fast, hormones, women, female, secrets, tips, natural, weight loss naturopath online specialist

Weight loss programs, lose weight, quick, fast, hormones, women, female, secrets, tips, natural, lose weight naturally

Weight loss programs, lose weight, quick, fast, hormones, women, female, secrets, tips, natural, natural weightloss

PCOS and Diet - Gaining Weight Fast?

my natural weight loss plan and diet for pcos

published articles By Narelle Stegehuis

Today, estimates are that approximately 1 in 8, or half a million, Australian women of child bearing age suffer from Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) which puts it well on the road to qualifying it as an epidemic.

It has been recognized as one of the leading causes of infertility & with its influences on cardiovascular health, it also contributes to one of the largest causes of death within Australia.

Unfortunately there is a lack of information and education about PCOS, making it difficult & frustrating to diagnose correctly. Unrecognized and untreated, PCOS can lead to diabetes, high cholesterol and an increase in the risk of endometrial cancer. In order to successfully prevent these conditions, it is essential to diagnose and treat PCOS as early as possible. A natural weight loss plan designed for pcos is a must!

PCOS and diet - What Is PCOS?

PCOS refers to multiple cysts on the ovaries and a host of other problems that go along with them, including lack of ovulation and menstrual abnormalities, facial hair, male pattern baldness, acne, and obesity. Women suffering from this condition may also have varying degrees of insulin resistance and an increased incidence of Type II diabetes, high cholesterol & elevated androgen levels.

PCOS Women may also suffer from

PCOS and Diet - What are the symptoms of PCOS?

You may:

PCOS and diet - Why does it occur?

PCOS occurs when a woman doesn't ovulate, which causes a disruption in the normal, cyclical interrelationship among her hormones, brain and ovaries.

The exact cause of PCOS is unknown. In the past, it was thought that PCOS was caused entirely by excess production of androgen. More recent research has shown that Metabolic Syndrome associated with insulin resistance and high levels of insulin play key roles in PCOS.

Metabolic Syndrome may be the condition which best illustrates the long-term effects of our Western lifestyle habits. The usual suspects are responsible: high calorie, high carbohydrate diets, lack of exercise, hormonal imbalances and chronic stress are a few of the major causes of metabolic dysfunction.

Although genetic and environmental factors contribute to metabolic syndrome, obesity and physical in-activity are the most important.

The problem is, often women with PCOS try hard to lose the weight only to find that they either can't lose it - or it rebounds once they complete their diet.

Some possible causes of PCOS

PCOS and diet - The Diet Connection to PCOS

By far the biggest lifestyle contributor to PCOS is poor diet. Research supports that a high consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates cause an unhealthy rise in insulin levels. Insulin stimulates androgen receptors on the outside of the ovary, causing the typical PCOS symptoms of excess hair (on the face, arms, legs), thin hair (on the head), and acne. Eventually this type of diet will cause obesity, which will cause insulin resistance (the inability of the cells to take in insulin) which will aggravate the PCOS even more.

PCOS and diet - So how does Insulin affect my PCOS?

Insulin resistance and excessive insulin production appears to cause the overproduction of androgens associated with PCOS.

Insulin transports sugar (in the form of glucose) out of the blood and into muscle, fat, and liver cells, where it is converted into energy or stored as fat. Women with PCOS produce excess insulin, because their cells are "resistant" to insulin. The body compensates by producing more insulin. Resistance means that the process of removing sugar from the blood and into the cells is defective and the cells do not respond to insulin. The pancreas senses high levels of glucose and continues secreting insulin to remove sugar from the blood and into the cells.

High levels of insulin can predispose a woman, directly or indirectly, to polycystic ovaries, and an increased risk of heart disease.

Insulin resistance appears to lead to high levels of androgens, although what causes the effect is unknown. Increased androgen levels result in menstrual irregularities and other symptoms typical of PCOS. However more serious complications or related conditions may also develop with PCOS.

When you look at the whole picture of PCOS, you can understand why the hormone-blocking drugs such as the birth control pill & insulin-lowering drugs, don't work for very long. These approaches don't address the underlying cause of the problem, they only suppress symptoms.

How does PCOS interfere with fertility?

High levels of insulin can pose considerable risk to pregnancy. Data from New Zealand indicates that miscarriage in women with type 2 diabetes was triple that in those without diabetes.

The main reason for this is that weight gain associated with PCOS, interferes with ovulation. To simplify a very technical process, basically the more overweight you are, the more fat cells you have. This means you have a steady over supply of oestrogen. This blunts the peaks and valleys of the ovary's function, which ultimately interferes with ovulation and can cause infertility.

PCOS and Diet - What is the best treatment for PCOS?

Doctors tend to prescribe two treatments, both of which affect symptoms only, and neither of which is particularly successful. One treatment is direct manipulation of reproductive hormones using birth control pills, androgens, androgen blockers & synthetic estrogens. The other is prescribing oral drugs for Type II diabetes, which reduce insulin resistance.

Losing weight is one of the best treatments for PCOS, yet it is one of the hardest treatments to achieve. Whether obesity is a cause of PCOS or obesity is a result of PCOS is unclear. PCOS is not "cured" by weight reduction, but the symptoms of PCOS may be lessened by weight loss, or increased by weight gain.

One of the most important things to remember is that we are all different - what foods to eat vary according to what your individual hormonal influences are. The best approach is to adopt a lifestyle system that improves hormonal balance resulting in metabolic health, allowing you to lose fat & keep it off. It is important for you to:

Chromium is an important mineral if you have PCOS as a deficiency of chromium can lead to insulin resistance, which is a key problem in the case of PCOS.

Next are the B vitamins. These are important in helping to correct the symptoms of PCOS. They are particularly useful for controlling weight, and here's why: Vitamin B2 helps to turn fat, sugar and protein into energy. B3 helps to keep the levels in balance. Vitamin B5 helps to control fat metabolism. B6 is important for maintaining hormone balance and, together with B2 and B3, is necessary for normal thyroid hormone production.

Zinc Unfortunately, there is very little natural zinc found in our food due to over farming. Furthermore, food refining & processing strips out what little might be remaining. So no matter how good your diet, you may not be getting anywhere near the levels you need. To combat this: you can eat whole organic food, which has higher zinc levels or you can add a zinc supplement to your diet. But why is it so important?

Zinc is an important mineral for appetite control and a deficiency can cause a loss of taste and smell, creating a need for stronger-tasting foods, including those that are saltier, sugary and/or spicier often more fattening. Zinc is also necessary for the correct action of many hormones, including insulin, so it is extremely important in balancing blood sugar.

Magnesium levels have been found to be low in people with diabetes and there is a strong link between magnesium deficiency and insulin resistance. It is, therefore, an important mineral to include if you are suffering from PCOS.

Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil can switch on the enzymes specifically involved in the oxidizing, or burning of fat. To switch on these pathways, they require a driver (for example exercise), to increase the metabolic rate in order to lower body fat.

Co-Enzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like substance that is contained in nearly every cell of your body. It is important for energy production and normal carbohydrate metabolism. Co-Q10 has also been proved useful in controlling blood sugar levels.

Next we will look at some Herbs that are known for helping the symptoms of PCOS.

Herbs are extremely useful in the treatment of PCOS. Making changes and adding supplements to your diet will help to control weight and balance blood sugar, while herbs go a step further, targeting any problems involving hormone balance.

Herbs can also be very beneficial in encouraging the function of your liver, in order to make sure that it is metabolizing the hormones efficiently and then eliminating them.

Some of the ones to look for are Agnus castus, Milk Thistle, Evening Primrose, Red clover blossoms, & Raspberry. These are just a few of the many available herbs used to treat PCOS. Always check with your herbalist and Dr to avoid any complications. Just because herbs are natural doesn't mean they don't have dangers, take the recommended dose and do your research. Several herbs can not be taken with fertility medicines check with your DR.

If you have PCOS you can enhance your fertility and your chances of having a healthy baby by losing weight. This is why weight reduction should be the first line of treatment for overweight PCOS suffers trying to conceive. This needs a multidisciplinary approach to weight management that fosters lifestyle change through proper diet, exercise, behaviour modification and stress reduction.

The tragedy of course: is that this is easy to advise, but very hard to do. No one wants to be overweight and losing weight can be really hard to accomplish if you have PCOS. But with the right help, in most cases it can be achieved.