5 Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) Podcasts You Should Be Listening To
PCOS is a common hormonal disorder that affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age. If you’re one of the many women who are living with PCOS, you know how frustrating and confusing it can be. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back! Here are five PCOS podcasts that will help you better understand and manage your condition.
1. The PCOS Podcast
Hosted by Dr. Fiona McCulloch, The PCOS Podcast is a great resource for information and support about all things PCOS. Dr. McCulloch interviews experts in the field and provides insights and advice on everything from managing symptoms to improving fertility.
2.OS Diva
Named as one of the best PCOS podcasts on iTunes, we love this podcast because it’s not only educational but also entertaining! Hosted by certified health coach and women’s health advocate Julie Ferris, she brings a fresh perspective to the issues surrounding PCOS and has a knack for presenting complex information in an easy-to-understand format.
3. PCOS Diet Support Podcast
Are you tired of trying fad diets without success? Wish you knew which specific foods are beneficial to eat with PCOS? This informative podcast is hosted by Dr. Diana Browning-Anderson, who provides great insight about diet and nutrition that will help shed those extra pounds. You’ll find tons of useful information about hormone balance and how to eat in a way that will balance your blood sugar, improve insulin resistance, help with weight loss, reduce testosterone levels in women with PCOS, and more!
4. PCOS Women’s Connection Podcast
Want to meet other women living with PCOS? You’ll love the podcast hosted by Dr. Jolene Brighten and Narelle Chenery. Each episode they answer audience questions, interview experts on topics related to PCOS management, discuss news in the field of women’s health and fertility research, share success stories from their clients who have used bioidentical hormones for relief of symptoms caused by hormonal imbalance including infertility due to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), and more.
5. PCOS Life
This podcast is specifically designed to help women living with PCOS improve their health and quality of life. Hosted by certified health coach, registered dietitian, and personal trainer Christa King, each episode provides helpful tips on topics such as exercise, nutrition, self-care, stress management, and more. You’ll also find interviews with experts in the field of PCOS management, which will give you even more insights and advice.
No matter which podcast you choose to listen to, we hope that you find it helpful in understanding your condition and in managing your PCOS symptoms.
How to Lose Weight With PCOS: 10 Helpful Tips
PCOS is a condition characterized by hormonal imbalances, irregular periods, and/or the development of small cysts on one or both ovaries. This condition affects up to 7% of adult females. PCOS-related hormonal imbalances, insulin resistance, and inflammation make it difficult for women to lose weight. Even a 5% weight loss can improve insulin resistance, hormone levels, menstrual cycles, fertility, and overall quality of life in women with PCOS.
Here are 10 helpful tips for losing weight with PCOS:
1. Reduce Your Carb Intake
Lowering your carb consumption may help manage PCOS due to carbs’ impact on insulin levels.
Approximately 70% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance, which is when your cells stop recognizing the effects of the hormone insulin.
Insulin is required for blood sugar regulation and energy storage in your body. High insulin levels have been linked to increased body fat and weight gain in the general population — and in women with PCOS.
2. Get Plenty of Fiber
Because fiber helps you feel full after eating, a high-fiber diet may help women with PCOS lose weight.
Fiber's Reference Daily Intake (RDI) in the United States is 14 grams per 1,000 calories, or about 25 grams per day for women. However, the average daily fiber intake for women in the United States is only 15–16 grams.
Higher fiber intake was linked to lower insulin resistance, total body fat, and belly fat in women with PCOS, but not in women without PCOS, according to one study.
3. Eat Enough Protein
Protein helps stabilize blood sugar and increases feelings of fullness after a meal.
It may also aid weight loss by reducing cravings, helping you burn more calories, and managing hunger hormones.
4. Eat Healthy Fats
Having plenty of healthy fats in your diet may help you feel more satisfied after meals, as well as tackle weight loss and other symptoms of PCOS.
5. Eat Fermented Foods
Healthy gut bacteria may help with metabolism and weight management. According to research, women with PCOS may have fewer healthy gut bacteria than women who do not have the condition. Furthermore, new research suggests that certain probiotic strains may help with weight loss.
As a result, eating probiotic-rich foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods may help increase the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut.
6. Practice Mindful Eating
Women with PCOS have often tried many diets and are three times more likely to have eating disorders. Mindful eating is one potential solution. It promotes an increased awareness of bodily cues, such as hunger and fullness. Mindfulness-based approaches to food may help address problematic eating behaviors — especially binge eating and emotional eating.
7. Limit Processed Foods and Added Sugars
Another PCOS weight loss tip is to limit your intake of certain unhealthy foods. Processed foods and added sugars can raise blood sugar levels and put you at risk for insulin resistance, which is linked to obesity. Sugar may be processed differently in women with PCOS than in women who do not have it.
8. Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation is your body's natural defense against infection or injury.
However, chronic inflammation, which is common in PCOS women, has been linked to obesity. Inflammation may be exacerbated by sugar and processed foods.
9. Don’t Undereat
Long-term calorie restriction may cause your metabolism to slow. Although calorie restriction is likely to result in short-term weight loss, the body adapts to this restriction over time by reducing the number of total calories burned, which can result in weight regain.
Eating too few calories can also have a negative impact on the hormones that control appetite.
In one study, for example, restrictive dieting was found to alter the hormones leptin, peptide YY, cholecystokinin, insulin, and ghrelin, leading to increased appetite and weight gain.
Instead of counting calories, it may be better to focus on eating whole foods and avoiding unhealthy foods.
10. Exercise Regularly
Exercise is a well-known weight-loss strategy. In a 12-week study of 16 women who did 45–60 minutes of cardio three times per week, those with PCOS lost 2.3 percent of their body fat compared to 6.4 percent in the control group. While women with PCOS lost less fat than those without the condition, the exercise regimen did result in belly fat loss and insulin sensitivity improvements.
Weight training has also been shown to benefit women suffering from PCOS.
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