TIPS on Healthy Living – with PCOS

Compiled from: http://www.pcos-support.org

• PCOS sufferers have a slower metabolic rate than non-sufferers. This is now a fact confirmed by many Consultants, doctors and health experts. Because of this, a high percentage of sufferers struggle to lose weight. The figures are 20% of PCOS sufferers do not struggle with their weight, whilst 80% do.

WATER

• Late evening, make up a glass of boiling water, add a thin slice of lemon to the water. Cover and leave to cool overnight. As soon as you wake-up, drink the water. This will hydrate your system after a night’s sleep. The lemon water will also detox the system, is excellent if you have stubborn bowels and the lemon, being nature’s natural cleanser will help with any skin problems.
• Drinking plenty of water in small amounts is very good. It is better to drink eight small glasses of water in a day, rather than four large glasses at one time. This is because large amounts of fluid consumed at the same time can make you ‘water-logged’ and ladies with PCOS tend to suffer with fluid retention problems. Small and often is the answer. Try to drink lots of fresh, filtered water. It will detox the system and can reduce fluid retention problems.
• NEVER drink from plastic containers or cans. They contain chemicals and your chemical imbalance will be heightened.
• Hot drinks and foods are better for PCOS sufferers. Cold foods and drinks take longer to go through the digestive system, when you suffer with PCOS, so having hot food helps.

MEALS

• When you suffer with PCOS, you have a slower metabolism than non-sufferers, so it is important that you eat small and often. Splitting four meals into six smaller ones, will stop you feeling hungry and help if you want to lose weight. You need to change the food you are eating regularly, in order to keep your metabolism working well. Having six small meals each day, is much better than three larger meals.
• Regularly changing the food you eat will improve your weight loss and stop you getting bored. Having a different breakfast, lunch, evening meal and supper each day, will help. Eating a mid morning and mid afternoon snack will improve your health and weight loss. Going for long periods of time without food will result in your sugar-level dropping and you can get cravings for sweet foods.

FOOD GROUPS

• Most PCOS sufferers are ‘carbohydrate sensitive’, which means that, because of your PCOS, your body cannot cope with starchy, sugary or high-carbohydrate food. If you eat this type of food, it can make you crave more, hence the reason that PCOS sufferers go on a ‘binge’. Your are best keeping to a low-fat, low-sugar, low-carbohydrate, protein diet, with a balance of fresh fruit and vegetables and lots of nibbles.
• Try to avoid eating standard bread, as most PCOS sufferers can be yeast sensitive. You are better eating soda or rye bread, which does not contain yeast. You could also use yeast-free crispbreads as an alternative.
• Try to eat plenty of cucumber and peppers, as ‘nibbles’. Try to eat peppers, particular red, orange and yellow ones, in small amounts. Peppers contain important vitamins that can help PCOS sufferers. They contain lots of vitamins and will help you to enjoy a healthy diet plan.
• Do not fall into the ‘low-fat’ trap. A considerable number of low-fat products are very high in sugar and will certainly not help your slimming or healthy eating programme.
• Try to avoid sugar, fats and high carbohydrate foods. Remember, when you have PCOS you can be sensitive to carbohydrates, so please limit them and fill up with fresh fruit, vegetables, protein foods and home made soups. You can have an insulin problem when you suffer with PCOS, and eating sugar can aggravate the problem. It is much better to use the ‘sugar – free’ alternatives.
• Please eat a tiny amount of protein (the size of a stock cube) just before bed. This will keep your metabolism work. If you follow this with your exercises and a glass of water, containing a thin slice of lemon, you will not only cleanse your system, but you will be taking a positive step towards better health.
• If you feel hungry, eat a small amount of extra protein, perhaps a couple of tablespoons of cottage cheese or a slice of chicken. Protein food provides the special vitamins that PCOS members are short of and it is important to include protein in your diet.

ORGANIC VS. CHEMICALS

• Organic vegetables and fruit are better than ‘normal’ vegetables and fruit. The reason is that as a PCOS sufferers you are very sensitive to chemicals because of your hormone or chemical imbalance. Food that contains chemicals is best avoided. You need to keep everything plain and your fruit and vegetables as fresh as possible. If you are unable to buy or cannot obtain organic fruit and vegetables, please try the following tip:- Wash all fruit and vegetables in a solution of one part cider-vinegar to twelve parts water, then rinse in filtered water to remove the vinegar odour. This can help to remove a good percentage of the pesticides and chemicals that are sprayed onto food whilst growing.
• Please try to avoid processed or prepacked foods, that contain preservatives and colourings. Again, for the reason mentioned above, it is healthier to have fresh foods, whenever possible.
• NEVER eat meals that have been microwaved in their plastic containers. Again, please remember, you have a chemical imbalance and introducing more chemicals will slow up your healthy eating plan. Remove the food from the plastic container, place in a glass container before you microwave. This will be much healthier.

EXERCISE

• Be careful with your exercises. They are important. Start by doing each exercise 10 times each, just before bed, every night. After the first week, you can increase to 15 each night, then the third week 20. Exercises tone-up, burn up calories and remove toxins from the body. This helps sufferers of PCOS. Exercises are better when performed on an empty stomach, before breakfast and just before bed. Research has proven that gentle exercise is good. Walking and swimming are also good. Do not do strenuous exercise, it can turn fat to muscle, and makes losing weight much more difficult.
• Deep breathing exercises are also very important to PCOS sufferers. Taking deep breaths, by inhaling to the count of five, holding for two seconds, and then exhaling to the count of three, will not only expand your lungs, but can improve your circulation, sending oxygen to the brain and making you feel fitter and healthier. Trying these breathing exercises every morning before you get out of bed, will give you a good start to the day. You can also try the exercises if you find difficulty sleeping. Our PCOS sufferers assure us, that they really do work.

1. Mobilise Shoulders – Keeping back straight knees are bent, gently lift both shoulders and release. Repeat X 8.

2. Mobilise Neck- Keep back straight, keep knees bent, turning head to right X 4 and to left X 4. Gently take chin to chest X 4.

3. Pelvic Tilt – Lie on a bed. Keep lower back pushed into bed, slowly lift pelvis and release. Try 5 pelvic tilts daily.

4. Abductors – inner thigh – Push leg past centre line of body. Keep supporting leg slightly bent. Try 2 sets of 10 on each leg daily.

5. Hamstring Curl – Working back of thigh, hold on to wall. Keep supporting leg slightly bent. Try 2 sets of 10 on each leg daily.

6. Abductors – outer thigh – Gently push leg out and slowly down. Try 2 sets of 10 on each leg daily.

• Take plenty of exercise. It does not have to be strenuous. Walking, swimming and doing the exercises on this website will make a big difference.
• Always exercise on an empty stomach (after your lemon water) for the best results. Exercising after food when
  you have PCOS can turn the foods that you have eaten into sugars. This is because of your insulin and hormone imbalance. Better to exercise, gently, on an empty stomach. Five minutes a day is all that is needed, initially.

FERTILITY

• Some PCOS sufferers have serious fertility problems. Please remember that, if you are overweight and you want to conceive a baby, consultants now agree that losing weight healthily, with a well-balanced diet, that provides all the vitamins that you need, will improve your chances of conceiving. Figures show that just losing 24 lbs, if you are seriously overweight, can improve your chances of conceiving very considerably.

VITAMINS

• If you have been taking Metformin for over twelve months, this medication can, in some PCOS sufferers deplete the body of B Vitamins, which are essential for good health. You need to replace these vitamins by eating lots of ‘what we call’ BURNS. Burns are tiny pieces of protein food, which are eaten in tiny amounts every 15 minutes. Not only will they improve the Vitamin B level in the body, but will help the struggling PCOS slimmer to shed unwanted pounds.
• When you suffer with PCOS, you have a hormone imbalance and an insulin deficiency. Eating small amounts of protein, the size of your small finger nail, will give you lots of B vitamins and will stop you feeling hungry, helping you to lose weight and become healthier.
• When your body has adequate amounts of vitamins and you keep to a healthy eating and lifestyle plan to suit your metabolism, you will start to feel healthier. If you have a weight problem, you will start to lose weight and this can result in a reduction in your symptoms of PCOS.