PCOS

blessingsfromabove721

Is there a certain diet (low carb, low fat, high protein etc) that you go on if you have something such as PCOS? I don't have it but a friend of mine does. She is a big girl (obese) . her brother is very fit and giving her all these tips like "calories don't matter" " protein is what matters..drink a protein drink at least twice a day. I want to help her and I've been trying but I feel like he's making things too complicated for her and setting her up for failure. Should I continue to 'help' or just let her do her thing?

lindsey1979

The issue for most people that have PCOS is that they have insulin resistance. Not all, but it's commonly linked. So you may want to ask her if she knows if she has insulin resistance or not.

As a result, a lot of people who have insulin resistance restrict carbs in some sort of way. But, there are a lot of ways to do it. Some go totally low carb keto-style diet. Others don't feel that they need to go that extreme. So they restrict carbs in another way. Some opt to keep their overall carbs lower on a daily basis, but not so low to be keto -- this is often 100-150 g carbs. But, they tend to adjust based on personal preference. Others focus on the type of carbs -- they avoid or greatly reduce fast acting carbs (bread, pasta, sweets, juice, sugary drinks, etc.) or starchy carbs (potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.) and primarly get their carbs from glycemic load carbs like non-starchy veggies and certain fruits (berries are some of the best). Others restrict the amount of carbs on a meal basis, making sure that they stay in a certain amount and eat them with both protein and fat.

So, there are a lot of different ways to do it. Check out the PCOS board and I'm sure there will be other suggestions too. The only other thing I've seen suggested by PCOS sufferers are those that use an intermittent fasting regime. Either a daily regime where you only eat 16/8 or 14/10 -- so only for 8-10 hours per day (which usually means they skip breakfast). Or some prefer a weekly IF regime like the 5:2 plan where you fast for two days and eat normally the other 5 days -- this has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, so it may be particularly helpful for someone with PCOS.

Good luck!

Venus_Red

PCOS needs to be addressed at a medical level because of the hormonal issues that are adjunct to anything your friend might be experiencing with her weight. So let someone other than her brother handle that, maybe.

nvmomketo

I have also heard that low carb, high fat can help with PCOS, from books and first hand accounts. I personally have IR, and eating LCHF helped me.

laur357

Agreed. She should get blood work to make sure she isn't insulin resistant or diabetic (fasting glucose challenge, not just a sugar check). If she is, she should talk to her doctor about an appropriate diet. Preferably a doctor who is well-versed in treating patients with PCOS (maybe an endocrinologist or gyn).

kshama2001

My girlfriend's endocrinologist was very helpful in treating her PCOS. I'm sure your friend's brother means well, but she should talk to someone who specializes in this.

blessingsfromabove721

Thank you all very much!