Are you sick of struggling with intuitive eating and pcos?
Yeah, I was too.
These are some things I often hear from folks who’ve tried and failed at intuitive eating:
I don’t get full fast enough and end up overeating
All I crave are carbs and sugar
I keep gaining weight unless I’m tracking
I can’t tell what my body really wants
I never crave the things I’m supposed to eat
I’m always hungry
If this sounds like you, you may be dealing with the lovely (and common in PCOS) combo of leptin resistance and insulin resistance.
Both leptin and insulin are hormones that are deeply connected to our metabolism.
In PCOS we tend to have too much of both, making it difficult for our metabolisms to “follow the rules”
Insulin resistance is what drives sugar cravings, constant hunger, and most other PCOS symptoms including weight loss resistance.
It’s cousin leptin and leptin resistance are similar but more in charge of long term maintenance of weight and in your body’s ability to tell you when it’s had enough to eat.
Ironically, the more weight we gain, the more insulin and leptin resistant we tend to become. Obviously, this is frustrating but the good news is this: leptin and insulin are both connected so helping one can help the other and we know several nutrition strategies to help already.
First, we want to grasp the truth that leptin is likely warping our response to food. We likely don’t feel as full as we should related to the meal we are eating and this can drive us to slightly overeat, leading to long term weight gain.
This is one of the things that makes intuitive eating as traditionally practiced difficult.
If we can slow down our eating, we can get the leptin signal before we accidentally do this.
Tips for leptin resistance:
Slow down, chew a lot
Avoid eating with distractions (on your phone, driving, walking etc)
Eat your most filling foods first (protein, veggies)
Eat until you feel just slightly hungry, then wait another 5-15 minutes
Insulin resistance is the reason for all those cravings that feel out of control- for sugar, starches, etc. The best tips for this issue are:
Low glycemic load diet
More protein (30g per meal), more fiber
Fiber and protein first (same as leptin resistance!)
Explore other reasons for sugar cravings- is it hunger or is it stress, thirst, or tiredness instead?
What I love about PCOS nutrition is that so many of these strategies overlap. It can seem complicated but the way your plate will actually look is actually really simple to incorporate. Protein, veggies, healthy fats and fibrous starches are the basis of all PCOS eating.
For help with all of this and fitting it seamlessly into your life, check out my PCOS courses! Here’s more on that.
