GOOD AFTERNOON ALL!

Even though Fall has officially begun, it is still cyster month for me and as promised its a new week with more PCOS information.  As you know our power color is teal so even though this dress says Summer (but can easily transition to fall with a denim jacket and bootie) I loved it because it captured the entire essence of all things Cysterly with my PCOS topic of the day: The infamous questions about weight and PCOS. I can’t tell you how often people think I’ve “let myself go” from week to week, month to month even when some of my heaviest looking pictures I was actually still losing weight, but my bloating showed otherwise.

Why would I look so heavy then you ask, well PCOS women are notorious for having IBS, Inflammation, and Excessive Bloating!  No this isn’t just your normal 3 to 5 lbs once a month ladies, PCOS bloating can and does occur at any given time. Whether you are a slim cyster or an overweight cyster, the bloating makes you look 4 to 5 months  pregnant every time. Naturally, I’m a pear shaped woman, but once my PCOS set in in my late teens, I would fluctuate from pear to apple and never understood how my body could morph from month to month until honestly just recently. I know that doctor’s always stressed diet and exercise, but what they should have also stressed is overall gut and digestive health.

When I started to understand what Insulin Resistance really meant (see my previous blog post for more information) and the priority gut health is for women who suffer from PCOS, it truly changed the importance and dollar value I was willing to spend on food. Of course we all like to save a dollar, but when it comes to health and wellness, PCOS forces you to want to step up and spend that extra coin.

Okay so what is it with the gut and PCOS? One word: CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. If you know nothing about inflammation of the body or organs, its the epicenter for disease manifestation.  What’s more interesting is did you know that intestinal flora mediate the inflammatory process in the body? So I had to dig deeper because if women with PCOS suffer from chronic inflammation, that must mean that our guts aren’t thriving properly.

I know that in the world of fad health diets, probiotic remedies, juices, and all sorts of health food items have hit the super markets. However, in all honesty, recent searches have shown that there is a direct link to metabolic dysfunction and gut microbiota.  In fact, women with PCOS have an irregularity of bad bacterial strains versus good bacteria within their guts in comparison to normal women of reproductive age.  In addition women with PCOS suffer from a low presence of the leptin hormone, which could be associated with the level of good bacterial found in the digestive tract.

So what does this mean? Well in short bloating, inflammation, and other IBS issues.  In my many years, I never truly understood why my body would change from week to week (literally I would bloat to where I had to go up two dress sizes) which of course causes my closet to be a confusing array of sizes all the time. Now I realize it all relied on what I put in my mouth sadly.  As much as I wish I could indulge in every tasty, buttery, fat-filled, treat….. I look at my life and realize, it’s not worth the risk most of the time.

CYSTERS

…. it’s time to focus on the GUT but not in loosing it in the traditional since, but healing your gut issues and learning triggers of bloating with PCOS and how to balance out the bacteria within your digestive system.  Honestly, many diseases and health issues are linked to the gut and since women with PCOS are so susceptible to other diseases, we shouldn’t take it lightly considering that we carry excess stomach fat traditionally and are known to have an imbalance of good bacteria. Additionally, studies are suggesting that poor gut health increases the testosterone production and presence of cystic ovaries in general. So how do you go about doing this to reduce your bloating flare ups and inflammation?  Glad you asked because here is some tips to help that have helped me below:

1. KOMBUCHA – ORGANIC LOW SUGAR ONLY  and other fermented foods. I swear my life changed when I began drinking kombucha and thank goodness I love cabbage! I don’t do yogurt often because my body doesn’t like too much dairy (I can do cheese), so make sure you do what works for you with the fermented foods.
2. Inositol and supplements with the balance needed for pcos! Literally Vitachic has helped me so much in keeping my bloating down or almost non-existent.
3. NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS! I REPEAT NO ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS! I put this in my last blog post but I can’t tell people enough how sugar free and pcos do not mix. plus they have negative effets on gut microbiota. You are better off eating real sugar than fake anything.
4. Protein Shakes are your friend!!!!! It’s crucial in balancing out blood sugar. High blood sugar leads to killing off good gut bacteria…..sigh and causes more IBS issues! So if you’re going to eat carbs, match with a protein or just intake enough protein in your day. I keep them everywhere and make them at home (with anti-inflammatory fruit only) because as someone who suffers from insulin resistance, I can’t have high levels of carbs floating around freely.
5. Stay on top of your fiber, especially for breakfast.  Even in times of bloat hell, eating fiber in the morning helps to counteract that  within a couple of days.
6. Eat foods rich in polyphenols – these are plant based compound foods that help reduce blood pressure, inflammation, stress, and cholesterol. These foods include red wine (I have a glass a week almost) green tea, onions, broccoli, blackberries, almonds, beans (don’t do soy though). Please don’t do polyphenol supplements as those are linked to health issues, just get it naturally.

 

I hope you found this read intriguing and learned something new or got to reinforce some things you already knew.  I’d love your feedback ladies and gents (if you are reading this and trying to learn more about how to help your partner succeed in PCOS). If so leave a comment below and as always. Love YA!

With Love,

LoLo