PCOS Awareness Month: Why Intermittent Fasting May Not Help You Lose Weight If Youve PCOS

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a common problem faced by people who menstruate. In this hormonal disorder, small cysts are formed on the outer edges of the ovaries, causing them to enlarge. One of the most common and dreaded outcomes of this is weight gain, which seems impossible to get rid of. To tackle this, we try all sorts of methods and dieting patterns, intermittent fasting being a popular choice. During intermittent fasting, we fast for at least 12-16 hours before eating again. But is this really a helpful choice for managing weight during PCOS? If you have the same question in mind, then you have landed on the right page. Let’s see how intermittent fasting affects your body and whether or not it’s a healthy choice to tackle it.

Also Read: 5 Ways Spearmint Tea Can Help Manage Your PCOS Battle

How Is Weight Gain Related To PCOS?

In PCOS, our bodies become less responsive to insulin which leads to a risk of developing insulin resistance. This causes the pancreas – the organ responsible for producing this hormone – to release extra insulin to compensate. When your body produces extra insulin, it can contribute to increased weight by increasing your appetite, fat accumulation, and reduced breakdown of the stored fat.

What Is Intermittent Fasting And Can It Help You Lose Weight On PCOS?

For the unversed, intermittent fasting is a type of fasting that focuses more on when you eat than what you eat. As per the official website of Johns Hopkins Medicine, you only intermittently at during a specific time. As mentioned above, gaining weight on PCOS is pretty common. However, nutritionist and clinical dietician Anusha Rodrigues (@nextdoornutritionist) shared a video on Instagram explaining why intermittent fasting may not help you lose weight.

1. Skipping Breakfast

When we do intermittent fasting, we tend to skip breakfast as it falls under the 16-hour fasting time. However, it is a bad practice, as per the expert. Skipping breakfast and starting directly with your lunch can only do harm to your body. The expert says breakfast is the most important meal when it comes to recovery from PCOS as it helps you manage your blood sugar all through the day, fight insulin resistance and even curb your sugar cravings. So, skipping breakfast is a no-no when it comes to managing your weight on PCOS.

2. No Focus On Quality Of Meals

The basic rule of PCOS focuses on timings and fasting instead of the quality of meals. This makes you eat all kinds of foods without actually focusing on eating nutritious food. The expert says this is kind of a red flag since eating mindlessly just to break the fast could make you gain weight. If you want to manage your weight on PCOS, eat quality, nutritious food to nourish your body.

3. Sudden Insulin Load

Intermittent fasting makes you fast for a vast gap of time. This means you’ll eat at least after 14 to 15 hours, as per your schedule. This huge gap can result in an insulin load, meaning a sudden insulin spike in your body. This could trigger your androgens and even worsen PCOS, as per the expert.

Can Fasting Once A Week Help Control Your Weight On PCOS?

As per the expert, it may. While it depends from body to body, nutritionist Anusha suggests focusing more on the food you eat in the eating window than just maintaining fasting time. The food that you consume should suffice your nutritional requirements. Fasting should not be treated as a free pass to eat whatever you want during the eating window.

Watch the full video: