For women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) sugar cravings are very common. Eating or drinking sugary foods and drinks produces additional energy and causes a rise in the blood sugar. The extra energy produced from eating too much sugar at one time is stored as fat since the body doesn't need it right away. This cycle of eating sugar and turning it into body fat can be a really tough cycle to break, especially for women with PCOS. It can lead to continual weight gain which ultimately can be very frustrating.
Typically women with PCOS strongly crave sugary foods, typically in the late afternoon and evening. This just adds to the struggle of weight loss because PCOS sufferers feel like they are compelled to have sugary things particularly at that time of day. When a women gets these sugary food cravings, the extra sugar she eats will be stored as fat and once her body has enough fat it automatically wants to make more fat and this is what causes your body to have strong food cravings. This can really make it much harder for people to be successful with losing weight if they have PCOS. It is a vicious cycle.
Fat is not the only thing that drives food cravings, but stress can be a huge contributor. Most people don't realize just how much stress can alter their body and mess up their health. It can truly affect weight loss of all kinds, including PCOS. If a woman or a girl who has PCOS is feeling stressed out, especially if it's a long term stress, she is far more likely to have deep-seeded strong sugar cravings, because sugar helps to instantly appease feelings of stress. These cravings can wreck even the strongest willpower. The changes the body goes through with stress, makes it highly likely that sugar cravings will be an issue to deal with. This is an important part of how the weight gain associated with PCOS builds up over time.
Quite a number of women with PCOS make the mistake of thinking that fruit juice, even freshly squeezed fruit juice, is a healthy choice for their weight loss needs. This is a mistake. Drinking lots of fruit juice really spikes the blood sugar and directly leads to the weight gain and an unwelcomed increase in body fat percentage. The best way to get fruit into your regular nutrition is to eat fruit in its natural state, such as eating an apple with the skin on. You should focus on eating fruits that have a low glycemic index (GI index) which means that the food has a lower impact on your blood sugar. For women with PCOS focusing on eating foods with a low GI index is a huge part of getting success with PCOS weight loss.
Another mistake women with PCOS make is thinking that artificial sweeteners can replace sugar in their diet and there won't be any negative consequences. Research has shown that when a person uses artificial sweeteners, the brain senses the sweetness and the brain gets tricked into thinking that a bunch of calories are on the way because typically foods that are sweet tend to be higher in calories. Since the artificial sweeteners do not contain the expected extra calories, the brain then sends out signals to the body to eat more food in order to get the calories the brain was tricked into thinking were coming. So the very thing the artificial sweeteners were supposed to help with, which is lowering the calories from sugar, winds up backfiring. It causes people to eat more than they otherwise would since the brain is tricked into expecting those calories.
If you are suffering from PCOS, there are a few ways that you can combat some of your sugary cravings. There are specific herbs and supplements that can really help boost your chances for success along with certain changes and knowledge about nutrition and diet choices. Also, good sleep habits can help a PCOS sufferer to reduce or to get rid of these unwanted and frankly unhealthy sugar cravings. It is important to read all of the labels carefully for the foods and drinks that you consume so that you know what you are putting into your mouth. Look specifically for the carbohydrate content and try to keep the total carbs low so you don't accidentally spike your blood sugar. Eating plenty of fiber and non-starchy vegetables can help you avoid big spikes in your blood sugar that lead to the classic PCOS weight gain.
Women with PCOS should know that there is hope for their situation and that help is available. All it takes is becoming informed and making a few lifestyle changes to reach your PCOS weight loss goals.
Dr. Beverly Yates is an expert on weight loss and women's health, including PCOS weight loss. In addition to having two decades of clinical experience, Dr. Yates is an MIT-educated engineer, and has been featured on countless media including PBS, NPR, CNN, & NBC. For a complimentary free report on PCOS Weight Loss Tips and Secrets, go to http://www.PCOSWeightLossTips.com
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