Weight Gain & Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, known as PCOS , is one of the hormonal disorders that affects approximately 5 to 10 percent of adult women and the number is only increasing. PCOS symptom often varies between acne, irregular periods, infertility, insulin resistance and weight gain. The biggest catch 22 situation in this scenario is that one of the side affects of PCOS is weight gain but this same side affect if not kept under control further aggravates the syndrome . Therefore after a thorough check up it is imperative to start watching your weight to manage your therapeutic condition better.
Women with PCOS due to the increase in weight and general insulin resistance in the body are more prone to diseases like diabetes and heart. All these conditions can be avoided by simply following a exercise and healthy eating routine specific to this medical condition. The most common mistake made by people with this condition is that they go on fad diets or start starving themselves. All this will do nothing to the condition but only make it worse, making you more susceptible to additional nutrition deficiencies like osteoporosis etc. Here are three simple steps to lose weight with PCOS:
Step 1- Eat Right:
- Limit Carbohydrate Intake: Limit the intake of carbohydrate to 40-50 percent of the total diet per day.
- Avoid Refined Carbohydrates: refined carbohydrates like Maida-based or sugar, shoots up insulin levels which worsen the symptoms associated with PCOS and promote abdominal fat storage. Read more
Being Thin Does Not Mean Being Healthy
Increased body fat percentage and being overweight result in lifestyle disorders that cause heart disease, hypothyroid, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure. Excessive saturated fat consumption increases the cholesterol levels in the body. Certain types of fat are bad for health and some are equally important which are commonly referred to us essential fat without which the body will fail to absorb and process nutrition in the body. Read here to know more about this.
The distribution of fat varies between gentics and gender. Women tend to store more subcutaneous fat which is under their skin. Distribution of fat in women is generally in their hips and thighs area while men tend to store more fat in the middle area or the abdomen. Once the person enters adolescence the fat cells don’t increase in number instead they only increase or decrease in size. Its the male and female hormone that decide the fat deposit destination in the body. For example women with big bellies are considered to have higher levels of testosterone ( male hormone) in their system that causes fat accumulation on the stomach. While if men have large hips its due to the high levels of estrogen (female hormone) in that body part.
We presume that fat people are more prone to metabolic disorder ( also known as lifestyle disorders) but a study by Ruth Loos at the Medical Research Council in the U.K. found that lean people with a specific genetic variant were equally at risk of diabetes, heart disease even though the reports confirmed lower fat percentage in the body. Read more
