It can get frustrating can’t it when you think you’ve been doing it all right, by the book – eating healthy, exercising more – but still not seeing results?
Or maybe you saw some at the beginning but now you’ve plateaued and hit that demotivation button?
Don’t worry, I’ve been there. For years I was putting my body through absolute extremes, 5am spin classes before work followed by at HITT session straight after. Starving myself through the week to then binge excessively on the weekend and stress the hell out of my body.
There actually is such a thing as doing ‘too much’ with PCOS. Yes a calorie deficit is the number one fat loss strategy, however sending our hormones into overdrive can hinder the process.
The female body is a clever, finely tuned machine with multiple systems all working together to keep you safe, happy and healthy.
Ovulation is a key part for any lady, and whether you are trying to have a baby or not doesn’t matter. Being fertile is a sign that everything is working properly, and your hormones are functioning how they should be.
Your body needs to feel that you have a safe environment to bring a baby into. It’s your bodies way of telling you “you’re doing great darling!”
So – if we are under eating and over training – a double whammy – we are putting our body under a huge amount of stress. We basically send a message to our brain that there isn’t enough food available, putting it into a high stress environment.
Your body has your best interest at heart, and with the current conditions realises now is not the right time for you to have a baby, therefore doesn’t produce enough sex hormones.
Your thyroid hormone then decreases, which lowers your metabolic rate making it even more difficult to burn fat.
With this you will also experience low energy, drive and motivation. Your partner won’t be your biggest fan as your libido will decrease and you’ll get even more frustrated as you can’t shift the pounds!
It’s a downward slope that can spiral out of control if we don’t do something about it.
Being in a calorie deficit is number one for fat loss, and many would argue there is no such thing as under eating. However, when we eat below our bodies maintenance for a long period of time, our BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate) can drop even lower. This makes fat loss harder in the future as when we start to eat normally again, we pile on the pounds quickly.
While there are no perfect ways to measure your EXACT calorific needs, there are plenty of calculators out there to try.
One you can use today!
They take into consideration how active you are, so be honest. Aim for the number given and if you don’t see any fat loss in a few weeks, it would mean your BMR is slower than the average Joe (this is very common in women with PCOS) and we’d need to drop them further.
Over training isn’t as easy to identify and we need to be in tune with our body to see certain signs. Prolonged muscle soreness, poor performance, no motivation, bad sleep, injuries and feeling exhausted are just a few.
Exercise is like therapy and should make you feel amazing.
If it doesn’t, listen to your body. Take rest days where needed. I can’t express how important it is to not overdo it and keep our hormones under control.
When you take care of your body and genuinely listen to the signs it gives you, you will start to feel a million times better.
Your body is your home and on your side.
When it’s not feeling great this is its way of saying ‘help’. Please don’t push me over the edge.
We need adequate nourishment, healthy movement and kindness. The key recipe for happy hormones and a happy life!
If you have any questions, please do reach out to me or drop me an email/DM. I love hearing from you and welcome any feedback!
