126: Do you need a meal plan, or do you actually need this...?

Ok, let's rewind the clock a few years and take you back to 2005.  At this time I was at university studying to become a nutritionist and racing in triathlons competitively.  You’d think from reading that one sentence that I would have nutrition down pat - and I thought I did! But the reality was that I was really struggling with a plan for my nutrition. I was eating ‘all the right things’ yet I was getting this INSANE sugar cravings I couldn’t seem to get on top of.  I would find myself ploughing through pastries, chocolate and crisps and then thinking “what the heck am I doing?!” then go back to trying to eat less and those classic food pyramid recommendations, all for this cycle to happen all over again. I thought I needed a better meal plan.  If I could just have a good meal plan I'd stick to it.  But what I actually needed was better blood sugar and stress management.  This is the same as Jamie, one of our patients, who sent us this email the other day: “I first thought the protocol was going to be another impersonal programme where you are just emailed diets and information and are told what to eat.  I was also concerned that I wouldn't have the willpower to stick with the changes.  After years of trying and failing different diets and dealing with crazy hormones, I was very worried I would sign up and not be able to stick to the lifestyle changes Never in a million years did I think I would ever be able to have a relationship with food like I have now. I have found it so easy to maintain my weight and periods for the first time in my life.” For the majority of patients we see, it’s not that they don’t know how to live a healthy lifestyle or that they need a meal plan to stick to - in fact, I rarely see it being helpful.  What most PCOS patients need is to understand their root cause that’s driving those symptoms. Once they’ve figured that out, they’re able to eat in a way that’s not only sustainable but also INTUITIVE!  If you’re feeling like I’ve just read your mind (and you’re struggling with your nutrition), have another listen to this podcast we did with Stephanie. This episode is for you if:Have insatiable sugar cravingsFeel tired and hungry pretty much all the timeHave tried sugar cleanses or cutting sugar completely but haven’t been able to maintain itFeel like you have no willpower when it comes to avoiding snacks and sweet treatsHangry attacks feel like a regular occurrence to youYou want to feel more in control of your food, instead of it controlling youSome things we cover in this episode:Insulin’s relationship with sugarHow Stephanie overcame her sugar addictionLack of sleep and its effects on insulin and sugar cravingsStephanie’s story with PCOSMethods that Stephanie tried for curbing cravings – what works and what doesn’tSugar ‘cleanses’ and ‘detoxing’The difference between PCOS and ovarian cystsNegative self talk when it comes to foodResources and References:Ovie InstagramThe PCOS Nutritionist InstagramThe PCOS Nutritionist TiktokMy Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOSLinks to our programs:The PCOS Protocol