PCOS Explained

The term ‘eat in moderation’ is thrown around SO much. I absolutely agree that enjoying a variety of foods in moderation is key to optimal health and feeling great but I think quite often, especially in the PCOS community, we’re told to do this and it makes our symptoms worse.

I’ve talked a fair bit about being really 80/20 with your approach to lifestyle changes for your PCOS but it can be so so hard when you’re struggling with PCOS weight gain. I totally empathise when many of you say this isn’t working for you!

That was exactly the position I was in when I was in the thick of struggling with my PCOS. I was told by doctors and those around me to just ‘eat in moderation’ but whenever I did this, I’d end up 2-5kg heavier after a month!

It’s frustrating because you feel like there’s something wrong with your body, nothing works and this whole intuitive eating thing that’s preached will make your symptoms go haywire — but you don’t want to be overly restricted either.

How do you find that balance without your weight absolutely skyrocketing and your other symptoms kicking off? 

It’s such a fine line to dance but I want to talk to you about this in a bit more detail so that you can understand why this whole 80/20 intuitive eating may be doing the opposite of what you’ve intended — but without swinging completely the other way and becoming super rigid and restrictive. So in this episode of the podcast, I’ll be unpacking why ‘eating in moderation’ might not be working for you and how to create balance without it causing your PCOS weight gain to wreak havoc!

This episode is for you if:

• PCOS weight gain is one of the main symptoms you struggle with
• You’re told by your doctors to eat less, move more and eat everything in moderation but it seems to make your symptoms worse
• You want to improve your PCOS symptoms but still maintain balance in your lifestyle changes
• You’re not losing any weight no matter how low calorie you go

Some things we cover in this episode:

• The calorie equation
• Insulin vs calories — what’s the relationship in PCOS and how does this affect weight?
• Low calorie diets for PCOS weight loss — good or bad?
• Macros and tracking calories

Resources and References:

• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated

How have we made it to my third trimester learnings podcast already?! When I first found out I was pregnant I thought “well, this is going to be a looooong road” and sure it has been 9 months almost but quite honestly, I think it’s gone so quickly.

And as you’re listening to this, I’d have already given birth and be with my lovely little girl — crazy! 

Everyone says that the “honeymoon period” is the second trimester and then you start to feel like very big, slow, flaming hot trash from there on out. But I can pretty confidently say that I’ve felt even better in my third trimester (thankfully). I feel almost completely normal, just with a basketball shoved up my top!

The main thing I found was I had a lot of people (who weren’t my OB, GP and midwife) telling me what I can and can’t do and what I should and shouldn’t be doing. I’m sure they all meant well (even the strangers who came up to me to tell me I shouldn’t be eating my poké bowl 😂 — listen to my ‘pregnancy rules I’m breaking episode for more on that!). 

But at the end of the day, I know my body best and it made me realise, everyone has different experiences. Who knows, if I’m lucky enough to have another baby in the future, I could spend my next pregnancy. I'll be on the couch with my head over the loo for several months!

I got so much wonderful feedback from those expecting and enquiring minds of those that aren’t (or aren’t planning to have children) on my first and second trimester learning episodes so of course I couldn’t leave out the third trimester! And for those of you who are curious — yes I will be releasing a podcast all about preparing for birth and postpartum, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

This episode is for you if:

• You’re currently pregnant or trying to conceive with PCOS
• You have insulin resistance
• The term “eat for two” has been thrown around and you’re wondering if there’s any truth in that
• You want to know how PCOS can affect pregnancy and breastfeeding
• You’re curious as to whether PCOS gets better postpartum
• “Mom brain” is getting to you!
• You’re wondering if you should still be worried about managing your insulin after passing your gestational diabetes test
• You want to know how pregnancy affects insulin resistance and nutrient levels

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Sugar cravings and insulin in the third trimester
• Why you shouldn’t stop being vigilant about keeping your insulin under control after you’ve passed your gestational diabetes test
• Omega 3s and pregnancy
• Do we need to “eat for two”?
• Nutrient levels in your third trimester — and what’s different in PCOS
• Protein and pregnancy 
• What my exercise regime is looking like in my third trimester
• How I’m feeling about birth, postpartum and breastfeeding
• How PCOS affects breastfeeding
• Swelling and stretchmarks 
• “Mom brain”

Resources and References:

• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated

While it doesn’t ring true for every single doctor and specialist on the planet, I know there’s a fair share who have told patients that the symptoms they’re experiencing are ‘psychosomatic’ or as it’s more commonly known — all in your head.

I’ve been there myself and so have so many of my patients — and even some of my staff! I think it’s just so damaging for so many of us to be told that. We turn to doctors for help and to be told all we can do is ‘stress less’ — which we’re doing anyway, although it’s pretty tough when we have all of these uncontrollable awful symptoms — being told this is a massive slap in the face.

That’s why I think it’s so important to discuss this topic, so you don’t feel alone in these feelings. That’s why in today’s podcast, we’re speaking to the lovely Isabel, who I worked with in The PCOS Protocol, which she found out about via my book. After coming off the Pill in September 2020, she felt like a crazy different person — and not in a good way. 

On top of that, she was also really struggling with gaining weight (which didn't make sense based on her lifestyle), irregular cycles, hirsutism, crazy hangry attacks, uncontrollable insatiable hunger and really just not feeling in control of her body or what was happening to her.

Unfortunately like many of us, she was told by medical specialists that it was all in her head and it must be stress related and for a while thought that it was just the way she was, that there was nothing that could be done. If you’ve listened to my podcast for a while, you’ll know this is absolute BS! 

I’ve brought her on to share her story because I know so many of you will identify with this, identify with coming off the pill and just having crazy symptoms or being dismissed by your doctor. I want you to know that you thinking  “no, you know what? It's not all in my head, this is actually really happening" is completely rational and there is so much you can do about all of these symptoms you’re struggling with.

This episode is for you if:

• You’ve been dealing with irregular cycles
• It feels like you’re constantly binging and restricting and you don’t know how to stop
• You’ve been dealing with weight gain
• The hangry attacks you get are insatiable and uncontrollable when they hit
• You’ve been dealing with hair loss and/or hirsutism
• It feels like you’re always thinking about food
• You have insulin resistance (or think you might do)
• You think your hormones are out of whack
• You’ve experienced miscarriages
• Your doctor has dismissed your symptoms or told you it’s all ‘in your head’
• You’ve experienced or are experiencing gut issues

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Dealing with insulin resistance and out of control stress hormones
• Coming off the Pill / hormonal birth control
• Overexercising and undereating — why it’s not working and what it’s doing to your body
• Being dismissed by doctors
• Managing crazy hangry attacks (like 2 large dominos pizzas and a 2 boxes of cookies binges)
• Dealing with hair loss and hirsutism
• Getting back ovulating after consistently missing, irregular cycles
• Cycles, pregnancy and miscarriages
• IBS, SIBO and PCOS

Resources and References:

• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated

If you tuned into The PCOS Nutritionist Podcast last week, you’d have heard me talk about the 5 pregnancy rules I’m breaking — it’s been interesting to see the responses to that episode!

You were probably thinking “okay Clare so what general pregnancy rules ARE you following then?!”. Well, luckily for you, that’s exactly what this podcast episode is about!

There are some key things that I’ve been ensuring I do during this pregnancy to help me feel great and keep me in really good health. 

Thankfully I’ve managed to feel pretty decent for my whole pregnancy - no gestational diabetes, virtually no nausea or morning sickness and minimal cravings (although I did have a bout of awful headaches and a weird texture aversion in my first trimester which meant I ate my body weight and more in celery, carrots and hummus because nothing else really interested me 😂).

So if you want to know about some of the key things I’ve been focusing on doing during my pregnancy and some of those pregnancy rules I am following, pop in your headphones and tune in! I won’t give too much away here 😉

This episode is for you if:

• You’re currently pregnant or trying to conceive
• Trying to understand what to supplement during pregnancy makes you quite stressed and/or confused
• You’re insulin resistant or think you might be
• You want to know some ways that I’m ensuring optimal health during my pregnancy
• Exercising during pregnancy (and knowing what’s okay) is something you find quite confusing
• You want my thoughts on the Covid-19 vaccine in pregnancy

Some things we cover in this episode:

• General nutrition guidelines I agree with in pregnancy 
• What I’m doing to best support my PCOS nutritionally during pregnancy
• What supplements I’m taking
• Covid vaccine and pregnancy — my thoughts
• The exercise rules I am following for pregnancy 
• What additional things I’m doing to help me prepare for labour/birth

Resources and References:

• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS
• 64: What you need to know about pelvic floor health (and no it’s not just for those that are postpartum) with Caitlin Day (The Vagina Physio)

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated

Holy hecka — it feels like my pregnancy has flown by. I’m mere weeks away from meeting my baby girl! Postpartum will be a whoooole different ball game.

But in the meantime while I wait for her, I thought it’d be a great idea to unpack with you the 5 pregnancy rules I’m breaking. Sure there are some recommendations we’re given that are genuinely really important but there are some that are extremely scientifically outdated and aren’t based on a great amount of decent evidence.

So if you’re curious to know more about how pregnancy with PCOS has been for me, what I’m doing and what I’m not, then buckle up and listen in! I won’t give too much away here 😉

I want you to remember though, that this is my choice based on my expertise. As an experienced registered nutritionist, exercise scientist and natural fertility expert, I’m well versed in the latest research as well as having the scientific understanding and rationale to weigh up these risks. I’m absolutely not saying you should go do the same (especially if you don’t have a background in this like I do), everyone’s situation is different. Make sure to chat to your OB, midwife/CNM and GP about what’s best for you.

This episode is for you if:

• You’re currently trying to conceive
• You are pregnant — and are curious about other people’s PCOS pregnancy journeys
• You’ve heard all of these pregnancy recommendations but you wonder how much truth there is to them
• You’re insulin resistant or think you might be

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Unpacking the nutrition guidelines for pregnancy and how they relate to PCOS
• Supplementation recommendations in pregnancy (and the ones I’m not following)
• What my exercise looks like while pregnant and which exercise rules I’m breaking
• ‘Eating for two’

Resources and References:

• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated

As if PCOS isn’t enough to manage in and of itself, many people with PCOS tend to be more prone to autoimmune conditions (like thyroid issues or endometriosis) — which come with a whole raft of frustrating symptoms as well.

Quite often when you’re dealing with a chronic condition (or multiple), you find yourself thinking “ugh… why me?”. It feels like your body just hates you and you can’t win. When you make a change something else crops up and it feels like a never ending cycle of trying things — sometimes they work but then they stop working after a while and you wonder how you’ll ever get on top of it all. Talk about playing ‘whack-a-mole’ with your symptoms!

But as much as it feels like it sometimes, you’re not actually alone. I would say the majority of my patients don’t just come in with PCOS alone (even if initially that’s all they know about). Many have another condition alongside their PCOS that they know about or find out about through testing and investigation we get them to push for via The PCOS Protocol — often it’s things like coeliac, hashimoto’s thyroiditis, hypothyroidism, POTS, endometriosis or adenomyosis (or a combo of a couple of these), and there is often some overlap between symptoms.

Initially it may seem overwhelming, like you have to do 3x the work to get on top of these conditions alongside your PCOS but often when we work on that PCOS root cause, with a couple of slight additional tweaks, we can actually make some massive strides in improving a range of symptoms.

On this episode of the podcast, we speak to Siobhan, who has not only been dealing with PCOS but has also been diagnosed with endometriosis and hashimoto’s thyroiditis. While she got all of these diagnoses in the past 3 years, she’s been dealing with the constellation of symptoms for all of these for many years prior. 

Awful jawline acne, hirsutism, hangry attacks, always thinking about food, irregular cycles, extreme fatigue, PMS, pelvic pain, digestive issues. All things that fall into the symptoms that fit into one of or multiple of the profiles of someone who has PCOS, endo or hashimoto’s.

As someone who considers herself quite highly strung, Siobhan could easily have found herself being overwhelmed with all of the potential changes she may have to make. But what she found was key for her was understanding that root cause, understanding WHY she’s making the changes she’s making, focusing on only those ‘high impact changes’ and starting small. 

Quite often we overwhelm ourselves with a million changes that we’ve stitched together but honestly, so much of it is a waste of our energy. When we focus on a few key changes and doing those consistently with an 80/20 approach, we do FAR better than when we try to do a million changes perfectly all the time. 

F U diet culture for making us think we have to do everything all the time and do it perfectly to get anywhere!!!

In this episode, Siobhan and I talk about her health journey — covering all things PCOS, endometriosis, thyroid conditions and the practical tips she has after more than a year of working on these conditions. We also delve deep into the habit changes that really made a difference in her being able to stick to this new lifestyle.

This episode is for you if:

• You struggle with androgen symptoms like acne and hirsutism
• Birth control has helped your symptoms but now it’s making them worse
• You think you might have a thyroid condition
• You gain weight really easily even if you’re living a healthy lifestyle and eating in a deficit
• You have a very all or nothing approach to changing your lifestyle
• You’ve lost your period and you’re not sure how to get it back
• You think you might have or know you have insulin resistance as [part of] your root cause
• You’r

Something I hear thrown around a lot in the PCOS community is that people with PCOS have a lower metabolic rate. But is that actually the case? 

I think there’s a lot of confusion about this. Given that for many with PCOS ‘unexplained’ weight gain is a problem, there are a lot of assumptions made that this is due to the fact that we must naturally have lower metabolic rates. 

Our metabolisms are extremely adaptive because for our body, the goal is always to survive — no matter what. In my time in this field, I have done a lot of work with people on their metabolic rates and seen a range. One patient I worked with had a resting metabolic rate of 900. Meaning she had to eat under 900 calories to even entertain the idea of weight loss. Sustainable? Abso-fucking-lutely NOT! The thing is, we aren’t BORN with metabolic rates this low. I don’t want anyone to feel like they’re doomed to eating 1200 (or worse, 800!) calories a day to not gain weight — because you’re absolutely not!

Understanding about metabolic rates, PCOS and weight is not something that can be simply condensed down into a few hundred words on instagram, hence me not really posting much about it! But I think it’s something I really need to touch on as there’s so much misinformation out there around this topic. So in today’s episode of The PCOS Nutritionist Podcast, I’m debunking all of the myths and misconceptions around PCOS and metabolic rates.

Struggling with your weight no matter how low calorie you go? Wondering if your metabolism is wrecked from dieting? Repairing your metabolic rate is no easy feat and is definitely something you want to work with someone on. But firstly, we want to determine that root cause. That way we can help you solidify those habits before we go gungho into meddling with calories! 

I can help you with all of these things in The PCOS Protocol. You don’t have to do this all alone and you don’t have to be restrictive in order to get on top of these symptoms you’re experiencing.

This episode is for you if:

• You struggle to lose weight, no matter how low calorie you go
• Chronic dieting has been a part of your PCOS journey
• You have (or think you have) insulin resistance
• You’ve heard that metabolic rates are lower because of PCOS

Some things we cover in this episode:

• What is metabolic rate?
• How do we measure metabolic rate?
• What influences metabolic rate?
• Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT)
• FFM and Metabolic Rate
• Is it decreased in PCOS?
• How to bring metabolic rate back up

Resources and References:

• Relationship between resting metabolic rate and the composition of the fat-free mass
• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated

You’ve heard me say it before because I think we’ve all been there. You get diagnosed with PCOS and you think “yes! finally a reason behind why I’ve got these symptoms going on. Now I can just figure out what to do about it.” You figure that you’ll see your doctor, get a specialist referral and you’ll be on your merry way.

Ugh, as if! As one of our protocolers Lily put so perfectly: “it feels like they’re waiting for you to fall off a cliff before they want to help you.” So of course you go searching the internet ‘abyss’ for information and try to piece together a list of lifestyle changes that can help your PCOS symptoms. Usually that list ends up being so freakin’ long it’s hard to keep up with.

Lifestyle changes can make a massive, positive impact on your symptoms. But it doesn’t mean that loading up on as many lifestyle changes as possible is the best idea. Figuring out what those few ‘high impact’ changes are for you that you can maintain long term is what’ll really make the difference. 

In today’s episode we talk all about this and more with Lily, one of our lovely PCOS protocolers. Like me — and probably a lot of you — Lily is a perfectionist, type A kinda gal. So when she finally got a diagnosis after years of trying and suspecting, she jumped straight into ‘ok now give me the steps to fix this and I’ll follow it to a tee’ mode. Which of course left her feeling disappointed and frustrated when she got only tiny, unhelpful crumbs of information from her doctors. There’s so much information out there, so she ended up with an extremely long, unsustainable list of changes to made life feel really restrictive. She dealt with aggressive cystic acne (like the accutane type, not a couple of measly spots), uncontrollable weight gain, some hirsutism and unexplained fatigue. Not only did we help her drastically improve those symptoms (5.5 inches of her waist, 6 inches of her hips, no need to sleep in the day, cleared up acne and no more hirsutism!) but she’s also come out the other side (and into our Lifers program) equipped with knowledge about her body and with some really solid, fantastic mindset shifts that enable her to continue keeping on top of her PCOS symptoms.

If you’re feeling like you’ve tried everything, you’re feeling like a failure and it feels like the list of things you need to do to get on top of things is miles long, then you’re going to get so much out of this chat. Plus, there were plenty of laughs and relatable ‘that’s so me’ moments along the way — it’s a hoot of a pod!

This episode is for you if:

• You’re struggling with uncontrollable weight gain
• Acne is a major symptom for you
• You find that you’re always tired for no logical reason
• You feel like your doctors aren’t really giving you any options beyond the Pill, IVF and eating less moving more
• You have a type A / perfectionist personality
• You’ve been looking all over the internet for answers and stitching together different recommendations but you can’t seem to get on top of your symptoms
• You think you may have or know you have thyroid issues
• You want to know how to make changes for your PCOS sustainable
• You think you may have or know you have autoimmune issues
• You’re doing so much for your PCOS so you’re confused about why nothing seems to be working
• Talking to your family and friends about PCOS usually ends up in them asking why you can’t eat certain foods and what someone they know did to help their symptoms
• Your tests have come back ‘normal’ but you don’t feel normal

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Weight gain
• Aggressive acne
• Why making more and more changes isn’t always better
• Why conversations with loved ones about PCOS can be difficult and how to approach these situations
• Why your blood tests may show as normal when

It’s really common for people who have PCOS to feel like ‘everything’ makes their symptoms flare up and that they have to do keto or intermittent fasting or go vegan or do some other diet to help get on top of those symptoms.

If those work for you — fab! But I think we can all agree that for most of us, going really gungho into a specific diet doesn’t work. We feel restricted, confused on if it’s even working, we find it harder to be in situations where we can’t control our nutrition and it’s just a lot of thinking about food. All. The. Time.

No one wants to feel so consumed by what to eat and what habit changes will help their PCOS symptoms right? We want to have an idea of what works for us, have some sustainable habits that allow us variety while still being on top of the nasty symptoms PCOS brings and just kinda get on with it — without it compromising the things we love doing. For today’s guest Daisy, figuring out how to do this and manage her PCOS successfully while still running her beloved foodie blog was the dilemma.

We don’t want to be forced into a restrictive diet culture fuelled pattern but we also don’t want to just say F it and let our PCOS symptoms wreck havoc (like her acne, weight gain and missing periods were). It’s a pretty darn tough balancing act — Daisy, like me, is a perfectionist so finding the happy medium between the two was the goal.

In today’s episode we speak all about her PCOS journey — where it all started, her core ‘why’ behind wanting to improve her symptoms, how she manages a food blog (which means she’s given burgers, fries, cakes, drinks, brunches, elaborate dinners) while still managing her insulin, how she got on top of that perfectionist mindset to lead a more 80/20 approach to her PCOS, listening to your body, managing your PCOS while travelling (she’s on her honeymoon!) and her key advice for anyone struggling with their PCOS.

If you feel like you’re struggling with this balancing act between getting on top of your PCOS, enjoying yourself still and quieting that perfectionist voice in your head, you’re going to luuurve this episode.

This episode is for you if:

• You’re struggling with symptoms like acne, weight gain, irregular/missing periods and gut issues
• You don’t want to give up your favourite foods and you’re wanting a way to balance your PCOS and the things you enjoy
• Travelling and managing your PCOS seems like an impossible task and you need advice
• You are a foodie, so the thought of nutrition changes stresses you out
• You have perfectionist tendencies and/or you’re a Type A kind of person
• You want to improve your relationship with food

Some things we cover in this episode:

• PCOS nutrition while travelling
• Non-negotiables
• Making habit changes for your PCOS that are actually sustainable
• Getting on top of severe acne, constant weight gain and missing periods
• Running a food blog and eating out when you have insulin resistant PCOS
• How long it takes to see changes
• What your ‘why’ is and why having a ‘why’ is so important
• IBS and PCOS

Resources and References:

• Daisy’s Food Blogger Instagram
• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated

Ah yes, it’s that time of year again. Christmas was a few days ago and you splashed out on all of the delicious food and drink that covered the table this year. You probably also spent half the day snoozing on the couch due to the food coma that quickly follows Christmas lunch (we’ve all been there). And now that all of the Christmas festivities are over, you’re thinking about the fact that the new year is literally around the corner and what you can do to improve your PCOS in the coming year.

“What goals am I setting for myself this year?”

“I need to get into it come January 1st, so I start this new year on the right foot”

“This will be the year I finally get on top of XYZ”

“I’m not going to fall off the wagon after January”

While the intentions are absolutely spot on with these statements — improve yourself and your health, make positive change, wanting to be consistent — the approach isn’t actually the best for sustainable habit change.

So before the whole ‘New Year, New Me’ hoopla starts up again, Emma and I have jumped on the (podcasting) tools to chat all things New Year's resolutions in the context of improving your PCOS and making lifestyle changes. We talk all about the main problems people face with setting goals for improving their PCOS and solutions to these problems so you can make an impactful, sustainable change this year to your PCOS — without the restriction and berating yourself for ‘falling off the wagon’.

This episode is for you if:

• You’re wanting to get on top of your PCOS but you’re not sure where to start
• You are currently setting your goals and intentions for the new year
• You’re after sustainable changes that aren’t too difficult to implement
• New Year’s resolutions never seem to work for you
• Actually implementing changes and habits is the hardest part for you

Some things we cover in this episode:

• Trying to change everything at once (and why it’s not the smartest option)
• Starting with a habit that’s too big
• Seeking a result, not a ritual
• Setting an “avoidance” goal
• Assuming small changes don’t add up
• Not choosing the right action to get the outcome you want
• Celebrating small victories

Resources and References:

• 99: How to set boundaries, actually stick to habits and be kind to yourself with Clinical Psychologist Dr. Rebecca Ray
• 100: How to actually enjoy the holiday season while still staying on top of your PCOS
• My Book: Getting Pregnant with PCOS

Links to our programs:

• The PCOS Protocol
• Eggducated