8 Mistakes You’re Making on Your PCOS Nutrition Journey

Because PCOS is strongly impacted by nutrition, it makes sense to start making changes to your diet in the hopes that you will see improvements in your symptoms. However, in my clinical practice, I have seen women feel like no matter what they try, they have not been successful with sticking to the changes they make long enough to see the impact on their PCOS symptoms.

Here are some of the main reasons why I see women with PCOS struggle with their dietary changes:

1. Taking an all or nothing approach– this sets you up for failure time and time again! The key is tackling one specific, realistic goal at a time.
2. Using the scale as your only measure of success– you can be improving sooooo many of your underlying root causes without budging the scale. Don’t give up just because you haven’t lost weight!
3. Skipping meals (especially breakfast)– this sets you up for blood sugar “roller coasters” that are often the root causes of sugar and carb cravings (it’s not because you are “addicted to sugar!”!)
4. Feeling shame or guilt for certain eating behaviors vs approaching with curiosity and using as data– this is HUGE mindset shift that I work on with clients. If you made a choice that’s not necessarily in line with your PCOS goals, let’s approach it without judgment. It’s ok to not eat in a way that supports your PCOS 100% of the time (that is not always sustainable and that’s to be expected!)
5. Thinking movement only counts if it’s “exercise” and makes you sweat– another major mindset shift. Five minutes on the bike doing a low impact workout or walking around the block for 10 minutes after a meal can make BIG impacts on your insulin resistance, so see what small blocks of time you can sneak some movement in!
6. Disregarding the satisfaction factor of meals- if you’re not ENJOYING your meals, you’re setting yourself up for uncontrollable cravings.
7. Not making grocery shopping a part of your weekly routine- guess what? You can’t eat the foods that support your goals if you don’t have them around! Make that a priority!
8. Comparing your journey to others- everyone’s journey is going to be different. Period. Some things will work for others, that will not work for you, and that’s OK!