Some sources say that about 50% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese. Usually, the biggest frustration in this area is BELLY FAT. The are of the body that’s the hardest to slim down for someone without PCOS, let alone with a metabolic and hormonal condition like PCOS.

When I first came off birth control, I gained 15-20lbs and would’ve been considered overweight. While I’ve never been extremely overweight or obese, I do know what it’s like to feel uncomfortable in the shape of my body, and to loathe my stomach.

I used to wear loose tops all the time to try and hide my belly pooch, trying to fake a flat stomach.

Once I understood more about what PCOS actually is and how it contributes to weight gain, I was able to shed those extra pounds and have kept them off ever since.

My mission today is to help you understand the underlying root causes of PCOS weight gain, so you too can begin to lose fat in a sustainable way. You don’t have to suck it in your whole life! #truthbomb

3 Ways PCOS Causes Weight Gain

#1 Insulin Resistance

Before you scroll away because you’ve been told you don’t have blood sugar issues- read this. Even women with “normal” blood glucose and insulin levels can be insulin resistant. If you want to read more in depth about what insulin resistance is, go check this out.

Chronically high or imbalanced levels of blood sugar or “glucose” means your body needs more insulin to allow glucose to get into your cells. Tons of insulin and sugar floating around creates an environment where you body becomes desensitized to the signals of insulin, leaving you with high insulin and possible high blood glucose.

When insulin is high a lot, it turns into a storage hormone. You might be able to guess what it stores – FAT, on your body.

High Insulin  = High Fat Storage

In women with PCOS, insulin resistance creates issues in the ovaries, and excessive amounts of androgen “male” hormones like testosterone are produced.

With high androgen levels, we will deposit fat in the area that men usually do – the BELLY.

To add insult to injury, high belly fat creates more insulin and hormonal issues, which creates more belly fat, which creates more insulin/hormone issues. . .and you can see where I’m going with this. A vicious cycle of weight gain.

The vicious cycle continues with the next causative factor in PCOS weight gain. . .

Happy Hormones Tip: Eat a High-Fat, Low-Carb breakfast daily to help reset insulin sensitivity and fat-burning.

#2 Inflammation

Science has illuminated in the last several years that PCOS is not only a condition of weird hormones and insulin resistance, but also one of chronic, low-grade inflammation. Typically, this type of inflammation starts in the GUT, which is why we devote a whole week to learning about gut and inflammation in my PCOS Hormone Bootcamp program- it’s incredibly important!

Here’s the kicker: This inflammation creates more insulin resistance, and allows the ovaries to continue over-producing androgen hormones.

Specifically, the theca cells in the ovaries are the androgen-producers, and inflammation leads to the overproliferation of these theca cells, and therefore you get more androgens, more insulin resistance and more belly fat.

Happy Hormones Tip: Eat the rainbow daily. Each colour of fruits and vegetables contains different nutrients and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals to reduce inflammation and reset insulin sensitivity.

#3 Estrogen Dominance

Estrogen Dominance, or the excess of estrogen in relation to progesterone is a common part of PCOS as well. In fact- estrogen dominance (and the above factors) are what lead to ovarian cysts that are common in PCOS.

When in balance with progesterone, estrogen actually boosts metabolism. Things go awry when there’s too much estrogen in relation to progesterone. Then estrogen doesn’t have progesterone to keep her in check and make sure she doesn’t run wild.

Excess levels of estrogen can also be converted into more testosterone, not a great thing when it comes to PCOS, weight gain and belly fat.

Over time, this excess estrogen gets deposited in adipose (fat) tissue, specifically in the lower belly, hips and thighs. Eventually, fat tissue in these areas can begin to create its own estrogen, compounding the problem. More estrogen being stored, and more estrogen being produced.

This makes keeping weight stable difficult, especially with insulin resistance and inflammation also happening at the same time.

As you can see- all of these imbalances feed on each other. They make each other worse, and the vicious cycle continues. . .unless you break it. So go break the cycle!
 

Happy Hormones Tip: Eat 2-4 cups of cruciferous vegetables daily. These vegetables contain estrogen-detoxifying compounds. Examples include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, collard greens, turnip + greens, etc. Check out a full list and examples of how to eat them over here.

Between 40%-80% of women with PCOS are overweight or obese. That is a HUGE number! And no surprise, because of this, weight loss with PCOS is a hot topic in my community. 

Many women with PCOS have a hard time losing weight. I remember when I was first diagnosed, I had put on about 15lbs and was considered overweight. The usual stuff I’d done years ago like spin classes and cutting calories didn’t do a fucking thing. And it pissed me off. 

Maybe you’re pissed off like me when your doctor says “PCOS causes weight gain” and then says “lose some weight” to get rid of your PCOS. Annoying. 

Doctors may even prescribe some scary drugs to help with weight reduction and maintenance. A lot of the time, these drugs come with some hefty side effects, and many women don’t even lose weight on these drugs. 

Today I want to answer the all important question: I have PCOS, How can I lose weight without drugs?

Before you can decide if taking a drug to lose weight is right for you, it’s important to understand what they do and why your doctor may recommend them. Then we can get into the juicy stuff- how to lose weight without drugs when you have PCOS. 

And FYI- I never took a single drug to manage my PCOS or to lose weight. I used only natural methods including tweaking my diet, getting active and using targeted supplements. Now, all of my symptoms are either reversed or highly minimized. 

It’s quite amazing what good old Mother Nature can do when you know exactly HOW to harness her power. 

Now without further adieu. . .

Drugs Your Doctor May Prescribe for PCOS Weight Loss

Metformin

This is probably the most popular drug for PCOS weight loss, at least in my clinical experience. It also has some incredibly nasty side effects. 

Metformin is actually an oral diabetes drug that helps control blood sugar. Because blood sugar issues such as insulin resistance (and many times full-blown Type II Diabetes) are a BIG underlying contributor to PCOS, doctors may prescribe this drug to get blood sugar under control so you can release some weight. 

Metformin works by lessening the release of glucose (sugar) from the liver, where some sugar is stored as glycogen. Additionally, Metformin increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin (our blood sugar regulating hormone) and decreasing the amount of glucose you absorb from the foods you eat. 

Only a few of the MANY nasty side effects of this drug include:

• The Runs
• The Pukes
• The Toots
• Abdominal or stomach discomfort, cramping and pain
• Painful or difficult urination
• Lower back or side pain
• Muscle pain or cramping
• Fevers and chills

In my clinical experience I’ve never heard one women who used this drug that didn’t get some type of side effect from it. 

Want something natural that research has shown works better than Metformin? Skip to the Inositol section below. 

Orlistat aka Xenical

Different than Metformin, Orlistat is a straight-up weight loss drug. No implications for balancing blood sugar here. Simply put, Orlistat stops fat-digesting enzymes located in the stomach and intestines from working properly. This means that about 30%-40% less dietary fats will be taken up by the body, the excess simply passes through and out through your bowels. 

In a study of 90 overweight and obese women with PCOS it was shown that Orlistat did improve weight loss efforts, and side effects were lower than with Metformin (although not totally absent).

My big concern with a drug like this is the long-term effects of blocking important digestive enzymes in the body. Most of us already don’t absorb and assimilate nutrients like we should. 

Additionally, it’s important to note that the women in the above-mentioned study were also put on a special diet and exercise plan- it was not the drug alone that contributed to any weight loss in those women with PCOS.

A few of the side effects of this drug include:

• Oily or fatty stools
• Toots 
• Loose poops
• Stomach pain
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Rectal pain
• Problems with teeth or gums
• Fever, chills, flu-like symptoms
• Skin rash
• Headache 
• Back pain 

Liraglutide aka Saxenda aka Victoza

Liraglutide is another drug often prescribed for people with diabetes, and research has begun to look at its effectiveness in women with PCOS.

In a study of 30 women with PCOS , liraglutide was administered for 12 weeks. What they found was weight did decrease and many women also endured some nasty side effects to get that weight loss. 

The most common side effects included:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Bladder pain
• Bloody or cloudy urine
• Fever or chills
• Unusual tiredness or weakness

Raspberry Ketones + Other “Natural” Weight Loss Aids

Products for weight loss like raspberry ketones can seem really convincing- because who wouldn’t want to wake up pounds lighter?

The real truth is that although it sounds good because raspberries are healthy right… in the long-term, supplements like this can help you gain weight because (1) they aren’t actually made from raspberries, but rather in a lab; (2) they have never been tested on humans and side effects are largely unknown; and (3) many people gain weight when taking the supplement.

Other “natural” weight loss aids I would add to this list (to avoid) include:

• Green coffee bean extract
• African mango
• White kidney bean extract
• And any other carb- or fat-blocker promising weight loss results

How Women with PCOS Can Lose Weight Without Drugs

There are MANY different ways to release excess weight. There’s no one “perfect diet” and a nourishing diet and lifestyle look different for every woman. The strategies I’m outlining below have been researched to be helpful in women with PCOS, and many of my private clients and the women who use my PCOS Fat Loss Meal Plan see results using these methods. 

Inositol

An amazing nutrient for women with PCOS, inositol is a member of the B vitamin family. There are many different types of inositol, and it’s the myo- and d-chiro inositols that have shown promised for PCOS. The body has a natural ratio of these two inositols, which is 40:1, so it makes perfect sense to get both forms in this ratio for optimum results. 

Specific benefits of inositol for PCOS include reduced insulin resistance, improvement in hormonal levels and regulated menstrual cycles. Blood fat (lipid) levels are also improved with inositol, as is egg quality (for my TTC Divas!). 

Like many natural interventions, it’s important to remember that time is your friend. Typically it will take about 3 months to see much of the benefits described here. 

So why inositol for PCOS weight loss? Because inositol helps reduce insulin resistance, there will be less fat storage (insulin is a fat storage hormone) and improved blood lipids both equal a better chance at healthy and sustainable weight loss. 

Product Recommendation: Ovasitol by Theralogix, the only product on the market (at the time of writing) that combines BOTH forms of inositol in the 40:1 ratio our bodies need.

Dosage: 2 Ovasitol packets daily, or about 4000mg plain old myo-inositol. 

Theralogix has been kind enough to extend a discount on Ovasitol for my community (YAY), which shows up at checkout. You can take advantage of that and grab some Ovasitol here. 

If you’re still unsure, check out this chart comparing Ovasitol to other inositol supplements on the market.

Ovasitol Comparison Chart

High Fat, Moderate Carb

I see a lot of information out there about low-carb diets being beneficial for PCOS. The thought is by drastically reducing carbs, you can better balance blood sugar, reduce insulin resistance and then lose weight. 

As someone who has tried super low-carb diets (such as Keto) and have worked with many PCOS cysters who have tried this, I can say it’s not my favourite for PCOS weight loss.

Why?

Women with PCOS often also have issues with their adrenal (stress) glands and thyroid. Cutting carbs down to barely nothing often stresses their bodies more, and their metabolism becomes slower, making them gain more weight than ever.

My approach is a little different. Yes, reducing certain types of carbs (I’m looking at you, white bread!) is absolutely helpful and necessary in any PCOS weight loss regime, in my opinion. 

However, you can still enjoy blood-sugar balancing types of carbs (think high fibre), lose weight and not mess with your metabolism. 

It’s also important to replace the carbs that have been taken out with more fats and a bit more protein. 

You can find a One Day Meal Plan (with recipes!) of what this looks like in my free Ultimate PCOS Checklist, so don’t forget to grab that!  

High Intensity Interval Training

In addition to a yoga practice, or for those who like a challenge, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is for you. HIIT combines bodyweight resistance and cardio exercises in short bursts over a short period of time for maximum impact. No more hour-long treadmill walks. Usually between 10 to 35 minutes, these workouts pack a powerful punch.

HIIT is a FREE and fun activity that is especially good for us ladies with PCOS because it reduces insulin problems and helps to decrease excess body fat. You’ll also be building lean, strong muscle during HIIT, and we all know that muscle burns more calories even at rest than fat does.

I did mention that HIIT was FUN, right? Getting your heart pumping just enough to get some sweat-on but not enough to make you flat out exhausted is always a good choice. Plus there’s the added benefit of happy-enducing chemicals like endorphins that rise and make us feel dynamic when we exercise.

Here are some great beginner HIIT workouts:

• 3 Quick HIIT Workouts for Beginners from Daily Burn
• 18-Minute HIIT from Women’s Running
• 3 Beginner HIIT Workouts from Get Healthy U

Morning Weight Loss Tonic Recipe 

I’m no stranger to struggles with weight loss. I first started dieting and exercising to change my weight when I was 16 years old, although if I had my way I likely would’ve started earlier- even though I was a slim girl, I never saw myself that way. Just because I was one or two pant sizes bigger than the other girls in my class, I thought I was huge. 

I also didn’t have good role models growing up- the women in my family were constantly hating on their bodies and always dieting. I thought that if I didn’t have a flat tummy, toned arms and a “thigh gap”, I was unworthy of being called “beautiful”.

Throughout the next several years, I dieted on an off basically all the time, usually by restricting my fat intake, lowering my calories and doing loads of cardio and attending bootcamp exercises classes at the local rec centre. 

It always worked temporarily, until I was in my early 20s and was diagnosed with PCOS. Calorie counting didn’t work, and when I went back to the treadmill, I gained even MORE weight. I couldn’t understand what the fuck was going on, and I felt like a failure. 

Although doctors and various “experts” over the last several decades have heavily promoted long cardio sessions and hardcore bootcamp classes as being the best for weight loss, this is a total MYTH, and a myth I’m super excited to BUST for you today. 

The Bad Science

First of all, let’s talk science. 

The thought process behind using cardio for weight loss centres around calorie expenditure. For instance, 1 pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. So, if you want to lose 1 pound per week, you need to burn an extra 500 calories per day according to this theory. 

Doctors and others may suggest that doing an hour on the treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike daily with some calorie restriction on your food will get you there. But what happens at the end of the week when you’ve burned all these calories and the scale still doesn’t budge?

Part of this has to do with heart rate. When you do cardio, it’s at a steady pace for the entire time. Generally, this is inefficient at burning fat, as variations in heart rate (like in High-Intensity Interval Training) become more effective partly by “keeping your body guessing” and putting yourself into that fat burning zone. 

Also, doing long, drawn out cardio often leaves us tired and hungry. So we eat more. Or, if we have the willpower to stick with the 1,200 calories a day we’ve chosen for our weight loss diet, we aren’t giving our bodies the proper fuel to recover from this exercise, which creates a mess in your body. We’ll talk about this more in the next section. 

Your Body On Cardio and Bootcamps

To help you understand WHY these forms of exercise are inefficient for weight loss, you must understand HOW your body reacts when you participate in these activities. 

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to use jogging as an example. 

You go out for a run, hoping to shed those pounds. You slowly work your way up to longer and longer distances. 

As you are running, a stress reaction starts in your body. Cortisol, your main stress hormone, is released. While this is a good thing if you’re literally running for your life, chronically high levels of cortisol (i.e.: from long distance running), tells your body to make and release more sugar into the blood so your body can make more energy. 

Higher levels of blood sugar is one of the simplest ways your body packs on the pounds. Plus, this leaves you feeling ravenous. The sugar and carb cravings will be yelling at you and guess what- you’ll likely eat and average of 100 more calories after you’re done than you burned off during the exercise!

Additionally, doing this type of exercise (or other cardio and bootcamps), causes your body to burn muscle instead of fat. Less lean muscle mass slows your metabolism, and it becomes even harder to burn those calories to get the weight off. Plus, you’ll become weaker, more tired and more irritable. And your hormones will start screaming at you. 

High levels of cortisol and imbalanced blood sugar mean hormonal hell. Your body steals building blocks (like pregnenolone and progesterone) to make more cortisol, leaving you deficient in progesterone. Low progesterone isn’t able to keep estrogen in check, so estrogen dominance can result. 

Estrogen dominance then starts a STORM in your body of weight gain- especially in the hips, thighs, belly and back- and moodiness, anxiety, depression and of course- bad periods. 

Many women with hormonal imbalances with estrogen dominance at the root (like PCOS, Endometriosis, PMS, and heavy, painful or irregular periods) feel the worst when they do cardio and bootcamps because it increases their symptoms- even if during the exercise they feel fabulous. 

You can read more about Estrogen Dominance to see if this hormonal imbalance is part of your inability to lose weight and improve your emotional state by clicking here. 

What Can Be Done Instead

So that’s all great- but what can you actually do to effectively burn fat without losing muscle and creating hormonal imbalances?

First, correct your hormonal imbalances with food. 

You cannot out-exercise a bad diet ladies.

It’s just not possible. No matter how long you stay on that treadmill or how many bootcamp classes you attend, if you’re scarfing down a bagel for breakfast and eating take out for dinner every night, the scale is going to climb. 

Second, switch your exercise to the fat-burning kind. The de-stressor kind. Think High-Intensity Interval Training for 20-30 minutes max, and some yoga to balance it out.

As a Holistic Nutritionist and Women’s Health and Nutrition Coach, I get a lot of complaints from women dealing with stubborn fat that won’t budge- especially in the hips, thighs, and on the back in the bra strap area. They try to eat healthfully and spend time at the gym to no avail.

Maybe this is you as well, and you’re wondering if there is any solution to this stubborn problem. 

I myself tend to carry weight in my hips and thighs, although never on the back. In my clinical experience, there is one major hormonal imbalance preventing the loss of fat in these areas- and it may even be causing your PMS!

Why Do I Have Excess Hip, Thigh and Under-the-Bra Back Fat?

The major hormone involved in keeping fat on these areas is estrogen. Estrogen often gets a bad name as it’s been linked to things like estrogen-responsive cancers, cysts, fibroids, and blood clot risk. However, estrogen isn’t “bad” at all, but rather a really important hormone for women (and men, to a lesser extent). 

There are several different estrogens, including those below. Note that I’m mostly referring to Estradiol in this article:

• Estradiol
• Estriol (the pregnancy estrogen)
• Estrone (the menopause estrogen)

In women, estrogen is responsible for:

• Being highest during the first half of your menstrual cycle (menstrual flow to ovulation)
• Breast growth and development
• Maturing follicles (aka immature eggs) for one to be released at ovulation
• Increasing metabolism slightly
• Keeping us lubricated- in our joints, muscles and vagina
• Increasing libido
• Increasing confidence
• Uplifting mood
• Bone growth and protection
• Improving skin by increasing collagen and blood supply

So if estrogen is so good, how could it be causing all this fat on your body?

The answer is estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance doesn’t necessarily mean having too much estrogen, but rather that the estrogen to progesterone ratio is off in the body. These two hormones (like all hormones) communicate with each other and have a very delicate balance. 

If your estrogen levels are high (or low) and your progesterone is way too low, estrogen dominance results. Besides layering fat on your hips, thighs and under-the-bra, estrogen dominance is implicated in:

• PMS
• Infertility
• Thyroid nodules and cancer
• Ovarian, breast and endometrial cancers
• Endometriosis
• Uterine Fibroids
• Ovarian Cysts
• Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
• Fibrocystic Breasts
• Breast tenderness and swelling
• Bloating, water retention
• Depression and anxiety
• Hair Loss
• Painful and/or heavy menstrual flow

The specific mechanism that leads to the extra fat deposition has to do with estrogen receptors. Your legs happen to have a lot of these receptors, so estrogen will deposit here. If your liver isn’t metabolizing and detoxifying estrogen optimally, loads of estrogen can be recirculated and deposited on your hips and thighs. 

As this continues to happen over time, fat cells can begin to produce their own estrogen- no ovaries needed- adding to the estrogen dominance situation and the storage of fat on your body.

Rectifying estrogen dominance is one of the best ways to slim these areas down and generally feel a whole lot better.

Wondering if estrogen dominance or other hormonal imbalances are contributing to your symptoms? Check out my Hormone Imbalance Quiz to find out!

5 Natural Ways to Reduce Hip, Thigh and Under-the-Bra Back Fat

#1 Cruciferous Veggies

Cruciferous vegetables are powerhouses of nutrition- superfoods easily accessible in any grocery store.  These vegetables contain sulphur, an important mineral which is needed for healthy skin. The DIM and sulphur contained in these vegetables helps the body to detoxify excess estrogen, which can cause fat storage and contribute to other hormonal issues like the ones mentioned previously. 

Cruciferous vegetables also contain high levels of fibre- creating amazing poops which allow you to excrete built up hormones like estrogen, as well as move your bowels to reduce the weight of a GI system full of stool. The fibre in these vegetables also balances insulin and blood sugar- something that is 100% KEY to releasing excess weight and managing estrogen dominance- keeping you full longer and not running to the vending machine.

Here are some examples of cruciferous vegetables:

• broccoli
• cauliflower
• cabbage
• bok choy
• turnip
• radishes
• kale
• collard greens
• brussels sprouts
• mustard greens
• napa cabbage
• kohlrabi
• rutabaga
• rapini
• arugula
• daikon radish
• mizuna
• horseradish
• watercress
• wasabi
• romanesco 

My recommendation is to get 2 to 4 cups of these vegetables daily to balance estrogen levels, and mostly cooked so they don’t interfere with iodine absorption. 

#2 Liver Detoxification

Your liver is a major detoxification organ in your body. Everything that comes into your body must be detoxified through your liver before it can be excreted, and estrogen is no exception. If you liver isn’t working optimally, due to the lifestyle factors listed above or due to hormonal birth control use, estrogen isn’t going to be detoxified well. Some of it may end up being recirculated in the body, possibly being deposited in fat cells in the hips, thighs and back. 

Optimizing liver function takes time and patience, but the results are totally worth it. There are many ways to detoxify the liver, and chances are you don’t need 20 supplements a day to do so- a few supportive herbs along with a liver cleansing diet can do wonders for estrogen dominance, fat storage, mood and more. 

1. Cruciferous vegetables: As you’ve just learned, cruciferous veg are fantastic for helping with liver and estrogen detoxification. Aim for 2 to 4 cups daily.
2. Medicinal herbs for the liver: Herbs such as dandelion root, burdock root, yellow dock, turmeric, milk thistle and artichoke all support the liver to detoxify and regenerate. Choosing a capsule, tincture or tea formula like my Detox Tea will make it easy to get these herbs. Follow supplement bottle directions or aim for 2-4 cups of Detox Tea daily.
3. Green Tea: This unfermented tea contains incredible amounts of antioxidants and compounds including EGCG or epigallocatechin gallate. Antioxidants are needed in large amounts to optimize both Phase I and Phase II liver detoxification. Green tea helps the liver to detoxify by improving general liver function, and increasing those antioxidants. It’s possible (although not really studied in detail) that green tea could interfere with fat absorption, and block fat synthesis in the liver. Aim for 2 to 4 cups green tea or 1 cup matcha green tea daily, or use a supplement as directed on the bottle. 

#3 Increase Progesterone

As you’ve discovered, estrogen dominance generally means low or inadequate progesterone levels as well. 

• Like estrogen, progesterone has really important functions in our female bodies:
• Being highest during the second half of your menstrual cycle (ovulation to menstrual flow) 
• Reducing anxiety
• Aiding good quality sleep
• Having a successful pregnancy (it’s the pregnancy hormone!)
• Thickening the uterine lining for potential implantation of a fertilized egg
• Regulating water and sodium balance to reduce swelling, water retention, sore breasts, etc

Increasing progesterone levels can be tricky when you’re chronically stressed, as your body will ‘steal’ the hormone building blocks to make cortisol rather than progesterone, so check out #5 Manage Stress below for more info on that.

There are a few easy ways to begin increasing progesterone production (in addition to managing stress as outlined below):

1. Increase Vitamin C: Vitamin C has been shown in studies to increase progesterone, especially in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. Research suggests a daily dose of between 400mg to 750mg over a period of several months could help with progesterone levels, length of luteal phase and fertility. 
2. Use Cinnamon: I have written and spoken a lot about cinnamon for women’s health. Research suggests using about 1.5g daily of cassia cinnamon can help to regulate menstrual cycles by increasing progesterone. As a bonus, it also helps to balance blood sugar, a major underlying contributor to many hormonal imbalances (including estrogen dominance) and fat storage. 

#4 Xenoestrogens/Environmental Toxins

Toxins like xenoestrogens (man-made estrogen-like chemicals) found in plastics, BPA, household and personal care products (that includes your makeup too!) are a major contributor to estrogen dominance in our wasteful society. It even causes men to have high levels of estrogen, leading to infertility and other problems (like excess body fat) in both sexes. 

This is an important component in regulating estrogen that is often overlooked! I recommend starting by looking at the Environmental Working Group’s Consumer Guides  to see what to watch out for, and which products are safe.

#5 Manage Stress

Stress messes with your hormones. I experience this as one of the major disturbances to my own menstrual cycle- if I’m stressed, I’m likely to ovulate later and experience more PMS symptoms before Aunt Flo arrives. Maybe this is you as well!

When we’re stressed chronically, our bodies put out loads of the stress hormone cortisol to help keep us going. When cortisol needs to be high a lot of the time due to stress, our bodies will take the cortisol building blocks from other hormones- usually progesterone. It’s sometimes referred to as the progesterone steal or the pregnenolone steal. 

You’re left with high cortisol levels, and low progesterone- a recipe for estrogen dominance and hip, thigh and back fat. 

Beyond this, stress messes with blood sugar balance, and elevated insulin can contribute to estrogen dominance and weight gain as well. 

There’s infinite ways to manage stress, and the important thing to take away here is that it’s necessary to manage your stress like it’s your job. Techniques and activities must be done daily to see cortisol and progesterone levels even out, so that you can reduce estrogen dominance and hip, thigh and back fat. 

My recommendation is to try a whole bunch of stuff if you’re not sure yet what helps you become more resilient to stress (because we can’t get rid of stress entirely), and settle on a few things that can be done regularly. 

For example, I meditate, do yoga, walk and limit screen time daily for my stress. 

Your might look different, and that’s okay.

Try any or all of the following suggestions:

• Yoga
• Meditation and/or Deep Breathing
• Walking
• Spending time in nature
• Reading a good book
• Watching a funny TV show or movie
• Having a hot bath
• Giving yourself a face mask or body scrub
• Having a quick 20 minute nap
• Stretching
• Implement a laptop curfew
• Adult colouring books
• Take time for yourself- no screens, no kids, no work, etc
• Get to bed earlier
• Use some essential oils and/or medicinal herbs like this Stress Tea