While your mom, sister, and friends may describe their cycles as “clockwork”, your period comes and goes as it pleases 🤷‍♀️

You’re growing hair in unexpected places — and at shocking speeds. You can shave in the morning, then have a nearly full-blown goatee by 3 pm (*ahem* definitely not speaking from personal experience). Oh, and the acne! Who said your face would magically clear up once you reached your mid-20s? Such lies.

Check, check, and check? Then you likely have PCOS (here's a sneaky high-five).

Now, there's been a lot of rumors going around, like how individuals with PCOS:

• Have a slower metabolism and, thus, will find weight loss more challenging
• Need to eat a low-carb diet to improve their insulin resistance
• Cannot do X exercise(s) because it (or they) will exacerbate PCOS symptoms

Keyword: rumors. So, what’s the actual truth? How should you plan your diet and training if you have PCOS and are keen on losing weight?

Understanding polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

Here’s the official definition: polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age.

The exact cause of the condition remains unknown. But what scientists do know, however, is that the following factors may play a role:

Is a low-carb diet good for PCOS?

OK, so if you have PCOS, you will likely have insulin resistance.

If you spend time combing through online forums and articles, you'll likely get acquainted with this popular sentiment:

1. Those with insulin resistance (which is most people with PCOS) will find it more challenging to lose weight, AND
2. Only a low-carb diet (like the keto diet) can improve insulin resistance, in turn, promoting weight loss

But guess what? This sentiment is misguided. And is, in fact, scientifically incorrect.

• When calories are controlled, there is no difference in weight loss between individuals with insulin resistance and those without. Take this study published in Metabolism, for instance. After putting participants through a calorie-restricted diet for four months, researchers found no difference between the weight loss in the insulin-resistant and the insulin-sensitive groups. The validity of the study’s results is supported by this 2017 meta-analysis that examined weight loss in women with and without PCOS: it found no difference in weight loss between PCOS vs. non-PCOS groups.
• A low-carb diet isn't the only — or best — way to improve insulin resistance. Yes, really. The truth is that when calories and protein are matched between diet types, research shows that low-fat and low-carb diets are equally effective at improving insulin resistance in the long term.

What’s the takeaway here? What should your diet look like if you have PCOS? Ah, be patient. We’ll cover that in a bit. But first, let’s talk about your training plan.

Are there specific exercises you should (or should not) do?

Contrary to popular belief, women with PCOS do not necessarily have to stick with "gentler" exercises like yoga and steady-state cardio. There is no evidence that high-intensity activities, like weightlifting or HIIT, will exacerbate PCOS symptoms.

In fact, research consistently highlights the importance of regular physical activity, no matter what kind — cardio, strength training, HIIT — to women with PCOS.

The same physical activity recommendations apply; you'd need at least:

• 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity AND
• 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity

There’s no such thing as a “PCOS diet” or “PCOS training plan”

Alright, so what's the takeaway? It's this: even if you have PCOS, the same principles for effective weight loss apply — you don’t have to do anything different with your diet or training plan. More specifically, here’s what you’ll want to do:

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