Polycystic Ovary & Weight Loss

Polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS, affects up to 10 percent of women of childbearing age, according to 2010 information from Mayoclinic.com. The exact causes of this condition remain unknown, but inefficient use of insulin, the hormone your body uses to move glucose into the cells for energy, appears to play a role. A majority of women with this condition are overweight. Eating to reduce insulin levels might help with weight loss, which can reduce symptoms. Maintaining a healthy weight will reduce your increased risk of other health problems associated with this condition. No official PCOS weight loss diet exists, nor do official recommendations on number of calories daily.

Insulin and Weight Gain

When you eat carbohydrates, your body turns them into glucose, a type of sugar that serves as your body's primary energy source. When your body cannot use insulin properly, as in the case of PCOS, the pancreas produces more notes Barry Groves Ph.D. on his website, Second Opinions. This causes more glucose to enter your cells than necessary, leading your body to store the excess as fat rather than remove it from your body via the urine. Eating in a way that keeps blood sugar levels stable and reduces the release of insulin can head off this process that leads to extra pounds.

Eating the Right Carbohydrates

All carbohydrates turn into glucose eventually and you need them to survive, so the goal becomes eating the right types. Carbohydrates rich in fiber break down more slowly, leading to a steadier release of glucose and insulin, notes registered dietitian Katie Clark on Dietchannel.com. Good choices include whole grains and non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens. You should reduce your intake of refined, white flour carbohydrate because stripped of most of their fiber, they break down very quickly, notes Clark. You should also cut back on foods rich in white sugar and high fructose corn syrup as they produce the same effect.

No official dietary guidelines exist for daily carbohydrate intake, but Dr. Walter Futterweit of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine recommends that overweight women with PCOS limit carbohydrate intakes to about 40 percent or less. Work with your doctor or other qualified health care professional for guidance on personal intake.

Reducing Fat Intake

While eating the right types of carbohydrates to control insulin will offer the greatest weight loss benefit for PCOS, you still need to watch fat intake. This means cutting back on saturated fats found in full-fat dairy and meat --- red meat in particular. Generally, a healthy diet calls for reducing saturated fat to no less than 10 percent of your total daily calories; if you already have high cholesterol or other factors for heart disease, recommendations call for 7 percent or less, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center website. To figure out daily fat intake, you must work with your nutritionist or doctor to determine daily calorie needs; no blanket suggestions exist for PCOS. Daily needs will depend on activity level, amount of weight you need to lose and other factors such as other medical conditions. You should also avoid trans fats found in fried foods, fast food, shortening and any commercial product that lists hydrogenated oil among its ingredients.

Considerations for Low-Carbohydrate Diets

Reduced carbohydrate diets naturally lead to an increase in protein intake, much of it high in saturated fat and cholesterol, contributing to weight gain, warns MayoClinic.com. Choose lean proteins like chicken, turkey, lean cuts of red meat like sirloin, fish, soy and beans. Eating too little carbohydrates can also cause ketosis, a process in which your body burns fat for energy rather than carbs. Excessive levels of ketones can cause problems like kidney damage.

Eating the Right Way

Eating a certain way can also contribute to better blood sugar levels. Pairing carbohydrates with fats and proteins can temper their breakdown notes registered dietitian Martha McKittrick, writing for Obgyn.net. Space out your carbohydrate intake throughout the day rather than eating the bulk of it in one sitting. Eating the same amount of carbohydrates around the same time each day also helps.