PCOS/PCOD is a common hormonal disorder that brings a lot of changes in a woman’s body. It affects the ovaries, which lead to imbalance in reproductive hormones.
Resulting in irregular periods, enlarged ovaries, obesity, acne, excessive hair growth, and other health problems. PCOD can even cause complications during your pregnancies and increase the chances of miscarriage and premature birth.
One of the common problems that many women with PCOD face is weight gain. Including the right foods in your diet plan can potentially reduce the weight and enhance reproductive health.
So, let’s follow the right diet chart for weight loss and show care to the body
Understanding PCOD and Weight loss
Have you ever thought about why it is difficult to lose weight with PCOD? The majority of females face the challenge of PCOD and often struggle with weight loss, Polycystic Ovarian disease affects your body’s fat storage, Insulin and weakens appetite regulating hormones such as ghrelin and leptin.
PCOD affects these important hormones of your body and makes it tough to reduce weight. This condition increases your hunger and sugar cravings, leading to gaining extra calories. Fixing this is not a tough thing, but you need to be consistent and determined to focus on your diet.
Eating organic vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and drinking fresh juice and an adequate amount of water help to reduce weight. So, focus on a balanced diet and move a step closer to your weight loss journey.
Importance of a Balanced Diet for PCOD
A well-planned balanced diet can significantly impact your body and provide better changes in health. Balanced diet protects you from chronic noncommunicable diseases and boosts your immunity. Having a variety of dishes filled with nutritions and vitamins is itself a gift.
Because, you get all the needed nutrients in a single meal. When it comes to PCOD, you need extra care and attention as this condition can affect your pregnancy. Consuming a balanced diet eliminates saturated fats, processed meats, and refined sugar from your plate and reduces inflammation.
This slows down the release of glucose into your bloodstream and lessens the amount of insulin. Here is a sample PCOD diet chart given, take a glance and plan your next meal accordingly.
Foods to Include in Your PCOD Diet Chart
Hope you got an idea for your PCOD diet plan from the sample chart. Try to follow them properly and move a step ahead towards the weight loss journey.
In addition to the diet chart, here are some key foods to include that contribute to your overall well being and weight loss.
1.Anti-inflammatory foods
Including anti-inflammatory foods in your diet improves the hormone balance and reduces insulin resistance. Here is a breakdown of best choices in different categories.
Seeds and nuts: Flax seeds, chia seeds, almonds, and walnuts are fully loaded with nutrients that help to manage PCOD effectively.
Vegetables: Tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, celery, leafy green vegetables like spinach, kale, and cabbage are superfoods for PCOD.
Lean protein: Chicken, turkey, tofu, salmon, legumes, eggs, chickpeas, black beans, and kidney beans are the best lean proteins that satisfy your cravings and reduce weight.
High-fiber foods: Avocados, olive oil, fatty fish, oats,quinoa, barley, apples, pears, berries like strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries are rich in fiber and antioxidants. These items support digestive health, stabilize blood sugar, and help to manage PCOD symptoms effectively.
Foods to Avoid or Limit
You have planned well to include healthy foods in the PCOD diet chart. Now, it’s time to limit the unhealthy items. Here is the list of edible things that you need to say goodbye.
Processed foods: The food items that include extra preservatives, additives, and colors are processed foods. For example, potato is an organic vegetable, but it becomes processed when manufacturers make them as chips.
Similarly, many products are on the list, such as packaged cakes, biscuits, ice cream, ready or instant meals, cereals, candies, desserts, and instant soups. Make sure you cut off these items in your diet.
Sugary and carbonated beverages: Packaged beverages like sodas, sweetened water, and energy drinks contain too much sugar, preservatives, colors, and artificial flavors. The excessive sugar can spike the insulin and cause hormonal imbalances. It increases PCOD symptoms and other health risks.
Refined carbs: Limiting the refined carbs intake is generally a favor to your body. Items like white bread, pastries, cookies, cakes, muffins, pizza, white rice, waffles, cereals, and other canned products have a severe impact on your health.
It also increases your weight and brings several health issues to your body. Therefore, limit refined carbohydrate intake and switch to fresh vegetables.
Sample PCOD Diet Chart for Weight Loss
For sure, your weight loss journey will be stressful. Planning an exclusive meal is the best way to manage anxiety and overcome PCOD issues. So, utilize this sample PCOD diet chart to make your weight loss journey worry-free.
| Breakfast | Lunch | Snack | Dinner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Day 1 |
1 Cup Of Mixed Vegetable Upma
|
1 Cup Rice, 1/2 Cup Of Dhal, 1/2 Cup Palak Subji And 1/2 Cup Of Low Fat Curd
|
1 Cup Green Tea And 2 Wheat Biscuits
|
1 Cup Of Vegetable Upma And Cup Of Milk
|
|
Day 2
|
2 Dosa And One Cup Of Low Fat Milk
|
3 Roti With A Cup Of Chicken Curry, One Cup Of Mixed Dhal And Half A Cup Of Palak Or Any Leafy Vegetable
|
Sliced Apple With Almond Butter
|
1 To 2 Cups Of Chicken Clear Soup Or Vegetable Soup
|
|
Day 3
|
3 Idly And Half A Cup Of Sambar
|
3 Roti With Half A Cup Of Mixed Veg Salad And Fish Curry
|
Boiled Black Chickpeas With A Cup Of Tea
|
2 Chapati With Half A Cup Of Tomato Subji
|
|
Day 4
|
2 Slices Of Brown Bread With A Slice Of Low Fat Cheese
|
2 Chapati With A Cup Of Ladies Finger Subji
|
Half A Cup Of Boiled Groundnuts With A Cup Of Tea
|
1 Cup Of Broken Wheat Upma
|
|
Day 5
|
2 Methi Parata And A Cup Of Onion Raita
|
One Cup Of Veg Pulao, Half A Cup Of Soya Chunk Curry And Half A Cup Of Buttermilk
|
Cup Of Yogurt With Raw Vegetables
|
3 Wheat Dosa And A Cup Of Subji
|
|
Day 6
|
Half A Cup Of Oats Upma And A Glass Of Low Fat Milk
|
A Cup Of Rice, 1 Chapati And Half A Cup Of Kidney Bean Curry
|
1 Cup Of Green Gram Sprouts
|
1 To 2 Cups Of Mixed Vegetable Soup
|
|
Day 7
|
A Cup Of Poha With Half A Cup Of Sliced Cucumber
|
Half A Cup Of Rice, 2 Medium Soya Chunk Curry Half A Cup, And Ladies Finger Subji
|
A Cup Of Green Tea With Two Wheat Rusks
|
2 Chapati With Half A Cup Of Mixed Veg Curry
|
Meal Planning Tips for PCOD
Diet charts help you in regulating your weekly or daily weight gain. But, many women affected with PCOD looks for exclusive meal plans. This section is for them. Let’s see how a PCOD-friendly meal plan should be.
Meals should include 25 to 30 grams of protein. Lean protein such as fish, tofu, lentils, and chicken helps to regulate blood sugar level and for PCOD.
Non-starchy vegetables such as leafy greens, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, cauliflowers, and snow peas can occupy half of your plate.
Adding a good source of complex carbs makes you feel satisfied and reduces your cravings. So, you can include 1/4th of these items in your plate, quinoa, brown rice, bean-based pastas, red lentil, and chickpea.
Remember, fat doesn’t make you fat and doesn’t affect your blood sugar levels. You can add a tablespoon of olive oil, coconut oil, nut butter, and avocado or any of your favorite fat sources on the plate.
Hydration and PCOD
Adequate hydration is the most essential thing for weight loss and in PCOD diet plan. Typically, a human body needs 2 to 3 liters of water per day. Based on gender, body weight, energy level, and time of the day, the amount of water intake will vary.
You can include 2 liters of water in your PCOD diet chart. Instead of normal water, you can also cut-up mint, berries, cucumber, and citrus fruits to add flavors. It is completely optional and only plain water is enough to keep you hydrated.
Following an average amount of water daily helps to eat fewer calories and reduce the food cravings. It means people can easily maintain a healthy weight and burn more calories.
If you aren’t drinking enough water, then you will experience these symptoms. They are dark colored urine, headaches, dry lips and tongue, increased pulse rate, sleepiness, persistent thirst, tingling in hands and feet, and confusions.
Lifestyle Factors to Support Your Diet
Along with a healthy diet plan, adapting a new and healthy lifestyle helps to reduce weight. So, it’s time to shut off the sedentary lifestyle and practice good habits that resolve the PCOD problem.
Exercise plans
Managing overweight might be challenging, so the first change you must include is exercise. Start with simple workouts and level up once you’re comfortable. You can do,
- Squats.
- Jumping jacks.
- Lunges.
- Crunches.
- Bicep curls.
- Walk for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Joining an aerobics class either online or offline.
- Becoming a member of the gym.
- Practice yoga and meditation.
- Mindfulness practice in daily mornings.
Apart from these workouts, you must maintain a good sleep cycle and eat at the right time. Focusing on these things will bring you closer to the goal of reducing weight and a stress-free life.
Tracking progress and adjusting your diet
Hope you gained a clear idea about your diet after reviewing the sample chart. A daily intake of 1,500 calories is sufficient to help you stay active and lose weight.
Research shows that even a 5% weight loss can help regulate menstrual cycles, improve fertility, and balance hormone levels. Small and consistent efforts truly matter. Click here to access the tracking sheet. You can copy and create your own sheet to track your progress. This tracking sheet will help you monitor every step of your weight loss journey.
Conclusion
Small and consistent steps towards weight loss journey can make a huge difference. So, don’t give up too soon. Make sure you adapt to the new lifestyle habits along with your diet plan. Get permanent relief from PCOD problems and improve your reproductive health.
FAQs
Yes, it is quite difficult to lose weight with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). One of the notable reasons for this is, too much insulin content in your body leads to fat build-up.
Don’t worry because the above listed food items can help you lose weight. And the only thing you need to do is follow the chart without including any cheat food.
Your PCOD diet plan must have red grapes, cherries, blueberries, strawberries, apples, blackberries, whole grains, lentils, beans, brown rice, whole wheat bread, walnuts, almonds, avocados, and fiber-rich foods.
Including these items in moderate amounts helps to reduce your weight and enhance your health.
Saying goodbye to some foods is also important for reducing your weight.
So, avoid these items, such as processed foods, red meat, junk and fried foods, white rice, white bread, caffeinated drinks, sodas and carbonated drinks, alcohol, cakes, candies, sugar, and other refined foods.
