Posts Tagged ‘PCOS’

Can You Lose Weight With The Gabriel Method?

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

The Gabriel Method is known as the revolutionary ‘diet-free’ way to lose weight. Written by the once obese but now slim and toned Jon Gabriel, this book is unique in that it isn’t focused on a diet or exercise plan. Instead, its focus is on getting your body to ‘want’ to be thin.

This sounds strange, but it can actually happen. The body has what he calls ‘fat programs’; physiological and metabolic changes that cause the body to store fat and prevent it’s loss from the body, in an effort to protect it from a perceived threat of some kind. Just like these programs can be turned on, they can also be turned off, allowing the body to naturally lean towards a state of being slim.

The book goes into detail about how our beliefs and perceptions in daily life can actually result in weight gain, because of these fat programs being turned on. Jon’s background in biochemistry, along with his personal experience, adds credibility to this program.

I must admit, I was skeptical when I first heard about this book, but once I read the first few pages I knew that he was talking about something I know well – the effect of your mindset on your body, and in this case, on your body shape.

Jon discusses how you can change your mindset to turn these fat programs off, and how to allow your body to crave healthy foods and exercise. The book also includes a visualisation CD which is an integral part of the program.

If weight loss is important to you, I can recommend reading through this book and taking on board his suggestions, along with following your healthy way of eating, and the other steps in the Power over PCOS book.

For all the details on The Gabriel Method, click here.

For the Australian edition of the book, click here.

~ Julie

P.S – Let me know your results with this program!

Can You Get Pregnant When You Have PCOS?

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

The answer is “YES”.

Many women are told by doctors “You have PCOS… You won’t be able to have children”, but this is wrong. Yes it can be difficult for some, but not impossible.

There are many women who have gone on to become mothers, either naturally, or with the help of medical treatments.

Ideally, four to six months of natural health promoting treatments should be employed first, before resorting to invasive procedures. Even if you don’t achieve conception this way, your health will be in a much better state to prepare for treatments such as IVF.

To give your body the best chance of conceiving, you need to have optimal nutrition through diet AND supplements, aim towards a healthier body composition (losing fat can help fertility), remove excess toxins from the body via detoxification, and create the right mindset around conceiving… this means focusing on the outcome of what you want and believing it is possible.

A great way to believe that you can conceive, is to read success stories.

I have created a new ebook just for this purpose – to inspire you and show you that you CAN become a mother. It’s called CONCEIVABLE and you can download it here:

http://www.conceivewithpcos.com

Julie

Top 7 Diet Tips For PCOS

Sunday, May 3rd, 2009

Here’s a video of my top 7 diet tips for PCOS, enjoy!

4 Nutrients Important For PCOS

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

For PCOS, certain nutrients are often needed in larger amounts, to help regulate things such as insulin function, hormonal production, and weight control. These include chromium, magnesium, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants.

 

Chromium helps insulin exert its effects on cells, allowing them to take up glucose from the bloodstream to produce energy. Good food sources include: brewers yeast, eggs, mushrooms, beef, liver, spinach.

 

Magnesium has been found to be low in people with insulin resistance. It also helps with blood glucose control, as well as producing energy, and relaxing the muscles and nerves. Good food sources include: green leafy vegetables, bananas, avocados, nuts, and seeds.

 

Essential fatty acids are those fats that must be obtained from the diet. They include omega 3 and omega 6 fats. Omega 3 is usually the type most deficient. Women with PCOS often have chronic low grade inflammation in the body, and EFAs such as omega 3 are anti-inflammatory, as well as having many other beneficial effects in the body. Good sources include: fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, or fish oil supplements. Linseeds/flaxseeds or flaxseed oil, and even spirulina.

 

Antioxidants help to combat oxidation in the body, and women with PCOS have been shown to have an increased state of oxidative stress, which requires more protective antioxidants. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, and berries will supply antioxidants, but it can be hard for some people to get enough, and this increased oxidative stress creates damage to cells and DNA. Supplementation can be beneficial.

 

Julie

New hope for excess hair?

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

A study has found that using a topical cream containing 2% fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) reduces hair diameter by about 18%.

 

Click here for more details:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13678227

 

 

Although this study wasn’t done with women with PCOS, it may provide an option for those sufferring hirsutism as one of their symptoms. Excess hair is caused by an increased stimulation of the hair follicles by testosterone. High testosterone can be triggered by high insulin levels.

 

It’s interesting though, that some women with excess hair have normal blood levels of testosterone. This may indicate that the problem lies in an increase in the locally produced androgens within the hair follicle or skin itself.

 

Julie

Getting tested for insulin resistance

Monday, December 8th, 2008

With PCOS, it is important to get tested for insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when the cells have difficulty taking up glucose from the bloodstream, often resulting in an increased secretion of insulin, which worsens the symptoms of PCOS.

Many people say “But my blood glucose levels are normal”. You can still have insulin resistance and have normal blood glucose levels. It is vital that insulin levels are tested too, but they aren’t always automatically done, so you may need to ask.

Here’s what to ask for”

A glucose tolerance test (GTT) with fasting, one hour, and two hour insulin levels.

This will involve having blood taken before you have eaten anything for the day, then drinking a glucose solution, and having more blood taken after one hour, and then after two hours. This determines how well your body copes with the intake of glucose. Make sure you get the two hour bloods taken as well, sometimes everything else is normal exceot for the two hour insulin level.

Julie

What’s the difference between low GI and low GL?

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

A low GI and low GL diet is known to be beneficial for PCOS, but what’s the difference?

A low Gi diet is one that focuses on foods that have a GI value of 55 or below. The sugar/glucose in these foods is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream, reducing the demand for insulin (high insulin worsens PCOS). Low Gi foods can make you feel more full and satisfied for longer, reducing cravings and hunger, and stabilising your mood and energy.

A low GL diet takes into account both the GI value of a food and the amount of carbohydrates per serving, so it is looking not only at how quickly the sugar is absorbed, but how MUCH will be absorbed as well.

The GL of a food can be worked out by the following formula:

GL = (GI value x carbs per serving) divided by 100. (source: The shopper’s guide to GI values www.glycemicindex.com )

 

 It is important to not just look at the GL of foods though, because you can have a low GL food with a high GI and vice versa. For best results, choose low GI foods that also have a low GL.

 

Julie