Piling On The Protein

The very first form of therapy that anyone suffering from PCOS should try is a LIFESTYLE MODIFICATION.  This is also known as, in my unfiltered terms, a swift kick in the ass.  How are you living?  What stress do you have, what do you eat, how active are you, how chaotic is your life, do you smoke, drink too much, or do recreational drugs...???...just staahhhhp!

Here are my quick guidelines for a lifestyle intervention for PCOS:

1) Put down that cigarette.  Find yourself a smoking cessation plan that you will stick to.  Work with your PCP to see if medication may be an option.  When all else fails, just fucking do it already!  I am 32 years old, and I will not lie to you, everyday I want to smoke.  Maybe not all day, but at least some point during my day I think a stupid thought like, "Man, I could smoke a cig right now"...but I don't.  How...WILLPOWER.

2) Reduce your alcoholic consumption. A glass of wine to me is of no consequence, however, if you need a bottle a night to get to sleep or get through a dinner with your family, there is something deeper that needs to get addressed.  Plus, alcohol has a whole bunch of sugar and as you will soon find out, SUGAR IS THE ENEMY!

3) De-stress and get organized.  Pinterest has become my best friend.  There are so many amazing ideas for organizing your entire life.  From de-cluttering your closet to prepping meals a week in advance to ease your way into clean eating.  When you are surrounded by chaos it shows on you physically.  So grab a tablet and pencil and write done your plan to simplify your life and allow yourself some peace!

4) Now we talk about diet...it's simple really...I promise...High protein, low carb, eat from the earth.  That's it.  By pushing protein into your body, you are providing yourself fuel.  Your body burns more fat this way.  Don't focus on calorie counting.  In fact, the only numbers you should pay attention to are grams of carbs vs. grams of protein.  Here is a list of some of the highest protein yielding foods that you want to incorporate into your life:

Food	Amount	Protein (g)
Steak	6 oz	42
Tempeh	1 cup	41
Tuna, canned	6 oz	40
Seitan	3 oz	31
Chicken Breast	3.5 oz	30
Edamame, Steamed	1 cup	29
Hamburger Patty	4 oz	28
Pork Tenderloin	4 oz	22
Tofu	½ cup	20
Lentils	1 cup	18
Black beans	1 cup	15
Kidney Beans	1 cup	13
Quinoa	1 cup	9

I'm sure you have all heard of Atkins or Paleo.  These diets are great for guidelines, but don't fall into the trap of believing that packaged foods with a labeling that cries out the buzz words of these diets.  EAT FROM THE EARTH.  Avoid anything processed or packaged if possible.