Why Noom if you have PCOS? | How Noom can help | Managing blood sugar & cravings | Addressing the emotional side of PCOS | Creating new, sustainable habits
- Noom Weight can help women with PCOS lose weight and create new, sustainable changes to the way you eat
- Noom’s color-coded food system your feel fuller on fewer calories with fiber-rich, nutritious foods (which also help balance blood sugar levels)
- A 1:1 coach can help tailor the program to your specific needs and offer strategies to stay on track
- The program’s Daily Lessons provide tools to overcome common PCOS challenges like stress eating and self-sabotaging thought patterns
If you’re a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), you know weight loss is no walk in the park.
You’ve probably had a doctor tell you to manage symptoms by losing weight—but that’s easier said than done if you have PCOS.
The condition itself makes it difficult to shed pounds, so weight loss can feel entirely out of reach.
But it’s not.
Noom Weight is here to help you with resources—including lessons, coaching, and food logging tools—that will keep you on track to meet your weight loss goals and create healthy habits for the long term.
Note: Please consult with your medical provider before making dietary changes.
This is Chapter 4 of Noom's Guide to PCOS:
Why use Noom if you have PCOS?
Weight loss isn’t just a matter of willpower if you’re a woman with PCOS. The condition presents several weight loss obstacles that are tough to tackle solo.
- Hormonal imbalances: Your cells become resistant to the hormone insulin, which contributes to weight gain—especially in your midsection—and cravings. Also, women with PCOS often have imbalances in appetite-regulating hormones.
- Unique dietary needs: Since PCOS affects insulin levels, you need to watch the type of carbohydrates and sugars you consume. You may be advised to incorporate more fiber-rich foods (like whole grains, veggies, and berries) with a lower glycemic index and avoid carbohydrate-rich, processed foods that can spike blood sugar.
- Higher rates of depression: The condition comes with all sorts of challenges—from infertility to excessive facial hair. Combined with hormonal imbalances, these factors make women with PCOS more prone to depression and anxiety.
The good news?
You don’t have to figure out PCOS alone. Noom Weight is here to help you lose weight and thrive, in spite of PCOS-related challenges.
How Noom Weight helps with PCOS challenge
Noom helps women with PCOS balance their blood sugar and manage cravings
You don’t need to cut carbs entirely to manage PCOS (who could say goodbye to Pad Thai?). But it’s a good idea to keep a close eye on carb intake to keep blood sugar in balance.
Why?
Because if your cells are insulin resistant, you’re more likely to see a blood sugar spike when you eat carbs.
That extra blood sugar can contribute to weight gain, cravings, and even binge eating.
That’s where our color-coded food system comes in.
With Noom Weight, all foods are categorized as green, yellow, and orange based on caloric density (CD).
- Green foods will fill you up on the least number of calories. Think: veggies, fruits, and whole grains.
- Yellow foods have more calories. Think: chicken and fish, avocados, starches, beans, and low-fat dairy.
- Orange foods tend to have the most calories and/or have the least nutrients. Think: red meats, desserts, sugar-sweetened beverages, and processed foods.
The color system helps you steer clear of highly-processed carbohydrates and food with added sugar that can cause spikes in blood sugar levels.
And our food logger will help you stay within your recommended calorie range.
At the same time, the color system guides you toward green and yellow foods that include high-fiber, whole-grain carbohydrates.
These foods are recommended for women with PCOS because they gradually raise your blood sugar—no big spikes that lead to weight gain.
You’ll also learn how to incorporate these foods into a well-rounded diet that keeps you feeling full on fewer calories.
And with Noom’s database of over 1,000 recipes, you’ll have plenty of fun ideas for including whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins into your diet.
Noom will never tell you foods are off-limits. We want you to enjoy your Pad Thai.
By using the handy portion size guide within Noom’s food tracker, you’ll just make sure you’re eating a properly portioned serving.
Along with diet, exercise is a key way to regulate hormones as a woman with PCOS.
Every Noomer can opt to be paired with a 1:1 coach. Your Noom coach can help you get started with daily movement that feels doable—like three ten-minute walks spaced out over the day.
While our coaches aren’t fitness trainers, they can help you find activities and exercises that work for you.
You can also use the app’s fitness tracker to find exercises that you’ll actually enjoy—from dancing to ping pong—and monitor your activity.
Just log the activity and the amount of time it took. Noom Weight will calculate the calories burned for you.
Noom’s program and coaches address the emotional struggles of weight loss
There are obvious physical struggles related to PCOS—weight gain, thinning hair, irregular menstruation. There’s often an unseen emotional toll too.
Research shows that women with PCOS experience higher rates of depression and anxiety than those without the condition.
Note: please consult a mental health professional if you’re struggling with these issues, as Noom Weight does not treat depression.
These mental health issues can trigger emotional and mindless eating, leading to more weight gain—which often compounds the depression.
It’s a vicious cycle.
Noom’s program of Daily Lessons helps you break that script.
These daily lessons, quizzes, and simple tasks take you on a deep dive into the emotional and mental aspects of weight loss.
For example, you’ll learn to recognize when you’re truly hungry for banana bread—and when you’re reaching for another slice because you’re bored.
And when you need 1:1 support, our trained coaches are here for you.
Your coach can help you tailor the Noom program to your unique needs, send you informational articles, and even take a look at your daily logger to make suggestions about your food choices.
It’s up to you how much interaction you have with your coach.
Maybe you’re feeling burned out or just need a little pep talk. Your coach is available to help you identify your goals and stick to them.
Noom helps women with PCOS create new, sustainable habits
While our Daily Lessons are brief (just 5-15 minutes a day), they’re impactful.
Over time, they’ll help you build healthier responses to emotional triggers, eat more mindfully, and train your thoughts to recognize true hunger.
Women with PCOS often have increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This can lead to…drumroll:
Stress eating.
You overindulge in high-fat, high-carb “comfort foods” because that’s what your body craves.
With Noom Weight, you’ll learn how to deal with stress eating.
Our lessons help you recognize when you’re about to start stress eating and empower you with strategies—like stocking up on healthy snacks ahead of time or doing a board game or puzzle to lower your cortisol level.
After all, weight loss is about so much more than calories in versus calories out. With Noom Weight, you’ll explore your habits and behaviors around eating.
You’ll gain the knowledge and strategies you need for long-term success.
Get started with Noom for PCOS
Noom Weight empowers users with psychology-backed tips and resources, so they’re able to build sustainable, healthy habits. Sign up for a free trial of Noom today.
