How to not only survive but to Thrive with PCOS

A beautiful woman with long dark hair and a 10-month old in tow, sat in front of me asking me with tears in her eyes, to help her lose weight.  “I can’t take it anymore! My anxiety is at an all-time high and I am just getting more and more depressed every day.”  she sobbed.  So, as a health and fitness professional, that is what I tried to do.  I put together an individualized program for her and we started working.  

We tried everything, she was game for anything I asked of her.  All she wanted was to be “thin” again.  She was miserable, confused, anxious and disappointed and I was frustrated, I was running out of ideas to help her.   Month after month, we worked together, with no real results.  She was still finding it harder and harder to function.   She was sleep deprived, panicky and stressed out all the time.   I needed to find something to help her deal with her anxiety and stress.  

It was then, that I asked her to visit her doctor and get a full panel of blood tests done.  I was thinking something was going on with her thyroid.  The results revealed a lot, her hormonal markers such as… FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) and androgens to name a few…were way off the normal mark… Her diagnosis? PCOS. (Poly-Cystic Ovary Syndrome)

She suffered with the following symptoms:

·     Irregular and painful menstruation

·     Weight gain 

·     Anxiety and worry

·     Increase stress and depression

·     Insulin resistance 

·     Difficulty losing weight

·     Acne

·     Increased hair growth on face and body (which included a daily ritual of plucking offensive hairs on her face and neck) 

Now, knowing that she had PCOS, I began to look for ways to help, because the only advice she was receiving from her own physician, was to limit her carbs, cut out all sugar, exercise more and LOSE WEIGHT… we had already been there and tried that!

I began to research and further my own education on PCOS, stress and anxiety, disordered eating, and body image, because I saw first-hand the amount of stress, pressure and poor self-esteem she was experiencing.  These symptoms had to do with much more than just her weight. In order to attack her diagnosis and symptoms from all angles, I became a Certified Intuitive Eating Coach, Yoga Nidra and meditation guide, self-care, self-talk and body image specialist.  I knew we had to begin this journey by lowering her stress and anxiety before anything else. 

It was from my own research, education and one on one experience that led me to develop a comprehensive program to specifically address her symptoms…A 5-part program that was not geared toward weight loss, as her physicians continued to recommend to her, but one focused on stress, balance, function and joy. This is how...

This Finally!  Free, Fit and Fabulous program works for women suffering from PCOS, as well as others struggling with weight, anxiety, stress, food or body image issues.

1.     Intuitive and Supportive Eating vs. Calorie Restriction

Diets don’t work. In 1997, Dr. Wayne Wescott wrote about how 95% of dieters regain the weight they lost…Diets, and calorie restriction is not an effective way to lose weight in the long run. Learning the process of trusting the bodies internal hunger and fullness cues and other intuitive eating principles has proven to help people land at a weight that is sustainable and healthy for their bodies.  So, this client began listening to what foods gave her energy, foods that digested easily in her system, foods that she LIKED.  Eating soon became pleasurable instead of stressful and anxiety provoking for her.

2.     Move, Play and Exercise with more JOY! Vs. Traditional Exercise Routines

Disconnecting Exercise with weight loss, calorie burning or changes in body shape is the first step to how moving the body (like we did naturally as children) actually feels.  By taking away the “Have to”, the “Should do” and the “Need to” from your exercise program, you begin to release the anxiety that comes from not doing it “right” and you can start to find more enjoyment in just moving. When you find a way to move that you connect with and enjoy, it becomes a WANT TO, which means less stress that surrounds the idea of exercise. When you want to do something, you do it without guilt, without shame, without coercing…it becomes sustainable and ENJOYABLE! Begin trying some new things...maybe Tai Chi, walking with friends or dogs and dancing.    

3.     Self-Care to Stress-Less

Implementing Self Care is essential in this journey of living with more joy and less anxiety.  There is a tendency to think that taking time for yourself is selfish.  What I would like you to consider is this: the more you think about putting others first, not being “good enough” or trying to change yourself (through diet and exercise) you increase your stress levels.  The more stress you endure both physically (diet/exercise) and emotionally (anxiety, worry, shame, guilt) the higher the levels of cortisol you release.  Cortisol signals the body to hold onto weight and it increases anxiety, irritability and depression.  Finding time for you, through self-care to lower stress will decrease your cortisol and evens out other your other hormone levels.  It is essential to find time to read, pause, journal and meet friends for coffee, and notice if your stress and anxiety begin to lower.

4.     Implementing Positive Self Talk instead of harsh self-criticism 

We all live with an inner critic.  I call mine my “mini-me” and she pops out whenever I am feeling “less than”.  Our internal thoughts and mindset effects everything we do.  The women I meet think about weight, lack of willpower, what they could and couldn’t eat, what they could or couldn’t wear and how much of a failure they feel like. (the mini-me talking).  All of this negative self-talk only increases panic attacks and heightens  anxiety levels.  Through finding a new positive inner voice (your “maxi-me”) You will begin to tell yourself that you are worthy and deserving of self-love, self-compassion and self-confidence and because of this switch, you will also find yourself taking risks and empowering others to as well.  

5.     “Body AA”. Acceptance and Appreciation of the here and now body VS. Body hatred and body shame.

Implementing appreciation and acceptance of your “today’s” body is one that takes time and patience.  It is especially important for women suffering from PCOS.  This development and growth includes practicing and strengthening your Maxi Me voice with self-compassion and self-kindness AND implementing a regular practice of recognizing and owning your individual bodies strengths and talents. YOU ARE so much more than the size and shape of your body.  As you begin to accept yourself as you are, you are able to embark on your journey of sharing you own unique gifts and passions with those around her.  

By incorporating these 5-steps, my clients (and you) will be able to accept and embrace your PCOS symptoms, so that they become much more manageable.  Not only has will you survive you will thrive.  You will find yourself happier while significantly reducing your stress and anxiety, and have the skills and tools to handle it when it shows up in your life. 

Click here to learn more about our services at Shaping Perspectives. 

Finally Free from E D 
It is National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

If you are someone who is in recovery or have recovered from an eating disorder and can spread a positive message of encouragement and hope to others, I encourage you to do so.  Your story and voice maybe just what they need to start their own journey of healing and recovery. 

If you have a love one struggling with an eating disorder, maybe this week is about learning and gathering tips or resources for how to help, support and love unconditionally. 

If you have an eating disorder and having a difficult time call the NEDA Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. Learn what support, resources and treatment options are available for yourself or a loved one. 

My goal of this week's email it to change the conversation and perspective about diets, body image, eating disorders, disordered eating and the diet culture. I want to take the conversation off of our bodies, weight and dieting and share with you how dangerous dieting and eating disorders are. 

Eating Disorders Defined: 

According to the NEDA, "Eating disorders are recognized and categorized as a mental illness where there is an unhealthy relationship with food." Many individuals with eating disorders often struggle with body image and disrupts their normal every day activities with unusual eating habits to alter their appearance. 

There are 3 main categories of eating disorders are; 

1. Anorexia Nervosa (an intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat) 

2. Bulimia Nervosa (the act of binge eating then purging or vomiting)

3. Binge Eating (eating until uncomfortably full in one sitting) 


Causes of Eating Disorders: 

Eating disorders can have one or both causes;  Genetics (the research indicates up to 72% maybe caused by genetics) and psychological (lack of coping skills, control issues, trauma, family trouble or social issues such as the thin ideal or the diet mentality). 


Did You Know: 

• Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness 
• 24 million individuals in the U.S. struggle with an eating disorder
• There is a strong link between eating disorders and depression (of those 24 million, close to 1/2... 50% meet the clinical diagnosis for depression) 
• Less than 10% of individuals with eating disorders receive treatment 
• There is a strong relationship between dieting and developing an eating disorder (35% of normal diets will progress to pathological dieting and 20-25% of those individuals will develop an eating disorder)

The $60 Billion Dieting Industry:

• The dieting industry generated $10 billion dollars in 1980 and presently generates over $60 billion dollars in 2016 and only increasing.
• Diets have a 95% failure rate and those who lose weight gain their lost weight back and put on additional weight within 1 to 5 years

The failure rate is so high, not because individual's aren't good or strong enough but because our BODIES are DESIGNED to FIGHT WEIGHT LOSS.


The Dieting Mentality and Thin Ideal:

• 46% of Nine to Eleven year olds are sometimes or very often on a diet
• 82% of Nine to Eleven year olds, report that their families were very often or sometimes on diets
• 91% of college woman, admit to controlling their weigh through dieting. 22% so they dieted always or often
• 68% of girls ages 10 to 18 confirm that photographs of models and celebrities in magazines inspired their desired body shape
• More than 50% of teen girls and nearly 33% of teen boys admit to using unhealthy methods to control their weights including smoking cigarettes, skipping meals, fasting, vomiting and taking laxatives
   

Dieting Research (food restriction), physiology of weight-loss and weight gain:

• Dieting and food restriction causes intense cravings which often leads to over-eating and over-indulgence
• Focusing on dieting and weight loss is not only distracting but also leads to slower reaction time, ability to concentrate or make decisions due to the lack of adequate nutrients
• Dieting causes leptin and other hormones that satiate people FALL (go down) and a hormone (Ghrelin.. the hunger hormone) that make us want to eat Increase (go up) Dr. Proietti 
• Dieting puts multiple physiological mechanisms in place to get you to PUT the Weight BACK on
• Dieting is an external way of regulating food. Using external factors to determine what, how much and when to eat causes individuals to disconnect from our bodies and our intuition (Getting in tune with one's body and intuition is one of the most important skills that individuals who have eating disorders gain from treatment)
• The more an individual diets, the more weight you gain (chronic dieting history)
• Research shows that those who diet, gain more weight, are more obsessive over food and are at an increase of binge eating
• Research from the winners of the biggest loser competition showed that intensive dieting and exercising were no match for how hard the body fights to keep fat and weight ON.
• Dieting impacts kids, teens, adults and are the leading predictors of weight gain and increase risks of binge eating and eating disorders

Dieting Impact kids, teens and adults (from Evelyn Tribole):

• In kids ages 9-14 (8 to 12%) are at risk for binge eating versus those who never dieted
• Kids who diet, gain more weight and binge more 
• For teens dieting is one of the single most predictors leading to an eating disorder
• Teens who diet, gain weight, binge eat and increase their risk for eating disorders
• Adults who diet,  gain weight, have an increased risk of binge eating and eating disorders

The truth is that almost everything we think we know about obesity and weight loss is a myth.

It's only when we embrace and implement the "science of weight loss" and reject the diet mentality, the thin ideal and the diet culture and learn an integrated comprehensive approach to transforming our relationship with our food, mind, body and self can we make peace with food and our bodies once and for all,  


An invitation to finally make peace with food, eating and your body and join the diet free sisterhood! 

If you are still struggling with eating and your body and it feels like you have tried everything, and believe that freedom from food, eating and body struggles is not possible... Think again!  There is hope and anything is possible!   

I invite you to explore our website, and pic up our free YOU ARE ENOUGH! Finally, Free, Fit and Fabulous Guide...A 5 step guide to peace with food, eating, weight and body image.  

You are worth it. 


Sending Joy! 

Anne Poirier, "Joy Builder"
Founder, Shaping Perspectives... A Woman's Way to Joy!

P.S.  Contact me to schedule one of my most popular signature talks "You Are Enough" Finally Free, Fit and Fabulous! 

Changing Perspective, A Road to Joy

Have you ever had a good mood and a good day destroyed by stepping on a scale? Do you get frustrated, disgusted, disappointed and depressed by what it says?

Are you unhappy with your body? How does it feel when you catch a glimpse of yourself as you walk by a store window, see yourself in a mirror or spend an afternoon of clothes or bathing suit shopping?

Have you gained more weight than you would have liked to through stress, pregnancy, menopause, age, injury, or other life-changing event such as divorce, loss of spouse, disease, job loss, etc.

Do you spend your days beating yourself by listening to your inner mean voice (mini-me) scolding you over your weight, poor food choices, lack of motivation, failure to achieve your weight loss or fitness goals?

You are not alone…In fact

·      75% women are unhappy with the way they look,

·       Over 67% of women ages 15-64 withdraw from life-engaging activities,

·      95% of individuals will fail at achieving their weight loss goals.

I too suffered from hating my body and the way it looked, obsessed over the number on the scale, food choices, diets and compulsive exercise.  My story includes being diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa and Exercise Bulimia.

My first diet was at age 10, I have spent the last 40 years gaining and losing 100’s of pounds. I have done it all including binging, cleanses and fasting. My time, energy and mind has been consumed with the number on the scale, fat grams, calories, what I should and shouldn’t eat, pinching my belly, criticizing my thighs and beating myself up with my inner mean girl “mini-me” because I didn’t look the way I thought I should.

After a lifetime of striving to achieve the perfect body and thin ideal, being frustrated with never being able to sustain any results, punishing my body with exercise until it was broken and needing surgery.  I was DONE.

I decided a few years ago to change my perspective and give up dieting and compulsive exercise  for good.  In addition I went back to school and earned a graduate certificate in Eating Disorders and became a certified Intuitive Eating coach.

Because of this I finally learned to accept, appreciate and respect the body that I was given, I fired the big bully (mini-me) in my head that has been beating me up over the last 40+ years, and began a peaceful, loving relationship with joyful movement, eating foods intentionally and my thighs.  It has changed my life.

In fact I created Shaping Perspectives: A Woman’s Way to Joy to support, guide, educate, encourage and empower other women to find peace, joy, and happiness. 

Women who implement the Shaping Perspectives approach to living, feel more grounded, experience higher energy and live more authentically. They develop a higher connection, awareness and acceptance of body, mind and spirit.

If you are looking to change your perspective and transform your life, I am extending to you

A Special Invitation to join me at in Hebron NH on June 8-11 for a FIND JOY! A Women’s Wellness Weekend Retreat.

Enroll Here

During this transformative weekend, YOU and other like-minded women will learn

a plethora of new tools and strategies to reduce stress and improve self care enabling you to move successfully through the next chapter(s) of your life.

·      You will experience an array of fun and functional movement and play activities

·      You will learn how to transform your “mini-me” (negative self-talk) to more empowering and “maxi-me” (positive self talk)

·      You will learn how to tap into your physiological signs of hunger, and fullness and how to Intentionally and Intuitively eat

·      You will experience a changing perspective on what your body can do for you enabling you to develop the appreciation, acceptance and respect your body deserves.

·      Learn how to support and connect to your authentic self and your best friend (YOU).

DON’T MISS OUT ON YOUR BEST LIFE by adopting the Shaping Perspectives approach to living joyfully. Feel more grounded, experience higher energy, live more authentically and develop a higher connection, awareness and acceptance of body, mind and spirit.

Please join me at the Coppertoppe Inn June 8-11 in Hebron NH.

Go here to enrolltoday

Change: Part 3...Embracing the Roll!

As I sit and share a glass of wine with an old friend, then the conversation rolls around to the changes that have occurred in our bodies.  MENOPAUSE...both of us trying to embrace this life and body changing time of life.

Hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, insomnia, ....ummmm, what was I saying? Oh yeah, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and of course the infamous weight gain. 

" What is this roll on my back?" She askes.  " Where did it come from? How did it get there?"

Wow...I have one of those too...shit.  I admit this to her....and we are intrigued.  After our 20 minute  mini rant, we decide that we should embrace it! 

Embracing the Roll...admit to ourselves and others that it has good memories in it....it is a sign of experience, hard work, love and loss.

As we face our ageing head on, we decide we can appreciate all the work our bodies have done for us over the years.  There is over 60 years between us of group exercise instruction. There are children, grandchildren, marriages, divorces... There is crying, laughing, supporting, encouraging.  There is success and failure.

It is now time to let go of the little things that use to occupy way to much of our brains and thoughts.  It is time ...we will NOT let the number on the scale, or the roll on our back take us down.  We are so much stronger than that.  We are Embracing the roll, and our future.