Sustainable healing with PCOS cannot be achieved by taking a pill, adopting a low-carb diet, and going to the gym. Healing takes so much more. We need to connect with our bodies and ourselves in a more loving way and learn to think like a PCOS Diva. Only then will we be able to willingly and joyfully make the small, day-to-day diet and lifestyle choices that heal our bodies and our minds and souls for a lifetime.
Healing from the inside out is the heart of the PCOS Diva difference. We thrive as a result of self-love and gratitude, not as a result of a trendy, temporary, and unsustainable diet.
Week One: Discover Your PCOS Diva
In Week One, you will discover your PCOS Diva by exploring the foundation of the 21-Day Plan—the way you think about your body, PCOS, and the way you eat. You will discover exactly what works for you. No two PCOS Divas are exactly alike, so you will learn to translate your body’s unique signals and work in partnership with it.
THINK LIKE A PCOS DIVA
We will begin by changing the way you think about PCOS and your body. Surprised? Many of my clients are shocked that the first thing we do isn’t talking about their diet. They expect lists of foods to eat and not to eat right out of the gate. Here’s the thing: until you think like a PCOS Diva, you cannot live like a PCOS Diva. You may make changes that last a few weeks. You may even start to feel a little better. But until you upgrade your thinking, nothing will stick.
In the long run, no drug, diet, or exercise will help you until you take this step. For many women, this is the biggest challenge. It may be easier to pass up a bagel than to look in the mirror and say something nice or prioritize your well-being over someone else’s wants.
So we begin by establishing your PCOS Diva mindset and practicing mindfulness. We will work together to develop a perspective that will drive every decision you make, from what to eat to how to deal with stress. Finally, you will learn how to use gratitude to fuel your journey. Over the next 21 days, we will cultivate these elements of your upgraded mindset:
Control: By the end of this transformative 21-day plan, you will have the tools you need to take control of your symptoms and environment instead of playing the role of helpless victim.
Partnering: Your body is not betraying you; it is calling for help. You will learn how to stop fighting your body and instead work in partnership with it to recognize its signals and respond in a loving and nurturing way.
“With PCOS Diva, I learned how important it is to care for me. I realized that if one of my children or my husband had PCOS, I would have been doing this program long ago. I would tirelessly research what was good for them, and I would do everything I could to help them live their best lives. Why wasn’t I willing to do that for me? I thought I was being selfish by taking care of myself. I now know the opposite is true. I was being selfish by not taking care of myself. My family needs me. Now they have a healthy mama, and wife who is energetic and engaged. They love the food I make from the meal plans and are moving with me.”
—EMMY DARDICK
Abundance: You will celebrate the abundance in your life. Instead of blaming situations on items you lack or imperfections in yourself and others, you will approach each day with gratitude. The positivity this brings will give you the strength to make the right choices for you.
Progress: You will work toward progress, not perfection. No one is perfect. You will set reasonable goals and celebrate the small wins.
Mindfulness: Truly savoring and being present in a moment will become a habit that will change your perspective on the world and how you move, eat, and love.
Nurturing: Caring for yourself is not selfish, and it is about to change your life. When you approach your body from a place of self-love and compassion, you are better able to hear the messages it is sending to you. You will respond to those messages in a kind and nurturing way, because you understand that you are worth the investment. You are a priority and deserve to feel good.
Please do not skip straight to the 21-Day Plan. There is important information in Part One! For example, you must read and internalize Chapter 3, “Think like a PCOS Diva.” It is the key to changing your life, controlling your PCOS, and thriving!
EAT LIKE A PCOS DIVA
During Week One, you’ll also think about what you use to fuel your body. I love the expression, “Nothing tastes as good as feeling good feels.” Although I believe that to be true, eating like a PCOS Diva is no sacrifice. We heal and nurture our bodies with nourishing foods without denying ourselves pleasure. You will discover that:
Food is medicine. Much of what you need to balance your hormones and soothe your PCOS symptoms can be found in the produce section of your grocery store or farmers’ market. You will learn which foods heal you and which foods exacerbate your symptoms.
Your body is sending you messages. Your body is telling you what it needs. Those cravings signal something. You will learn how to partner with your body to translate those signals and give it the nutrients it is asking for. There is no one-size-fits-all diet for PCOS. We will find yours.
Food intolerances, sensitivities, and allergies are at the center of many of your symptoms. You will learn how to detect what is inflaming your body and what is healing it. Do tomatoes give you canker sores? Does bread make you feel foggy? Does dairy cause mucus? Learning which foods to avoid will help you develop your individual protocol for eating like a PCOS Diva.
Preparation is essential. You will learn to set yourself up for success with a few minutes of planning and preparation each day. Preparation will save you from raiding the vending machine at work or skipping your daily walk when you get overwhelmed.
No diet is perfect. Day to day, week to week, an essential nutrient or vitamin may be missing from your diet. Which one is it? Which supplements are right for you? You will learn the supplements that commonly help women with PCOS and how to choose the ones that are right for you.
Indulgence is not an indulgence. Feeling deprived is no way to live, and it certainly is no way to live like a PCOS Diva. You will discover satisfying ways to indulge that will not make you feel lousy later.
Week Two: Live like a PCOS Diva
During Week Two, we add the next building block of the PCOS Diva lifestyle—movement. Truly living like a PCOS Diva is more than just how you think and what you eat. It requires regular, joyful movement. Your body is made to move, and once you are in the right mindset and your diet is helping to boost your energy, you will be inspired to move it!
MOVE LIKE A PCOS DIVA
No, this is not where you order a chaise longue to be carried about like Mariah Carey. We are not that kind of diva.
PCOS Divas know how to move joyfully. We understand that regular movement is an important part of the PCOS Diva lifestyle, but