Why Two Women Can Eat the Same, Move the Same… Yet Only One Loses Weight

(And the One With PCOS Doesn’t)**

Imagine this:

Two girls.

Same height.

Same weight.

Same workout routine.

Same caloric deficit.

But one is losing weight, feeling lighter, and watching her inches drop…

while the other — the girl withPCOS— feels stuck, swollen, and frustrated.

If calories were the only thing that mattered, this shouldn’t happen.

But PCOS changes the whole internal environment of the body — especiallyhormones, inflammation, and insulin sensitivity— which directly affects fat loss.

Let’s break down the science, simply and honestly.

1. PCOS Isn’t Just a “Hormone Issue” — It’s a Metabolic Condition

PCOS involves dysregulation of multiple hormones, not just reproductive ones.

The major players:

• Insulin (blood sugar management)

• Androgens (male hormones like testosterone)

• Cortisol (stress hormone)

• Thyroid hormones

• Progesterone & Estrogen balance

Even if a woman with PCOS is eating the same calories as someone without PCOS, her hormonal environment makes her body respond differently.

Fat loss is not only about calories in vs calories out —

It’s also abouthow efficiently your hormones allow you to use those calories.

2. INSULIN RESISTANCE — The Biggest Roadblock No One Talks About

Nearly 70–80% of women with PCOS have insulin resistance.

Even if they look lean. Even if their fasting sugar is “normal.”

What is insulin resistance?

Your cells stop responding properly to insulin → pancreas makes more insulin → insulin stays elevated for longer.

Why does that stop fat loss?

1. High insulin blocks fat breakdown (lipolysis).

   
   

   When insulin is high, your body is in fat-storage mode, not fat-burning mode.

2. You store more fat around the belly.

   
   

   High insulin drives fat storage specifically in the abdomen.

3. Hunger and cravings increase.

   
   

   Insulin highs and lows create unpredictable appetite.

4. You feel tired → move less → burn fewer calories.

So even if two girls eat 1400 calories, the girl with PCOS may burn fewer calories and store more of them.

It’s not a willpower issue —

it’s abiology issue.

3. ANDROGENS: The Hormones That Slow Fat Loss in PCOS

Women with PCOS often have elevated male hormones like testosterone and DHEA-S.

These create fat-loss challenges:

• More fat stored around the stomach area

• Reduced ability to build lean muscle

• Slower metabolism due to lower muscle mass

• Higher inflammation, which increases water retention

High androgens increase visceral fat, which is harder to lose even in a deficit.

4. LOW PROGESTERONE + ESTROGEN IMBALANCE = WATER RETENTION + BLOATING

PCOS creates anovulatory cycles → meaning the body doesn’t release an egg → progesterone stays low.

Low progesterone causes:

• Bloating

• Water retention

• Digestive issues

• Mood swings + stress eating

• Difficulty sleeping → higher cortisol

Even if fat is being lost, inches may not show because water is masking the progress.

5. CORTISOL: The Stress Hormone That Works Against PCOS

Women with PCOS often have:

• Higher baseline cortisol

• Exaggerated cortisol response to stress

• Difficulty regulating blood sugar during stress

High cortisol makes the body:

• Hold onto belly fat

• Increase sugar cravings

• Break down muscle (lowering metabolism)

• Mess up hunger hormones like leptin & ghrelin

A girl without PCOS may handle stress normally.

A girl with PCOS sees her hormones swing harder.

6. THYROID INVOLVEMENT: Another Layer

PCOS is strongly linked with subclinical hypothyroidism.

Even “borderline low” thyroid hormone can cause:

• Slow metabolism

• Fatigue → reduced daily calories burned

• Constipation + bloating

• Dry skin + poor recovery

Two girls may eat the same deficit, but the PCOS girl may burn 100–300 fewer calories per day simply due to hormonal adaptations.

7. INFLAMMATION — The Hidden Player

PCOS is a chronic inflammatory condition.

Inflammation:

• Lowers insulin sensitivity

• Increases water retention

• Slows muscle recovery

• Affects digestion

• Causes hormonal resistance

Inflammation makes the body less responsive to a caloric deficit.

**So… Is Weight Loss Possible With PCOS? Yes.

But the approach must be different.**

A woman without PCOS can go into a small deficit and see quick changes.

A PCOS woman needs a strategy that improves:

• Insulin sensitivity

• Hormonal balance

• Inflammation

• Stress response

• Muscle mass

This is why:

• Strength training

• High-fiber, high-protein meals

• Managing insulin spikes

• Gut health

• Sleep + stress protocols

• Specific supplements (like inositol, chromium, NAC)

…work extremely well for PCOS fat loss.

Bottom Line

Two women can do EVERYTHING the same…

But if one has PCOS, her internal biology is simply different.

Her fat cells respond differently.

Her insulin behaves differently.

Her cortisol reacts differently.

Her appetite hormones signal differently.

Her metabolism adapts differently.

She’s not “lazy.”

She’s not “doing it wrong.”

Her body simply needsa different, hormone-supportive strategy.

And when the hormones stabilise?

Fat loss becomespossible, predictable, and sustainable.

If this sounds like you; don’t worry

You can lose fat and fix your condition too

Dm pcos and get started