ASK AMY: Is Almased Good for PCOS Weight Loss?

Q: I know how important it is to lose weight when you suffer from PCOS. Is the intake of Almased allowed in order to loose weight? Vithiya from Germany

A:  Often it is important to lose weight when you have PCOS.    If you are overweight even a 10% reduction in weight can help reduce symptoms. Yet many women with PCOS have normal BMIs or may even be underweight and still have symptoms.  If you do need to lose weight,  I don’t think the Almased program is the proper way to go about it.

For those who haven’t heard of Almased, it is the #1 weight loss product in Germany.  Almased is a powder, made from  soy, dried yogurt and honey.  The diet consists of an Induction Phase of  drinking only  vegetable broth, water and Almased. After a few days, the Reduction Phase begins during which you replace two meals with an Almased drink. This phase lasts about 6 weeks or until you reach your ideal body weight. Then you enter the Stability Phase. For the next 18 weeks, you replace one meal a day with Almased. There is little research that shows the effectiveness of Almased. The scientific studies available on their website provide mostly information about the negative effects of obesity, not the positive effects of Almased.

There is no cure for PCOS. However it can be successfully managed by proper nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, self-care and perhaps some supplements.  It is essential for women with PCOS to think of adopting  a sustainable lifestyle approach rather than trying diets that you continually go on and off.

I am a firm believer in real food. Women with PCOS are often undernourished.   I don’t know about you but I don’t want to substitute nutrient rich veggies, greens, fruits, legumes and whole grains for a water, soy, honey drink.  Also I am not a big beliver in soy for women with PCOS.  I will tackle that topic in the September issue of the Diva Dish.