7 PCOS (now PMOS) Beginner Mistakes I Made (So You Don’t have To)
This post covers 7 PCOS (now PMOS) beginner mistakes I made when I was diagnosed and what you can do so you don’t have to make them.
When I first started learning about PCOS/PMOS, I thought the solution was going to be simple. Eat less. Exercise more. Cut out carbs. Reduce stress. Sleep perfectly. Take the right supplements. And, presumably, become a completely different person by Tuesday. Instead, I ended up exhausted, overwhelmed and more confused than when I started.
The problem wasn’t that I wasn’t trying hard enough. The problem was that I was trying to do everything. And if you’re currently googling things like “What should I eat with PCOS?/PMOS”, “How much should I exercise with PCOS/PMOS?” or “Why isn’t my PCOS/PMOS getting better?”, you might be making some of the same mistakes I was.
So let’s talk about them. Not so I can tell you how to live your life, but so you can hopefully skip some of the trial and error I went through.
7 PCOS mistakes
1. Not eating enough as one of the PCOS mistakes
As I said, this was one of my biggest PCOS mistakes (and at this point I was a dietetics student, so I should know better). I didn’t have a problem with my weight because of PCOS/PMOS. Although I did gain a couple of pounds, I thought that to maintain a certain weight and manage my symptoms, I needed to eat less.
So I started cutting portions, skipping meals, and ignoring hunger. It seemed perfectly logical at the time. But eventually, I was tired, constantly thinking about food and finding it increasingly difficult to stick to the rules I’d created for myself.
The problem with eating too little: When you’re trying to figure out PCOS/PMOS and food, it’s incredibly easy to fall into restriction. There are so many foods you’re told to avoid that your meals can become smaller and smaller until you’re basically surviving on coffee and optimism. But “healthy eating” doesn’t mean eating as little as possible. Your body needs adequate energy and nutrients to meet your energy needs, support your hormones, and maintain muscle mass. And if you’re constantly hungry, exhausted, or thinking about your next meal, that’s information worth paying attention to.
What you can try: Instead of starting with “What can I cut out?”, start with: “What can I add to my plate to make it more balanced?” Aim for regular, balanced meals that actually keep you satisfied. On this blog, I already talked about balanced meals with PCOS/PMOS, so aim for your plate to always contain:
- A source of protein.
- Fiber-rich carbohydrates.
- Vegetables for extra fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
- Healthy fats.
And if you’re unsure how much or what you personally need, a registered dietitian or healthcare professional can help you work that out based on your individual situation.
2. Not exercising the right way
My second mistake was assuming that more exercise automatically meant better PCOS/PMOS management. So I pushed myself. Hard workouts. More workouts. Longer workouts. If you combine that with not eating enough (so you don’t have enough energy to do things), you get one really exhausted human. So after some time, I stopped exercising altogether. Also a big mistake, because exercise helps you maintain muscle mass and support your cardiovascular health (which is extremely important in women with PCOS/PMOS, since we have a bigger risk of developing health-related diseases).
So how much exercise do you actually need? This is where you can stop looking for the “perfect PCOS/PMOS workout.” There isn’t one magical exercise routine that everyone with PCOS/PMOS needs to follow. Walking absolutely counts. Strength training also counts. Running, swimming, cycling, and yoga can count. The best exercise is often the one you enjoy enough to keep doing. The WHO guidelines for exercise suggest:
- 150-300 minutes per week of moderate exercise (like walking, light running, cycling, swimming) and
- Strength training 2-3 times per week.
What you can try: If exercise currently feels like punishment, experiment with reducing the intensity or changing the type of movement. Start with something sustainable. You don’t need to leave every workout completely exhausted for it to be worthwhile. And if you haven’t exercised in a while, start gradually rather than trying to make up for lost time.
3. Thinking you need a perfect PCOS diet
This one almost deserves its own support group. Because once you search for a PCOS/PMOS diet, you quickly discover that apparently everything is either the best food for PCOS or the worst food for PCOS/PMOS. Carbs are bad; dairy is inflammatory; gluten is the problem; sugar is the problem, and fruit can be suspicious. And suddenly you’re standing in the supermarket wondering whether you’re allowed to buy a banana (you are if you’re wondering).
According to guidelines, there isn’t one universal PCOS/PMOS diet that works for everyone. To this day, research didn’t show that a gluten-free or dairy-free diet can actually help your PCOS/PMOS symptoms. And that’s actually good news. You don’t need to completely overhaul your diet tomorrow. You don’t need to eliminate five food groups. You don’t need to eat the same “PCOS breakfast” every morning for the rest of your life.
What can you do instead? Start with the basics. Build meals around foods that are nutritious and satisfying. Include a variety of foods. Pay attention to how different meals make you feel – I found that refined sugar, processed food, red meat, alcohol, milk products with lactose, and too many products with white flour can worsen my PCOS/PMOS symptoms. But that doesn’t mean that it will be yours too.
3. Don’t ignore sleep and stress is also one of the most important PCOS mistakes
When I was diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS, I wanted to improve my hormones, but I was sleeping badly and constantly stressed. Make it make sense. One of my symptoms is actually bad sleep and waking up at night. Eventually, I realized that PCOS/PMOS self-care couldn’t just mean food and exercise. It also meant looking at the rest of my lifestyle.
Before adding another supplement, another workout, or another restriction, ask yourself: Are you sleeping enough? Are you giving yourself time to recover? Are you constantly stressed? Are you trying to change everything at once? Sometimes the most useful change isn’t adding something. It’s taking something away.
What can you try? You don’t need a perfect morning routine; start small. Try going to bed a little earlier. Create a simple wind-down routine, for example:
- Make your bedroom colder.
- Don’t watch TV before bedtime (instead, you can read, use red light, talk to your family or significant other, do puzzles, start embroidery, etc.).
- Don’t use blue screens at least half an hour before bed.
- Go to bed at a similar time every night.
As for stress, I’m not an expert. But I can tell you that I was really stressed in my previous job. After I figured this out, I started to look for another job. And after some time in my new job, I started to notice something: my symptoms started to get better. Not overnight, but gradually. By changing my lifestyle and taking supplement, recommend by my doctor, I noticed more regular cycles, clearer skin, and less agitation. I’m not saying that you need to change your job to manage your PCOS/PMOS. But if stress or anxiety is becoming difficult to manage, consider talking with a healthcare professional rather than trying to solve everything through lifestyle changes alone.
5. Expecting results immediately
I wanted results. Fast. Preferably yesterday. And then I’d get frustrated and start changing everything again. Which, as it turns out, is not exactly a recipe for consistency.
What can you try? Pick a few realistic habits and give them time. Don’t change your breakfast, exercise routine, supplements, sleep schedule and entire relationship with food simultaneously. You won’t know what’s helping, and you’ll probably feel overwhelmed. Instead, choose one or two things. For example:
- Eat regular, satisfying meals.
- Add a daily walk.
- Start strength training twice a week.
- Create a consistent bedtime.
- Work on one specific nutrition habit.
But remember: Your experience with PCOS/PMOS doesn’t have to look like someone else’s. Your symptoms, goals, and response to lifestyle changes can be different. So stop comparing your timeline to someone else’s Instagram transformation. Your body didn’t sign up for their 30-day challenge.
6. Don’t try to manage everything yourself
When I was diagnosed with PCOS/PMOS, I started searching everything. And over time I became very good at researching. One symptom would lead to a Google search, which would lead to another article, which would lead to me questioning every decision I’d made since 2007. Learning about PCOS is empowering, but trying to diagnose and treat yourself entirely from information you find online is another thing.
When should you get professional help? If you’re struggling with symptoms, aren’t sure whether something is related to PCOS/PMOS, or simply feel overwhelmed by managing everything yourself, talk to a qualified healthcare professional. Depending on your needs, that might mean your doctor, gynecologist, endocrinologist, registered dietitian, or another appropriate professional.
7. PCOS is not your entire personality
This was the mistake I didn’t realize I was making. Once I started learning about PCOS/PMOS, everything became about PCOS/PMOS. Was this food good for PCOS/PMOS? Was that workout good for PCOS/PMOS? Was I sleeping enough for PCOS/PMOS? Was my stress affecting my hormones? It was exhausting. Also, PCOS/PMOS was all I talked about. Which was not fun for anybody who would listen to me.
What can you try? Try stepping back and asking: What do I actually want my life to look like? What foods do I enjoy? What kind of exercise do I like? What social activities make me happy? What routines are realistic for me? What am I willing to change—and what am I not willing to give up? Because your life matters too. You are not just a collection of symptoms. You don’t need to spend every waking moment “optimizing your hormones.” You are allowed to go to dinner with friends and eat pizza. You are allowed to have dessert. You are allowed to skip a workout because you’re tired.
What can you actually do?
If you’ve read this far and you’re thinking, Okay, but what am I supposed to do now?—let’s make it simple. You don’t need to fix everything at once. Start with the basics.
- Make sure you’re eating enough: don’t automatically respond to PCOS/PMOS or weight concerns by drastically restricting food. Focus on regular, satisfying meals and a balanced overall eating pattern.
- Find movement you can sustain: you don’t need to punish yourself at the gym. Choose activities you enjoy and can realistically fit into your life.
- Stop searching for the perfect PCOS/PMOS diet: there isn’t a single eating plan that everyone with PCOS needs to follow. Look for an approach that’s nutritious, enjoyable, and sustainable for you.
- Take sleep and recovery seriously: rest isn’t a reward you earn after being productive. It’s part of self-care.
- Give changes time: don’t change ten things at once. Choose a few habits and give yourself room to learn what works for you.
- Get professional support when you need it: you don’t have to figure out PCOS/PMOS alone. And you definitely don’t have to become an endocrinology expert because you have Wi-Fi.
- Keep PCOS/PMOS in perspective: Managing your health is important. But your entire life doesn’t need to revolve around your diagnosis.
FAQ abou PCOS mistakes
What are the most common PCOS mistakes to avoid? Some common mistakes include eating too little, overexercising, following overly restrictive diets, neglecting sleep and stress, expecting instant results, and trying to manage everything alone.
How much exercise should you do with PCOS? There isn’t one perfect PCOS workout. Walking, strength training, swimming, cycling, and other activities can all be useful. For general health, adults are generally advised to aim for 150–300 minutes of moderate activity per week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days.
How long does it take to see improvements with PCOS? There isn’t a set timeline. Everyone’s symptoms and response to lifestyle changes are different. Focus on a few sustainable habits rather than trying to change everything at once.
Final thoughts about PCOS mistakes before you go
If there’s one thing I wish I’d understood earlier, it’s this: You don’t need to manage PCOS perfectly. You don’t need the perfect diet. You don’t need the perfect workout routine. You don’t need to wake up at 5 a.m., drink something green, meditate for 40 minutes, and spend the rest of the day thinking about your hormones.
You need a lifestyle that you can actually live. For me, that meant learning to eat enough instead of constantly restricting. If you’re currently making some of these PCOS/PMOS mistakes, please don’t look at this list as another set of rules you’ve failed to follow. That’s the last thing you need. I’ve been there – thinking that I somehow failed. But through the years I learned how to listened to my body, and managing my symptoms. Now, my PCOS/PMOS symptoms are a lost better. So, pick one thing. Maybe today you eat a proper lunch instead of skipping it. Maybe you go for a walk instead of forcing yourself through a workout you hate. Maybe you go to bed earlier. Maybe you make an appointment you’ve been putting off. You don’t have to change your entire life this week. You just have to take the next helpful step. I know you’ve got it.
Did you make any of these PCOS/PMOS mistakes when you were diagnosed with it? Let me know in the comments.
