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The PCOD Thyroid Book

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Don't blame it on the hormones. As women, it has always been up to us to leave behind the heritage of health, just like your grandmother did for your mother and everyone in the family. But it's not easy to leave behind a legacy of health and harmony - we must first create that in our lives. That requires making time for ourselves, be it for exercise, to eat right, or simply to nap.

This book is about taking charge of ourselves, thanking our bodies and making peace with the fact that it's not the hormones, it's us. What can we do about our food, sleep, exercise and relationships that will make us feel good, help us overcome the conditions of PCOD and hypothyroid, and, most importantly, get off drugs and stay off them for good?

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Published March 7, 2017

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About the author

Rujuta Diwekar

52 books602 followers
Winner of the 'Nutrition Award' from ASIAN INSTITUTE OF GASTROENTEROLOGY, Rujuta is amongst the most qualified and sought after sports science and nutrition expert in the country and the only nutritionist to have associate membership from SPORTS DIETITIANS, AUSTRALIA. In the plethora of diet fads and fears, her voice rings loud and clear, urging us to use our common sense and un-complicate the act of eating. Having worked with people from all walks of life, of all age groups and varying fitness levels, she has fine-tuned her methods to fit the lifestyle of the urban Indian.

Her two books and the film 'INDIAN FOOD WISDOM' have been on top of the best-selling charts for more than 5 years now. Her third book on exercise 'DON'T LOSE OUT, WORK OUT' is out in the market now.

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5 stars
662 (41%)
4 stars
534 (33%)
3 stars
272 (16%)
2 stars
93 (5%)
1 star
45 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 92 reviews
Profile Image for Madhulika Liddle.
Author 22 books545 followers
April 4, 2016
Rujuta Diwekar’s The PCOD Thyroid Book has a cover which says it all: Compiled from ‘Women and the Weight Loss Tamasha’, Four Strategies to Counter PCOD and Hypothyroid and Including FAQs with Detailed Answers. In the course of this book, nutritionist and fitness expert Diwekar examines PCOD and hypothyroidism and their causes and symptoms, and suggests lifestyle changes to help get over these.

The good: if you are completely clueless about the topic, and do not have the support of a competent endocrinologist and nutritionist, this might help get you on track. It explains the human (especially human female) body and how hormones work in fairly easy language (of particular note is an unusual and interesting explanation of the menstrual cycle, likening it to a dance performance—odd though that may sound, it was the main highlight of the book for me).

But there were many drawbacks, of which the greatest for me was the language. Diwekar uses an irritatingly frivolous style (yes, I will call it frivolous, rather than merely conversational) which, for me, reduced the credibility of the content. When you have emoticons sprinkled liberally through a book, when the author addresses her readers as darling, sweetie, aunty and deviyon, and when every page is littered with Bambaiyya (‘ya’, ‘bole toh’, ‘samjha kya’ and so on), it gets in the way. Here is an example of the sort of language that really got my goat: … ‘calorie-rich’, what does it mean? That it’s NUTRIENT-RICH! Oh, I have to stop screaming and stop being rude. So sorry for lacking the tact to say it in a more appropriate manner…. That’s fine in a blog, but in a book that’s attempting to make me change my life, I find it annoying.

What’s more, I found a lot of this content simplistic: how easy is it, for instance, for the everyday person to set up a farm outside town and grow their own food? The theory, too, that all ‘traditional’ Indian food is good for you because your genes are used to it sounds suspect to me (considering, for instance, that common ingredients in a lot of Indian cuisines today, like potatoes, tomatoes, chillies and peanuts didn't even arrive in this country till about 400 years back, how used to can our genes have got to them?)

And this is the sentence, recommending the consumption of white rice and referring to its widespread use in rural communities, that most maddened me with this book: (about villagers who eat white rice): Ever checked out their sizzling waists and six packs?

Has Diwekar ever heard of rural malnutrition? Of entire communities living close to starvation levels (if not starving)? This is mockery, no less.
296 reviews11 followers
January 28, 2019
This book ranges from the zany(your periods must sync up with the moon), to the weird (drink cow urine) to the impractical (grow your own food?). Diwekar is condescending to say the least. I found myself annoyed and wondering how she is so popular.

Her random PJs and sudden Hindi and Marathi interjections annoyed me.

Having said that, her core message was good. She doesn't promise any miracles, peddle any products or pretend this is going to be easy. Her book boils down to: eat right, sleep right, exercise right. I am not sure how accurate her explanation of the health conditions were, but they scared me into taking some actions.

I have given it 2.5 stars for that.
Profile Image for Swati.
12 reviews1 follower
January 29, 2021
Positive
- Very simple explanation
- Makes you love your food and body
- Easy explanation about working of hormones, food , body
- Not so much of a 'technical' book
- Engaging throughout
- Closes with a positive note

Negative
- Scolding / condescending tone "Deviyon, Darlings, Aunti, Madam, Mam"
- Forces you to read other books of the author by making several references
- "Know it all attitude" of author
Profile Image for Ritika.
8 reviews1 follower
January 27, 2020
Feels like it is a weight loss book and not a pCOD thyroid book. It is not for people who are not overweight. Apart from that only major take aways are: 1) be regular with your exercise - do less but do regularly; 2) atleast 1 day strength training every week (a must) and mix yoga (surya namaskar+pelvic opening exercises recommended) and cardio; 3) sleep and get up at the same time; 4) include peas and/ or flax seeds in your diet. and that soy, cruciferous veg and soy are ok to consume in moderation and cooked. and tada! you are 70% done with this book :D
12 reviews12 followers
January 16, 2021
I picked up this book out of sheer curiosity (because Rujuta is quite a famous nutritionist!) and ended up being shocked at some of the diet options given in the book. Most of the advice given is pretty obvious and is easily available on google. I felt sad on spending my money over this.
Profile Image for Mitesh Karamchandani.
3 reviews1 follower
February 11, 2022
Honest and eye opening!!

Ms. Rujuta was the first Indian nutitionist that I came by, accidentally, and since then have been trying to read all her books. She is intelligent and open minded and yet traditional in the best of ways. Her scope of knowledge on fitness is just mind blowing and I try my best to keep up with these lovely habits that can make one feel lively and young. A must read for all women above the age of 13 years. Trust me you read one page and you will not be able to keep the book down. 💯 % useful and helpful tips.
Profile Image for Shobha Prabhakar.
69 reviews
October 27, 2020
This qualifies more as an essay than a book. Concepts are great, but reading her first book 'Don't lose your mind, lose your weight' will be of help, and not just this book.
Profile Image for Dishon Vic.
11 reviews
March 31, 2020
As a man who wanted to know about these conditions in order to help is well sorted here
Profile Image for Rama Vani.
54 reviews9 followers
July 4, 2018
A short read that provides an insight on pcod and hypothyroid. Rujuta bursts the myths around fad diets and the weight loss gimmicks. If you've read her earlier books,you'd be able to see a lot of information repetitive,but I see no harm in reading useful, good info twice.This can be used more like a guide by those who swallow the early morning thyroid pills. I recommend this not just to people going through hormonal imbalance,but to everyone for a healthy lifestyle.
Profile Image for Priyanka Chhonkar.
18 reviews6 followers
July 3, 2022
It's the first book that I have read for myself in a really long time & I am glad I picked it up.
If you're a girl looking for a healthy sarcastic dose of self care, please go for it and thank me later for the recommendation.

Well, I could just read her for the love of sarcasm, sometimes!
And for the need of comforting words when I feel anxious...
And for the motivating "be a no fuss girl" statements at all other times!
Profile Image for Sudakshina Bhattacharjee.
Author 2 books8 followers
May 13, 2016
I think this is more of a reference book rather than something to read from start to finish. At first I found the author's tone rather brash, but as I browsed through her helpful guidance I realised that she's just a no-nonsense sort of person who reassuringly believes in healthy, enjoyable eating and rejects forced dieting.
Profile Image for Tanveen Bhasin.
91 reviews1 follower
February 5, 2018
This was my second book from this author. No doubt the book is very informative but somehow it seems repetitive. Its like if you have read one book from her, there isn't any need to read another because at the deep roots she would be saying the same things throughtout. A must read if you are suffering from either of the diseases or just want to lose weight the good way.
2 reviews
October 1, 2018
It emphasises on using lifestyle changes to cure the problem's root causes. The argument against pills has its ground. Overall, a good book if you have little to no knowledge and wish to know all you can through a light read. I recommend men to read this book. Men could ease the process of healing, if we put in a little effort more than our normal.
Profile Image for Nupur Netan Sachdeva.
124 reviews6 followers
July 22, 2023
Finished this one quickly. Rujuta’s advice is quite predictable - basically eat natural and ignore the weighing scale. One book is as good (or bad) as the next 😂

Nothing new about thyroid or PCOD. And while It’s a good reminder to eat wholesome and get enough rest, I wouldn’t recommend as too useful for anyone looking for genuine medically backed advice.
Profile Image for Aishwariya Laxmi.
176 reviews26 followers
March 27, 2016
Writing style is awful and annoying. Too much Hinglish. Irritating tone of voice. Makes you want to hurl it at someone. Doesn't offer many new tips either. Waste of money
Profile Image for Chinmayi Khobrekar.
3 reviews7 followers
May 1, 2016
An eye opener for those who torture their body with on & off diets.
5 reviews
February 26, 2021
This book is about what we can do about our food, sleep and exercise. This book help us to understand what is PCOD/PCOS and how to cure the said disease.
Profile Image for Maria.
1 review
April 24, 2022
Permanently cure from hypothyroidism with Dr iyaremoses on YouTube channel with his natural herbs medications, doctor contact+234922470592
Profile Image for Vartika Goyal.
53 reviews7 followers
May 27, 2021
Rujuta insights will be helpful for patients who are suffering from these diseases. The problem of Thyroid and PCOD is common these days. Hiding and neglecting these problems for a long time can lead to the dangerous consequences like infertility etc.
My observation is that lack of emotional well being with improper nutrition is the reason of this disease in many cases.

Few lines from the book that I find helpful :

1. Use your body like a “single hand-driven Parsi-owned car”. Get more responsible towards it, at least with things that you clearly know are wrong. Those things that you would not do with someone else’s body — starving it/over- exercising it/making a couch potato out of it/stressing it with non-issues/kicking it with caffeine/clogging it with trans fat and processed food.
2. Lack of sleep (among many other things) screws up your recovery from exercise and life. Exercise ‘works’ on the basic premise that you will recover from the damage caused to the body while working out. If there’s no recovery, fat burning comes to a grinding halt, exposing you to injuries, hormonal imbalances (hypothyroid, insulin resistance), digestion issues, mood swings and even panic attacks.
3. Some iodine-rich foods that we avoid when we go on a ‘diet’ are bananas, carrots, strawberries, milk and whole grains.
4. According to the tantric philosophy (and all the eastern sciences and philosophies), the thyroid is considered the sacred voice and corresponds to the throat chakra. A malfunctioning thyroid usually means that you are so busy with life that you haven’t found the time or space to hear yourself.
5.The fact that we haven’t learnt to reassert ourselves or talk about our innermost feelings to people who really matter, also adds to the burden. To support our thyroid, we must learn to speak our mind, tactfully yes, but speak for sure. It’s often said that women the world over speak the language of silence, and in that process harm themselves and society at large.
6. There is now a class of chemicals identified as xenoestrogen that are structurally similar to the estrogen that our body makes. The xenoestrogens are environmental polluters (air, food, water) and are a result of increased chemical use in daily life: pesticides, fertilisers, plastic, even fabric softeners, bleaching agents, mosquito and pest repellents, make-up, soaps ... the list is endless.
7. • Fresh curd, paneer, sprouts, idli, dosa (anything that’s fermented) is priceless for ovaries because of the abundant supply of vitamin B12.
8. Others (mostly younger) do it by trying to suppress their femininity (beauty is a virtue of ‘female energy’) and by ‘being the man’, or they try and act harsh and cold (manly) even though they may feel warm and friendly from inside. Under-dressing or dressing in a way that almost reduces their beauty is another form of expressing the need to block out the feminine aspect of energy.
9. The reason why women have been more spiritual than men since time immemorial is because they are gifted or blessed with the power of intuition. Our ancient scriptures tell all of us to be fearless. You get that — be fearless, listen to your own voice.
10.We are becoming experts at planning backwards: self-help books goad us to plan our funeral first and life later.
1 review
August 19, 2020
Don't get me wrong the author is very good.
The rating is for the absense of content in the book.

1. Yes, the book is motivating to change your lifestyle and do something about the issue.

2. It explains technically about thyroid and pcod.. but I mean I can google and read about it too. I don't need anyone womansplaining it to me.

3. The book does not mention what food product has what nutrients. It does not tell you what you should be including in your diet.

4. It gives food recall of 2 people in the entire book. How do you make changes in your life by reading that.
I probably found more details just by googling about it.

5. More than a self help book, it is a promotional book so people will book an appointment with her. A good business strategy.

6. Instead I found the book " don't lose your mind, lose your weight" by the same author, so much more informative and detailed.

7. Very attractive book titles by the author but same content in every book. Such a bummer!

8. Also, the book I felt was targeted for older women past 40s and menopause women. It doesn't include youngsters who have more energetic and active Lifestyle.
Profile Image for Twinkle Sibomana .
114 reviews
August 5, 2022
After reading this book I can say I have better understanding of my thyroid and how to reserve it without taking any pills. Simple explanations, however their are few things I don’t agree with but I can say if you’re a beginner and dealing with thyroid you need to try the simple life lifestyle changes mentioned in the book and it should be a fine.

Things i don’t agree with:

Grow your own food of course if you can, or at least reduce time travel of food from field to plate. In my opinion that’s not always possible.

Eat food you grew up eating, does that mean you don’t try new food at all.

Things which i like:

Given simple meal plan to follow.

Offered simple exercise plan to follow

Simple strategies to follow to reverse thyroid:
Proper sleep - sleep at same time and wake up at same time everyday, if possible wake up without alarm. In my case that’s difficult.
Eat healthy meals, avoid any sort of fad diets, and junk food. No tea and coffee after dark and no sugary treats as well it can disturb your sleep.
Increase iodine in meat, and vitamin D & A
Take meals in short intervals
Stop eating when you’ve little space left in the stomach as it will help you to reduce portion size eventually.
Exercise daily, include weight training 2 days a week, yoga for thyroid, and cardio. Never go more three weeks without exercise.
Exercise can help you to reduce stress which will help you in control thyroid as stress one of the main factors for thyroid.
Reduce belly fat as it can disturb your overlies function.

Happy reading
Profile Image for Theredheaded_Bibliomaniac.
304 reviews36 followers
January 31, 2019
Sometimes reading is good for health. 😊
First time I am reading a book relating to fitness.
Sometimes we all forget to take care of our health in this busy life of ours.
And this book reminds us to take care of ourselves.
It tells us that even if we have hormonal problems, they won't stop us from getting fit if we are eating right and doing proper exercise.
Rujuta tries to make us understand that the good which we are eating since our childhood is actually healthy food and Doing excess workout can actually lead to muscle loss etc etc.
One should really read this one as it really clears the misconception related to Thyroid, PCOD and Hormones and how they don't affect our fitness issues.
She tells us how we should concentrate on being fit rather than concentrating of loosing and gaining weight.
A great book everyone should read this one.
3 reviews
September 24, 2019
I like the way Rujuta emphasis on exercising, weight training, yoga, sleeping on time, getting up on time and eating in small proportions. BUT dont we already know that? Apart from this she hasn't mentioned the right foods, vegetables, fruits, her diet plan for PCOS. At one point she talks about controlling sweet cravings & then she contradicts her statement by saying we can have 6-9 teaspoons of sugar a day!! Well not only this, she hasn''t revealed the important PCOS food details anywhere in this book and not to mention the RUDE language of hers and frequent use of hindi and slangs! This book comes across from someone who treats people like brainless beings with "i know it all" attitude. So i would say in her language from this book, that reading it was "time ka khoti".
Profile Image for Samridhi Khurana.
97 reviews13 followers
June 29, 2022
One of the motivational reads to approach health holistically rather than quick fix fads. Rujuta explains the 4 levers to ensure good health (and not just weight) : nutrition, exercise, sleep and relationships. Few keys takeaways for me are:

1. Eat local and according to one’s culture. And do not eliminate food only because it is rich in calories (e.g., ghee, banana etc).
2. Regular exercise is more important than chasing perfection. Do not over do as the stress hormones will only go more havoc.
3. Learning to say no more often to prioritise one’s health (e.g., making exercise time as non negotiable as kid’s PTM etc).
4. Sleeping and waking up at the same time every day goes a long way. Routine helps.
2 reviews
November 16, 2023
A very very good book for all the women out there, suffering from PCOD. Yes, I did read it because I had and am having this lifestyle disorder. This book has been an ultimate guider and informant. I applied Rujuta's sayings to my life and ever since then it had improved. Besides being really informative on the nutrition, this book nicely explains the other promising factors towards PCOD. This was the first time I got to know about Rujuta and went fascinated about her ideology which stands true to today's world and now, I don't think I will ever go prefer some other nutritionist. This book is not only for PCOD sufferers but also for those who are health conscious. This book, in total, has been 10/10 for me. Definitely a GOOD READ!
Profile Image for Catie.
269 reviews12 followers
October 13, 2024
This was an interesting listen. It was very informative about various thyroid issues, while keeping it light and conversational.

It is written by an Indian woman, to Indian women, so there was a LOT that went right over my head. There were cultural references, as well as the use of Hindi (or some other Indian language? Forgive my ignorance) which went untranslated at times.

Most of her food advice was inapplicable for me, as I do not know Indian cuisine very well and couldn't even identify some of the ingredients she mentioned...which is a bummer because I really enjoy Indian food and would love some authentic recipes!

Recommended for people curious about thyroid issues but not ready for technical medical books, or for Indian women looking for weight management advice!
Profile Image for Prachi Pati.
470 reviews20 followers
January 27, 2021
Its always fun to listen to Rujuta narrate her book. However, I should have realised that this book was more of an extension to Women and Weight Loss Tamasha than a book focussing solely on PCOD and Thyroid issues with weight.

Almost 70% of the book is a word by word repeat of what is already covered in Women and the Weight Loss Tamasha. So this couldve easily been an appendix instead of a book by itself. Read this if you havent read Women and the weight loss tamasha. But if you have read the latter, then this will not add much value, according to me.
Profile Image for Jui Shirvalkar Chandurkar.
13 reviews2 followers
June 21, 2021
Rujuta is amazing! And, so is her writing!

Being a PCOD girl myself, I wanted to educate myself (more than buying into any diet plan, etc.)

That was Rujuta for me. Not an exaggerated or sponsored review or anything. But, if you're an Indian girl who wants to tackle PCOD, this is perhaps the best resource out there! Trust me, I have had my share of terrible "resources" & "diet" plans.

I can't say much about Thyroid as I was more focused on PCOD stuff. But, she has explained that too really well. Especially the medical part of it.

God bless you, Rujuta! ❤️
1 review
October 19, 2019
Informative, but huge scope for improvement

It seems like Rujuta has transcribed her dictation into a book with a lot of information but not a single scientific reference. This book is pretty much all her online talks and interview videos combined. Overall I like and I'm convinced by her approach to keep it simple, stick to our routes, common sense and logic oriented and listen to our body when it speaks..
Displaying 1 - 29 of 92 reviews

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