Why do diets and meal plans keep failing, even when you know exactly what you should be doing? In Part 2 of my conversation on PCOS Unfiltered: Nourish, Heal, Thrive, I'm back with Amy Jones, a certified functional nutrition practitioner, certified ADHD life coach, and former educator who helps neurodivergent and overwhelmed adults make nutrition and healthy habits work in everyday life. This time, we're diving deeper into why traditional diet advice, restrictive eating plans, and complicated meal preparation can be especially challenging for women navigating ADHD, PCOS/PMOS, insulin resistance, and burnout. Amy shares why the problem isn't always a lack of knowledge or willpower. Sometimes it's decision fatigue, executive function challenges, inconsistent eating, low energy, or simply having too many steps between knowing what to eat and actually eating it. We explore her concept of accessible nourishment and how small changes, like making food more visible, simplifying meals, and creating routines that fit your life, can make healthy eating feel less overwhelming. We also discuss weight loss, blood sugar, stress, movement, and why supporting your overall health is about so much more than a number on the scale. And as we wrap up, Amy shares an important perspective on ADHD: rather than focusing only on the challenges, what happens when we begin recognizing the strengths of a brain that works differently? Because sometimes the answer isn't another diet, a stricter routine, or more discipline. Sometimes it's learning how to support your body and brain in a way that actually works for you.
Listening is a great place to start, but lasting change happens when you begin putting these ideas into practice.
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✨ A supportive community of women on the same journey
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This week, I want you to look at ONE part of your nutrition routine that feels unnecessarily complicated.
Maybe it's:
❤️ Following recipes with too many ingredients or steps
❤️ Remembering to eat before your energy crashes
❤️ Spending hours meal prepping only to abandon the plan
❤️ Forgetting about healthy food hidden in your refrigerator
❤️ Feeling overwhelmed by deciding what to eat
❤️ Trying to follow a restrictive diet that doesn't fit your lifestyle
❤️ Feeling guilty when you can't maintain a routine
Instead of asking:
Why can't I just stick to the plan?
Try asking:
What could I change to make nourishing myself easier?
Maybe it's keeping prepared ingredients at eye level, assembling a simple meal instead of cooking from scratch, or making time for a short walk.
Choose ONE small adjustment this week and notice how it affects your ability to follow through.
Remember, your health doesn't have to look perfect to support you.
Amy Jones is a certified functional nutrition practitioner, certified ADHD life coach, and certified teacher.
After nearly 20 years in education and receiving her own ADHD diagnosis at 45, Amy now helps neurodivergent and overwhelmed adults better understand the connection between nutrition, energy, executive function, hormones, and the realities of following through with healthy habits.
Her approach focuses on making nourishment more accessible rather than simply giving people another plan they're expected to follow perfectly.
Want to learn more about Amy and her work?
🌐 Website:
http://www.amyjonesnutrition.com/
📱 Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/amyjonesnutrition/
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❤️ Share this episode with someone who feels stuck or is ready for a fresh perspective.
⭐ Leave a review to help more women discover PCOS Unfiltered.
🎧 Subscribe so you never miss a new episode.
Remember:
Your life isn't determined by your past, your diagnosis, or your circumstances. The stories you believe shape the choices you make—and every new choice is an opportunity to create a different future.
⚠️ Podcast Disclaimer
This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making any changes to your health routine.
(0:00) This is, it's a gift. I don't, I don't like the idea of like ADHD as a superpower. I don't believe (0:05) in that because there's so, we still have to move through this world that isn't designed for the (0:10) way that our brains work.And there's a lot of struggle in that, but I think that's the beauty (0:16) of it. I think that's the gift in it is that we do have this brain that works a little differently, (0:21) that thinks a little bit differently. And when we can, when we can really try to start to (0:26) understand what our strengths are within this, like the sky is the limit.(0:34) Welcome back to PCOS Unfiltered, where we help you understand what your body has been trying to (0:39) tell you all along. I'm your host, Lindsay, nurse turned health coach, two-time author, (0:45) and your body wisdom guide. Today's conversation is such an important one because we're talking (0:50) about something that doesn't get discussed enough in the health and wellness world, (0:54) knowing what to do and actually being able to do it are two very different things.(0:59) My guest today is Amy Jones, a certified functional nutrition practitioner, certified (1:05) ADHD life coach, and certified teacher. After nearly 20 years in education and receiving her (1:12) own ADHD diagnosis at 45, Amy now helps neurodivergent and overwhelmed adults understand (1:19) the connection between food, energy, executive function, hormones, and real-life follow-through. (1:25) We talk about ADHD in women, burnout, blood sugar, and insulin resistance, the potential overlap with (1:32) PCOS and PMOS, and why another complicated meal plan may be the last thing an overwhelmed woman (1:39) needs.I especially love Amy's idea of accessible nourishment. Instead of asking why you can't (1:45) follow the plan, asking how we can make supporting your body actually work for your brain, your (1:52) schedule, and your life. And if conversations like this are what you've been looking for, (1:57) come join us inside my free Healthy Ever After community.It's where we take these conversations (2:01) beyond the podcast with body wisdom tips, recipes, resources, and practical ways to support yourself (2:07) in everyday life. You'll find the link in the show notes. As always, this podcast is for educational (2:13) and informational purposes only and is not considered medical advice.Please work with (2:18) your healthcare provider regarding your individual health needs. Now go ahead, grab your favorite (2:24) beverage, settle in, and let's get started. Here is my conversation with Amy Jones.(2:36) And so then kind of on the other side of that, I know especially for women with PCOS, PMOS, (2:44) the traditional advice doesn't work, right? They get a lot of eat less, move more, eat this, (2:52) not that, restrict this, just take this medicine, whatever it might be. So yeah, tell me about (3:01) your experience either for yourself and or with your clients of what you're seeing in that sense (3:07) too and why all the traditional advice, diets, meal plans, whatever it might be is failing us. (3:15) Yeah.Oh, it's failing us miserably. And even after my nutrition education, which was wonderful, (3:22) nothing against them, but I think it's more about it's that other piece that we (3:29) were just handed a meal plan sometimes. Or I'm working with a client actually today whose doctor (3:36) just said, you need to lose weight.And she texted me from the office and I was like, (3:42) what? And that was it? And she's like, yes. Okay. And this is where we have to sort of (3:48) break this down.So what does that mean? What does that look like? And the urgency behind that, (3:55) especially in terms of health, supporting health, I get how really important it is. (4:01) I think it's more that part of this that we have to break down. And then I try to do, (4:06) and I'm sure you do too with those that you work with, is this doesn't happen overnight, (4:12) eh? And so breaking down some of these things, it's like if you go to the gym and you do some (4:18) bicep curls, your bicep doesn't suddenly become enormous that day, right? It takes time, right? (4:25) Yeah.(4:26) And I think that with sometimes, especially with trying to figure out a way to eat (4:32) consistently and then also lose weight or whatever it is, whoever is telling us to do, (4:38) I think that's a big barrier. That's usually the first barrier that we have to break down. (4:42) And then we go from there in terms of where are the holes in your fuel? Because that's going to (4:50) put stress on your nervous system.And when we do that, our adrenals are going to be pumping out (4:56) all of the stress hormones, that cortisol and all of those ones. And then that is going to (5:01) perpetuate a lot of the insulin resistance, right? And that blood sugar imbalance. And then (5:09) as soon as we crash, we've used up everything we have in terms of glucose, we're right back down (5:14) again.And then we're doing something else in terms of ravenous and we're going to eat whatever (5:18) we can get our hands on. Usually that's convenience. And then we're just back in (5:21) the spiral and everybody gives up and says, I can't do this, right? So again, it's about this (5:30) looking for those holes in the day.How do we make sure that you have what you need at your (5:34) fingertips? And this is not necessarily a complicated thing. It can be very simple. (5:41) But it is about accessibility.I always just call it accessible nourishment because it's not, (5:48) right? When somebody hands you a meal plan and says, here's a bazillion recipes, which is literally (5:53) an ADHDers nightmare, okay? I hate recipes. I hate them. You have to toggle between ingredients (6:01) and instructions constantly.I'm just like, what? This is impossible. I cannot do this. (6:05) Um, so it's not about that.Maybe it's more about assembling meals for you. If, (6:11) if your, you know, decision fatigue is already toast and, and our working memory isn't, (6:16) you know, totally consistent. And that's why that toggling back and forth (6:19) and recipes is really hard.And a lot of us don't know that. And then we're, (6:24) we feel horrible and guilty that we can't, why can't we just do the thing? (6:29) And it's not about can't, it's about how do we make it accessible for you? (6:32) Because that doesn't work for the way that your brain was designed. (6:36) Um, and then I think it's the same with, you know, PM, PMOS, if we're having these constant spikes, (6:42) right? With, or having insulin resistance, um, or any of the other symptoms, goodness that, (6:48) you know, tank us in any point at any point of the day, we're not going to have the ability to cook (6:54) a, you know, a meal that has 17 ingredients and requires eight pans.And like, it's not happening. (7:00) So, um, I think that's, I think that's something that is really being missed (7:06) in the health and wellness industry. And how do we make things simpler? How do we make it (7:12) easier? Right.In terms of that. Um, and that's really what we are looking at, uh, (7:18) often, especially, you know, just even making your food more visible in the fridge, (7:22) like taking it out of the drawers. Cause that's where vegetables and fruit go to die is in those (7:27) drawers.So silly, putting it on the shelf, like whatever is going to go off first, you stick it in (7:32) front of you, like right eye level. Um, and maybe we have, you know, if we're in the kitchen already, (7:37) we're doing a smaller prep, not a ton. We're not spending six hours on Sunday prepping for the (7:42) week.No, we are not. Um, we're just doing little bits here and there and we stick them in clear (7:48) containers. And then we put it on that eye level shelf along with that fruit that's just about to (7:52) go off.So we don't forget about it. And that's, we're just assembling, we're throwing some (7:56) raspberries on a plate and some precooked chicken, right? Some roast chicken, um, maybe some bagged (8:01) salad in there. Like wonderful.That's lovely. Right. Easy.Yeah. Um, much more than grabbing (8:08) the convenience foods that aren't convenient for health, you know? Yeah. Yeah.Yeah. And again, (8:15) this is all, you know, hinges on preferences, but also, um, routine and, and, you know, (8:22) mapping what your day and week looks like. So, um, it's very different for everybody.(8:26) What I just said could be like, nope, I don't want any of that. And for others, it's like, (8:29) oh, that's an idea. So.Exactly. Yeah. Yeah.Yeah. Uh, and I love the point you brought up there too (8:35) about, you know, when a doctor tells you you need to lose weight, right? Like, and it's the same (8:41) thing. I feel like when they hand you a diagnosis too, because then you're just like in that mindset, (8:47) you think you need to like start making changes right away.Like, oh my gosh, this is how it's (8:52) going to be. And then, you know, to your point of, you know, you need to lose weight, but (8:58) that's a very good point. I guess I really haven't thought about it like that because then I feel (9:01) like they want to do it immediately.Right? Like they're like, oh my gosh, this is going to be the (9:06) thing that's going to like, I guess, make me feel better. So I need to like figure out the quickest (9:10) way to lose weight, you know, and it just, it just doesn't work like that at all. (9:20) No, it is.And it's disturbing because there are so many options out there to do that. And in terms (9:28) of restriction and then, but no one is talking about how, what that does to your nervous system, (9:34) what that does to your relationship with food, which is huge, right? And all the food noise in (9:41) your head. We talk a lot about food noise now because of GLP-1s and all of those things, but (9:45) you know, we're doing ourselves a disservice.We're dysregulating so many of those, (9:51) the hunger and satiety hormones and our, oh my gosh, stress hormones. For what? (10:00) Great. So if we're on this diet for like two weeks, we might've lost five pounds or whatever (10:05) it is.And then we're off of it. Great. We're happy or we're, we keep going, but we're just (10:11) continuously putting our body under stress, which is just perpetuating insulin resistance.(10:18) And from my perspective, anyway, you tell me what you think, but, and we're literally back (10:23) to square one, right? It's just like, well, what was the point of that? Like it doesn't do anything. (10:27) So I think it's more about how do we really restructure, which nobody likes to hear me say, (10:35) how this, how this, how your day works with food and so much less about the what than it is about (10:42) how and how often, you know? Yeah. Yeah.It just, it becomes such a vicious cycle, really. Like, (10:49) I mean, you know, and more, yes, the more I've learned, you know, after I've been doing this (10:52) for a few years now, and that's part of why I love having, you know, people like yourself too (10:59) on the podcast, because I learned more along the way, but it just stands out to me even more, (11:06) this cycle, like, you know, like you've said, the nervous system feeds into the insulin resistance, (11:11) you know, piece, and then that affects our hormones. Right.And I mean, it's just constant. (11:17) Yeah. And you have to learn where, and it could be the smallest thing to just break (11:23) that cycle, right? Yeah.Yeah. Like, I think, yeah, and it's, I get a lot of people coming to (11:30) me for, with ADHD, but really, you know, one of their main goals is that weight loss. And, and (11:36) so I spend a lot of time educating them around, you know, why, the how behind we actually lose (11:45) weight, what that actually means, and that idea of metabolic flexibility and using glucose and fat (11:50) for fuel and how that actually works, like our body wants to do that, and what insulin resistance (11:57) is, all of these things, because once they do understand why, you know, real, like, (12:04) excessively restrictive diets or even fasting that may not be appropriate for them, because I (12:10) hear about this a lot too, actually affects our nervous system, our hormones, like thyroid, (12:18) all of those things, in a way that actually puts our body more under stress and works against us.(12:25) So I think that is really helpful once they hear that, but that once we sort of correct a couple (12:31) of things, it has that cascade, right? That downstream effect. Sometimes it's just because (12:36) we're not digesting our food because our stomach acid is not what it needs to be in order to (12:44) digest what we're eating, so we can eat all the protein we want on the planet. We can try to get (12:50) our whatever bazillion grams we're told to eat, but if you're not, if you don't have enough stomach (12:54) acid to break it down, you're actually creating a lot of further downstream effects, like into your (13:00) small intestine and in the rest of your digestion, putting stress on so many parts of your body (13:05) because that food isn't digested properly, and you can't even get the nutrients you need into your (13:10) body because it's not being broken down.And then that causes a whole other thing, right? (13:16) Inflammation response. And so once people understand this, I think that's where it's (13:21) like, oh. And sometimes, sorry, I'm going to keep going for a second.It can be something like (13:29) B12, vitamin B12. So those B vitamins are really important for creating energy, and sometimes, (13:36) especially with neurodivergence, we can have the gene variant that we cannot, (13:41) or it's difficult for us to absorb vitamin B12 from our food, so it's going to be from a lot of (13:47) meats and fish and things like that, eggs and things like that. But we're not breaking it down.(13:54) We can't actually break it down in our digestive system. We can't actually create it, use it, (13:59) get it into our bloodstream if we take, let's say, B12 as a supplement, like a capsule. But (14:06) if we use a sublingual, so it dissolves under our tongue, in our mouth, and it goes directly (14:11) into our bloodstream in that way, I have seen a change in people that can be phenomenal, (14:18) and they're just like, I don't even know what happened.And sometimes it's just those missing (14:21) pieces, and then everything else clicks into place, and then that's where we actually start (14:27) to see weight loss, which is nuts. But not to say that everybody should take B12, but I think that's (14:32) an example of how everything has this downstream effect, you know? And it takes time. It takes time.(14:38) Yeah. And same thing, a lot of people come to me for weight loss, right? Because that's like, (14:43) that's the thing we can measure. That's kind of the sexy thing that everybody talks about, right? (14:48) And sure, we get to that point, but what they also realize is it more becomes a side effect just of (14:55) feeling better, of better health, of more energy, of, you know, yeah, all the other things that (15:01) they've been maybe dealing with for years that didn't really, that they kind of disregarded and (15:06) didn't really think about anymore.And then, yeah, and then the weight loss kind of comes along with (15:11) that. But what it comes down to is just better health, right? Yeah, yeah. And I like that.I like (15:17) that frame as framing it as a side effect. I think that's, nobody wants to hear that, but it is, (15:26) but that's what we're really solving, you know? Yeah. You can't, if you're losing weight just (15:31) because you're just purely restricting calories, there's so many, for all of us, there's so many (15:37) other components that fit into this in order to make that either stick or just to change the rest (15:46) of how you feel, like you said, with energy and feeling really vibrant and getting that back.So I (15:51) think there's, that's a hard one. I don't know how we do this. Yeah, I know.I know. As we kind of (16:01) start wrapping up, I want to do kind of some like rapid fire questions. So what is one myth around (16:10) ADHD that you'd like to dispel? Okay, one thing really quick I'm going to say, the fact that PCOS (16:22) has been changed to PMOS is enormously important, not just for, you know, anyone with PCOS, formerly (16:31) PCOS, it is enormously important for the rest of the community, the medical community, every single, (16:37) anyone who has been diagnosed with anything.We have been trying to debunk attention deficit (16:46) hyperactivity disorder forever and it actually, I was so excited when I, you know, read about this (16:54) shift because I was like, oh my gosh, that means it could really happen, right? It's really exciting (17:00) and the reason I'm saying that is because I think the biggest myth around ADHD is that it's a (17:06) lack of attention or there's something wrong with our attention (17:09) and the biggest part is that we have so much attention. It's that we don't know where to put (17:17) it. We can't prioritize and part of that is because sometimes the sensory load can be really big, (17:26) right? Sometimes we can have, you know, issues again with our blood sugar regulation.We don't, (17:30) maybe not, the energy is not there to be able to figure out or how to prioritize (17:36) and definitely there's a lot of brain chemicals in there like dopamine and serotonin that are (17:41) inconsistent that can also cause some of those struggles but it's not about, it's a deficit of (17:50) attention. It's not that at all. It's actually a plethora, right? It's about how do we manage (17:55) where to put it.That's an amazing point, yeah. I love that. What's one thing that you would want (18:04) a woman with ADHD to know? Only one.That's really hard. Gosh, I think if, I wish that (18:21) somebody would have said to me like, this is, it's a gift. I don't like the idea of like ADHD (18:27) as a superpower.I don't believe in that because there's so, we still have to move through this (18:31) world that isn't designed for the way that our brains work and there's a lot of struggle in that (18:37) but I think that's the beauty of it. I think that's the gift in it is that we do have this brain that (18:43) works a little differently, that thinks a little bit differently and when we can, when we can really (18:47) try to start to understand what our strengths are within this, like the sky is the limit. Like (18:55) there's so much opportunity that has gone untapped.I think that's what I felt too when (19:01) I was diagnosed with that. I had to grieve the years that if I had known this and so now I'm (19:07) not doing that anymore. Now I'm just doing, this is how we work and this is what I'm learning about (19:11) myself and this is, I'm just going to jump in because I lost so much time but I'm not worried (19:17) about it anymore.But I think that's something that's really important especially if you're (19:21) diagnosed. What's one thing you would want a woman with PMOS to know? (19:34) I think it's very similar in that it's, I think again that diagnosis is going to give us so much (19:44) understanding but when we get it I think we have to take away like there's something wrong with me. (19:49) This is just, this is a system that needs support in a different way than other people's systems (19:56) too.Like and everybody has their own thing so it's about let's learn about what I need in order to (20:05) you know make some of these symptoms maybe less loud, maybe you know less difficult and how do (20:12) we support our bodies in the way that they need to be. I think it can be so traumatic and especially (20:17) with living with it for so long there's little tiny little shifts. Again it's you know eating (20:23) more regularly.How do we figure out how to do that? That can make all the difference. (20:31) What's like the one habit I guess that's made the biggest impact in your life or in your journey? (20:39) Oh one habit. Movement.Hands down. Definitely you know it supports our blood sugar, supports (20:47) insulin resistance. I have to move every single morning because otherwise my brain (20:55) struggles but also my energy struggles.Like it is enormous for that. It's also really enormous (21:00) just for feeling strong and feeling powerful and for connecting with others and having a community (21:08) especially as a mom where you know most of my life is around my children and my work and there's not (21:14) a lot of time for just me. And movement for me I think is, to be honest with you, it's always my (21:21) number one recommendation if someone has not been regularly moving throughout their life.(21:27) And it doesn't have to be hard. Doesn't have to be going to the gym every morning. (21:30) Just be walking but something that's going to help you know get some energy into ourselves.(21:37) That's what movement helps us do. Yeah. What brings you the most joy right now? (21:46) My children's faces when they're smiling.Definitely. Also you know I think just (21:56) sometimes especially when I'm working with clients just I'm like oh my gosh I had no idea. (22:01) That's my favorite.That brings me joy because you can see that shift happen inside them. It's (22:06) so exciting and I'm like wow like that's to me like that's what my purpose is. That's why I'm (22:11) doing this work is to support others so that we don't have to suffer.Yeah. If someone listening (22:21) you know just feels like they've tried everything, they're exhausted, they're done just trying to (22:29) fix themselves, you know what's the one big message or takeaway that you want them to hear? (22:37) Yeah. I think yeah okay I could take that in two directions but I think (22:46) I'm trying to think of what I would want to hear too.Like you're just done. (22:49) What I do now is I try to take a step back and think like okay but why am I done? Because you're (22:56) getting some data here. You're getting some feedback from your body.(23:01) And what can I do to make it easier? So what's hard about it and what can I do (23:05) or what can I be supported with? Maybe it's reaching out. Maybe it's you know to a partner (23:11) or to a friend or to somebody else in your community and asking like maybe could you help (23:16) me out support me with this? Or look there's so many different things but I think it's really about (23:21) look for that. If you're done there's data around that.Why? Where are you done? When are you done? (23:28) I would just want to dive all into all of that. (23:33) Love it. Last question.This isn't going to make you think too hard but (23:38) how can people find you and connect with you? (23:43) That was a little easier. Thank you. (23:47) You can connect with me.So primarily Instagram right now I think is sort of my biggest hub. (23:51) You can DM me in there. You can have a look at my page and then also on my website.(23:57) So my handle on Instagram is just amyjonesnutrition and then my website is similar so (24:05) amyjonesnutrition.com. Awesome. And of course I'll link everything in the show notes for everybody (24:09) too. But oh my gosh such a good conversation.Thank you. I kind of feel like we could probably (24:16) dive deeper into one area of something that we talked about. Yeah.So we might have to look at (24:23) that in the future. But yeah thank you so so much for being here. I really really appreciate it.(24:29) Oh thank you. And thank you for what you do too. I've you know sent episodes to (24:35) my clients as well of yours because I think the sensitivity and the understanding and the (24:41) way that you approach all of this and just yeah who you are.Your loveliness I think is really (24:47) important especially when someone is either newly diagnosed or has been dealing with this for so (24:53) long and is just at their wit's end. I think your your approach is is really (24:58) supportive and wonderful. So thank you too.Awesome. Thank you so much. (25:04) Such a wonderful conversation with Amy and I hope you're leaving this podcast with one (25:09) important reminder.If something feels hard to sustain that doesn't automatically mean you need (25:14) to try harder. Maybe the better question is what is making this hard and how could I make it easier? (25:21) Maybe you need a simpler meal. Maybe you need food where you can actually see it.Maybe you need (25:26) movement, more consistent nourishment, fewer decisions, or maybe you simply need support. (25:32) Your health doesn't have to look perfect to support you. And if you're craving a place (25:37) where you can continue having conversations like this I'd love to have you inside my Healthy Ever (25:41) After community.You'll find weekly body wisdom tips, recipes, resources, and women who are leaning (25:48) on each other and learning how to work with their bodies too. The link to join us is in the show notes. (25:55) I'll also link Amy's information there so you can connect with her and learn more about her work.(26:00) And if you enjoyed today's episode make sure you're subscribed, leave a review, and share it (26:05) with someone who might need this conversation. Because healing doesn't come from doing more, (26:09) it comes from understanding better. I'm sending you so much love, (26:13) and I'll see you on the next episode of PCOS Unfiltered.Nourish. Heal. Thrive.