Here is a link on the IR diet in a nutshell:
IR Diet In A Nutshell
I have done a ton of reading on this and studies are showing that women with PCOS have insulin resistance to differing degrees, even women whose fasting glucose tests are in 'normal' ranges (mine were always borderline). So since insulin and male hormones are very inter-connected, I took the approach that the key for controlling PCOS with diet is by eating to keep my insulin as stable as possible.
What worked for me:
~ Focus on specific kinds of carbs:
a) Whole grains: These have lots of fiber. Dietary fiber, among its benefits to the digestive process, reduces the amount of dietary cholesterol that is absorbed into the bloodstream. By slowing absorption of nutrients, fiber also reduces the glycemic load of foods eaten with fiber-rich foods. Plus the less refined foods are, the more nutritious they are AND the less your blood sugar will be affected. This means less hunger later on..
b) Fruits and Veggies: Again, high in fiber, anti-oxidents (that repair cell damage) and things like cherries and berries are low glycemic, so your insulin rises slower when you eat those.
c) Milk and Milk products: Milk has carbs in it, but they are not glucose based but LACTOSE based, so they don't affect insulin as much. Plus it's high in protien and turns semi-solid in the stomach so you feel fuller longer.
~Eating whole food as often as possible and decrease highly processed or high sugar foods as much as you can.
~Eat small meals more often. This keeps your blood sugar more regular and avoids the insulin spikes that cause huge cravings. Eating small meals more often also speeds up your metabolic rate, allowing your body to absorb and use more nutrients and increase energy levels. It will also decrease fat storage by controlling your portion size and never giving your body more calories than it can utilize in one sitting.
~ Drink lots of water. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can’t metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could if you were better hydrated. Dehydration not only is unfair to your liver, it sets you up to store fat. The overweight person also needs more water than a thin one due to larger metabolic loads.
~ Eat lots of lean protein: Protein doesn't spike blood sugar and takes longer for your body to digest, burning more calories. It is really beneficial to eat some protein when you eat carbs. It reduces the glycemic load of the carbs, just like fiber.
~ Eat lots of healthy fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) like olive oil and fish oils. They help our hearts and help our bodies repair our insulin receptors. Unsaturated fats also play a role in proper hormone productions, so we need them!
~ I ate very little soy. It's an often-used product in many low carb products, but I have done a lot of reading on soy and it has some properties that I'm a little leery about. This isn't everybody's choice, but I lost my weight with very little soy because of my concerns over it's effects on thyroid and it's antithyroid properties. It's also mildly estrogenic. So as somebody with hormone issues since my teen years (who finally has them back in control again), I don't want to throw any new hormone into the mix.
~ Regular, deliberate cardiovascular exercise. It improves our sensitivity to insulin if done consistently.
~ Don't try to overhaul your life in 1 day. Too many sweeping changes will just overwhelm you and make you feel deprived. Set a goal for each day or each week and start out slowly. Small steps still get you a million miles.
~And make changes that you can actually LIVE with long term. For me, I cut saturated fats in my diet, but there were some things I knew I'd never be able to do forever (like skim milk or fat free yogurts...blech). Do your homework and look for alternative sweeteners or have real sugar in moderation like I did. Make changes you can actually live with long term or you'll fail before you start.
Hope it helps!