To think I don’t need to eat like a rabbit to be fertile?

[Limeandlemon]

Have been trying to conceive for one year. Dh results are normal, mine too. Progesterone levels aren’t at optimal level but I’m ovulating.
I’m four stone overweight, I have been told to lose weight.
I started doing slimming world, which I know will work with shedding the pounds but I’ve been told by a fertility coach that slimming world won’t help me prepare my
Body for pregnancy.
She recommends cutting out gluten and dairy, only have organic meats. No sugar, just water and herbal teas only.
To me that is very restrictive and not compatible with family life, as someone who works full time, very busy and prepares meals for the family.
With slimming world I am eating plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and still have a little treat within the limits and don’t feel so deprived. Surely weight loss will help balance the hormone levels?
Would really appreciate opinions or experiences to help me decide what route to go.
Such conflicting advice all over the internet and by medical professionals.

If you are already doing slimming world and it's working then carry on, ditch the dietician and get a personal trainer instead.
In my last pregnancy I was already doing slimming world so continued until six weeks before the birth.
You have quite alot of control over how carb/meat heavy or not you make your meals with slimming world so I don't understand that argument of hers

@HelloGoodbye20 I can’t seem to get hold of the pessaries but I have progesterone cream on order as I suffer really sore
Boobs after ovulation up until my period. I don’t know what my doctor would make of the cream but I’m going to give it a whirl.

I think this thread has opened up my eyes a bit. I think I’ve went too far with the whole holistic approach and stabbing in the dark hoping something sticks. I know I need to lose weight, so I’m going to start there and I think it will take perhaps a year to lose
Three stone realistically.
I take so many vitamins and things I probably don’t even need.

Oh my god please don't pay that quack! It's a load of bollocks. Herbs? If herbs fixed infertility there'd be no need for IVF! Just loose weight with healthy balanced eating. Ask you GP for advice. Not someone who wants to charge you!

@Limeandlemon if you did decide to talk to someone again down the line then I would recommend someone like Melanie Brown.

I do think that if you are still having issues with conceiving after you lose the weight that the advice of the nutritionist would be worth following. At the end of the day you will be a lot healthier following it and that’s not a bad thing.

Sounds like she and your doctor agree to focus on your weight. In a sense it doesn't matter which method you use for weight loss as consistency is the most important thing. If you're looking at her diet plan and thinking that there's no way that you will be able to follow it, it's obviously not the right plan for you. If you like Slimming World, do Slimming World.

Makes my blood boil how many people are looking to profit from women who are TTCing!

I did slimming world to shift weight when TTC and then to keep my weight stable when it became clear we would need IVF. Didn't cut out carbs or eat grass - got a BFP last week.

What I did do was cut back on caffeine and alcohol and then cut both right out when doing IVF. I also really kept an eye on anything sugary - strictly a once a week treat.

Definitely aim to get your BMI in a healthy place (ie under 30) but beyond that just make sure you are eating a balanced diet. Maybe a bit more protein and good fats but nothing crazy.

If you need help to get pregnant there is no amount of herbs or organic meat that is going to be the magic bullet and the effect of diet on successful IVF results has been shown to be minimal.

OP if you are getting very sore boobs from ovulation to period and you’re overweight then the chances are you are oestrogen dominant as that quack suggests.

If you have a look on the internet there is so much information on correcting it out there.

Losing weight is your first port of call but there are other things you can do too.

The progesterone cream will possibly help too but don’t rely on it long term.

Progesterone cream that you can buy over the counter barely contains anything and is unlikely to make any difference. If your levels are low a private clinic can prescribe you the pessaries, Cyclogest. Can make a huge difference.

The only thing I agree with her on is that SW is very carb heavy and although you will lose weight it will take a long time if you are using carbs for your "free" meals. The only way I found to lose weight with success (ie. keeping it off) is low carbing.

As for the rest, she sounds like a quack who is taking advantage of desperate women who will pay anything for their longed for baby.

Lose her number, cut your carbs right down and eat loads of veg.

The person may be a quack but she is right that losing weight is likely to help your fertility. Fat disrupts all hormones - and yes some women get pregnant with BMIs of 40+ who eat loads of sugar and smoke, but they are clearly not suffering from sub-fertility as you are. It's not fair but that's just way it is.

I would steer clear of things like Slimming World - they are not long term solutions - if you think about it they would have a really crap business model if they worked long term as they would have no repeat customers. Two books that really helped me lose weight were the Fast800 book by Michael Molesley and The Obesity Code by Jason Fung. In a nutshell the way to successfully to lose weight and keep it off is to get your insulin under control, but these two books explain this much better that I could. At four stone overweight you are likely to be insulin resistant but this is something that can be fixed through diet. Good luck to you OP :)

Totally agree with you CeibaTree, those books changed my life.

Plus it wouldn’t take a year to lose 3 stone following a regime like Fast800. I’ve lost only one pound shy of 3stone since October! Not been hungry either and most importantly my health has improved loads. No more breast tenderness either.

Just focus on losing weight and eating healthily anything more will just confuse you and dishearten you.

Argh, this thread has made me paranoid now. Been TTC for 6 months, no luck thus far.

I’m a very active person and not overweight (5’3, 8st 4lbs) but I do LOVE carbs and sugary treats, I wonder if that is what’s stopping us from getting pregnant. I do eat lots of pineapple, Brazil’s nuts and drink Pommegranate juice in an attempt to help with any inflammation, I have some baby aspirin as well which I might start taking to help with inflammation.

Like you OP, I have quite a physical job and don’t have a lunch break so don’t eat between the hours of 9.00 and 15.30 so whatever I have for breakfast has to be filling as it needs to last me all day, a bit of yogurt won’t cut it.

I would just follow your SW plan and try and be as good as possible with alcohol, caffeine and sugary treats. I’d lose the weight and see what happens before I went completely dairy free etc.

Ultimately, I’m not sure any of the women I know that have had children have done any of that, or at least my close friends haven’t. Women get pregnant all the time on all sorts of diets.

To be honest @Athenaena sugar is a major cause of inflammation in the body. Rather than starting to take medication like Asprin you would be better off cutting down on your sugar. Things like pomegranate juice as also just pure sugar (albeit natural sugars) hitting your gut all at once. You would be better off eating an actual pomegranate.

People get pregnant all the time healthy or not but those with sub fertility tend to need to do more than the average person. It’s not fair but that’s the way it is.

I have PCOS. Losing weight def helped me get pregnant. Low sugar and low carbs but some carbs. When I went no carbs it didn't work. I didn't diet as such just ate what I liked but less of it and no sweeties. Slimming World would be good but none of the free stuff.
I found being in the overweight bmi area I was my most fertile- that is my periods were regular. But then I'm a solid unit with loads of muscle.

I’m coeliac- the only people in the world who need to cut out gluten are coeliacs.

It’s not good to be 4 stone overweight, but you know that. Do slimming world- it’ll be more sustainable. Try and progressively lose weight each week, even a pound or two is the right direction and will help.

Everything else is balance and moderation. Smaller portions, no unhealthy snacks, and walk more.

@Athenaena

Argh, this thread has made me paranoid now. Been TTC for 6 months, no luck thus far.

I’m a very active person and not overweight (5’3, 8st 4lbs) but I do LOVE carbs and sugary treats, I wonder if that is what’s stopping us from getting pregnant. I do eat lots of pineapple, Brazil’s nuts and drink Pommegranate juice in an attempt to help with any inflammation, I have some baby aspirin as well which I might start taking to help with inflammation.

Like you OP, I have quite a physical job and don’t have a lunch break so don’t eat between the hours of 9.00 and 15.30 so whatever I have for breakfast has to be filling as it needs to last me all day, a bit of yogurt won’t cut it.

I would just follow your SW plan and try and be as good as possible with alcohol, caffeine and sugary treats. I’d lose the weight and see what happens before I went completely dairy free etc.

Ultimately, I’m not sure any of the women I know that have had children have done any of that, or at least my close friends haven’t. Women get pregnant all the time on all sorts of diets.

What inflammation? Why would eating trigger an immune response?

@Limeandlemon you should try asking on the conception and infertility boards. You will get responses from people who have been in your shoes and have tried everything.

Everyone is different and your issues may not relate to weight but if you are trying to lose 4 stone (and it is generally stated that weight DOES play an important role in trying to conceive), then moving more and consuming less calories, including less sugar and dairy (to which a surprising number are intolerant of) can play a very important role.

OP I'm a doctor with a nutrition degree. I can't give out medical advice or anything online but did you know that a nutritionist is NOT registered title? It's not protected like the title dietician is, therefore anyone can "buy" the title online or say they're a nutritionist with no training. A dietician has a degree which is accredited and includes placements in NHS settings. They're really good! They do amazing work.

Please seek professional appropriate help. Best of luck.

Sorry @Athenaena but not eating between those hours isn’t good for your blood sugar levels (which in turn isn’t good for fertility) and eating loads of carbs (particularly if they’re white) and sugar is not good either.

I agree with a pp who says that eating that way then trying to offset it with aspirin and/or certain fruits isn’t the way to go. You’d be better off just eating better in the first instance.

Also to fill up from breakfast focus on lots of protein with some carbs but not loads.

Fingers crossed you fall pregnant soon!

A lot of fertility podcasts have mentioned fasting to balance insulin levels, lose weight, improve symptoms and more but then on the flip side why do you hear that skipping meals isn’t good for you? What is the right way to stabilise blood sugar, lose weight and balance hormones?
I’m definitely going to cut down on the carbs like rice and potatoes and go for more veg, not eat pasta or bread.

@Limeandlemon intermittent fasting doesn’t require skipping meals so the two are not equivalent. I intermittent fast and eat 3 square meals a day - Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. I rarely eat snacks too. By eating the right foods you will be full from your 3 meals. I do feel a lot better when I fast (I’m not perfect! I’m TTC too and fall off the wagon in between treatment and I never feel great anymore when I do!)

If anything intermittent fasting is how people used to eat! Get up and have breakfast, go to work, eat your lunch, go home, eat your dinner and some pudding after it and that’s you done for the day. I think office work and commute have made us all eat at odd times and move less and thus snack more.

@VestaTilley

I’m coeliac- the only people in the world who need to cut out gluten are coeliacs.

It’s not good to be 4 stone overweight, but you know that. Do slimming world- it’ll be more sustainable. Try and progressively lose weight each week, even a pound or two is the right direction and will help.

Everything else is balance and moderation. Smaller portions, no unhealthy snacks, and walk more.

That's actually not entirely true - I have a autoimmune thyroid condition (Hashimoto's) and there is lots of research indicating that a gluten free diet is very helpful for this condition. I've certainly found it's helped me with joint pain and inflammation in general. This was recommend to me by a endocrinologist not a quack by the way.

Seriously read the Obesity Code and Dr Michael Moseley’s books and save yourself a load of bother. I’m not a fan of Slimming World at all and if you are insulin resistant it won’t do you any good. The healthiest diet in the world is the Mediterranean Diet and a lot of the foods naturally support fertility.

Intermittent fasting isn’t what you’ve described. It’s picking a window where you don’t eat. So no food between 8pm and 8am or 6pm and 8am for example. I don’t skip my meals. I’ll have Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner and sometimes one or two small snacks like nuts or apple and peanut butter or a boiled egg or some soup.
My blood sugar is bang on every time I take it now (I’m not diabetic but was having hypos before) and I’m never hungry.
Periods and ovulation like clockwork. No inflammation in my joints. No fibrocystic breast disease anymore.

@Limeandlemon

She is a registered nutritionist and also a herbalist. She thinks my excess weight is causing me to produce or store more oestrogen which is knocking my hormone levels off. The dr has also told me to lose weight. I’m so bloody confused.

Registered with who? Unlike doctor, nurse or dietitian ‘nutritionalist’ does not mean anything and has no set qualifications.

I could use my daughter’s felt tips and makes myself a certificate and then set myself up as a qualified nutritionalist.