Many women that are trying to conceive are struggling to lose weight. They may have been told be their doctor that they need to lose weight to be considered for IVF or IUI.
Obesity affects 1 in 4 Canadians and more than 60% of Americans are obese!
No wonder obesity is on the rise!
Our food supply has been taken over by big business, processed food is highly addictive and sugar is 8x more addictive than crack!
It’s not your fault!
If you are trying to conceive this extra pressure to lose weight can be overwhelming and could make you even more stressed.
It’s best to break down your weight loss goals in to small goals to ensure success.
A Harvard University study found that even losing 5-10% of your current weight can help restore ovulation.
Another factor to consider is your cortisol levels.
It’s normal for your cortisol (the stress hormone) to go up and down during the day, but if you are chronically stressed, your cortisol levels will rise and stay high.
When you are stressed and your cortisol levels are high it will make it very difficult to lose weight.
So how do you lower your cortisol levels?
A good first step is to check your blood sugar levels for at least one week.
Many of us are eating a lot of simple carbohydrates that spike blood sugar throughout the day; such as cakes, cookies and muffins. When we opt for more complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans and vegetables this will help to stabilize blood sugar.
Using a glucometer, you can check the fasting blood sugar before each meal and then test the blood sugar about one hour after a meal.
Sugar cravings are also a sign the blood sugar levels are not stable, so the body needs sugar to balance it out.
That’s why testing is so important.
The ideal fasting blood sugar is 4.5-5.0 mmol/L
When blood sugar rises really high after eating something, that can also mean a food sensitivity.
No need to panic if you have a food sensitivity! This means there is an opportunity for healing.
A healthy whole foods diet and a fertility diet are very different.
A food sensitivity can lead to inflammation in the body. A healthy whole foods diet contains inflammatory foods that may be impeding your ability to lose weight and conceive. Some of the top inflammatory foods are dairy and gluten.
Regular exercise can also help to reduce your cortisol levels. Since exercise produces the “feel good” endorphins this can help reduce anxiety and naturally decrease cortisol levels.
Meditation is another key way to reduce your cortisol levels. Try deep breathing for a few minutes per day or guided meditation. www.calm.com offers some good guided and timed meditations.
It takes courage and commitment to make diet and lifestyle changes, but when you are rewarded with optimum health; that is truly priceless
Know in the beginning it can be tough!
Self-sabotage will try to convince you it’s not possible, that you can’t do it.
The best advice is to start today. If you slip up, don’t give up!
Know that you are not alone and support is here for you!
Sarah Clarke is a Fertility Coach and the author of Fabulously Fertile
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