We so often see women who are undergoing fertility treatment and trying to shed some of the weight gained from hormonal medications (most of which is just water weight and bloat, trust) and/or trying to lose some of that pandemic weight.

This can often lead to fertility-harming behavior such as skipping meals, cutting calories, over-exercising, and feeling like you have to “earn” your food.

If you are within the limits of a normal BMI (body mass index), trying to conceive is simply not the time to try to lose weight. Healthy fertility is already a metabolically expensive process, and trying to lose weight on top of it is simply unsustainable for the body.

If you are underweight, consider that actually gaining some weight could be just the boost to your fertility that you need. This signals to your body that is not in a state of famine and it has plenty of energy and resources to devote to reproduction over just basic survival.

If you have a higher than normal BMI, consider lowing your carbohydrate consumption and adding in strength training to boost your metabolism which will benefit ovulation and fertility.