Whole30, Paleo Diet

2MomsHoping · March 2017

Hi Everyone!

I started a Whole30 on 3/1 because I've heard eating paleo can help with fertility. I'm also admittedly overweight and have heard that loosing some lbs can balance hormones and improve outcomes. I talked to my RE about it and she basically said there isn't any definitive evidence that diet or stress even affect outcomes. BUT she said if its something you want to do it certainly won't cause any harm so go for it.

Well this sounded all well and good to me but I got benched for my IVF, and doing PGS so now my Whole30 is looking more like a Whole90 which seems a little intimidating. I wanted to see if anyone else tried a Whole30 or Paleo diet during their treatments. Did you have success or see response improvements? Looking to keep myself motivated

mtpbadger · March 2017

@2momshoping I started Whole30 on 02/26 and while DH decided he was done after the 30 days, I'm in the middle of a potential FET cycle (still waiting to see what the outcome will be and if we make it to transfer) so I didn't want to change up my diet in case I have negative reactions to adding stuff back in. While I haven't seen any significant changes with how I'm responding, I feel 100x better - sleeping better, more energy, ability to concentrate, less stressed overall, etc. I wasn't doing it to lose weight but just to get my eating habits in check and had also read a lot of research that eliminating dairy, gluten, and soy can help balance hormones, but I have to admit, the few pounds I lost were a nice treat!

I will probably end up doing a Whole45 or so but will slowly start to add some things back in (a English muffin here and there, whole wheat wraps instead of bread for sandwiches, not be super strict about salad dressings and ketchup).

Could you modify the diet for the next few weeks (still mainly eating healthy but being a little more flexible, especially if eating out or in social events) and then go for the Whole30 again once you get a little bit closer?

I'm honestly a little nervous to not adhere to the Whole30 "rules". I a rule follower by nature and have done so well this past month that I am scared I won't be able to trust myself and fall back into my old habits. I am also really interested in seeing how/if my body has changed at all once I am not on meds.

2MomsHoping · April 2017

@mtpbadger I'm a total rule follower too. About 3years ago I lost and kept off 40lbs from starting with the whole30 and then eating sensibly. Basically we kept everything at home Whole30 (except condiments because making that stuff is a pain in the you know what). So my only exceptions were my once a week go out to lunch with coworkers date or if we went out I didn't ask questions but tried to mostly order sensibility but not be a crazy person about it.

You'll be surprised how the 30 days can stick with you. Unfortunately after the stress of infertility last year I turned back to my old food friends for comfort and I put back a whopping 28lbs sooo I'm thinking sticking to plan through the IVF and FET probably wouldn't be the worst plan of action for me

I definitely see improvements in my sleep, I'm in a better mood, and I have more energy so yeah I can push it nice to know someone else is giving this a try!

FuzzyDust · April 2017

I did January 2017 Whole30 - followed meticulously, and it really changed how I felt. I did IVF end of Feb/beginning March, and I was very happy that I did Whole30 before that. I was still bloated and miserable, but the diet really does help you feel better, and it does affect the mental aspect - I was hormones-crazy, but not over the top. I ended up with OHSS, and I think it was very helpful that I already was in a place where my water retention was under control thanks to the eating habits.

I've since adopted the near-Paleo lifestyle, and I'm considering doing another Whole30 soon (probably before FET). I didn't lose as much weight as some others report (only ~4lb, all fat - my scales have the fat % measure), but it definitely changed the way I felt both physically and mentally.

Whole30, Paleo Diet

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