Give up gluten. Give up dairy. Give up coffee. Give up alcohol. Give up carbs. Give up fun.
Just eat cardboard.
That’s how implementing a fertility diet can feel.
And I totally get it because I’ve been there before.
It can feel impossible, and overwhelming and hard to implement.
My mantra used to be “but I could never give up cheese!”
Today I want to share with you 5 tips, from my own experience, and my experience working as a Fertility Coach, on how to successfully implement a fertility diet.
- Take it in small steps
Research has shown that small changes are often more sustainable and longer lasting, rather than big, sweeping overhauls.
Taking things in small steps can often feel less overwhelming because goals are broken up into smaller chunks.
I suggest starting with one meal a day. For example, start with breakfast. Once you’ve nailed breakfast, move onto lunch. And so on. If you only have one meal to focus on, everything becomes much more sustainable.
2. Don’t wing it. Be prepared
Oh boy. We’ve all had those moments when, in a panic we’ve purged our pantry, only to think the next meal ‘well what am I going to eat now?’
The antidote is, to be prepared.
Make sure that you find some recipes and stock your pantry with the right ingredients, so that when it comes time to prepare a meal, you aren’t left feeling like you’re stuck with no idea of what you can eat.
Even better, meal plan. Work out what you’re planning to eat for the week ahead, and start preparing some of the ingredients. If you already have cut up vegetable sticks and a dip waiting for you in the fridge, that can feel like SUCH an easier option, rather than making something in the moment from scratch.
3. Think about what you CAN eat, rather than what you can’t eat.
I know, sometimes it can feel like all you can eat is cardboard (unless you have PCOS and then that’s too carby.. just kidding), but it can, at first feel like there is nothing you can eat and that is perhaps the wrong approach.
A better approach is to look at all the things you CAN eat and load your plate from there. What works for me was always writing a list of all the options I had for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and were things that I enjoyed eating, so it felt like I was choosing from a menu of options, loaded with things I liked to eat too.
4. Get back on the wagon at the next meal
Sometimes when we fall off the wagon we can feel like giving up, and we can throw in the towel. And then we can start entering a cycle of negative self talk and putting ourselves down, and (super common for women with infertility) feel like a constant failure.
You’re not. Get back on the wagon.
And don’t say you’ll get back on the wagon on Monday, or the next day. Get back on the wagon at the next meal.
It’s completely human to have off days and off meals, but one of the secrets of people who are successful in life is that they aren’t derailed by failure, but rather just keep trying.
5. Get accountable
Did you know that you’re 76% more likely to achieve a goal if you write it down and report on it? That’s because when we’re accountable and surrounded by others who are doing the same thing, we feel like we’re letting the team down when we don’t, and when we write down a goal (note: just writing it down is only half as effective according to the study by Dominican University) it feels more solid.
A GREAT way to get accountable is to join our FREE 28 Day Fertility Diet Challenge which kicks off on 25 May. There’ll be tips and advice, with live videos via our Facebook Group, PDF templates, recipes and more. We’d love you to join us.
Click here to enter your details and register for the challenge.
So that’s it. Comment below if you’re struggling to make changes to your fertility diet. Perhaps you’re struggling with one particular food group – let us know below.
