Podcast EP 34
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[00:00:00] Low carb diets are all the rage. They help with weight loss, hormone balancing, and in some cases fertility. But not every body should be doing a low carb, keto based diet. For some people, low carb diets actually stomp ovulation. I see so many women out there trying low carb, cutting carbs, even going completely keto, or in some cases carnivore, and it really can mess up their body, their hormones, and block their blessing.
In today's video, we are gonna dive into everything low carb and why it will or will not work for you. Let's go.
Hi, I'm Sophie Byfield and when I decided I was ready to be a mama, I thought it would be so easy. Get off birth control. Baby dance, like no one's watching. And poof, I was pregnant. But like many of you, that wasn't my story. After months of negative tests, endless treatments, and more supplements than you can count, I realized that getting pregnant isn't about fixing one piece of your fertility puzzle. It's about bringing your whole body. Back into balance so it feels safe enough to conceive. And this is where we focus on what really matters. Healing your whole body so that you can see those two pink lines. Welcome to the Heal to Conceive podcast.
I was keto low carb for over two and a half years. I'm gonna be honest with you, sis. I absolutely loved it. I loved the way my body felt. I loved the [00:01:00] energy that I had. I loved how much weight I lost, but it worked for me and my body type. Not all low carb diets are made for everybody. There's so many women who are out there that are cutting carbs, going keto, going carnivore, and it's actually blocking their ovulation and stopping their chances at conceiving.
For some people, cutting carbs for too long can actually mess with your hormones, making it harder for you to conceive. For me personally, keto was amazing. I kept my cycle and my ovulation got stronger, but I've worked with people who had irregular cycles thinking that keto or even low carb was gonna be the fix that they needed, and it absolutely wasn't.
Although they felt great, their periods got shorter and shorter to the point where we actually stopped ovulating and [00:02:00] only had breakthrough bleeding. What she thought was actually helping her was harming her and holding back her chances. By introducing the right combination of carbohydrates, she was able to get her cycle back, have a great lead phase, and finally see those two pink lines.
So how does a low carb diet impact ovulation? So let's start with the pros of being on a low carb diet. So a low carb diet is amazing for someone who has insulin resistance or PCOS challenges. It helps to stabilize your blood sugar, and we know that high blood sugar levels can really impact your ability to ovulate, which then leads to your ability to conceive.
So for some people, low carb is great. However, for someone who doesn't have insulin sensitivity or PCOS, a low carb diet has a lot of [00:03:00] cons. One of the cons of being low carb for too long, especially when you don't have an insulin resistance challenge, is your body thinks it's stressed out, so then it slows down the production of your reproductive hormones and makes it harder for you to conceive.
There's three main things that your body does to protect itself. When you eat too little carbs, the first thing is it lowers Lipton production. That's just a signal to the brain telling it, Hey, we're not nourished enough. Slow down hormone production. Two, by slowing down hormone production, it also slows down the production of progesterone.
Therefore, it can shorten your luteal phase and block implantation. And number three, it slows down your thyroid. Which can lead to missed cycles, irregular cycles, [00:04:00] and no ovulation. Now with all of that being said, low carb diets can still be useful when they're used strategically, especially for the following people.
One. Women with insulin resistance or PCOS, I like to refer to you as a late cover. Your cycle can go months and months and months without you ovulating or you having a period. Maybe you have some breakthrough bleeding or spotting, but not a true period. If that is you, then a low carb diet can help to stabilize your blood sugar and improve your ovulation.
Also, your egg quality. Two women with high inflammation or autoimmune disorders. Cysts. If you have high inflammation in your body, it can really affect your body's ability to implant your embryo. By reducing carbohydrates and processed carbs, [00:05:00] especially you help the body with their inflammatory response and allow for better chances at implanting that embryo.
Number three, women with weight loss resistance. If you have metabolic resistance, a low carb or moderate carb diet can really help with hormone sensitivity and regulating your cycle. So here's who should be careful of being on a low carb diet. If you are super stressed out, low carb diets aren't for you.
If you experiencing regular cycles. Low carb diets are not for you 'cause it can really disrupt your hormone balance. And number three, if you have low body fat, I would definitely stay away from a low carb diet because your body can see it as stress and slow down your hormone productions. Now you may be saying to yourself, so I like eating lower carb, and that is okay.
It's all about finding the right balance [00:06:00] for your body. So if you do like eating lower carbs, maybe you carb cycle and have a few moderate carb dates, maybe you prioritize nutrient dense carbohydrates that can help with your cycle, like sweet potatoes and progesterone in your luteal face. Or you could also take a cycle based approach, or you eat more carbs.
Up until ovulation, and then you eat less carbs from ovulation until your cycle starts. Therefore, you're helping to support egg quality, but you're also getting the low carb benefits that you love for your body. So here's what I want you to take away from this. Low carb diets can be an amazing tool in your fertility arsenal if it's right for your body.
It's all about balance. Fertility is about flow and not force. Where do you start in discovering if a low carb diet is right for you? Everything starts with your [00:07:00] cycle. Your cycle gives you so much information of your body. It's kind of like the fifth vital sign in a sense. We wanna know, are you a late comer, a perfect paradox, a spotter, or a wild card, depending on your cycle.
So if your cycle is irregular. Or you are a latecomer or you just go months on end without a cycle, then a low carb diet may be for you. If your cycle is regular, then it may be better to carb cycle, which is where high carbs and low carbs following your menstrual cycle. If you're feeling lost and a little bit overwhelmed with the best nutritional diet for fertility, start with this video here where I outline fertility and nutrition, how to pick what's gonna work for you.
This is one of the things we dive deeper on inside the Heal to Conceive tribe. Really aligning what you're putting into your body with your cycle. Your cycle tells you everything you need [00:08:00] to know about bringing your baby home. And the healthier we can make it, the faster we can get pregnant. And remember, you've got this.
You're gonna bring your baby home. And when you don't got this, I got you. Baby dust for all.
