I’m not an expert, but I have PCOS which affects fertility. My doctor recommended a keto diet as it reduces insulin spikes which not only helps to lose weight, but should also help regulate hormones. Maybe easing into fasting would be good, something like 16:8 and trying to focus on eating foods with a lower glycemic index
I’m not sure about fasting but in my experience eating low carb fixed my cycle almost immediately. I started getting a period every 30 days when I had gone months without one while eating high carb. Adding in fasting hasn’t changed my cycle that I have noticed.
Starting OMAD actually threw off my cycle for a few months, which apparently is not an uncommon side effect of intermittent fasting. This recommends women take a “mild approach” to fasting, so your plan might be better but not necessarily for improving fertility.
Do you use instagram? I don’t have any information about fasting, but zestyginger is a wellness account that prioritizes hormone balance and normalizing your cycle. Their account will lead you to many others, I’m sure. The herbal/natural community can be a little “woo woo” for me sometimes, and with some accounts/providers you have to be careful about product pushing, but there is a real wealth of information available and many of them are very responsive to more specific questions. One note: I know money is tight for you, but Organic Olivia has an herbal tincture that helped my PCOS sister (and a zillion others, according to reviews) get her cycle to a shockingly regular schedule.
Good luck, Bippy… as you navigate your marriage, your health, and planning for your new phase in schooling (yay Harvard!)
This is purely anecdotal, but I attribute a large part of my surprise pregnancy to fasting. I did 5 days of water fasting and 2 days of eating for three months and lost 40lbs (even with my weight loss I was heavier than you). I also used a prescription called “Saxenda” which is specifically marketed for weight loss. It’s basically what pre-diabetics get to help control their sugars but it’s NOT insulin. I should also add that I’m PCOS and have never in my life had regular periods.
One day almost a year ago I was doing a 5 day water fast but felt a deep, profound hunger like I had NEVER felt before and I just had to break. And then I threw up. So I went to the doctor to see what was going on…turns out I was prego! We had been trying for 3+ years and were looking into adoption when we got this marvelous surprise!
Good luck with your fertility journey!