Weight Loss for Fertility

By Stephanie Fein, MD

Struggling with infertility is hard enough on its own, but being told to lose weight also, with no clear idea of what to actually do next can feel particularly defeating.

Weight Loss for Fertility ... more

· Health & Fitness

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FAQs about Weight Loss for Fertility:

How many episodes does Weight Loss for Fertility have?

The podcast currently has 191 episodes available.

Weight Loss for Fertility episodes:

June 30, 2026 Ep 190: Summer Weight Loss
It’s time for a favorite annual tradition: the summer weight loss episode. Whether you’re headed for fireworks, beach vacations, or just more time outdoors, I want summer to be the season that supports your journey, not derails it.
Your sneak peak into the latest episode of the Weight Loss for Fertility podcast
Plan Ahead: Your Brain’s Summer Sunscreen
Five minutes with your calendar. That’s it. Scout out your summer—where are the travel weeks, what days will be easy wins, and where might you just want to maintain? (Hint: No judgment. This is about strategy, not restriction.) When you have a plan your brain relaxes and food noise eases up.

Harness What’s Easiest in Summer
Longer days, warmer temps, and looser schedules invite us out—literally. More hiking, more water, more fun that isn’t about food. With bounty like peaches, nectarines, and (if we’re lucky) cherries, we can savor sweet things straight from nature, and grilling turns simple food into an all-senses delight. Bonus: fewer dishes!

Navigating Travel
Travel can test us, but with snacks packed (for planes and road trips alike), you’re covered. Walking cities and busy days? Excellent—movement balances out the extra bites. On the road, veggies are as rare as gold—grab them when you can! And if restaurant portions are huge, split or order small. The hunger scale is always your copilot.

When we focus on engagement—in movement, in friendships, in truly savoring what summer has in store—weight loss feels easy.

Ready for more sunshine and sanity with your weight loss?
Go ahead and listen to this week’s episode.

Links:
Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
19min
June 23, 2026Ep 189: Motherhood and Weight Loss
The way we lose weight before pregnancy directly shapes the kind of mother we'll be.

Here's how:

Motherhood Starts with Ourselves
When we gently nurture ourselves—shifting from self-criticism to kindness—we lay the foundation for how we show up as parents. That internal loving “mom voice” we practice while losing weight? It’s the very one our kids will hear once they arrive. When we create a more understanding, compassionate relationship with ourselves, everybody wins.

Judgment Around Food Is Just the Beginning
It’s so easy to label food as “good” or “bad,” sliding right into labeling ourselves the same way. If we treat ourselves critically every time we err—whether it’s Oreos during the two week wait or skipping a walk because bed is just too cozy—we end up stuck. But when we approach those moments with honest curiosity (“Hmm, what’s really going on here?”), we finally get somewhere. The same goes for handling those classic toddler moments (hello, car seat battles!)—patience with ourselves becomes patience with our littles.

The Big Payoff: Kinder Patterns (Just When We Need Them Most)
Changing our default brain pattern from judgment to understanding isn’t just good for weight loss—it’s lifesaving for motherhood. When exhaustion or frustration hits (and it will, especially with toddlers), whatever habits we’ve built for talking to ourselves take center stage. We can’t force kindness for our kids if we haven’t practiced it with ourselves. But when compassion is our go-to, we handle the messiness of real life with more creativity, love, and even fun.

We don’t need to be perfect. But we sure do deserve better than an endless loop of self-shaming. Every gentle, understanding word we give to ourselves right now is setting us—and our future families—up for an easier, more joyful ride.

Give this episode of the Weight Loss for Fertility podcast a listen—it might just change how you see weight loss, motherhood, and yourself 😍

Links:

Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
17min
June 16, 2026 Ep 188: Satiation & Satiety: Feeling Done Versus Staying Done
Have you ever wondered why some meals leave you full for hours, and others—poof!—have you hunting for snacks again before you’ve finished the dishes?

In the latest episode of the Weight Loss for Fertility podcast, we’re dishing out the skinny (pun intended) on satiation and satiety—the fancy terms for ideas that help us choose the right meal size for our bodies and determine how often we need to eat.

Satiation = Knowing When to Stop:
This is what happens during a meal—the gentle “off switch” that tells us we’re satisfied and it’s time to put the fork down. On our hunger scale, this is the magical “+2” point.

Satiety = Comfortable Between Meals:
Satiety describes how long you feel content after eating. The time from “+2” to “-2” (when hunger returns) depends on what we put on our plates. Whole foods, protein, and fiber keep us full and fueled longer.

I bet it won't surprise you to know that hormones have something to do with it all-- hunger-inhibiting hormones to be precise (yep, you have them for free, no prescription required!)

It's all in the latest episode of the Weight Loss for Fertility podcast

Links:

Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
17min
June 09, 2026Ep 187: Love, Finally: An Enthusiastic Book Recommendation
I’ve been waiting (impatiently) for this book to come out: Love, Finally: Untangling the Knot between Mothers, Daughters and Food by Geneen Roth.

The moment it did, I devoured it—no portion control needed!
And I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Here’s what had me hollering “YES!” and scribbling notes furiously:
Intuitive eating can only truly work if we have a healed relationship with our body. Otherwise, it’s like letting a toddler loose in a candy store and calling it “listening to your inner wisdom.” Healing first.
Six steps to healing Geneen walks us through a process that’s like a loving detective mission into our emotional history, uncovering the childhood conclusions that drive our grown-up food fights.
Nuanced forgiveness. The most impactful step is gently, bravely forgiving that sweet, young version of us who thought, even for a moment, that being ignored or criticized meant we were unlovable. That’s the real freedom.

When we untie these old knots, we have greater access to calm, compassion, connection—making raiding the pantry for potato chips at 9pm a thing of the past.
Our bodies stop being the battleground, and start being the beloved homes they deserve to be.

So if you’re tired of that same old judgment loop every time you open the fridge, and you’re ready to swap drama for clarity and love, get this book.
And—if you’d like a steady hand guiding you through your own untangling—come find me.
That’s what I’m here for.

Links:

Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
30min
June 02, 2026Ep 186: Overeating is Telling You Something – Listen for Weight Loss
Ever reach for the chip bag—knowing you want to stop, but somehow your hand has other ideas? 🙋‍♀️

Here’s the truth bomb from this week’s Weight Loss for Fertility episode:

Overeating is not a character flaw. It’s a message—and you absolutely deserve to decode it with compassion, not criticism.
There are THREE game-changing takeaways you’ll discover when you tune in:
How to shift from self-judgment (hello, beating ourselves up…) to curiosity—opening the door to freedom, change, and ease.
The three “buckets” that nearly every overeat falls into: are you truly hungry, navigating tough emotions, or wrestling with the irresistible pull of processed foods?
The practical (and loving) questions to ask about your overeating moments, so you can make small adjustments without soul-crushing blame.

Let’s ditch the guilt cycle and step into a kinder, more powerful relationship with ourselves—because, going through fertility stuff is hard enough. Your weight loss doesn't have to be 💕

Listen in now 💛

Links:
Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
20min
May 26, 2026 Ep 185: How We Change Behavior Matters for Weight Loss
...more
24min
May 19, 2026Ep 184: Food as Fuel 2.0.
In this episode of the Weight Loss for Fertility podcast, we’re exploring the science behind processed foods, dopamine, and satiety hormones, and how slowing down to notice your hunger can completely rewire your relationship with eating.

Instead of chasing dopamine spikes with snacks that leave us wanting more, we find real satisfaction and stability.

Here’s what you’ll want to listen for in this week’s episode of Weight Loss for Fertility podcast:
Why processed foods turn us into bottomless snack monsters—and the science behind why stopping feels impossible (I'm looking at you, dopamine!).
How to stop punishing yourself with restriction and lovingly tune into your body’s real signals (hello, hunger scale!).
Where REAL food satisfaction (and steady energy) comes from —and why your brain and belly will thank you when you swap the guilt for listening with love.

The truth?
Achieving lasting weight loss doesn’t require punishment or perfection. It’s about reconnecting with what truly feels good—before, during, and after meals—and trusting your sweet, wise self.

Links:

Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
25min
May 12, 2026Ep 183: Insights from the OMA Conference 2026
Have I got a story for you—my experience at the Obesity Medicine conference in San Diego this year.

I'll get to the science-y good stuff below, but first: Imagine a room full of doctors ready to dive into the science of obesity, then suddenly, boom! A sonic boom interrupts the lecture and the entire room sprints outside in search of Artemis. It returned home! And we were in San Diego--ground (or should I say, ocean) zero.

Spoiler alert: nobody saw Artemis, but we all saw some major truths about obesity and weight loss.

Here’s what really stuck with me:
They Walk the Talk. Not only was the food gorgeously prepared and labeled (hello, buffet where “what’s in this?” isn’t a mystery!), but the whole event was designed to make healthful choices a breeze. Two-minute waits, colorful veggies, and protein-forward snacks made this cooking-challenged gal swoon—and I didn’t have to lift a spatula.
The Medication Buzz is Real. Most of the sessions focused on weight loss medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide, which work wonders for many, but they’re no magic bullet. Not everyone responds, there are GI side effects, and—super important for us—they must be stopped at least two months before trying to get pregnant or going through a transfer. The “long-term unknowns” still have me in cautious doctor-mode, especially with all the new pills and injections being developed.
Skills Last—Drugs Don’t. Here’s my favorite part: the studies are clear that weekly support and behavioral work (think: cognitive behavioral theory work and learning to listen to your hunger) are the things that actually make weight loss and maintenance stick—regardless of whether you use meds. We can change our brains and habits, and that’s beautiful, lasting, and side-effect free.

So often, we want an easy fix—a medicine or a magic food. But lasting results mean learning to notice our thoughts and tune into our bodies--it's the closest thing we’ll ever get to our own owner’s manual.

Grab your headphones and give this week’s episode a listen.

Links:

Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
28min
May 05, 2026Ep 182: Gluten Free for Fertility?
Do You Need to Go Gluten-Free for Fertility?
In this episode of the Weight Loss for Fertility podcast, we’re rolling up our sleeves to talk gluten and fertility—one of those topics that sparks a thousand Google rabbit holes and a million questions. Should you cut out gluten if you’re struggling to conceive? Is it really the miracle fix people claim? Let's walk through this together.

What You’ll Learn
Celiac Disease Isn’t Always Obvious
I share my own long (and bumpy) road to a celiac diagnosis—so if doctors have ever shrugged at your symptoms, I understand that frustration. Celiac can hide in plain sight and can takes years to show up clearly, so we all have to be detectives.

Gluten, Inflammation, and Unexplained Infertility
Chronic inflammation from untreated celiac can impact fertility—sometimes for years before we even notice symptoms. There is an increased prevalence of people with undiagnosed celiac who experience unexplained infertility. It’s a sneaky culprit, and inflammation is often the missing link.

Who Should Try Going Gluten-Free?
This is so important: if you have symptoms (GI upset, rashes, brain fog, fatigue) or a strong family history, a gluten-free trial may be worth it (talk to your doctor first!). But if you don’t—please don’t just ditch gluten hoping for quick weight loss or fertility magic. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way.

How to Test Gluten’s Role in Your Life
Work with your doc (very important!). Get blood work before going GF if you can, keep a symptoms log, and check out celiac.org to spot those hidden gluten traps (yes, soy sauce, I’m looking at you).

My Favorite Truths from This Episode
We do NOT ban food groups here unless there’s a good reason.
Removing gluten isn’t a weight-loss shortcut—it’s only for those with symptoms or diagnosis.
A gluten-free life is easier than ever.
Keeping a log will help you see real change—otherwise, your brain will totally forget you ever had four headaches a week.
If a gluten-free trial helps, stick with it through your fertility journey and beyond.

Links:
https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/gluten-free-foods/

https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/what-is-gluten/sources-of-gluten/

https://www.instagram.com/nataliecrawfordmd/

Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
26min
April 28, 2026Ep 181: We Don't Negotiate with Terrorists
Ever have a random, bossy voice in your head demand cake in the middle of an ordinary morning?
We know the drill—there we are, just doing our thing, when suddenly a sugar craving hijacks our perfectly peaceful brain. It feels intense, like a deep need, but is it really?

On today's episode of the Weight Loss for Fertility podcast, we get into it, because wow, does our brain love to stir the pot.

Those “must-eat-it-NOW!” cravings are usually brain tricks, not true body needs.
Our fabulous minds, especially the primitive part, love to throw impulse thoughts at us—often because we’ve gone too long without eating, or we’re tired, overwhelmed, or feeling big emotions. (That cake plea? Usually hunger or emotional turbulence in disguise.)

We don’t need to negotiate with our toddler-brain.
When we try to reason with these urges, we often end up convinced that cake is destiny. Instead, using our wise, logical brain (hello, prefrontal cortex!) to plan what and when we eat takes the wind out of the tricky brains' sails. Planning our favorites ahead of time lets us enjoy food—without feeling out of control.

Awareness is magic.
The moment we start noticing those impulses for what they are—just messages that something needs attention—we create space to respond differently. We learn, adjust, and slowly, those knee-jerk actions lose power. Progress comes from noticing, not from shame.

Isn’t it empowering to realize that “cavewoman cake cravings” aren’t our fault and don’t mean we’ve failed?
Let’s practice curiosity instead of judgment, and remember: our brains are clever, but so are we. Every bit of awareness is a win.
Ready to let your logical brain take the wheel (and have your cake with zero drama)? Give this episode a listen.

Links:

Click the links below to lose weight now, the Weight Loss for Fertility way:
Website - stephaniefeinmd.com - Facebook - Instagram - LinkedIn
...more
15min

FAQs about Weight Loss for Fertility:

How many episodes does Weight Loss for Fertility have?

The podcast currently has 191 episodes available.