Trying to lose weight before getting pregnant!

Hey everyone, I was wondering if any of you experts out there might have some advice for me, please.
Basically, it’s pretty straightforward!
When I’m feeling my absolute best and totally happy with myself, my ideal weight sits right around 135 pounds, give or take a little.
But after a long, lazy winter where I basically did nothing—I even stopped going for my usual walks—I’ve hit 150 pounds. It’s really starting to get to me, and I know I need to shake things up.
The thing is, my muscle tone is actually pretty decent; people usually assume I hit the gym regularly because I feel relatively firm, and my skin is okay, though I deal with a bit of cellulite which I just manage with daily creams and massages. I should probably mention that I am a total foodie—I love eating everything in sight—though thankfully I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I rarely crave sugar, but I will absolutely demolish a savory meal.
I think it would be wise to drop this extra weight now, not just so I can feel comfortable in my own skin again, but because I’m planning to start trying for a baby in a few months, and I’d rather not start that journey already feeling like I’m carrying extra weight when I know more will come with the pregnancy.
So, what are my options here? What should I be eating, or avoiding?
And what kind of exercise should I be looking into—should I focus on cardio, strength training, or maybe a mix of both?
I do have access to a local gym, I just need to actually get around to signing up.😍
Anyway, if you have any tips, I’d really appreciate it.

P.S. My main priority is definitely preparing for the pregnancy.

Look, if you aren't pregnant yet, you can basically work out whatever you want. Just swing by the thread... let's get after it together

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time lurking around here lately, just soaking everything in while I try to map out a decent workout routine for myself. Honestly, even just having the nudge to start this thread was the little spark I needed to actually get moving.
My main focus, though, has really been leaning toward nutrition; since I'm pregnant, I want to be extra careful about what I'm eating so I don't end up totally draining my body's reserves. I definitely don't want to reach a point where I'm doing more harm than good by pushing too hard without the right fuel.

Hey, Angela Lopez24, I’m actually in a pretty similar boat here—my partner and I are planning to conceive, and I’m currently trying to drop about 10 or 15 pounds because, honestly, I really don't want to start this journey carrying extra weight. I feel like Robin Myers has every right to do whatever she wants when it comes to working out—especially since she's already been through pregnancy once, so she probably knows the drill better than anyone... you can exercise however you see fit. As for me, my "prep" mostly consists of taking prenatal vitamins with folic acid, sticking to a clean diet, and hitting the jogging trails.

Oops, my bad, Robin Myers—I totally mixed you up with someone else and accidentally called you a mother. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though! Honestly, I'm pretty annoyed with myself right now.

Well, now I’m actually shocked!!! But okay, no hard feelings. I’m planning on getting pregnant very soon myself, so I won't be holding a grudge 😉 I just stick to whatever workout routine works for me, which isn't even that intense... honestly, Serena Williams knows what she's doing!

Well, in that case, I wish both of you—and yourself included—a very speedy pregnancy, and hopefully one where we all come out looking fit and healthy on the other side! A close friend of mine actually followed a similar routine, sticking to a pretty intense diet right around the time they decided to start trying for a baby. And honestly? Everything turned out great. Her little one is 8 months old now, and she’s already dropping those last 6 pounds—she gained about 18 during the pregnancy but managed to shed almost 12 almost immediately after.

Donna Nguyen50, you didn't do anything wrong. I just meant that Robin Myers was right to address me since I'm the one who posted. Anyway, my advice for all the moms-to-be out there? Stick to breastfeeding. It actually helps those postpartum pounds drop off way faster... though obviously, I’m not saying you should be polishing off three bags of Doritos every single day while you do it.😁
You really ought to get in shape before you even get pregnant. And hey, you can still stay active during pregnancy too. I think there's some workout DVD out there specifically for prenatal fitness... let me dig around for a link and I'll post it here if I find it.

Ugh, honestly, I realized after the fact that I totally scrambled all those usernames up 😁 If you happen to stumble upon any links about prenatal fitness—or if you have any other advice or personal experiences you could share—please let me know! Oh, and one more thing—I sometimes worry whether my weight loss might impact my ability to conceive, though I suppose that would probably only be an issue if I were on some incredibly drastic diet that actually disrupted my cycle...?

Exactly. If you’re living on a single apple a day, that’s going to tank your chances of conceiving—not to mention wrecking your health in general. We all know those crash diets are a dead end long-term. And don't even get me started on the weight coming back twice as heavy as what you lost... the yo-yo effect is real. I mean, how could that ever be good??? Exercise combined with actual, healthy nutrition equals weight loss. Especially before trying to get pregnant; your body just feels better and things happen more naturally. Plus, if you need to drop a few pounds and you have the time (meaning, if you're planning for a baby), it’s a huge advantage. You'll handle the pregnancy and delivery much better, and losing the extra weight afterward won't be such a nightmare. You really need to stay active during pregnancy too, because it makes labor less painful and easier to manage. For instance, I always took the stairs instead of the elevator when I was pregnant, and I walked everywhere I could.

Donna Nguyen50, don't sweat the weight loss thing affecting your fertility. Honestly? It’d be way more of an issue if you actually gained weight... so just keep doing what you're doing.

Thanks a ton, mellowhound17... I don't really have much weight to lose—and honestly, I doubt it would even jeopardize the pregnancy—but I’m being a little paranoid, which I guess is just what any wannabe mom-to-be does. 🙂

So how is it that I haven't even 😉
...

And you don't even have to be! I guess I’m just inventing problems because I haven't gotten pregnant yet after four or five months of "trying"—I absolutely loathe that phrase 🙄—and everyone keeps telling me that pregnancy happens perfectly naturally when you just stop overthinking and stressing out... Robin Myers, maybe you should just focus on toning up those glutes a bit more before your guy gets back home to the States, and then everything will fall right into place 🙂.

We haven't even truly begun to try yet, which might be exactly why...🙂

>
Here’s a link for working out while pregnant...

mellowhound17 said:Donna Nguyen50, honestly, you really shouldn't worry about weight loss messing with your fertility. If anything, gaining weight would be the bigger concern for getting pregnant, so just keep doing what you're doing.

The reality is, if your body fat percentage drops too low, your period might actually stop altogether. But to get to that point, you’d have to be training like an Olympic athlete and being incredibly strict with your diet.

That would only happen if she were starving herself on a single apple a day while doing intense cardio, but she actually eats right—that’s the thing, her diet is solid. Personally, I dropped about 10 pounds pretty fast right before I got pregnant, mostly just because of how life played out, not even on purpose... and I didn't have any issues conceiving. I was already thin to begin with, so losing those 10 pounds didn't change much at all.

I’m certainly not about to go on some intense CrossFit regimen—I can barely manage this tiny bit of movement right now 😂... I mean, I know that starving yourself eventually makes your period disappear, but since my cycles have always been regular and my diet has been healthy up until now, I really don't see the point in messing with Mother Nature by doing something stupid. Honestly, I think I'm just spinning my wheels and inventing reasons to worry!

Morning, ladies,
I’d highly suggest you all go find a chart that tracks fetal development during pregnancy. If the baby only weighs 10 grams and the mom packs on 5 pounds, that's all hers—and she'll definitely be carrying it long after delivery. And don't even get me started on how much more they'll "have" to lose once the baby starts hitting those rapid growth spurts.
Look, I'm not saying everyone is just stuffing their faces, but there are plenty of moms out there who aren't paying any attention at all. Then, right when the baby starts gaining weight fast, they're stuck forced onto some brutal diet.
In my case, I had quite a few extra pounds on me, but during my second pregnancy, I was throwing up like crazy from month two to four and actually dropped 4 pounds. The baby was perfectly healthy. Altogether, I only gained 😍6 pounds, and they were gone the very next day after giving birth. 👍The point is, there are zero guarantees in this life, but you really need to watch what you're doing.