Fit For Future Families - April 2011

jalara

Morning ladies!

Week 1 - 229
Week 2 - 228 (-1.0 lb)
Week 3 - 226.2 (-1.8 lbs)
Week 4 - 227.4 (+1.2 lbs)

Well... the numbers speak for themselves! Hubby and will be going to the gym today, and I will be going A LOT this week - I don't want to fail at this this time around - not at all! So next week my aim is to be 225.2.

Pam - I absolutely adore how you are starting to become so in attentive to your body. How is TDS working for you this far? Also - thanks for support!

futuremomma - welcome to the group! I am sorry for your loss. But we welcome you with open arms!

Katy - well done!!!! Looks like those weeks did you good! Welcome back!

AFM - I'm still VERY excited about school, and one thing we had to consider was the fact that I'm not pregnant and we don't know when I will get pregnant. I intend to follow through with weight loss this time around, and hopefully that means that I WILL get pregnant by this time next year. I find it hard to believe it's only May and I don't have a baby, not to mention no being pregnant yet! Oy vey. So maybe pregnancy and school will match up nicely!

fitterpam

Jalara - I feel better, but I think the changes that I've made that are related to what I learned with TDS are causing some of the issues I'm having. I think it's a good thing, actually. I think my body is detoxing from all the crap stuff that I've been eating. I did another post on clean eating and the side effects and people have suggested distilled water to help clear the toxins quicker and double checking on my IR and see if it's progressed to diabetes (my sugars were higher than in previous tests, but not enough that they were willing to change the diagnosis).

I have way more energy though.....I haven't "felt" sick with any of the crap I've had over the last few months.....Someone at work said though that maybe I don't know what healthy feels like because I'm always sick......and that's a fair point. I've always been tired and lethargic and head home to sleep after work, but I'm okay when I'm not exhausted. I've found that lately there has been less and less sleeping and more and more awake.

I'm definitely looking to make a few more changes this coming month. I figure 3 changes a month and I'll ease into it and hopefully have less reactions. There are some things that have thrown me for a loop (i.e. that I should be eating white potatoes instead of sweet potatoes) but overall, it's been easy to grasp. You?

futuremomma

Thanks for the warm welcome ladies!

jalara

Pam - what changes have you made so far? For myself, I'm still getting used to some of the ideas.... and Easter weekend didn't help the sugar...
Since I'm already gluten free, that's easy enough. I've moved to organic yogourt (and recently some cottage cheese and some organic Greek yogourt). I know I need to eat less carbs (I'm a Protein type) but that's a little hard to implement. Also, I went to buy coconut oil the other day and it was $15.00!!! DH said no (understandably) but the whole idea of having less olive oil is hard to wrap my head around - olive oil is so yummy! BUT, I get to eat more avocado which I love. I also bought some unsalted, unroasted nuts this weekend. What else.... I now have organic eggs too. I'm going to have to get into the groove of making my own dressing again (vinegar and olive oil).

Oh - by the way - the salsa chicken was AMAZING! It literally fell apart after being in the crockpot for 6 hours... and we have a ton left over! I ended up mixing it with quinoa, corn and peas... so good!

Edited to add: I also bought organic honey this weekend Locally grown too!
Edited AGAIN to add - I tried greek yogourt in place of sour cream the other day for nachos... so good! And with the extra protein I couldn't finish the plate!

fitterpam

Yeah - the sugar things are the hardest for me to break for sure (as I finish off my snack of speckled eggs).

Obviously, I'm trying to go with less wheat (baby steps, I've gone to Rye instead of Wonderbread).....and I picked up the ezekiel bread.....Now that I found it once, it's EVERYWHERE!!!! LOL I am having trouble finding appropriate dairy choices to be honest that I like. I tried the organic stuff and it's too bitter. I have moved away from the non-sweetened kinds (Source, Silhouette,etc) because of the sweetners and because of the fact that I think it's contributed to the infections.

I found coconut oil and got it right away, I don't think it was $15.00 though....but then it's not organic either...I figured if I didn't like it I wasn't going to do the organic kind. The next version might be more, but I honestly have to use less. To do most things is like a tsp for both of us, I'm always amazed at how much it melts and liquifies.....the bottle we bought two months ago is about 3/4 done. I do still use the olive oil but only for light heat cooking or salads. And a bottle of organic olive oil just cost me $22.00 and will probably last me about the same amount of time.

The biggest adjustment for us has been getting us both on board. We went grocery shopping on Friday and DH is still saying, well we can just do that up in Canola oil.......*sigh* And I should be eating more raw nuts - someone else brought that up today too......

We're looking forward to when the farmers markets open because I'd love to find a local organic CSA and almost never have to step into a grocery store again!!! I live right next to the "vegetable basket" of Ontario and you'd think it would be easy to find, but no, it's not!

I will be doing a re-order of my meat tonight - we have a local butcher that delivers directly to our house, vacuum sealed frozen cuts (we get to choose which). It's a flat fee for 10 months and the meat usually lasts us 18. It's actually going to cost us less money to order through him than to buy at the grocery store and the meat is much better quality (AAA Alberta grain fed beef, Ontario grain fed air chilled chicken, Ontario grain fed pork - all of which is hormone and steroid free). I don't know if that qualifies it to be organic, but it's as close as I think I'm going to get on a large scale. We're going to stick to cuts of meat rather than processed meat (so rump roast rather than sausages) since I'm on an anti-pink slime kick right now and it's the only way I can guarantee it without being in the processing plant (which is NOT my idea of a good time).

I love Salsa Chicken. I do the same thing, but with Pork. Then I make zucchini chips and spaghetti squash to go with it....mmmmmmmm

MrsHinds7

Pam, it sound like you're making a lot of great changes!!! I've thought about trying the ezekial bread but havent gotten up the guts yet. I really don't eat a lot of bread anyways so I doubt it would make a big difference. I've been eating nuts for my "mid-morning snack" and it's great! I feel full through the morning and end up eating a smaller lunch!!!

So... the hubby just had his checkup with the oncologist (still cancer-free, woohoo!) and when they weighed him, he had lost 10lbs... how is it that a man who can eat an entire large pizza in one sitting, or could finish off several chicken sandwiches for a meal can lose ten pounds like its nothing and I eat ridiculously healthy and don't seem to be able to drop an ounce?! lol, stupid men and their amazing metabolism!

Haha, so this weekend I ate terrible. But I got a reality check because we had to stall my little sister while the Easter Bunny finished hiding eggs after church by going to Sonic and I kept stealing tator tots from my husband and my little sister was like "haha, you're like the fat girl from Glee who gets mad when they take away the tator tots..." Well that snapped me right back to diet mode. Gotta love little kids and their brutal honesty

fitterpam

MrsHinds - LOL I used that technique to help a friend stop talking with her mouth full by pointing out her nephew (who is almost 2) will soon be learning about manners and would have no issues with telling her it was rude......LOL Good for you for getting into diet mode though :P

kcurtis05

Hi there!
Welcome to the newbies! And way to go to the vets! You are all doing great! Sorry I haven't been very active lately.

Sorry for the little vent...and a little self pity...
I have to admit...I haven't been doing too well. I haven't had any luck in getting back into "the groove" since being back from our trip....back in December! I'm not going to resort to making excuses or anything; it is purely a lack of motivation and care at this point. I have been maintaining around 145 (give or take a few) for about 4 months now. I know it is directly related to my eating. I have a horrible addiction to sugar and i not ready tokick the habit. Also, I haven't logged my food for a while...I have to find the frame of mind again, but it's not here at the moment. So I think I am going to lay low for a while. I adore you all and wish you the best. I will be in and out, but don't worry I'm still here for you. I'll be back soon!

XOXO

nkster781

Hi guys,

Just wanted to give you all an update. I found out 2 weeks ago that I am PG;0) As of today I am 6 weeks. I went to have it confirmed by my doctor today. They have not called back with the results but I know I am. I have taken 4 tests that all came back positive right away and I had my first bout of morning sickness this morning (not fun). As of right now my due date is December 19. We will have our first ultrasound June 7 for the 1st Trimester screening (this will also give us a better idea of how far along I am).

I want to wish you all good luck on your journey. I'm sorry I have not been on here much! Baby Dust to All!

fitterpam

Kim - we miss you. I was going to go on a hunt for you later tonight and all the other folks who seem to be MIA to make sure everything is okay!!!! I know it's tough to find the motivation when it's just not there.....I hope you come back soon!!! Sometimes it's just about the baby steps you take......to get back into the groove....

Nichole - AWESOMENESS!!! I'm so happy that you're joining the ranks of the "graduates" Congratulations on your news! I'm so happy for you! December babies are fun and the added bonus is you won't be super pregnant for the hot summer months!

dragonairis

Congrats to the girls with BFP's!!! And a lot of you sound like you're doing great. I'm interested in all these diet discussions you're having - do you think someone without PCOS would benefit from having this kind of diet? It still sounds common sense and healthy-like. Where could I find out more about eating for PCOS? I don't know if I have it yet, haven't been charting long enough, and the last ultrasound I had they just made sure there was no scarring from the D&C. They didn't bother checking out anything else, and told me to come back in a year if I had been TTC and hadn't managed it yet. Grrrrr.... Needless to say I dropped them.

AFM, haven't lost, but haven't really gained at all - a good thing as I threw everything to the winds last week, and probably will for this week as well. We just got news - DH and I landed dream jobs! They hired us as a couple to be houseparents at a boarding school, woot! We are so excited!!! But it has also been stressful. We have to move next week! Money is getting a bit tight with the moving expenses. And I think it threw off O for this month. Which sucks since I thought we had BD'd at the right time and the school would be fine with me being PG. Oh well. At least it won't be time for AF when we move. But with packing and all, I just don't have the time (or the pots, lol) to watch what I eat. With that in mind, goals for this week:

Choose healthier things from fast food
Drink my water every day
Get my packing done!!!

jalara

Nicole - I don't really know you, but congratulations!

Dragon - I don't have PCOS, but I know a few ladies on here that do. From everything I've learned, clean eating can have a large impact on a lot of fertility issues. Jillian Michaels has a book called Master Your Metabolism which speaks to a lot of issues including PCOS. Another one (and the one Pam and I have been referring to lately) is The Diet Solution, which preaches VERY CLEAN eating.
But I don't want to sound like I'm peddling products and and books here, but diet is important. With that said, if I can give you one tip it would be to avoid soy at all costs! Soy mimics estrogen and confuses your body.

Pam will be able to answer this better than I! But let me just say this - you're not alone on here, no matter what your battle.

lukimakamai

Nicole- CONGRATULATIONS!

AFM: Some how I actually lost one pound this week! I'm really confused because I haven't been to the gym at all this week and AF started yesterday so I'm fairly bloated, not to mention Easter...so as I said I don't understand how I lost. I wasn't even going to wiegh in, dreading it was going to be bad news, but I got the the scale and I shocked. Very happy, but shocked! My plan is to actually go to the gym this week starting with Zumba tonight.

kah78

Yay Nicole!!! So happy for you!

As for me--eating healthier today was an epic fail. I think I inhaled about a quarter of a strawberry pie that my husband made. Darn him. And I didn't get to exercise--little boy woke up extra early today. So, a double-whammy no no day. Oh well. I"m doing my pre-PMS-spotty-getting-ready thing, so my motivation is about where I expect it to be at this time of the month. ZILCH. So, I'll just try to be gentle with myself and hopefully I can get back into the swing of things before I get derailed TOO much. One thing I do know, I'm going to bed early tonight. Night ya'll.

fitterpam

I AM ITTCCHHHYYY!!!! LOL Okay on to more important things

Dragon - there are lots of symptoms of PCOS that aren't really fertility treated......I actually was diagnosed not because they thought we were trying to get pregnant, but because I had period that went from late April until September in 2002 - the doctors were worried about anemia more than PCOS. I agree with Jalara that fertility is hugely impacted by what you do and how your body's hormones are balanced - those including the reproductive hormones (estrogen, LH, progesterone & testosterone) as well as the other hormones (insulin, thyroxine, endorphins, growth hormone, epinephrine & glucagon). Luckily, these hormones are also related to weight loss - they need to be balanced for it to all work. Eating clean can help anyone. Paying attention to your hormones and how things affect you would help....those with PCOS just have higher sensitivities to the imbalances.

Besides looking at the "conditions" that you may have, start looking at the trends that seem to recur in your charts over and over - do you have erratic cycles, do you find you get run down more than most at specific times, etc - by working on the trends, you can start to discover some of the underlying causes and then you can try some of the home remedies and see if they work, or go to your doctor with concrete evidence that there is something amiss that is not really related to fertility, but if it is holding you back it can be corrected prior to the year!! And you are definitely not alone :flowerforyou:

Luki - AWESOME!! Glad it's reinvorated you!!

Now I am off to scratch myself into oblivion!! Just kidding. I did find two more little patches of the dyhidrosis ezcema on my feet today and they are uber itchy (one I didn't catch until I had scratched to oblivion.....I'm thinking that it is related to the effects of the clean eating and getting out the toxins....so for now, I'm going to treat the surface itchiness and see what happens. It's not dangerous and my family doctor isn't back for another week and a bit. Hopefully by then things will be calming down and going away and my body owuld have fully adjusted to the new clean eating....although now I'm a little worried about my sugars again....they were a little high on my last panel and someone today mentioned that diabetics have a strong infection rate......and that eczema is sometimes linked to sugar levels......I had some of the patches before I started in on the Easter candy, but that could be making it worse.....it's almost all gone, thank goodness, I might drop the rest off with my parents tomorrow!!!

angelzoya519

Just touching base. I wanted to let everyone know that as soon as the dr gives me the okay to do exercises again I will be back. I broke my foot on April 17th. But for everyone who is losing weight GREAT JOB!!!! I am hoping to be back soon. Miss you all.

fitterpam

Thanks for checkin in Angel

Karen - I didn't even see your post yesterday (looks like my long rant was being written while you did). Don't be hard on yourself. We've all been there (and I'm not sure I could have avoided the strawberry pie either!!)

I'm drinking the gallon of distilled water over today and tomorrow see if that helps with "toxins" and I've been using Eucerin for the itchy skin (husband calls it Lucifer lotion - he can't remember...I hope it's not Lucifer lotion) and am still as itchy as all heck!!! My dad has constant eczema, but it is a different kind. I read an interesting study yesterday on the links of father of women of PCOS. They have a higher risk for cardiovascular problems (heart attack/stroke/etc.). I found it interesting cause my dad had a major stroke two years ago at the age of 54. (Evidence for increased cardiovascular events in th... [Hum Reprod. 2011] - PubMed result www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) I'm actually not too surprised since men with diabetes are at a higher risk for the same events and diabetes has a genetic component (passed from father to daughter, up to 100% of the time) Since PCOS, specifically the IR component, is a precusor to diabetes, it would make sense.

As you can see, been doing my research.

andreamichelle82

Hi guys,

Just wanted to give you all an update. I found out 2 weeks ago that I am PG;0) As of today I am 6 weeks. I went to have it confirmed by my doctor today. They have not called back with the results but I know I am. I have taken 4 tests that all came back positive right away and I had my first bout of morning sickness this morning (not fun). As of right now my due date is December 19. We will have our first ultrasound June 7 for the 1st Trimester screening (this will also give us a better idea of how far along I am).

I want to wish you all good luck on your journey. I'm sorry I have not been on here much! Baby Dust to All!

Congrats!!! Excited for you!!!

kcurtis05

Hi guys,

Just wanted to give you all an update. I found out 2 weeks ago that I am PG;0) As of today I am 6 weeks. I went to have it confirmed by my doctor today. They have not called back with the results but I know I am. I have taken 4 tests that all came back positive right away and I had my first bout of morning sickness this morning (not fun). As of right now my due date is December 19. We will have our first ultrasound June 7 for the 1st Trimester screening (this will also give us a better idea of how far along I am).

I want to wish you all good luck on your journey. I'm sorry I have not been on here much! Baby Dust to All!

YA!!! CONGRATS!!

dragonairis

Grats on the loss Kah! Keep it up! Some days I'm just excited to see it move .1, lol.

Thanks ladies for the diet advice. I've definitely been noticing trends and trying to keep track of them. My cycles are a little erratic, but I think I'm starting to pinpoint the 'usual' erraticness (is that even a word?). I am feeling more sensitive to the things I put in my body lately with food, so I think I'll take a look at those books for information. Where we're going it may be harder to eat clean, but I can be careful about my choices. Jalara, I didn't think you were peddling, I appreciate knowing the names of the books you're talking about! And Pam, thanks for the links when you cite something - I love doing my research, I'm a college girl at heart. That's part of why I joined MFP, I saw a lot of people providing links for me to check out information.

I wish my doctors were more concerned about my long cycles. So far I have told three - and none looked a least bit concerned. Right now I'm just keeping track so I have charts to look at. Hopefully they can't dismiss it then.

fitterpam

Dragon - a long cycle isn't itself a reason for concern. It can take a normal couple up to a year to conceive, which is why doctors typically don't start looking for issues until after that point, even with charts You should be able to start seeing trends after about 3-4 months. If you don't, that could be cause for concern, not because of the fertiltiy aspects, but the other pieces as well and they may start looking at it, but not the fertility component (even if it is related). The fertility medication tends to be quite rough with side effects (as many here can attest). If you want to boost your chances, I always recommend SMEP (Sperm meets Egg Plan). It's really good for a 2-3 month program that will typically get most normal couples pregnant (although whether or not the pregnancy is viable is another story). The #1 reason for couples not getting pregnant is not enough BDing and not any infertility issues. Good luck - hope it helps.

dragonairis

I wondered what SMEP was! Now I can look it up.

MrsHinds7

Dragonairis: Check out PCOSchallenge.com. There is a TON of great info and there is a section with information on dieting. I also got a new book that I LOVE called "The Fertility Diet" and it talks about dieting to get pregnant with PCOS

fitterpam

I bought the cutest little onesie today and put it in a box and wrapped it up......I want to give it to myself when I find out that we're officially expecting. It might make things more difficult if the IVF doesn't go well, but.......I'm willing to take the shot!

Good night - my tummy is rumbling because my brain is saying it's starving because I have a fasting test tomorrow to redo my labs for the fertility clinic...........*sigh* I know it's mental....but that doesn't stop the tummy!!!

lukimakamai

Pam- Too cute! I hope the test goes well for you tomorrow! I have a fasting blood test on Friday and I'm already dreading not getting to eat breakfast, so I know how you feel...

dragonairis

That idea sounds so cute! Good wishes for your tests!

fitterpam

Morning ladies - it's been pretty quiet on these boards lately so I thought I might start a quick discussion

What are the most important 5 things that you're doing for your preconception health - whether your TTC or in a year......I've been doing a little bit of research and there are some pretty radical thoughts on the subject so I thought I'd ask around.

I'll go first:
1. Prayer - not so much prayer that I will become a mother, but more prayer that I will be able to see the right path ahead. That I'll be strong enough to get through this phase in my life and that we will have the wisdom to be able to make the right decisions for us.

2. Eating Clean - there's been lots of discussions on this lately here so I think I can say primarily for me, this means removing modernized foods from my diet. Right now my ratios are set to 45 protein, 35 carbs and 20 fats and I have upped my calories from the set 1200 to 1400 since I don't tend to lose at 1200. Lately I've also been reading up on the benefits of bone broths and healing soups so I might be tempted to give some of that a try.

3. Dynamic Movement - We need to get moving in order to get healthy. I'm planning on the changes I make now to carry through the pregnancy as long as I can. I am keeping them low key so I can strengthen my back to be able to stay mobile while pregnant, rather than just accepting that I'll have to be on bedrest.

4. Keeping the Connection - DH and I make a concerted effort to have a date night at least once a week so that we can not lose focus on the fact that we need to stay connected for this future child. I've found this also helps reduce the "burn out". This started with the alphabet dating last year and has translated through. I also have a core set of friends that I make sure to keep in touch with daily to make sure that I'm not losing my socialness and helps reduce stress...

5. Eye on the Prize - all the decisions I make are based on where I'll be in 5 years. This has always been my philosophy - we bought a 5 bedroom house,we have enough seats in our living room eleven people. It helps with the decision making process in the long run and helps reduce stress.

My happies for the day are: my lawn is "almost" ready for its first haircut I have lots of my yummy veggies in the garden already. This week we made our next order of organic meat delivery and today looks like it's going to be a great day outside! What are yours?

jalara

Pam, you're too much fun.

The most important 5 things that I'm doing:

1) Having unprotected sex
2) Using sperm friendly lube
3) Tracking my cycle
4) Seeing an OB (although currently, her method of Clomid has failed)
5) Not strangling my husband when I want to...

Do these count? I'm feeling a little cynical today!

fitterpam

LOL - they do.......Maybe I should try#1......LOL just kidding, but that's a very important first step

MrsHinds7

Awesome idea, Pam!!

1. Prayer - This is my #1 too for many reasons. I pray that God will bless me and send me down the right path. I pray about my fears and frustrations. I pray about how badly I want to be a mom and have a baby with my husband and about how sad it makes me that we can't concieve naturally on top of everything else. Sometimes I feel selfish but I figure that God really does care so thats ok. I pray about whether trying so hard to have a baby is right for us. I pray about my confusion because of the hubby's life expectancy... he's in remission now but his history is that the cancer will come back and his life expectancy is about 10-30% of making it through the next year and half. I pray because I feel like because of his health we're in a "rush" but at the same time I'm scared because if things go badly, I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to be a single mom. And I pray that even if its not meant for us to have a baby soon that I can keep the hubby around for a very long time-- he's my world, even if it meant no baby, I would be happy with keeping him forever. And I pray that we're chosen for the grant we applied for because it would VERY tough to come up with enough money to do IVF on our own... anyways, that got a little personal but oh well. lol

2. Eating Healthy- I've been focusing all my energy on healthy choices and I'm crazy about it!! I've read a bunch of books on eating for fertility, eating to lose weight, eating right for IVF and for women with PCOS. But mostly, I'm doing it so I can be healthy again and so I'm in a habit of eating this way so that our children will eat this way.

3. Exercise- I'm not always great at this but I'm trying to get better! I do yoga for fertility DVD, take the puppies for long walks, and swim a few times a week. I tend to be "too tired" most days but I'm working on it!

4. Parenting- So, the hubby and I are in a marriage bible study and this time around, we're doing a study on "effective parenting in a defective world." Its been fun to talk about the decisions we might make in different situations and how we would raise our kids. It's really enjoyable and its opened up a lot of great discussion between David and I!

5. Focusing on bettering ourselves and our goals- We are working on getting rid of all of the medical debt we have, put money into savings and are hoping to buy our first house in January 2012. We are focusing on making ourselves and our marriage as strong as it can be!!!