Fit For Future Families - January 2011

Hi everyone. Not a good weigh in today. I was up .8 lbs. from where I was last January 3rd.... Seriously. I WILL do this this year.

fitterpam - my friend had very irregular cycles and bought ovulation stick tests. They really helped her with figuring out when she was. They vary in price and you could get them in a 7 day pack or 20. I did them for a little bit, but they started driving me a little crazy because I was relying on them and getting disappointed a bit. They helped her a lot though.

I think I am going to push myself to do 125 miles this year. That averages out to a little over mile every third day. That seems like I can achieve it without feeling pressured. I probably will go over that, but at least can track how many miles I go between the treadmill/elliptical. It would be something to keep me on track.

I hope everybody had a nice Monday. I'm off to make dinner.

I might have to try them again, although they are notoriously inaccurate for people with PCOS, now that I might be cycling properly, it might work now that the Metformin is doing their things. Might as well try for January cycle - going to do a single cycle of temping too.....just to see where I am compared to 4 years ago. I think that combined with the tests and the FAM stuff should tell me what I'm doing. Sometimes I wish they just had a full hormone testing machine that you used every day so I could just tell....LOL

Happy New Year to you all!! I have been reading on my phone but since we were with our families all during the holidays, I couldn't really log on to post. We haven't told anyone that we are trying. We are from a small town and everyone knows everyone's business and I would like it best if my whole town didn't know that we were having trouble.

Anyways, on the weight loss side, I thought that my Jan 1 weigh in was going to be really bad. The lowest I saw before Christmas was 137.8 and on Jan. 1 it was 139.8 so only a 2 lb gain for the holidays. I am not complaining. I ate everything I wanted but limited my portions. My goals for the year are to hopefully get to 125 and stay that way, unless of course a baby decides to show up in my belly. DH has decided that he needs to loose weight too, so we are going to do this together. He wants to make a competition out of it which is great because I hate to loose, so that will modivate me even more. I have one more road bump coming up. We are heading out to Phoenix to the National Championship game. We are huge Auburn fans and we are really excited. We will be there Thursday - Tuesday, so living in a hotel for 5 days cannot be a good diet. After we get back Tuesday night, I have to leave for a conference at Disney World from Wednesday to Saturday. I am hoping that I will have time to work out in the hotel gyms.

On the TTC side, I went to the doctor the Monday before Christmas. They did a U/S to make sure everything looked good to do another round of Clomid. Unfortunately, I had a lot of cysts. They said to skip this month with the Clomid and we would start up again next month along with the Ovidriel shot and then IUI. That is if AF decides to show up on her own, which she has never done except the first time when I was 14 years old. I am on Day 19 and I have not had a + OPK yet. DH is not real excited about the IUI but we can't afford to keep doing this month after month. I am having to pay $150 everytime I have to get a U/S, which is about 4 a month. It kills me how insurance will pay for abortions but want pay for fertility.

I hope everyone is able to stick to their goals, at least for 1 week

Hopeful, I've had fairly regular cycles for years and never ovulate on my own (hence why I never get a positive on the OPKs). That's one of the thing about PCOS that makes it so hard to conceive. Some women with pcos do in fact ovulate on their own but some women don't. Also, sometimes ovulation can occur at totally crazy times during your cycle (not the usual day 10 through day 20ish) with pcos. It is a dirty little monster that pcos I tell ya!

On a "go me" note...I got in all of my workouts today! No excuses. It felt so good. I'm also finally coming off of my sugar detox. I'm starting to feel really good following the protein plan on the diet solution program. Basically it is all about eating clean, low glycemic index foods every 3-4 hours (which I already did). I've learned so much like how soy is poison and actually increases infertility (YIKES!!!). Today is definitely a good day.

First weigh in of the new year! I usually weigh in on Fridays...but I'm going to do this Monday thing and see how it goes. Last time I tried, it was just too depressing most Mondays. I just seem to have a really hard time remembering that I'm going to have to weigh in on Monday. Like today for example:

SW 2011: 134.2 (that's two pounds up from last Friday).

Now, AF is just around the corner (durn it), so that could contribute...and maybe it is the 8 frosted sugar cookies, pizza and peanut butter rice krispy treats that I couldn't keep my mitts off of yesterday at my in-law's house. Haha. (Gotta laugh--the other choice is cry!) It was not a proud day for calorie counting. But, that's how it goes sometimes, so today I'm dusting my self off, and saddling back up. I did my 3 mile workout this morning, and might be able to get a few more in later today...depending on what my little guy who isn't feeling well does today.

Goal for 2011: Get the last 5-10 off and work on maintenance. Get pregnant. More specifically for January: Walk at least 65 miles this month. (That works out to be an average of at least 30 of exercise minutes a day). Log the calories as best I can. Incorporate more strength training. (I've ordered the Kettleworx system--it's a Christmas present...we'll see how that goes...I have no idea what to expect.) Start Clomid and see what happens.

Good luck to everyone. New month, new year, new cycles, new possibilities....

When are you starting Clomid? I am starting Clomid again in February.

This next cycle-January. Right now I'm waiting for AF to arrive--should be here in the next few days,so I guess we'll get this party started quite shortly! I've heard mixed reviews about weight gain with Clomid....can anyone share their experience?

This next cycle-January. Right now I'm waiting for AF to arrive--should be here in the next few days,so I guess we'll get this party started quite shortly! I've heard mixed reviews about weight gain with Clomid....can anyone share their experience?

I literally despise Clomid and how it makes me feel. For the entire month after taking Clomid I feel like I'm in a state of PMS on steroids. All I want to do is eat and sit on the couch with a blanket and watch t.v. (totally not me at all). I did gain weight but it was from the lack of exercise and the increase in unhealthy food. This time I'm going to make every effort possible to stay in my routine. I was thinking about not listening to the doc and starting it this cycle...but I'd like to have another month to get back into my workout routine and get as close to my weight goal as possible. Good luck though. If you have any questions just let me know.

Got the call today from the specialist and evidently I'm "perfect"...after 15 tubes of blood, everything came out normal. They tested for clotting disorders, thyroid issues, inflammation, etc. and everything is perfectly how it should be. Good news yes, bad news that now there is nothing to fix. Guess I will continue to increase my folic acid, omega 3's, and continue my prenatals, baby aspirin, and Calcium w/Vit D3 and eat a low glycemic index diet. They want me to come in and see them as soon as I become pregnant again but I'm not sure what they would do differently than has been done before. Hopefully February will bring a BFP and the 3rd time will be my charm!

heather, that's great news and also very frustrating. I hope they get it figured out so you can have your take-home baby soon!

kcurtis, that's really frustrating. I know you don't want to, but I'd really go see your doctor in the next couple of months if things don't start regulating. You've been off your BC long enough that you should be back to normal.

Got the call today from the specialist and evidently I'm "perfect"...after 15 tubes of blood, everything came out normal. They tested for clotting disorders, thyroid issues, inflammation, etc. and everything is perfectly how it should be. Good news yes, bad news that now there is nothing to fix. Guess I will continue to increase my folic acid, omega 3's, and continue my prenatals, baby aspirin, and Calcium w/Vit D3 and eat a low glycemic index diet. They want me to come in and see them as soon as I become pregnant again but I'm not sure what they would do differently than has been done before. Hopefully February will bring a BFP and the 3rd time will be my charm!

Wow--I remember feeling a little crazy when my blood work all came back normal. My brain and heart had a really hard time reconciling it all....It was "good" news because nothing was wrong, and yet it was like a kick in the pants because I wanted something to show up that we could work on fixing! Ugh. Hang in there....here's hoping #3 is the one!

I'm new to this group but I have to say it's so wonderful to read all of your posts. Y'all are so positive and inspiring, I'm very excited to become part of this group.

My husband and I took day trip yesterday and came home very late so I didn't check in. I hope it's okay for me to do the check-in today.

My goal for 2011 is:
1) get to 132lb
2) get pregnant

My goal for January is:
1) loose 3.3 lb (1.5 kg)
2) exercise for at least 30 min per day

My goal for this week is:
1) track calories EVERY day
2) cook and eat at home
3) do yoga 3x week and walking 4x week

Good luck with achieving your goals

kt4u - I'm not sure that soy is bad for all people, and nothing has been shown definitively, but for those with hormonal imbalances already (like PCOS), soy wreaks havoc. Soy is so good for women that are peri-menopausal because it contains compounds that mimic estrogen. For someone with PCOS, there is an excess of estrogen (usually) because of the insulin resistance and hormone receptions being blocked. So increasing estrogen even further just throws you further out of whack.

BTW, soy is not the only substance to have these compounds. I've heard one of the best diets for PCOSer is the Paleo diet - you can look it up. Basic principle is that you only eat what cavemen would have had access to (so no grains, no soy, no processed/junk food). I've heard it does wonders, but then most PCOSers have insulin resistance and so their bodies don't react properly to sugars and everything that wasn't just listed wouldn't necessarily spike blood sugar, so it targets the main issues. It's a pretty extreme diet and difficult to say not to everything but meats, nuts, fruits and veggies completely but if you can, you can easily change everything about the way your body responds to food.

Alisa - my fingers are crossed for you.....

kt4u - I'm not sure that soy is bad for all people, and nothing has been shown definitively, but for those with hormonal imbalances already (like PCOS), soy wreaks havoc. Soy is so good for women that are peri-menopausal because it contains compounds that mimic estrogen. For someone with PCOS, there is an excess of estrogen (usually) because of the insulin resistance and hormone receptions being blocked. So increasing estrogen even further just throws you further out of whack.

BTW, soy is not the only substance to have these compounds. I've heard one of the best diets for PCOSer is the Paleo diet - you can look it up. Basic principle is that you only eat what cavemen would have had access to (so no grains, no soy, no processed/junk food). I've heard it does wonders, but then most PCOSers have insulin resistance and so their bodies don't react properly to sugars and everything that wasn't just listed wouldn't necessarily spike blood sugar, so it targets the main issues. It's a pretty extreme diet and difficult to say not to everything but meats, nuts, fruits and veggies completely but if you can, you can easily change everything about the way your body responds to food.

Alisa - my fingers are crossed for you.....

Absolutely agree with this! The best thing I've done is to nix the processed food. Sure I miss my chocolate cheerios and my think thin bars...but the way I feel is so much better than either of those ever tasted! I don't think I could go so extreme but I'm as close I think as any normal person could be!

Ok, this is my first time posting in this forum. I am 35 with two teenage sons. I had a tubal ligation when I was married but now me and my bf of 5 years are planning on TTC in a few months. I have been on Metformin for about a year for PCOS. I never had problems with conceiving before but now I am worried because of my age, weight (220's) and the fact it will have to be in-vitro. I figure the first thing I can do is lose some weight before we even see the fertility specialist. Hoping to lose 50 lbs. Hard with the sugar cravings

kt4u - I'm not sure that soy is bad for all people, and nothing has been shown definitively, but for those with hormonal imbalances already (like PCOS), soy wreaks havoc. Soy is so good for women that are peri-menopausal because it contains compounds that mimic estrogen. For someone with PCOS, there is an excess of estrogen (usually) because of the insulin resistance and hormone receptions being blocked. So increasing estrogen even further just throws you further out of whack.

And soy is REALLY bad for people with estrogen-reactive cancers.... I avoid it because of my family history with breast cancer.

Yeah - anyone that is hormone sensitive for sure. There are a bunch of foods that I try and avoid a little bit (not obsessively, but I won't eat them regularly because of the potential.....no studies have been conclusive). If it's something that concerns you, you can look up estrogen mimicking foods.

Felt pretty sick today, stomach wise. Think the bloat coupled with first day back at work was the cause. Just want to get this cycle over with (I'm not kidding myself...the chances of me having a BFP this cycle are very very slim since I had neg tests last week and I'm feeling PMSy).....LOL Workout tomorrow and then aquafit on Thursday (they're back to regular schedule after the holidays). Also did all my groceries tonight so have all healthy food in the house again and have been really consistent with the water again Someone at work commented that "You've really lost weight. No I mean REALLY." I had to tell him (that's right, boys aren't completely blind.....2 months late....LOL, but not blind). I told him I haven't really lost anything since Nov. But I was wearing my new Christmas outfit to work today and maybe it was more because the clothes actually fit me instead of being too big because I don't want to have to go and buy a new wardrobe yet....:laugh: