Getting Fit Before Baby

[drjo718]

Swimmy, it can be normal to not have a period until after you're done breastfeeding. I'm about 6 months out, and even with poor milk supply I haven't had one.

 

[MissDoc]

Hey ladies. How are you all doing? I haven't had much activity or exercise in a while, but Sunday decided to recommit to exercising. Needed something a little lower impact though, so I'm trying Yoga Booty Ballet (Beachbody program) for a month to see how I like it. It's sort of wacky and silly, but fun and seems like a good workout. I'm 2 days in and liking it well enough so far.

As of today, I'm discharged from the fertility clinic and back to my ObGyn. It'll be fun going back to her pregnant, as the last time we spoke she told me I would likely need donor eggs, wished me well, and sent me on to the RE. So I'm sure it'll be a fun surprise for her that I'm pregnant with my own eggs.

I've been sick still, and the dread and worry is ever present, but is starting to shift toward more positivity. I do genetic blood testing this Thursday and it will probably take a couple weeks to get those results back, but I think once I do (if clear) I'll relax into being pregnant a little more.

 

[Ursaula]

Hope everyone is alright. I'm always thinking of you gals.

For me, I am down 84lbs so far and my doctor and dietician are concerned it is too much to be losing even with the surgery. I am 10 weeks post op, secretly hoping for 100lbs down by 3 months (12 weeks), but I know they won't be happy and health needs to come first.

Haven't had another period since the one I updated you gals on a while ago. A little bummed out about it.

Sending joyful thoughts and love to all of you.

 

[swimmyj1]

urs - holy cow 84 lbs! thats amazing good job!!!

missing everyone hoping we can get the weight loss group back up. I'm back to work as of today and realized i really need to get myself moving. i thought i was doing ok but in the last month I have put on 12 lbs! that is just not ok! I've started using my fit bit and need to really look at what im eating bored eating is really killing me

hope everyone is ok missed ya guys!

 

[BronteForever]

Urs - wow that's so much weight dropped already and that's good they are watching you and not wanting you to lose it too quickly so you stay healthy the entire time. Congrats and best wishes on reaching even more goals. Hopefully your periods will even out again once you get into the range you are shooting for.

Swimmy - I have been doing bad on my eating and well and definitely need to get back into everything. I've been really busy and staying active, but because I've been so busy I've been eating out alot and eating more sweets. So I really need to gear down and get healthier before the next IVF round. So I'm in on getting back to being accountable to each other.

Hope going back to work is working out for you and the transition wasn't too challenging.

 

[Ursaula]

Hello again!
I'm starting to check on here more frequently as I have sort of exciting news, aside from the weight loss. This will be post 1 of 2 for me.

But first! I have a CHALLENGE for everyone wanting to participate. I thought since a lot of us are struggling right now with our eating/weight/exercise that this might be helpful, so here it is;
Write down a list of FIVE things related to eating/weight/exercise that you are struggling with. Choose one to work on and focus on it for the whole week! Don't worry about the other 4, the one you choose is the only one that matters this week. This weeks challenge will end on November 14, so it's more 1 1/2 weeks. Make it an important one! I'll go first;

Five Things Challenge:
1. Getting all of my vitamins in for the day.
2. Drinking enough water.
3. Walking.
4. Eating 6 small meals/day.
5. Eating healthier foods.

This week, I choose: Getting all of my vitamins in for the day.

 

[Ursaula]

My second post is more of an update on my romantic life (and weight loss pics!) but feel free to skip over to the pics. I just need to tell someone and thought you gals would put up with me.

Here's my "rant":
I decided to end it with my s/o and I since we had been on and off the past couple of months and things just weren't working out with him wanting to transition and the stress I had wanting a kid was making us rush that decision. I ended it back in August right before my surgery but we wanted to remain friends so we still talk almost every day and see each other once in a while as friends.

Flash up to now. I have met a pretty cool guy...I have butterflies all the time! He is 33 (I am 21), and he has two boys ages 4 and 8. I have yet to meet the kids but him and I have talked and he had a vasectomy done last year. I know there is such thing as a vasectomy reversal though...so I'm wondering if you gals know anything about it? Not for right now, but for future perhaps if this does become more serious, and of course when I am given the O.K. from my doctors. Also, how long did you wait until you told your s/o you love them? I'm just curious about this...hehe.

RANT OVER, PIC TIME!
Top left: Approx. 386lbs.
Bottom left: -50lbs, approx. 336lbs.
Right: TODAY -88lbs, approx. 298lbs.

 

[Ursaula]

Forgot to mention, I AM IN THE 200s AGAIN!!! EEEEE!

 

[MissDoc]

Urs, I'll play along. Good idea. The things I've been struggling with are:

1) Eating too much candy or snacky things
2) Not exercising consistently
3) Not eating vegetables or paying enough attention to nutrient balance
4) Not getting enough steps daily
5) Eating fast foods or eating out too much in general

All of these things are so problematic I don't know where I should start, lol. I think a basic first step would be to stop with the overreating of sugary things (#1). So that's where I'll start. I already have eaten like crap today, but no more candy or sweets starting now. Or at least, not over eating it--- a more mindful approach.

 

[Ursaula]

Sounds great MissDoc!
How have you been doing with the sweets? I find for me I have to really follow the "out of sight out of mind rule" with them, or just not have them in the house at all.

I've been trying to get all my vitamins in but it just isn't working. My friend yesterday gave me an idea to program times into my phone as reminders to take them. I take them all through out the day for maximal absorption of each so I'm setting this up right now.

 

[krissie328]

Great job on the weight loss Urs. I don't know much about VR but I believe the longer you wait the harder it can be to get things going again (I think due to scar tissue). But I have seen many success stories. I told DH I loved him within a couple months of dating. But we really rushed things, were engaged within 3 months and married at 10 months. But we have been married 11.5 years so not to shabby.

Five Things Challenge:
1. Eat whole foods.
2. Take all my supplements.
3. Snacking all the time.
4. Exercise!!
5. Reduce carbs to under 50.

I am going to start with #2 and taking all my supplements. I have a lot of them going on right now due to starting a new cycle.

 

[swimmyj1]

I like this challenge lol

Five Things Challenge:
1. Take my vitamins
2. Cut fast foods
3. Stop buying candy!!!
4. Think/react to bored eating vs hungry
5. Meet fitbit step goals!

I'm going to start with cutting fast food, Goal of no fast food for a month hopefully i can increase it from there.

Urs - your looking good! so proud of you for all that loss (also ps love that you have a pug hahaha) as for VR i don't know much either. my uncle had one but it had been i believe close to 10 years and him and his second wife so far have not been able to have a baby. But I've also heard of successes. I'm glad you've found someone that has made you happy! me and my DH have a pretty good age gap and haven't found many issues with it. Also funny story regarding saying I love you. My DH said it to me on our first date haha but I also was the RN for his favorite sports team and got him front row tickets and a signed jersey. then was super embarrassed he said it so didn't say it again for a long time haha. (he hates when I tell people that story).

AFM - still no period and no sign of it getting here I took an ovulation test yesterday and it was completely blank so it probably will be a long time from now.

IRYM - haven't heard from you in a while hope your ok

 

[Ursaula]

Yay, more challengers! Thanks gals for the congratulations Also good to know that the longer he waits the harder it will be to conceive. As well, it's nice to know that taking stuff quicker isn't a bad thing.

A little note on the love situation: I am TERRIBLE at lying and he started teasing me and saying I was in love with him and I just kind of sat there with a bright red face trying to avoid eye contact. In the end, he now knows I love him. BOYS!

Krissie: I have a feeling once he's done with the lawyer and the divorce is complete that there will be a ring. I don't plan on marrying him too soon though since he is just getting out of a marriage himself. If he asks sooner rather than later I would probably say yes but stay engaged for a year or two. Not only for his sake but the kids as well.

Swimmy: That's really funny about the 'I love you' thing, very cool on your part, too!

I'm not sure how long it usually takes after having a baby for things to return to normal, as I've never been in that situation. I hope it isn't long for you now though.

AFM: The challenge is going alright. I've been able to get in a few more of my vitamins but not nearly as many as I'm suppose to. How is the challenge going for everyone else?

Thinking of all of you!

 

[krissie328]

That is great Urs!! I hope it all works out as it sounds like it is a much better situation.

Swimmy- af can come back at so many different times. Mine came back immediately and I had 4 perfect cycles then PCOS decided it was time to be a bother and I have been irregular since. But some women don't get them back 15+ months and even get pregnant without them showing back up.

Afm, the challenge is going well. I missed my morning pills yesterday but for the other two days I took them all.

 

[Mrs. Tigger]

Hi Ladies

I hope you are all well! I've been checking in a bit -- super impressed with your weight loss, Ursaula! That is seriously just amazing!

All is going OK over here. We just hit the halfway mark at 20 weeks and so far this pregnancy I've gained 7kg, which is disappointing, but I'm supposed to be eating a balanced diet, so I'm not on my low-GI diet (and with tiredness, occasional sickness, etc, I doubt I'd manage to stay on it anyway), and also they stopped my Metformin at week 12, so I doubt I'm metabolizing carbs as well now. Oh well, there are a lot of women who have gained a lot more than 7kg by week 20 and turn out to be fine.

The doctor's have been a bit worried about my weight (my BMI at getting pregnant was 36), but so far everything's perfect. Baby measures right on time every time they check and I had the first gestational diabetes test and passed it with flying colors (not a hint of a problem).

I'm also doing poorly on exercise (back pain and hip pain not helping).

Today we had the 20 week scan and found out that, in addition to everything being seemingly perfect and without any complications, we're having a little boy.

I hope you're all doing well. I should really consider joining one of these challenges myself!

 

[Ursaula]

Thanks Krissie and Mrs. T!

Mrs. T: I'm so excited for you! A little boy . I wouldn't be too concerned with the amount of weight you have gained unless the doctors and tests are showing there needs to be something done. Feel free to join the challenges! You get to choose what to work on so it can be something easy or hard and very adapting to pregnancy.

AFM: The challenge was going alright for me until yesterday. I ran out of my medication and today is Remembrance Day in Canada (Like Memorial Day), so it's a holiday and my pharmacy isn't open until Monday. I fainted yesterday already and today I'm extremely dizzy. At a loss on what to do as I don't think my body can handle the weekend without them...

Keep in mind those doing the challenge that this Monday marks our first chosen task complete! Work hard during the weekend to make sure you're at your best for Monday!

 

[krissie328]

Congrats Tigger! Little boys are amazing fun.

Oh that's not good Urs. Can you call the hospital or doctor emergency number? Maybe you can get some from the office. I hope you are doing okay.

Afm, doing okay with the challenge so that's great. But I'm having a rough week. Work has been hard and I'm so so down with not getting pregnant. I can't believe the emotional toll it's taking. It doesn't help so many people seem to be announcing right now.

 

[drjo718]

Hi ladies, I'm back on the weight loss wagon. Trying to lose the baby weight plus more. Started on November 2nd with a goal to lose 2lbs a week. I was 222.4 the 2nd and 220.6 the 9th, so so far so good. Doing low carb 90% of the time. With PCOS that's what seems to work for me. I'm still breastfeeding with a very low milk supply, so I'm playing that by ear. Then before Nora is a year old, we want to start trying for #2. My midwife already told me to just let her know when I want Femara again, so at least i know I don't have to wait a full year and then try several months before getting help since I already have a diagnosis this time around.

 

[ireadyermind]

Hey gals.

Sorry I've been MIA. Things have been a combination of hectic, stressful, and then painfully slow. heh

With my official diagnosis of PCOS, I decided to focus exclusively on diet to help with weight loss, combined with the Metformin. I haven't stepped on a scale in months.

Unfortunately the Met is causing some strange side effects for me. While I didn't seem to have the intestinal distress that many of you gals said it caused for you, what it DID cause me was heartbeat irregularities, so unfortunately I had to stop taking it.

I haven't yet discussed alternatives with my physician, but she did tell me to opt for low carb diet options and to ignore "PCOS diet" menus altogether. So far that hasn't really done me any good. Counting calories and carbs hasn't really changed the speed at which I'm gaining weight, sooo... Not sure what else to do in that instance.

I did read an article which said that people with PCOS could expect to lose 1/4 to 1/2 a pound a week as opposed to the 1 to 2lbs others might lose on the same diet plan. Very frustrating.

In addition,FOUR friends and family members recently announced pregnancies and their photos and comments are all over my feed. I'm happy for these women, but as DH and I move into year three of TTC, I feel my heart sinking. The fourth pregnancy announcement happened tonight, as a matter of fact, and I almost cried about it.

It's DH's sister in law who's pregnant this time, and since we are going to spend this Christmas with DH's family, I'm dreading it now. With a new pregnancy for everyone to gush over, I'm dreading an endless stream of "And when are YOU going to have kids!?" from the in-laws.

I might ask DH to gently break the news to them before we go, how he and I have been TTC for years now and are actively seeking assistance from a fertility clinic. Perhaps if they know ahead of time, it will prevent them from poking their noses into our private lives in front of all the other gathered relatives over Christmas dinner.

I'm sure I'm rambling now! I am just very upset over this latest announcement and DH doesn't seem to understand why, and is not affected by the news whatsoever. I needed someone to turn to, so I figured you gals would be my best outlet.

Anyway. Not to be a downer. I'm happy to see so many of you are still going strong in our little group! Keep up the good work.

I keep saying I'll try to be more active around here, and I do mean it! It's just been a little stressful to keep TTC and weight loss at the forefront of my mind, so I had to take a little break.

Hopefully will pop back in off and on over the next couple of weeks leading up to Thanksgiving (November 24th here in the States).

 

[krissie328]

I'm sorry things are rough right now IRYM. Holidays do seem to add to the stress. Once we came out to my in laws about fertility issues it was definitely a huge weight lifted.

I also have PCOS and have found myo-inositol works similar to metformin without all the side effects. I would definitely research it and even bring it up with your doctor as many of them have started recommending it for PCOS patients.