TTC after loss penguins get fit & healthy in 2020

And finished product! 🥳

Oh, and here my recipe I forgot to post! X

Cross-posted @LASandOtto! Thank you so much 😘 I am buying one this summer, getting holidays out of the way first, I should be able to have enough cash saved up by then. I'm planning to keep it till it dies (I wouldn't use it that much as I don't drive to work), so it makes sense to just buy it outright and avoid loan/finance/pcp.

You're eating a very healthy diet, good on you! Also 15k steps, shopping helps so much (even if you don't buy anything), wooo! Did you actually pick your new mattress?

I'm debating booking half a day at my favourite spa for my due date following @Avocuddles post, DH and I are off and I really would like to have a nice day despite the obvious. Xxx

@Avocuddles I listen to all sorts! I adore The Stone Roses and Pearl Jam, but then I'm also a big fan of electro and indie...and old style house, we're talking from 15-20 years ago. The song I was talking about that I've recently rediscovered is "I Won't Kneel" by Groove Armada & Saint Saviour. It's kind of magical. My all time uplifting tune is "Rise" by Gabrielle, always helps me when I'm feeling blue. Xxx

@tortiecat oh my god, I was crying with laughter 😂😂 I can so picture this whole scene in my head!

Regarding weekend dinners -

Today we are having a recipe I'll post in a moment which comes from a recipe box. Tomorrow we are making Minestrone soup which I love and it's filling yet healthy!

Snacks - I usually have crudités, I have them at lunch every day too. Mixing a bit of smashed avo and hummus is nice and filling for a dip.

I do eat nuts too, I read somewhere that Brazil nuts are good for fertility so ordered some, and to me it feels like eating wood chips!! 😑 Just no!

Done about 15k steps according to my Fitbit today, after bed shopping, we went to look at mattresses again. It was ultra busy in London and at some stage I lost OH who had parked himself on memory foam mattress and looked like he was about to nod off 😂

@avocuddles your Spa day sounds really amazingl.... I could do with one! I just find in London they're soooo expensive! Hope you have a nice time tomorrow. Interesting regarding the high folic acid, I've been debating upping my dose from 800 currently but not sure whether to or not!

Supplements are so bloody expensive!

@MrsMGE hell to the yeah on the promotion girlfriend!!! Whooooooooooop that's frigging amazing, I'm really happy for you! Yay yay yay!!!!!!! You deserve that new car, when are you off to get it?

Happy evening everyone!

@BunnytheBlueWhale I will do thanks! We should all take advantage of the opportunity to spend hours in a hot tub whilst we have the chance as hopefully we'll all be on a hot tub / sauna ban soon!

Just realised there were a load more posts I hadn't seen before the previous reply, doh!

@BunnytheBlueWhale where did you get your glass lunchboxes from? I've fancied some for a while.... I'm a big fan of leftovers for lunch or soup (homemade or shop bought) as something warm is always nice this time of year. I did treat myself to a delicious and very healthy salad from Itsu on Friday though which I would highly recommend, it was the Zero Noodles Chicken Satay one which is really filling yet fewer than 300 calories!

@tortiecat the thought of an Italian restaurant is getting me salivating! Let us know what you go for.....

@LASandOtto your home plans sounds fabulous! And well done on the decluttering, I haven't sold anything via Shpock but will have to check it out based on your success! I did sell a few furniture items via Facebook marketplace a few months ago but found you get a lot of timewasters on there.....

@VenusStarr good to see you here and well done on the continued Slimming World success, you're doing brilliantly! We really do seem so similar (age, weight, pregnancy history), I'm hoping your dedication to the diet rubs off on me! Are you going to group sessions or just doing it yourself? I'm following weight watchers online at the moment as I managed ok with it previously but might give the groups a go if things aren't going as well as I'd like. I'm aiming for 1.5 to 2 pounds loss a week as know that crash dieting in itself can be unhelpful for TTC, but if more fell off I would of course be delighted!

@JuniperAndRose gardening sounds a great idea! I'm looking forward to planting some veg in a month or so once the frosts have passed. Last year was my first foray into the world of veg growing with tomatoes, chillies and courgettes, any other recommendations of easy things to grow would be very welcome! I have a small greenhouse and am planning on digging a veg patch too.

@MrsMGE we took the decs down this morning too which was a workout in itself! I'm intrigued to know some of the music you've been rediscovering.... I'm a big believer in the power of music to affect your mood. I also play several instruments and need to find more time to practice this year as it definitely has therapeutic benefits.

Re the vitamins conversation, I take ubiquinol, high strength vitamin c and pregnacare max, all on recommendation of my acupuncturist, plus an additional folate tablet as the fertility clinic recommended that I take 1000-2000 of folic acid a day whilst the multivitamins only contain 400. I was diagnosed with a vitamin d deficiency during my fertility investigations so am taking 1 high dose tablet a month on prescription for three months. If I get a BFP I need to take 75mg aspirin daily along with a daily enoxaparin injection due to my clotting risk.
DH doesn't take anything for fertility, he is on a lot of prescription medication due to his heart condition so think it's best to avoid supplements other than those medically prescribed in case of interactions. His sperm analysis by the fertility clinic came back with a very positive result though I guess there could still be chromosomal issues which those tests wouldn't have picked up.

Just got back from watching the new star wars film and am proud of myself for resisting all of the snacks and just sipping on a sugar free iced tea! Planning a homemade curry tonight with cauliflower rice and a few poppadoms. Spa day tomorrow so looking forward to pampering before work starts again in earnest. Hope you're all having a good evening!

Haha! Oh @tortiecat you've made me smile again 😊

We had a homemade carrot+sweet potato+red pepper soup for lunch and we're having lamb with herbs and mint sauce tonight, I'm so hungry now, I can't wait. Same soup for lunch tomorrow and we have some gammon leftovers from Christmas/NY and I'm making a casserole using it up.

DH and I are off for a couple of days around my due date in mid-Jan and we booked two lovely restaurants. I'll be looking at the menus too xxx

Afternoon ladies!

Thank you @LASandOtto and @MrsMGE for your support, your posts really made me smile and feel lots better. (Incidentally am sure you don't resemble Miss Piggy, Mrs, but she is my absolute favourite!) As well as the out of time rolling there was another Bridget-esque moment when my bottle cap popped open too far, I dropped the squishy ball that I was trying to hold against my bottom with one leg and chucked a whole load of squash down my front - the gazelle next to me raised one perfect, unimpressed eyebrow and got a sweaty grin in return. My legs and tummy ache today but I am going to stick with it - #thisblobfishcan!

I am glad you are feeling a bit better today @Shefliesonherownwings.

What are you all eating this weekend? DH and I are going out for dinner with friends later to a local Italian place so I am perusing the menu now trying to persuade myself to pick something relatively healthy when we get there. Calamari, pizza and tiramisu are my usual go-tos but I will be good!

PS I am sorry to hear that so many of you are on here are having issues with your parents. I can't really comment, but I wanted you to know that I am thinking of you all - do what you need to do to protect yourselves at this difficult time in your lives xx

@LASandOtto Yes, it's his first test. He booked it himself, I'm quite proud of him. He wants to be more proactive this year, I think, which is nice. I told him last month that I felt the entire burden of pg-loss-ttc is on me and I think it's his way of showing that it's not necessarily so, which I appreciate. I'm a bit nervous about the results.

Congratulations on the new place, it sounds amazing! What a great project for 2020. It will keep you busy!

I did get a promotion, they told me few weeks ago, thank you for asking 😊 xxx

Thanks ladies for all your replies regarding the vitamins! Seems like we all take similar stuff so, good to hear!

@MrsMGE is your OH doing the sperm test for the first time? My OH did it as you know when we chatted on the other penguin thread when we went for our first private consultation before Christmas. All came back good except I think motility which we are now working on with diet!

YES we ended up going for the flat with the annex in the garden which is the self contained studio that we will convert into an Airbnb which will be my 2020 project! Remember how we were talking interior design styles, Hamptons style, etc? Well, I cannot wait to get started!

We are currently having a huge de-clutter, clothes, kitchen, the lot! What's not going to charity, we are selling on Shpock to make a bit of extra cash and have already made almost £100 or so in just a couple of days! Great to feel things are also being recycled by being used by someone else! I hate throwing stuff from a sustainability perspective!

What's your plans for the rest of the weekend? Did you end up getting the promotion at work? I remember you had interviews a few weeks ago?

@Shefliesonherownwings have a good time with friends this evening! I'm sorry your dad is such a self absorbed man, seeking pity. I hope counselling goes well and it will be good to talk about it! I found my counsellor just somehow managed to change my whole way of thinking and changed my relationship consequently with my mum.

@BunnytheBlueWhale I've been making my own lunch since last year as we were buying the flat and I wanted our expenses to look 'good'. At the start it was a pain but now I couldn't imagine not doing it as it saves a lot of money. I usually make sandwiches and a couple of crudités with hummus, or sometimes a salad, and I usually prepare it whilst I make dinner. I bought these collapsible tuppers from Good2Go as they're space saving when empty and they're perfect!

My friend asked me yesterday if I wanted to join her for Pilates going forward as she's pregnant and doesn't do the gym anymore, and I kind of just said no. I don't know if I feel bad as I feel unsupportive as we used to work out together but I just don't want to right now, as still trying to protect myself.

Anyway, we are off bed shopping!

Happy weekend x

Morning all, I am feeling brighter this morning. I slept better which helped and my friend sent me a positive affirmation this morning about strength and to just keep doing your best which was nice.

No weight loss this week but no gain either! I'm not surprised as inate a lot of chocolate. All bad food has gone and DH and I are off to the gym shortly. We are seeing a couple of friends this evening for a takeaway so am planning a very healthy lunch so I can enjoy tonight.

I'm sorry so many of us are dealing with unsupportive parents. I agree that there is a hierarchical element to it. Certainly my dad believes I should do what he says because he is the man and father and I am not only a child but a girl so his way rules. He isn't emotionless, he can actually be over emotional, he was almost hysterical when he came to see us in the hospital after we lost Isla. Call me harsh but I firmly believe, and my mum has confirmed, that to a certain extent, he does this for sympathy. He has told every single person he comes into contact with about what happened and this is definitely to make people feel sorry for him. It's one of the things I pulled him up on as I don't want the butcher and the woman up the road knowing such personal information. We start counselling on monday so I'm sure he will come up a lot!

Good work on the saving Bunny. DH and I have started the penny challenge. Every day from 1st Jan we save a penny increasing by one each day. So 1p on 1st, 2p on 2nd, 3p on 3rd and today 4p. The idea being that by the end of the hear you have over £600 saved. The only obstacle is remembering to do it.

@LASandOtto I'm taking a multivitamin with iron and folic acid. I've just bought some Agnus Caustus as I've heard it helps regulate periods. I've a feeling my cycles will be a bit messed up after Isla's birth in november so if AF doesnt appear next week as she should, I'll start that too.

Sorry @LASandOtto re vitamins I'm on the 5mg folic acid (prescription due to one instance of hydrocephalus in the family) and I am taking Seven Seas pre-conception again like I did before my first pg. I will stop SS once I'm pg though just in case (they have Vit K and I don't know if I have any clotting issues, I certainly do during AF, so it's a precaution). DH takes omega 3, zinc, Vit C, Vit D and Vit B complex, I believe apart from omega 3 the rest is a multivitamin drink. He also eats lots of nuts which are meant to be good for sperm. He's actually having his sperm tested next week at a private clinic. Xxx

It reinforced everything they didn't do for me growing up is the exact opposite of what I hope to be for my children.

@VenusStarr my thoughts exactly!!! And you're not alone having issues on both sides, DH and his mother have had a barely there relationship for years and sadly his dad, although he's lovely, is completely under MIL's thumb and therefore not really there either. My impression is that majority of DH's family will breathe a sigh of relief once MIL is gone, obviously they don't say it, but she's the source of all kinds of problems. Families, eh? Those with no major issues can count their lucky stars, it's rare!

@LASandOtto That's super impressive, well done you!!! I didn't realise you've completed on your new place, massive congratulations! Which one did you go for in the end? Are you packing up this month? That's so exciting! Xxx

@JuniperAndRose I always wanted an allotment! We currently live in a small lower ground flat (read cellar) with no garden, but we've bought a flat and are due to move end of Jan, and I'll then have a south west facing garden! My OH's dad is the most green fingered man, he literally grows trees out of dirt on the ground! He's absolutely fantastic and he is going to set up a little vegetable patch for me! I cannot wait!

@VenusStarr diet is hugely important and probably the key, I'm not sure if this is true but I'm sure someone once told me it's something like 70% diet and 30% exercise! Well done on everything your doing though!

I think @MrsMGE and I were saying it seems a lot of us who've suffered losses last year have put some weight on. I think that's more than understandable!

And we will all work together now and support each other to feel good about our body's again which I am sure in turn helps with a 'happy' mind!

On the topic of parents - my mother is really complicated too. It took counselling for me to find a place where I could have a relationship with her that didn't end up with me feeling like an inept, insecure and unworthy piece of sh*t. My mum has been through a lot and had to make a lot of sacrifice for my sister and I, but boy, did we get to feel that! Anyway, we are ok now and we see each other every few months as she's in a different country. She was supportive throughout my last MC which was really nice (although she's since complained the expense it was for her to come over to the UK to be with me).

Can I ask you guys about vitamins for a second? I guess you're all taking some multi vitamin?

I'm taking a German product called Pre Natalis which has higher folic acid (800) than UK products and no vitamin A. I also take Ubiquinol x 600 every day!

Do your OH's take vitamins too? If so, which ones if you don't mind my asking?

Managed a 5k run and as we live close to a football stadium, there's some steps there where we did some up and down shuttles which was a nice finisher! I was breathing like Darth Vader in the end!!

Have a lovely weekend ladies x

Cross posted @MrsMGE, thank you ☺️ really good to hear that you're feeling so good, it makes a big difference.

Good plan @BunnytheBlueWhale, its amazing how quickly lunchtime spending adds up.

I love that you have an allotment @JuniperAndRose ☺️

I hadn't realised so many of us have difficulties with our parents... Joining that club. I'm low contact with mine, they've been awful since my miscarriages. We had a falling out before Christmas and all my anger came spilling out, ended up in my last therapy session spending the whole hour talking about them. It reinforced everything they didn't do for me growing up is the exact opposite of what I hope to be for my children. It does make me sad that both my dh and I don't have good parental support (completely no contact with his parents for 2 years), both are toxic in different ways.

Hope everyone has a peaceful weekend xx

Well done @VenusStarr! That's an excellent result and if your BMI is 28 you're already in a good place and it will soon be perfect! 👏

@JuniperandRose Sorry you're having a similar issue with your parents, it's surprising how widespread it is, and difficult situations, such as baby loss seem to aggravate it. You're right, there's no easy one-fits-all answer to this.

I did the gym. Had my shakshuka (lovely) and going to remove our Christmas decs and tidy up now. I think I'll take a day off exercising tomorrow. Checked the fitness classes timetable and there is a new dancehall/fitness class and zumba in the evening, so I signed up for both next week. I love all things dance-related!

I've also gone back to listening to music en route to work & back. Got my feel good list and my feeling blue list, rediscovered lots of songs I forgot about and it's been very therapeutic.

Overall, I feel best I've felt in ages and didn't think I'd ever be able to say this without being pg again. It makes sense as the NHS recommends making positive changes to your lifestyle when you're going through tough times, whether mentally, physically or both. Hope this continues regardless of where I am on the TTC front. Xxx