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Original poster

Help need to lose 2 stones to start IVF

15 replies

Shalee · 14/02/2011 21:57

I have been waiting to start IVF for 5yrs, but every time i attend my appointments i am told i need to lose 2 stones. i have been trying for all this time to lose this wieght but every time i get close to my target some thing happens that causes me to go off track,
things like uni, buying a house and most recently the lost of my dad. I am a stress eater and tried every diet to no avail. Advise please i am deseprate

OP posts:
Keziahhopes · 15/02/2011 16:28

Hi,
for nhs your bmi has to be 30 or under, for private 35 or under.... I lost one stone with slimming world. I never thought I would join ww or slimming world but I wanted to keep eating healthily and not restrict my food so I found my nearest class and joined. Have you thought about that? Or joining an exercise class to have regular exercise to help? I comfort eat too so what I found really helpful was learning which snacks had lower points/syns and stocked those up and got rid of anything tempting in the house. So when needed to snack, there were healthier choices. Also had support of dh, so we planned a weekly menu with healthy foods, with lots of fruit and veggies in them, lean meat/fish with tomato rather than cheese sauces.

luckbealady · 15/02/2011 16:44

Shalee I feel your pain, because dieting is so BORING, and I've got to lose some as well. But what kezia says is v good advice. I've surrounded myself with Mullerlight yoghurts and healthy snacks and am slowly...slowly...losing the weight. Give yourself one night off a week and have a treat or two then, so that it's not all dieting dullsville.

I've heard good things about Slimming World; my BF lost 2 stones on it and half a stone was in her first 2 weeks! Yet she eats like a heifer - it's just choosing the right things to eat.

The main thing is to believe you can do it - you can! You can!

Good luck x

AuntieDoris · 15/02/2011 16:49

Yup I do Slimming World too. Lost 8lbs in 3 weeks. (mind you, have just got back from holiday so not looking forward to a weigh in on Thursday!)

On SW you can eat loads or different stuff. Really flexible programme and it's easy!

TaffyandTeenyTaffy · 15/02/2011 17:03

I had to lose weight for my NHS IVF a couple of years ago. I would suggest 3 things that helped me.

  1. Join a slimming club - I did weight watchers previously but am now doing slimming world and its much better. Or if you cant do that then join a slimming forum.
  2. Get exercising - do a little something every day and a big something (swimming, cycling, a long walk or a run) once or twice a week. I have recently had an exercise referral from the GP (have to do a min 2 sessions a week for 16 weeks and costs me £1 a time) - so worth looking to see if you qualify for that.
  3. Get a diary/notebook, set yourself little weight loss goals to keep you on track and write everything you eat down (and review it!). It will help you look back and see where you are going wrong

If all else fails go to GP and see if you can get Orlistat on prescription - its horrible but it works, especially if you eat a very crappy diet.

You have the greatest motivation in the world to lose that weight now. I know - Ive been there - and I did it .... my little man has just celebrated his first birthday. Wishing you lots and lots of luck (for the diet and the treatment x x

hairylights · 15/02/2011 17:37

Seriously, just do slimming world and stick to it. Depending on your starting weight you can do it in three months.

I'm sorry to be blunt but if two stones was the only thing between me and nhs funded ivf I'd easily do it ( and yes I am overweight and I know it's hard).

What stands between me and nhs Funded ivf is three and a half years ... Which I have no power to change ... You have the power to do it.

TaffyandTeenyTaffy · 15/02/2011 17:43

Hairylights is right - I have lost over a stone in 5 weeks on slimming world and my BMI is 30-something (gone from 14st 6lb to 13 st 4.5lbs) in spite of my dodgy thyroid!

hairylights · 15/02/2011 18:19

I have seen people lose over a stone in two weeks on it (albeit that they were very overweight). I was only just over weight and lost two pounds a week. That would be four months ish to lose two stone - reall, really worth it!!

lilly13 · 15/02/2011 19:00

if you have the means, i would recommend seeing a nutritionist. a friend of mine of mine in london has a lot of experience with nutrition suitable for IVF (she is a qualified nutitionist). PM me if you are interested to get her contact details.

personally, i do not believe in dieting. the things that work for me are rigorous excercise and super healthy eating, but i was raised by an athlete mom and went to sports camps as a child and the discipline stuck with me for years. i would not impose my habits on other people, and i can appreciate that losing weight could be a huge challenge...

if you cannot afford a nutritionist, then the simplest way to lose weight is to run 10km 3-4 times per week and not eat anything after 6pm... plus cut out all processed foods, sodas, fried foods and added sugars. eat lots of veggies, berries, fresh fish, virgin oils. go easy on alcohol, fruit juices, sweet fruit, starchy foods and meat. eat reduced fat yogurt. drink soya milk.

also, try doing yin/fertility yoga (should help you conceive and relax).

whomovedmychocolate · 15/02/2011 19:12

Feel free to join us over on the Paul McKenna thread. We're all seeing great results and it's a very lively thread. However you decide to do it - best of luck :)

Original poster
Shalee · 15/02/2011 21:03

Thanks ladies some top advice, slimming world seem like the way to go. I going to look them up on the net tonight, just did not want to crash diet because i only have one chance on nhs and want my body to be in as good health as possible, but will definately give slimming world a go.

OP posts:
Original poster
Shalee · 15/02/2011 21:05

Will keep you posted on my progress, keep the advice coming.

OP posts:
Keziahhopes · 15/02/2011 22:08

Shalee - that is why I liked slimming world, it is not dieting but changing to a healthy diet. It is the only organisation allowed to do things with under 16's by the government etc as it is about healthy choices. and I am never hungry and it is not expensive: £10 to join, that includes all the pack you need, a login for their website with lots of recipes on and the chance to log your progress electronically just for you to see etc. And no I dont' work for SW but I too didn't want to diet, but to manage my diet so I was a healthy bmi.

all the best x

CrispyCakeHead · 15/02/2011 22:17

another yes yes yes to Slimming World. I've done WW in the past, and always felt deprived and hungry, but not with SW which I've been doing for 4 weeks and have lost 8.5lbs, but this is slow compared to most people.

If you are a stress eater, you can pre-prepare some syn-free snacks to keep in the fridge for when you feel the need. And with SW, the "syns" allowance is pretty generous, so if you feel you can't do without a chocolate bar every day, then it's possible to do that. And I tend to start the day with porridge, but at the weekends have a big cooked breakfast which is all totally free. I also snack lots, and haven't once felt deprived doing this.

keziah mentioned the joining fee, but it's also £4.95 a week after that, although this gets cheaper if you buy a "countdown" pass which gets you a week free with a five week pass and two weeks free with a ten week pass.

BagofHolly · 16/02/2011 12:14

Flipping heck, you've waited 5 years for the NHS? how frustrating! Sorry to contradict Keziahopes but not every private clinic even weighs their patients, never mind sets weight limits! This is because not all (in fact, not many!) fertility issues are weight related. The NHS has to find ways in which to restrict the number of patients it treats and weight is an effective "reason" to refuse treatment.
You want a baby, not to be thinner, right? I'd consider a private consultation with a clinic with a good success rate, rather than knocking yourself out, and much more importantly, risking a decline in your fertility,over weight, which might not be the primary issue anyway, very best of luck!

Keziahhopes · 16/02/2011 13:26

It would be great if weight was not a decider, but it is for the original poster sadly and I have been weighed for nhs and private clinics and have a friend who is having to lose weight, significantly, for nhs treatment (IUI).... sadly a higher bmi can be a factor with miscarriage with ivf, I read somewhere - but don't quote me on it, as I am not a doctor and I am sure there is as much contradictory evidence out there! Also I had to blow into a test to prove I do not smoke, as well as dh, for nhs treatment. Guess it is the nhs postcode - some places give you one cycle, others 3, some stick to the NICE guildelines, others don't. Private is an option,bag of holly, only if you have the money, but ivf is about £6,000 after all tests at the place I looked at, and bmi still should be under 35 to get treatment officially.

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