TTC after loss penguins get fit & healthy in 2020

[BunnytheBlueWhale]

This is the thread for those of us in the TTC after loss penguin huddle who want to try to eat a more healthy diet, exercise more, lose weight or just feel better physically this year
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@MrsMGE @Avocuddles @MissSparkles81 @SunshineCrocodile @Mumlili8 @VenusStarr @SunStruck

If I’ve missed anyone please tag them

How about we start by saying what our goals are whether that he the number on the scale, doing more exercise or just feeling better about ourselves?

I’m BunnytheBlueWhale (NC recently - see TTC thread). I’m 35 and probably weigh about a stone more than I’d like since I had my stillborn daughter in February. I don’t need to lose weight massively but having post-baby weight and no baby is a bit rubbish!

I’d like to lose a bit of a weight all over and also target my belly with brushing, moisturising and maybe microneedling at home...

I eat a lot of sugary snacks so want to massively reduce those and also try to take a healthy lunch to work to stop me spending so much money on food!

Oohhhhhh @MrsMGE sounds like a yum dinner!!

We had Alaskan Salmon roasted in the oven with a fresh ginger and soy dressing, roasted butternut squash and a cucumber Chili side salad! Very YUM!

I'm going to make these on the weekend - thefertilitykitchen.co.uk/2019/03/17/cherry-almond-bites/

They sound delish!!

Enjoy the 6am workout tomorrow sister x

Im not sure if any of you are on instagram but I have been following actionhappiness and they post monthly calendars with daily prompts to help you think about gratitude. I really want to give it my best shot ❤

I also signed up to a 3 month online subscription to ww. Hoping the change of plan will help me refocus on my eating again. Fitbit charging as we speak.

@MrsMGE ooooh 6am start!! Well done you! I am off tomorrow but usually I am up at 6 for work. The thought of doing a workout at that time would kill me haha 😂

@LASandOtto those bites sound gorgeous.

@BunnytheBlueWhale your soup sounds lovely. I have a soup maker that I might dust off and make a batch up tomorrow. Love homemade soup 😀

I don’t use Instagram much and I feel like all the social media bombards me with other people’s pregnancies and babies! Can I get on Instagram to see the inspiration fitness stuff without seeing all that? I don’t know if it’s like Facebook where you can unfollow without people knowing. Maybe I should just set up a new account 😬

@BunnytheBlueWhale you can unfollow and mute people on insta too. I actually have a seperate instagram for my weight loss stuff. I find keeping it seperate really helps.

@LASandOtto @MissSparkles81 Soups from Fertility Kitchen recipes are out of this world. LASandOtto your dinner sounds super yum! Might make this next week.

Right, off to do my 15 mins HIIT as we speak, feel so good after a good night sleep. Little things ❤️ Have a good day, girls, happy Friday! Xxx

Happy Friday all-it sounds like you are all doing so well!

All the talk of delicious sounding healthy food on here is making me hungry I had a home made stir fry with lots of broccoli and prawns last night, and no sugar at all after my breakfast Danish so I feel yesterday was a success. Today's lunch is salmon and roast veg and I am going to barre class (likely to be painful after two weeks off).

Will you let us know how the bites are @LASandOtto? I am going to attempt these soon: thefertilitykitchen.co.uk/2018/02/17/raspberry-almond-muffins/

@tortiecat @LASandOtto I'd be keen to know what the snack recipes are like too. I made (and bought) Deliciously Ella balls before for snacking and they were delicious, that's another option. They tend to have high sugar content (dates etc) but they're obviously natural ingredients so not as bad as demolishing a Mars bar! I'm doing good now, no snacking apart from fruit, but I will struggle close to AF so need some contingency plans in place!

I weighed myself today and I'm the same weight as on 19 Dec (I weighed myself before Christmas to see how much I put on after all the parties and eating Christmas food). I put on 3 lbs and managed to lose it all between 27 Dec and now. I'm shocked! Don't think this pace will continue, but it's given me a big boost now! Xxx

@MissSparkles81 That’s good to know. I might just make a new one 😊

Hi ladies! Just checking in and will read through properly after work. I just weighed myself (there is a free height and weight monitor at work....) and I'm the heaviest I've been in 18 months! I have started tracking in the weight watchers app as of this morning and just donated most of our Christmas gift chocolates and biscuits to a food bank collection so making steps in the right direction but know it's going to take plenty of discipline. Annoyingly my ovulation induction consultation has been pushed back from Monday to Thursday but that still means less than a week to go. Maybe if I work hard I'll have shifted at least a couple of pounds by then!

@Avocuddles Try not to worry too much about the number on the scale. Sometimes you can just weigh a bit more or less at different times of the day anyway as I’m sure you know. I haven’t weighed myself for ages and now don’t know where the scales are bit I feel like I should. Sorry your appointment has been moved but at least it’s still next week x

Morning everyone! Have been following but haven't found a second to sit down and properly post yet. Sounds like you're all off to a good start!

I had two days off the wagon over new year but am back on it now, protein/spinach smoothie for breakfast and lunch will be salmon salad, dinner likely to be cottage pie and veg. I've not booked onto the gym/yoga sessions yet, I seem to have a bit of a mental block around restarting exercise so need to boot myself up the bum and will get those booked for next week. In the meantime am going out for a long walk now so at least that will blow the cobwebs away.

Hi all, happy friday. It's not been a good couple of days for me mentally. Yesterday was very low and today isn't great. I think it's exacerbated by poor sleep. Since my daughter's funeral on 18th december my anxiety is very high at night and although I can get off to sleep I wake up a lot with my heart racing and then struggle to get back to sleep. I'm reliving a lot of the labour and birth at night. I really need to figure out a way to reduce my anxiety at night, because I am really starting to struggle, maybe some meditation or yoga before bed? Anyone have any suggestions?

I told DH yesterday that I'm going to get rid of all the leftover bad food tomorrow or donate it so there's no temptation. Now he's made it his mission to eat it all himself but I've managed to resist. I'm currently batch cooking a WW soup recipe and have made a list of meals for next week and done my shopping list so hopefully next week will be better, foodies. I'm also aiming to go to the gym this afternoon if I can face it.

@MrsMGE I'm sorry you've had to deal with similar with your parents. It really sucks not to have that support when we need it most. My parents are now abroad for 4 months (they spend the winter away in the sun) so I feel less pressure to contact or see my dad. I wish my mum hadn't gone because I will miss her but I'm glad my dad isn't here right now. According to my mum, he believes I owe him an apology because I've been cruel to him. It's another example of him being a victim and making it about him. No acknowledgement that he's upset me and no apology of course. I'm also sad my mum can't stick up for me and tell him he's acted badly but it's her coping mechanism to just say nothing to keep the peace. I'm just so sad about it all.

Well done @SunshineCrocodile!

@Shefliesonherownwings Sorry you’ve been struggling. It is all so fresh for you. I relive certain moments again and again, some quite frequently and others less so, but I have found it happens less. Yoga has really helped me feel calmer overall. I think I might also have mentioned the buddhist monk I listen to and ASMR. Also sometimes just getting into a good film, tv show or book is a good distraction as well as actually doing something like cleaning the house.

I should get my ass in gear today but I don’t feel like it. I might muck out the rabbits which is hard work! I have a bit of a cold and was up at 3 am with quite bad toothache so I’m going a bit too easy today.

Also, I feel I must confess, I just had a delivery. I kind of forgot I’d done a Hotel Chocolat sale order on Boxing Day 😬 I don’t know how that’s going to work but it’s has quite long dates and I suppose it’s not like I’m going to never eat chocolate again. I sometimes allow myself a piece of dark chocolate when I’m trying to be good...

Oh and we are trying hello fresh for a few weeks. I tried Gousto before and liked it but I think these services are quite expensive full price. Having said that, when I think of what I spend in Morrison’s, it’s not so bad. But the point is this might help us eat proper healthy meals after work every day. We eat fairly healthy meals anyway but some nights it’s a struggle to put the effort in to cooking...

Well done @SunshineCrocodile! I find good diet usually leads me to more motivation to exercise and the other way around.

@Shefliesonherownwings I'm so sorry you're feeling low. You have every right to. Everything is still very recent.

I use the CALM app for night time stories when I struggled to sleep. Also for a lot of their medication courses. In the summer I bought a yoga mat off amazon, and after work I went across the park to do some yoga, followed by 10-20 minutes of guided meditation via CALM. I really enjoyed it, it helped my anxiety. It's proven to have an effect almost immediately. So it's not one where it takes months to notice a change.

There's also a Buddhist centre close to where we currently live. I went there for introductory meditation evenings and drop ins and met some lovely people. It was daunting going but everyone was so caring and so wonderful.

Maybe try a few of these apps and see how you get on?

Also reading and distractions in general are good. Endorphins from exercise might lift you a little here and there too!

Sending you a massive hug and all my love! X

@BunnytheBlueWhale please let me know how you find Hello Fresh?? I'd be really curious to find out?

My OH never used to make any dinners as he doesn't know what to do with himself in the kitchen. A few years ago we started to focus on eating more sustainably and organic, and I ordered our veg and fruit from Riverford.

They also do recipe boxes and I sometimes get one on a Friday and since having those, OH and I've been making so many more meals together - or even he is on his own!

I really care about the environment and about our impact on it. I probably spend a lot on organic and fair trade but it's the small luxury I enjoy a lot, as I love cooking too!

I'll let you all know how the fertility kitchen energy balls turn out!

Xxx

@LASandOtto Yes I will! Gousto was good. I’d recommend it if you think the cost is ok but I do think it’s expensive full rice. The recipes are very good. I have a feeling hello fresh recipes are not as good but it’s good to try new things.

I also love Jamie’s 30 minute mess book for quick recipes but they take me more like 45-60 mins!

Hi @Shefliesonherownwings I'm so sorry you've not had a good couple of days. It's so hard when you feel anxious in the dead of night, you can feel so alone - please know that we have been there, we are so sorry for the loss of your daughter and we are rooting for you. Others have come up with good suggestions already but if you do wake in the night I find a few drops of Bach's rescue remedy thing and some deep breathing helps, this technique is pretty good: www.jofrost.com/breathing-blue-balloon-technique
If I feel myself spiralling downwards and getting more and more anxious I force myself to get out of bed, turn the lights on (in a different room!) and read a book or watch something 'light' on Netflix or similar.

Well done on the soup and if you do get to the gym, don't push yourself too hard!

Barre class was horrific this lunchtime. I caught sight of myself in the mirror and saw a flabby looking woman with a beetroot coloured face! The young, slim ladies around me gracefully tucked and waved their legs like graceful gazelles whilst I struggled to keep time and rolled about like an ungainly blobfish. I wish I was joking. I tried to tell myself that I had done a good thing by turning up and trying my best after two weeks off, but am feeling a bit despondent now!

@BunnytheBlueWhale enjoy your chocolate! We have the same issue as very many lovely friends and family gave us Hotel Chocolat for Christmas. I am limiting myself to one at a time and resolutely closing the box and marching upstairs away from them to enjoy with a cup of tea! (once I am sat down there is no getting me up!)

Good strategy @tortiecat! I am starting my full on healthy eating on Monday but I still might allow my self a chocolate or two a day, which might sound like a lot but it’s not, compared to the sugar I’d usually consume. Plus it has less sugar 😬

@SunshineCrocodile I just read your post - don't let my whining put you off your classes next week. It will get easier I hope and one day I am determined to be gazelle like too! Hope you enjoyed your walk x

@tortiecat hey, everyone starts somewhere! Rather than feeling apprehensive, feel proud of yourself that you went to a class. You showed up and did something!

Behind every lady who might look slender now was maybe someone who struggled to also find motivation some time ago and then gave themselves a push, like we are all doing!

With time I think we will all reap the benefits of better sleep, improved body image and general well-being!

I'm proud of you ladies x

Just catching up on the thread, well dine @SunshineCrocodile, it's a good start!

@Shefliesonherownwings I definitely recommend meditation, I do sleep meditations from Deep Meditate (a free app). All thanks to @LASandOtto - I was going through the same thing as you and her recommendation made me look into meditation. It's been a life saver. I still do it, twice or three times a week before bed. I love it. I also took Kalms Night to begin with, for a few weeks to take the edge off. Since I've been doing meditation I haven't used them once.

Re your dad, honestly, mine is exactly the same. Everything has to be done his way, he treats people terribly and never apologises, he thinks I should be doing everything the way he wants it (and generally everyone should work around him) no matter the circumstances. He's utterly selfish and also his attitude is so old fashioned, he seems to be thinking we are not equal, he's higher up in the hierarchy just because he's my father. Well, he's never acted like a father should and never earned respect, so alas it's a no from me. On top of various other issues, it's definitely a generational thing and we are just so far away when it comes to respect, empathy etc. that we will never agree. I don't know if yours is the same, but it seems to me the whole issue is weighing you down and it's not a nice feeling. The only word of advice I can give is don't feel under pressure to resolve this until you work out in your head what's best for you. Sometimes it means accepting that perhaps it won't be perfect. Maybe your parents are disappointing to you because they are so different to you. But you can accept this and move on, only take what they have to offer. I assume they must be around 60ish? They won't change. But you can decide for yourself what sort of relationship or lack thereof would bevthe easiest for you. Don't feel you need to do it asap, don't pull yourself in numerous different directions over this and don't blame yourself. I've been there many times in the last 6 months and it's only my counsellor and a conversation I had with my friend few days ago that suddenly made me realise very clearly what I should do. You'll get there too, in your own time. One improvement at a time ❤️ Xxx