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!

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

@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!

Ooh enjoy your spa day @Avocuddles!

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.....

@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!

@Avocuddles I got mine from TK Maxx. I have found it online:

www.tkmaxx.com/home/home-rooms/kitchen/blue-glass-container-box-530ml/p/78157244

Feel very sturdy and secure.

@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!

@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

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

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

And finished product! 🥳

@BunnytheBlueWhale def take your own lunches. I get pret for free at work (because we are basically chained to our desks ha ha)! But DH now takes in lunch as we have less money and he loves it! I often make some of the deliciously Ella batch cook recipes from her second book and they make dinner for us both, lunch for him and a spare portion for a guest / freezer and they work out really cheap.

Nooooo just wrote loads and my phone ate it!

@LASandOtto that looks delicious.

Have prepped Mediterranean chicken stew which will do us for tonight and tomorrow with green beans, the rest of the week is planned and shopped for. Feeling very positive about the coming week, so much so that I've booked my yoga and gym sessions into my diary too. @tortiecat my yoga teacher also does barre class but I'm not sure you've talked me into it - but thank you for a great giggle!

Interesting to see what you're all taking re vitamins. Currently I'm just taking bog standard folic acid and vitamin D, also iron supplements as I was very anaemic after dabbling with vegetarianism a year ago and although my levels have recovered with tablets I worry about them dropping as I still eat less meat than I used to. Am taking low mercury fish oil too, although the fishy burps aren't pleasant! Trying to up the fruit and veg again as I've been less good at getting a variety in since we got back from hols - sheer laziness.

Spa day sounds great @Avocuddles and a good idea for your due date @MrsMGE. My due date from the first MMC last year would have been at the end of this month and I'm totally down with sticking two fingers up at the universe and doing something nice for me that day.

Anyone got a Fitbit type watch? I'd really love one but not great with tech, is there something out there for the simple-minded that doesn't require too much syncing/set up but will actually be useful?

@SunshineCrocodile Book something that will cheer you up for that day. I booked half a day at the spa for DH and I - and now I'm happy as I won't be sat at home dwelling on what's happened, and I didn't spend a fortune either as it's a half day. Winner. Xxx

@Seahawk80 Free Pret? That’s pretty good!

@SunshineCrocodile I’ve got the Tom Tom watch. Haven’t used it for a while so need to dig it out. Not sure it’s the simplest to use (not difficult though) but I chose that one at the time as it was one of the few that you could put music onto and then connect headphones via Bluetooth. It meant I could go for a run without my phone, just had my watch on and headphones...

Morning ladies!

@SunshineCrocodile I've got the Fitbit Surge HR (I think that's what it's called) and I love it. The AF and fertility tracker on there isn't too bad too, plus it does steps, good, sleep, etc. I mostly use it for steps as I try to push to do 10k steps a day! It wasn't too expensive and their customer service has been great over all the years I've had Fitbit.

OH and I have managed another (longer) run (with walking episodes) for almost 50 mins this morning which I am totally over the moon with!!!!!!

Celebrated with smoked salmon and spinach on sourdough and I also made a back of these healthy pancakes I saw a recipe online for! They were aaaaamazing and can be batch made for work breakfast. I had mine with Greek yoghurt and warmed up some frozen blueberries in a pan!

Also wanted to mention if anyone is looking for new gym gear - I've got a few items from Oysho Sport and they've got a Sale. Their running leggings and leggings in general are amazing. The compression leggings I've got are completely seam free and super flattering .

Hope you all have a good day!

@LASandOtto Well done on the run and I will look up Oysho website!

I had my first session at the gym today one weeks (other than yoga) and I felt great going, it was a bit hard going when I was there, but feel great for it 😊

My first Hello Fresh 🍅 🥕🥩 arrived this morning too 📦 so looking forward to having five good meals this week. I do cook but we often leave the house around 8am and get home around 7pm so some days i struggle to cook a proper meal. We don’t really do quick things with ready made sauces etc, we make almost everything fresh, so it can be hard work! I’m hoping having the recipe and ingredients right there will help...

Congratulations on your run/gym sessions and healthy food choices today, girls @LASandOtto @BunnytheBlueWhale!

I'm having a day off exercising today, had a lovely bath with a bath bomb and managed to resist DH's Nan's delicious homemade cake - only had a single bite! Also went for a 20 min walk afterwards. I'm feeling the burn physically after the last few days, especially yesterday, had a good workout at the gym and then blitzed the house and took Christmas decs down, haven't sat down between 8am and 6pm. So now I'm going to relax, watch a bit of The Office, maybe read something. Made the raspberry and peanut butter energy balls from Deliciously Ella for the week and snacked on green apple slices & peanut butter earlier. I am hungry today and found this snack works really well for me. Proud of not going to the shop and buying crappy food for snacking!

Hope you're all having a good Sunday ❤️ xxx

You’re all talking about Delicisously Ella so I’m going to have to look her up but might be a bit too healthy for me 😬😂 I want to eat healthy meals but more so in that they’re just fresh meals with lots of veg. I’m not calorie counting so much as wanting to cut down on sugary snacks

@BunnytheBlueWhale well done on the gym girl! Whoop! Bet that felt good to go (and on a Sunday too)!

I'm the same as you, I make all my food from scratch and buy very little pre-made items. I just like to know what's going into my food!

Will you let us know how your Hello Fresh recipes turn out? And if there's any good recipes we can copy? 😆

@MrsMGE how are the Deliciously Ella balls? I want to try those out! I just made the ones from the Fertility Kitchen website and they were easy enough to make. That will save us a fortune because I was often buying these energy balls and bars in the supermarket and I think they can quickly become very pricey!!

Below a photo of my finished balls! Not the best balls anyone has ever seen 🤣 but hey.... they taste nice! OH had one already and apparently they can be kept in the freezer too!

Good you're having a day off exercise, it's important to rest @MrsMGE. Exercise that causes muscle aches essentially causes inflammation in the body so a recovery day is a must! Plus walking counts as exercise, as does housework! When I clean our flat I feel exhausted after!

Going to join in watching something on telly now and chilling!

Did you end up reading Michelle Obama's book btw? What did you think?

X

'Les Balls' 😬

thefertilitykitchen.co.uk/2019/03/17/cherry-almond-bites/

I like your balls @LASandOtto! Not a thing I'd thought I'd say ever to you 👀😂

I'll be trying them next weekend! The DE ones are nice, however mine are somehow very peanutty and less raspberry-ish & not as pink as hers. They are tasty though. You're right, all those energy balls and bars are ridiculously overpriced and sold individually in plastic packaging, I'm not a fan of that. Easy enough to make your own, and cheaper, so no excuse really, unless you're really rushed or travelling.

This is exactly the book I've been thinking to pick up this afternoon, it's good, but I haven't had much time to read it, so nowhere near finished yet! Mrs O is a cool cat, I like her perspective xxx

*ever say

@LASandOtto Absolutely. I’ll let you know and share recipes. We have some Gousto ones somewhere that were nice. Your balls look interesting 😃

@BunnytheBlueWhale I love D Ella. Funnily enough I got her books as there was a big buzz about all the natural sweet snacks but I found them a real faff to make and also all the ingredients were expensive. I soon decided I'd rather have half a real chocolate brownie than her sweet potato ones! However since I had the books I tried the savoury recipes and most of them are quick, simple and delicious. She really makes a lot of effort to make things really flavourful. Even DH who is a hardcore meat eater likes them. I find the second book (Everyday) the best but you can probably find a lot of the recipes online. (PS free pret is good but when you have it 4 days and week and stick to healthy options it gets repetitive!)

I'm going to have to pause the couch to 5k for a few days. Had some heavy spotting this morning. I'm not too worried as it's stopped and was only ever when I wiped and I had similar at this point with DS and the pregnancy that ended in TMFR but I'm going to take it easy for a few days then repeat week one. In need of major distractions if anyone has any tips / book recommendations as need to wait at least a week for an early scan as I really don't want to risk going a few days too early to see a heartbeat. Please all keep your fingers crossed for me.