Weight loss for IVF 2021/2022

[WeightlossKin]

I need to lose three stone to qualify for IVF. I've got one to lose for my referral and two more after that for treatment.
Creating this for myself and for others who might want to buddy up!

@WeightlossKin oh, weight loss hypnosis. How are you finding it? I’ll give anything a go! Haha. Yes, I have my lightest outfit at the ready!

My job does have IVF policy, but, only 5 days for the year. I don’t want to tell them yet when I have holiday, but if it doesn’t work, which it probably won’t first time I can then tell them and use that. I’ve not been there that long, only since December, so don’t want them to know unless they have to in my first year. Still at the making a good impression/ trying to eye up future possibilities at the moment there. I know they shouldn’t but I don’t want any potential mat leave to stop any opportunities to get involved in projects etc.

I’ve taken quite a few days off with appointments at fertility clinic which fall under special leave for hospital appointments as it is (From what I understand the 5 days are not specifically IVF - they’re non routine hospital/medical appointments so I’ve used up some as it is! they don’t know were for fertility- just know they were down to my dodgy hormones which is sort of the truth. My thyroid and prolactin are not great and they have been discussed! Plus, if I’m going to need time off for potential mri due to possible prolactinoma thing I’ll be telling work about that.

That was a longer essay than I was expecting to type haha!

Haha well it's just a podcast about hypnosis and mind over matter weight loss? It's not convincing me I should seek out actual hypnosis tbh!

That makes sense in your situation I think I'd be the same. Hard when you're still "new" and don't want IVF or potential pregnancy held against you from an opportunity perspective (even though they're not allowed to blah blah they definitely do don't they?!).
I wonder how specific they can be about IVF dates and time off you'll need etc? I'm excited to hear all about it! Is your partner going with you?

@Lakyta1717 how did you get on last week?

@WeightlossKin Wednesday is just a scan and OH has to go the office that day so I’m going on my own after work. Scan is at 4:30. Must remember to log on early though so I do a full day still! Thursday is consultation, that is with both of us but it’s over video link at 3:30. I have taken flexi to finish early then, as I’m in the office - so it won’t eat into my holidays and I’m only working half a day which will be nice. I am very lucky with flexible working. I’m hoping that that is how I manage all the monitoring scans (hopefully they’re in the morning or same time as Wednesday as I can work around that pretty easily!)

Oh lots going on this week for you @Lauralozzle! Flexible working is really useful. Not sure how people manage without, it must be so difficult. Like there aren't enough challenges with IVF. I do wonder if they'll bother to weigh you? 🤞 Hope their scales are super kind. How are you feeling?

@Lauralozzle it's an exciting time for you, I hope you find out your plan soon so you know what to expect. Flexible time for work is such a useful thing, so hopefully you can work it to your advantage and not use up holidays etc too much. Are your holidays set by tax year or jan-dec?

@WeightlossKin I didn't weigh in last week, was at my best mates wedding so was imbibing rather a lot and dancing my feet off! I've also now caught covid from the same wedding so am off this week and trapped in the house 🤦🏼‍♀️ third time I've had covid now, bloody fuming! I'm sacking off fat club (sw) and going alone with weight loss. When I'm covid free, I'm going back to writing it all down and doing it that way.

Did you have a lovely time at the wedding @Lakyta1717 ?! I feel like you've not long ago had covid, how annoying! Hopefully you're not feeling too poorly with it.

What's made you give up on SW? I used to call it fat club but apparently that's really offensive 😂

I said I'd started listening to weight loss hypnosis podcast episodes. Not saying it's related (🤔), but I woke up this morning feeling really positive and determined and convinced I can definitely do this? Maybe I would have felt that anyway but it was 10am when I realised I hadn't even thought about breakfast! And I got up at 7 to get exercise so would normally have been super hungry.

I've also book marked a random bunch of guided meditation episodes of different series all to do with weight loss to see if it helps - also makes a nice change to the TTC and IVF ones 😂

@WeightlossKin yes, things are definitely happening this week. I hope they don’t weigh me! I was down this morning, hit 29.9 for bmi but I’ve eaten quite a bit today and it was fairly carby. Well within calorie limit, I’ll be strict tomorrow morning though - shakes only until after the scan in case they do. And nothing after 12, bit dodgy on heat grounds but it’ll only be a few hours and you know, water weight! Haha 😂 all in all though I feel good, Thursday is the big day though, we’ll find out the plan then hopefully!

@Lakyta1717 oh no! Covid sucks. Hope you feel better soon! Wedding and dancing your feet off sounds good though! My holiday year is strange, it starts on the day you join so if you started on Oct 3rd for example it’d be 3rd October- 2nd Oct following year. Means they don’t have to faff about working out a % for say Jan or financial year if you join in September or something!

@WeightlossKin I had an amazing time. Well worth getting covid for 😂 saw all of oldest friends and even did the wedding cake for them, which was amazing. It's been so long since I danced all night and had a laugh with people like that.
I had covid in Feb, so really not long ago at all! I feel worse this time compared to then. Not as tired, but definitely coughing more and my chest/throat hurt this time, which sucks.
I gave up for a few reasons - I didn't really like the group, I wasn't giving it my all so was paying to not lose very much at all, and I was getting annoyed when they all spouted nonsense like they usually do at SW groups (y'know, about mashing a banana making it syns 🙄) so figured there was no point in carrying on as it was a waste of time and money.
I'm always intrigued by hypnosis, I do wonder whether it would actually work but considering I can't even meditate, I'm always a bit distrustful of it... but it sounds like it might be working for you! If it's made you more positive, that's amazing! Keep it up!

@Lauralozzle I love your enthusiasm but definitely be safe in this heat - don't dehydrate yourself or make yourself ill! Very exciting to find out the next steps for you, will keep everything crossed you get the plan on Thursday! 🤞🏻

@Lakyta1717 I’ll be safe! Lots of fluids this morning!

Im down a little bit this morning! BMI is at 29.9 and I’m only 0.2lbs away from what I was when I last got weighed at the fertility clinic! Amazing how being strict can have such a dramatic change, but the not eating in the evening after dinner is helping as well I guess.

Knowing my luck, I won’t get weighed, haha. I’m hoping they find my right ovary this time, last time it was apparently behind my bowel.

Goodluck today @Lauralozzle I hope it's what you expect a d everything goes well. Good job making such progress on your BMI 😊 I'm sure you'll be fine. Let us know how it goes!

@Lakyta1717 I was exactly the same at slimming world. It feels insane for people to lose all common sense about food (I mean, you chew a banana and thus you mash it. Unless you're mashing up 3 bananas and eating them all at once, I don't get the difference). I'm a bit 🤔🤨 about hypnosis itself. I think you have to be open to it and I've never felt very open 😂
The wedding sounds amazing, the covid does not. Make sure you're looking after yourself!

I am still feeling super positive today. I have decided to adopt very positive thoughts. I CAN lose the weight. I WILL have a 2lb loss this week 💪 short term pain long term gain!

@WeightlossKin I’m glad you’re still feeling positive! That’s great!

They did weigh me at the scan, no idea if my bmi was ok though. They didn’t say much!

They struggled to find my right ovary again, when they did, they only counted one small follicule. Left ovary is all good. No wonder I can’t get pregnant with effectively one working ovary. She did say it might respond well to stimulation drugs but I’m basically convinced I have endo on that side, they struggle to find it, it’s always stuck behind my bowel, crap follicule count, side I generally get cramps on - surely it’s related!

Appointment has been moved tomorrow to 1:00pm so will find out more then!

@WeightlossKin I'm glad you're feeling so positive! Send that positivity my way please!

@Lauralozzle fingers crossed your weight was where it needs to be! You could well be correct about your right ovary, it seems to all add up to endo on that side. Fingers crossed she was right by saying it could respond well to stims, you never know! And even with one ovary, people have successful ivf all the time! You'll have to let us know how your appointment tomorrow goes 😊

@Lauralozzle I'm sure they'd have said if your BMI wasn't okay? It would make sense to me if your BMI only mattered up until the point that they request funding for IVF. After that what difference does it make??
What a tricky right ovary 🤔 everyone has a dominant ovary apparently and the majority of people ovulate the majority of time from one side rather than the other. And you know if you have to have a fallopian tube removed from say, your right side, the fallopian tube on your left side can move about to collect eggs from your right ovary?? So if they're SO clever, surely your good, non-hiding ovary would be the one dishing out the eggs! Not that that makes a difference to the fact you've not been able to get pregnant... I started that thinking it would make you feel better 😂 hope your appointment goes well today!

@Lakyta1717 happy to share my positivity with you! Sending loads over as I believe you can do it 🥰 Do you know what's helped me the most? Hearing someone say 'if you believe you can't do it, you won't do it'. And it's a bit obvious but for some reason has given me a boost to crack on.

So, my bmi wasn't ok, it was 30.2. I reckon their scales are different to mine! So, still at it. My bmi according to my scales this morning was 29.8 so maybe if I get it down to 28 on mine it'll be ok. That means getting down to the 12stone something mark.

Basically, my thyroid level and prolactin level needs to come down. So, until that is under control they can't do anything.

Once my dodgy hormones are under control, then get get hiv bloods done, then we're looking at long protocol and starting on day 21. I think realistically looking at September/October though. I'm on a tiny dose of levothyroxine so it might still be above 2.5, if so I'll need my dose changed and then another test probably another 6 weeks later. This could all take time! They said the thyroid and prolactin can be linked so hopefully it'll sort them both out.

@WeightlossKin I'm taking some of your positivity! I can do it! My bloods for thyroid isn't until mid July, so it gives me more time to lose weight!

Oh no 🙁 I'm so sorry! On the other hand, if you've got to wait for your prolactin and thyroid to calm down then it's neither here nor there whether you've gotten your BMI below 30 at this point and if you keep doing what you're doing you'll 1000% be below it on their (cheating, lying) scales by the next time it matters. You know what needs to happen now, and what tests you're going to have and what protocol you'll be on and a rough idea of when you'll be able to have IVF. That's all really positive!
I'm surprised by the HIV test, I wonder if that's standard requirement for everybody?

@WeightlossKin I’m trying to stay positive. Thyroid/prolactin issue gives me some more time. Another month and a half I reckon after blood tests and doctors appointments. That’s six weeks to lose roughly half a stone. It’s doable but I just struggle with it. I like food! I should probably get some more exercise in to be honest, so I might restart couch to 5 k. I struggle with the energy but I reckon I just have to get out there and do it. Exercise usually makes me gain short term though, which is why I’ve avoided it like the plague recently but it usually evens itself out eventually and it does help in the long run. Basically, need to try and get as healthy as possible to help my egg quality.

The consultant said my right ovary is small, egg collection will likely be from left ovary, added bonus if we get anything from right side, so basically my dud ovary halves my numbers.

Today was really useful though. They reconfirmed unexplained diagnosis, but I now know my amh is 13 point something. My progesterone when it was checked ages ago was 43 which is good. My womb is all good, no fibroids or polyps, my lining is good.

They said we have 50% chance IVF will work, I’m happy with those odds. If we get over ten eggs they’ll do half ICSI and half IVF - if we have lower numbers all be ICSI because there might be a change sperm is just not penetrating the egg. I was surprised by that I thought with decent sperm it’d just be IVF.

HIV/hepatitis bloods are for everyone I believe. But my understanding is they need to be done within 3 months of starting which is why we can’t do anything until my hormones are sorted cause we don’t know how long that will take!

I think that's a reasonable target @Lauralozzle but really you only need to get to BMI 29 on your own scales to safely make up the difference? Just wondering if you're putting too much pressure on yourself with a target of 28? I'm the same sometimes with exercise, I think it can cause stress on your body and hormones and pause weight loss but it's important to do if it makes you feel good as it's so good for your mental health!

Sounds like a very useful day and great news mixed in with the womb and the no fibroids etc. 50% chance is great; much higher than the odds when trying naturally!
It'll be interesting to see how many fertilise ICSI Vs IVF. Maybe that just me though 😁
One step closer and IVF isn't far away.
How do you feel about being officially "unexplained"?

@WeightlossKin I was thinking bmi of 28 cause on my scales it’s already 29.8 and was 29.9 yesterday. according to them it’s 30.2 so it’s difficult to gage. 29.6 on my scales would possibly cover it but if the weigh in this at 4:30 again I’ll never weigh less than I do in the morning! Hopefully if I get as close to 28 as I can then it’ll be ok on their scales too. Doctor must have said like 10 times you need to lose weight.

how do I feel about being officially unexplained? I still reckon it’s endo to be honest. feels like a cop out to some degree, also makes me think we should continue trying in the meantime on the off chance I’m ovulating from my left ovary.

I think it’ll be very interesting seeing ivf vs ICSI numbers. If ivf ones are bad, there’s the diagnosis really.

That's fair enough 😊 I guess better to aim for that and know you're comfortably within range!
Can I ask how much weight you've had to lose in total and how long it took you? Don't answer if you don't want to though.

I'm struggling with my motivation today 😂 I lasted a whole five days being motivated and now I just feel so tired!

It's very tricky weighing in towards the end of the day. It means you're weighing in everything you've eaten or drunk that day and they must know how much difference that makes?! 🙄stupid rules.

I'm sorry there's even more waiting for you. You're on the right path now though and you'll have had IVF before you know it 🤞

@WeightlossKin So, my weight has pretty much been all over the place. When I started TTC I had a nearly normal bmi (I weighed about 3 stone lighter). It’s the months of Infertility that have added to the weight gain for me, the stress of bfn after bfn has basically massively triggered my emotional eating and in the three years I have gained 3 stone. My highest weight was about 10lbs more than it is now. So whilst I haven’t started at a higher weight, with a lot to lose per say, the disappointment and food issues I have sabotaged my efforts and I’ve gained about a stone every year!

I also used to be able to lose weight pretty easy, had tons of energy etc but this thyroid thing is new and I’ve had these thyroid symptoms for about a year and a half so that hadn’t helped.

I’ve always struggled with weight though, I’ve been in and off diets since I was about 19. I’m much bigger than everyone in my family - my sister is a size 8, my brothers tall and skinny - I was always the odd one, shorter and dumpy! (At 5 feet 5 I’m not that short really!) But I think back now and my bmi was perfect, I just looked fat compared to my tall, skinny and technically underweight siblings. I’m still the shorter dumpy one now! Haha!

I also had a shitty job I was beginning to really hate, and that didn’t help the eating front either!

I know I can do it, but I’m just finding it really bloody difficult at the moment! I don’t have the healthiest relationship with food and when I feel shit, or feel like trying is pointless, because it’s clearly not working, I just think why bother and out comes the chocolate and crisps and basically the contents of the fridge.

Sorry for the life story! Haha!

Weigh in this morning, I’m down 1.8lbs from last week. Up a lb from when I had my scan on Wednesday though but I hadn’t eaten so… that’s to be expected. The 12 stone something is still fairly elusive! Ive gained and lost the same 7 lbs for months now!

Pressed send before I’d finished!

@WeightlossKin Sorry you’ve lost your motivation! You can do it!

I can live with the waiting. I’ve waited 3 years what’s another couple of months!

Thanks @Lauralozzle it's helpful to hear how things have gone for you. It's also nice to know other people struggle to lose weight. Even though I know it's obviously true it's just nice it's not just me and something wrong with me!

Funnily enough when I started TTC my BMI was just below 35 and with TTC, life, bereavement, pandemic, I gained 4 stone+ in about 18months. And it's taken me over a year to get back down to where I was when I started 🤦 like you I'm the odd one out of slim family and siblings.

You are getting there a little bit at a time. 1.8lbs since your last weigh in is great progress 😊

I've been very off plan today 😔 not through choice genuinely. More places should be forced to do salads! Watch this space if you'd enjoy hearing my freaking out in the morning when I've lost nothing after a week of very low calories and one day off! 🤦

🙄🤦 I gained. Honestly I'm pretty sure it's the level of carbs I suddenly had yesterday but to not make any progress after having less than 1000 calories every day and exercising almost everyday for over a week is a bit of a killer.

@WeightlossKin Oh no! I bet it’s just water retention and bloat from food yesterday.

I know what you mean, knowing that other people struggle does help, makes you feel less alone. I bet in a couple of days that gain is gone, but, it just makes this feel like an impossible mission at times.

I’m up half a lb today, for no reason whatsoever. Not my official weigh in date but it just goes to show it’s a nightmare

Well I hope so @Lauralozzle ! I won't lose weight next weekend either as we're going on a short break.

I know weight does fluctuate up and down. It's shit isn't it? Maybe the mistake we're making is being rigid about "weigh in days"? Idk. If the overall trend was down I wouldn't mind but it currently isn't.

Sorry about your small gain, hopefully that will be gone plus some on weigh in day!