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 it's worth asking but it could be your area have different rules, Im in Scotland and it will likely be Glasgow I'm sent to which is 70 miles from us but our closest! I thought I could maybe do that so called and asked and they said I'd to get in touch when I was a few pounds away from target and they would refer me to Glasgow. I might be more persistent and call them to update when I'm just under a stone away and see what they say 😅🤦‍♀️

I've been using the 1:1 diet...very flexibly and the higher steps which allows me to still eat normal foods aswell. I like having the products as they are easy to use for work and normally have a shake at lunch, and a small snack late pm, my dinner and then a 1:1 bar at night. I normally just do that Monday to Friday and have a more relaxed weekend. I've tried the lower steps before and I was awful to live with 🤦‍♀️ it was just to restricted and made me miserable. I'm such a slow loser with an average of 1-1.5 a week! My aim is to get back on it but be a little stricter and add in more exercise and try and get my 10,000 steps a day with a couple of workouts each week with the hope of getting 2-3lbs off a week 🤞I'm also always hoping that I might fall pregnant naturally as the weight comes off too!

The problem is my GP doesn't know 🤦 I love my GP as she's so supportive but it's shocking how little they know about the process (oh gosh and she thinks your BMI score is better if you say you exercise more, sort of because she disagrees with BMI!). So I'd need to wait until my referral goes through to ask the fertility clinic 🤷 as I've tried calling them but they only want to talk to you if they've received your referral.
I can't believe you're 70 miles away! Do they have any satellite clinics near by? Our nearest is 45 minutes away, but there are hub clinics 20 minutes away that, I believe, do all of the scans etc. And we would only have to travel to the big one for egg collection and transfer.. I think! (There's only so much you can accurately Google). Definitely give them a call and try your luck, the worst they'll do is give you the answer you're expecting! 🤞🤞
Oh well done following any form of the 1:1! I don't think I could do it. It sounds like you've got a sensible plan ahead. If you've managed 1-1.5lb a week when doing it in a bit of a relaxed fashion, hopefully being a bit stricter will get you that bit of an extra shift.

We can definitely absolutely do this..mostly because we HAVE to. Fingers crossed weight loss causes lovely miracle babies in us all 🤞

Hello! Hope you don’t mind me joining! Currently going through process of PCOS, however I know I’m overweight, well obese. I’ve only had 4 periods in the year of trying, and periods have been an issue since I first had them. I am aiming to lose 3.5 stone, as that’ll hopefully help any symptoms, but also put me in a better position, should I need treatment/IVF. Hope you don’t mind me joining as I’m earlier on in the process, but find talking to other people may help me remain focused on the weight loss. Thank you

Hi @Peonies94 you're more than welcome.
I wish I'd been in a position in life to not let myself gain weight during the first lockdown but we are where we are! It's a good idea to tackle your weight loss now early on in the process! 😊 I think you're right in your other post that most places let you have medication for ovulation of your BMI is below 35? But worth getting it below 30 when you can too!
I'm 12lbsish off my BMI of 35 so not too dissimilar to where you are weight loss wise 😊 PCOS makes it so much harder to lose weight in my experience. Do you find that?

@WeightlossKin it’s so hard isn’t it! Ah I’m about that from 10lb from 35 too so definitely similar! Yeah I’m thinking the more I lose now, the less I’ll have to lose down the line if I do require ivf! I need to be healthier anyways after recently gaining 3 stone after a difficult year!

It is so difficult! Have you been to see someone about your fertility @Peonies94?

I had a particularly difficult 2019/2020 and gained 3+ stone that I'd previously lost and kept off for years 🤦 nevermind. Life does get us sometimes! All we can do is move forward.

I'll be weighing in at the weekends! Usually a Sunday. My period has just started 🙁 This is when I find not stuffing my face full of chocolate the hardest.

@WeightlossKin yeah I have, only just! I had one visit the the GP it hasn’t been much use, but I’ve asked for bloods etc! It’s just gotten to a year, but I kind of knew i wasn’t ovulating so should have gone sooner!

Ahh your story sounds so much like mine! I also gained 3 stone, always been big but lost this weight years ago and was kind of toying around up and down a stone, at christmas, holidays etc, but after a Rough year, I’ve now gained all the weight I lost plus another stone! Ideally I’d like to get back to where I was 2 years ago, which means losing 4 stone, but I’d be so happy to lose 3!

Ahh it’s difficult isn’t it! Yeah I think I’ll weigh on a Wednesday each week! It’s so hard isn’t it! I’m going to try so hard though as I want this so badly, I just don’t want to sabotage myself! Goodluck !

@Peonies94 it's maybe worth having your partner tested as well just in case? I didn't go to the doctor until I did as I was sure it was me and my PCOS but turns out it's both of us! I wish I'd known sooner as I'd have tackled my weight much more quickly and spent less time blaming myself and my PCOS. As you've lost the weight before, you know you can do it! What makes me nervous is that I've never ever been as light as I need to be for IVF - I've been at least 2-3 stone over that weight since I can remember. I don't even know what I'll look or feel like or if my body can get to it.

I've already got two meals out this week - navigating life and weight loss on a time limit is so hard. I'm determined to stay 100% on track regardless of the meals out. 🤦

@WeightlossKin yeah 70 miles away! My local hospital has a fertility specialist which is where I had my scan etc and OH had Sperm analysis too but I don't know if they will all need redone once our next referral goes through! Today is day 1...trying to get control of my eating today, increase my water intake and steps. I know if I try and do everything at once in the next week it will be too much 🤦‍♀️ The higher steps of 1:1 diet are actually relatively easy 3 and 4 you are allowed more of a normal diet with just a couple of products added in as a crutch and routine so I find that works better. When I did it first time round a few years ago I did a lower step and got great losses but I was really emotional about not being able to go out for lunch/dinner or eat the same as my family etc and it just stressed me out! I know it would just be for a short period of time though as the average loss is at least 1 stone per month if you stick to a lower step 100% but 8 just don't have the mental capacity for that right now 🤦‍♀️ I get weighed on Saturday's so I can see the damage from Xmas then and move on x

@WeightlossKin so true! My bmi got to into the overweight, but I’ve never been ‘normal’ I believe you can be in thst range for ivf though can’t you? Yeah I think I’ll talk to him about being seen too! Thank you!

It’s so hard isn’t it! All the best!

@Small1607 it will be interesting to know what you need to have redone regarding your tests. I think the right approach is usually to tackle a couple of things at a time. That's always my downfall, trying to change everything at once. Increasing water and steps and just feeling in control of your eating feels such a good place to start! You have to stick with what's going to work for you. It would be great to lose a stone in a month but I think we need to try and not be miserable at the same time! It has to be sustainable as well as I'm sure it's so easy to pile weight back on during IVF meds! Let us know how you get on in your weigh in, hopefully a week back on track will have balanced out any 'damage' 😊

@Peonies94 I'm not sure I've ever been less than obese 😳 I'm sure probably once upon a time very briefly. And yes I think the overweight category is fine for IVF although I'm sure the closer we can get to a healthy BMI the better all around.. I have no hope or expectation of ever getting below a BMI of 25 though. It's not even on my radar. Goodluck!!

Hope everyone is set up to have a good week!

@WeightlossKin ahh it’s so hard isn’t it! I feel the same though! I totally am only now getting into the zone of starting this weight loss, ive had a healthy breakfast to start and I’ll need an early night to prevent midnight snacking 🤦🏻‍♀️

Well done having a healthy start to the day! 😊 Can you brush your teeth after dinner? This is what I do as I have had so many fillings and I absolutely will not risk my teeth any further by eating after I've brushed them in the evening and then all I have is water after that.

@WeightlossKin ahh I do that too 😂 it does work doesn’t it!

It does!! 😊 As long as one has the willpower to actually brush them 😂

Hey everybody! Hope you've all had a fab week. I'm back at work and focussed on the diet plan again. Got myself a year long food planner and done a shop and meal plan.
I'm setting myself a goal to try to lose 1/1.5kg a week and just keep plodding on! I'm super determined which is great because I was a good hoover over the Christmas holidays 😂 did not stop eating cheese or drinking booze! Back on it now though 💪🏻
How's everyone doing?

Hey @Lakyta1717 that sounds like such a good plan and very organised! I'm sure you'll do amazing and will be waiting to hear how you get on!
I'm not doing great as I've not lost any weight this week - after being so good and upping my exercise and everything. I'm hoping it'll come off doubly this week but don't count on it. I was feeling really motivated but my lack of weight loss is making me wobble. I know I just need to carry on but what if I never get there? 😭

@WeightlossKin you absolutely will! It sucks when you don't lose weight, it you could be gearing up to a bigger loss this week! Any step forward is in the right direction and remember - rome wasn't built in a day!
I've started this year thinking it's the year we at least get our referral, so it's keeping me on track which is good. Just got to keep that determination and not binge on crap. We piled up all of our sweets and chocolates we got from family for Christmas and it's enough to sink a battleship, so trying to resist that or at least only have some in moderation will be interesting 🤦🏼‍♀️ I am not a moderation person 😂 I usually scoff the lot and regret it later!

You're right. Rome wasn't built in a day, but I bet they made a bit of progress every week 😂
Thanks for being supportive. You've got the right attitude I think. Hopefully that helps keep you on track.

Unfortunately for me LAST year was the year of my referral and it's spilled over into this year 🙁 ugh. It's so bloody hard.

Christmas goodies are the worst. Such a will power battle! Part of it is not having them where you can see them I think, especially if moderation isn't possible for you. Out of sight out of mind and all that. You can do it - no sweets are worth it right now! 😊

😂 that's true, but you will get there. I read an article the other day that said about how actually you don't see accurate weight loss results for 3 weeks as the first two weeks will mostly be water weight. So when you get to 3 weeks, you can see how the exercise is affecting your weight loss along with a calorie deficit and adjust from there. I'm sure what you're doing will work though!
I've found that I'm one of those people who can't just lower calories and lose weight, I need to have regular meals and snacks. So I'm just eating tonnes more fruit and veg as snacks but still in a calorie deficit.
Think I might have to make my hubby eat the snacks so they're all gone 🤦🏼‍♀️ that or give them away to people so I don't eat them!

Oh that's interesting! Maybe I'll look that up. There are so many articles. I've read so many articles I could write my own!! It'll be called "every thing I've ever read about weight loss" and then with a warning about all of the conflicting information that follows 😂

I tried very low calorie for three weeks and lost 3lbs!! The same as I lost the following three weeks when I went back up to a normal amount of food?! I don't understand my body honestly. I think regular meals and healthy snacks is a sustainable method 😊
Can you maybe take some of it to a food collection/bank?? Otherwise definitely make someone else eat them!

My husband is one of those people that can eat whatever he wants basically with very little gain.
We went on a two week honeymoon in 2019 and he ate and drank more than me by absolutely loads, I had salad for lunch everyday and one cocktail every other day, rest of the time water or diet coke - he lost 2lbs and I gained 7!!! SEVEN. So unfair. If he had to lose weight for IVF we'd be there already 🤦.

Decided I'm going to take the snacks into work and give them to my colleagues. If I can't get skinny they can at least get fat 😂 but in all seriousness, they all have such a sweet tooth they'll love it and it'll stop me eating them.

One thing I will say about this dieting lark - eating all this fruit and veg is making me a gassy lady 🤦🏼‍♀️😳 my husband finds it hilarious, keeps telling me the house has suddenly got a lot of creaky floorboards the cheeky git! 😂
I do already feel better though, more energetic and healthy so that's good. Just need to see those numbers going down now!

That's a great idea @Lakyta1717! 😂 Much easier to let other people get fat (in my experience they eat all the chocolate and stay exactly the same weight 🤦). I've also taken the route of telling everyone I work with that I have to lose weight so even though they wouldn't care if I ate crap at work, thinking they might judge me for it (and won't listen to me complain about my lack of progress so willingly) really helps me avoid it at work.

😂 Being gassy is associated with eating lots of veg isn't it? I think the key is balancing it our with a variety of foods in the rest of your day. Hopefully it will calm down as your body adjusts! Amazing that you're already feeling better 😊 I'm sure the scales won't be far behind in going down.

I've had a bit of a disorganised day today and didn't have breakfast which meant I snacked on a few squares of chocolate which I could have done without, but I did manage exercise before work. Weigh day Sunday for me. I get so anxious as it approaches. Please God let me have made some progress 🤞

Well you've managed more than me! I did not exercise at all today. I'm sure your gunna get a loss, it sounds like you're really on track with it all, despite a disorganised day. I'm not a breakfast person, so I've bulk made granola that I can take to work and eat when I get there. You could try something like that? Something you can grab and go with? Or maybe do overnight oats or something?
I really hope the gas settles down. I'm a teacher and I'm not ashamed to admit - I have blamed it on a kid in one lesson because it just slipped out 😳😂 mortifying!
What exercise are you doing at the moment?

Well I've been advised by a nutritionist that I'm obviously at a 'set point stage' where my body needs to settle at this weight for 8-12 weeks before I can lose more. I call bullshit on that and if I don't lose any weight this week will be throwing an actual wobbly 😂 I'm sure there's research to prove such things but how do people lose 100+lbs in a year or two if that's true?!
I do make overnight/baked oats actually but need to make time to do so! 😊 Thank you for the suggestion. I've never made granola. I bet it's much healthier home made.
🤣Poor kiddos being blamed!! They'll get over it I'm sure.
I've been doing a mix of exercise. We've got a treadmill, cross trainer, bike and rower and some weights and a hula hoop so I do a variety. In the mornings I tend to do 5x2 minutes on the cross trainer because it's new and so difficult with 2x5 minutes of other bits. I'll throw squats and weights around when I feel like it but don't have a routine with these!

I'm not convinced exercise makes any difference to weight loss at all.
How is your day/week going overall?