26lbs in 12 weeks for IVF age 41- Help!

[cherrypiepie]

If I don't lose the weight i won't get the IVF. I've just turned 41. Cut off for IVF is 42.

Can I ask for help and encouragement and some practical ideas. And a handhold or two would be nice - have no DC two previous losses- this is the denouement of a of a long journey and complex journey.

I have tried lots of diets in the past. They all work if I eat less. My choice this time is Nutracheck Calorie counting 1200 a day for 5 days and 1600 for two days. I am also adding in 16:8 of sort - more like 14:10 so i eat only between 10am and 8pm (but need morning coffee)

Aiming for lots of fruit and veg a la slimming world free food and managed carbs. I take amitriptyline 20mg for my back which i think might not help. I could ask for this to be reviewed but my GP is a nightmare. I could also ask for some Orlistat.

I ma trying to do 100k a week on the exercise bike slowly.

Considering other options such as Lipotrim or Keto/low carb (are they the same) but have to balance it with living with another human being that doesn't have a weight problem who likes food and sport in equal measures.

Any advice grateful accepted (i am very emotional though) Any book recommendations.

Today is:
B- 2 x Coffee with sk milk (20)
L - Homemade Chinese Chicken sweetcorn soup (250)
Snack: Satsuma/Apple (100)
D: Tortilla/Salad/Rhubarb Crumble and custard (small portion from yeterday -wont have this all the time) (750)
Snack :Unsweeteed Cocoa with Skimmed milk and 1 ginger thins (100)

Some great tips on this thread

OP - I would also recommend some HIIT (high intensity) workouts - you will find them on youtube etc

do these in the morning (pref before eating), & will get your metabolism going all day: in addition to your bike etc. it doesn't matter if you CANT do them, getting your heart rate pounding will boost your metabolism all day - you can do a lot in 20 min or so

I strongly recommend you cut flour/sugar as much as humanly possible - its for a short time & the fast loss is what you need. also booze obviously

If you regularly drink hot choc etc try almond milk - it has much lower cals vs skim & works well for that (& cereal) - I don't like it in tea

Drink loads of water & sleep a lot too. As you get nearer your goal weight, nothing gets weight loss going like running: if you can't run, go for a walk & jog bits: but be careful, you do not want to get injured

@cherrypiepie watch this:

I am 41 and I have lost 30lbs. I have tried everything. This is the only thing that has worked

Thanks for all great advice.

2lb down since starting a week ago. I'm doing the James Duncan diet this week.

Will post again hopefully week when I have lost a stone.

Well done on the weigh loss @cherrypiepie

I’ve just googled the James Duncan diet - 1stone in a week?? If it works for you please come back and tell us 😳

Having a look, I can make 2 suggestions:

• if you are starving, have another boiled egg (or 2, at 70 cals each they won’t slow your weight loss but make it more bearable)
• try 1 fruit (anything apart from bananas, grapes or pineapple/other tropical fruit as these have a lot of sugar vs other fruit): the idea is having the same fruit will not stimulate your appetite with variety. This is an idea from Beck diet solution- the ‘safe fruit’ which you can eat whenever you are hungry to help manage the feeling

When is your appointment? I hope you have a good week !

Good luck, OP.

My successful pregnancy came naturally after I’d done Couch25K and probably similar weight to you, will have been about BMI 29 when I got pregnant the time that stuck.

@cherrypiepie I saw you mentioned Keto and I can highly recommend it. I lost 2 stone in 2 months. You have to be strict but the results are worth it. After the first week where I felt quite faint and tired ("keto flu"), I had loads of energy and rarely felt hungry.

www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq#wiki_the_standard_approach - i recommend checking out the guides and community here.

Good luck

@10kaDay I really love the idea of 'safe fruit' and can understand the logic behind it too. I was also thinking of doing some extra eggs for a protein hit.

I love it because it's simple and cheap and not wasteful. It's pretty extreme and a crash diet and aware even if I'd do lose a stone some will inevitably come back on.

Right now I'm starving. Going to have a black coffee and try and get used to the hunger.

Some new evidence is quite supportive of these extreme shedding diet. It's quite interesting!

My appointment will be early may (usual two week notice) or I can bring it forward when I each target weight!

@cherrypiepie Do you have the option of walking as well as cycling? The reason I ask is that calorie burn is more efficient than cycling, i.e. in 60 minutes walking (at a bit of a pace but manageable) you burn more calories than 60 minutes low resistance cycling.

Great reason to lose weight! I’ve done James Duncan when I was MUCH smaller (maybe 10.5 stone) and I lost 8lb in the week. It’s brutal though.

Some things that are helping me diet at the minute

• cartons of egg white, very little calories and you can make a substantial omlette using one egg and loads of egg white.
• eating loads of veg with every meal before I start eating.
• I make up a big pot of just vegetable soup at the start of the week and eat a bowl as my afternoon snack, very low calorie and fills me up.

I have also bought ankle weights and just wear them all day, so whenever I am moving it’s burning more calories

Good luck!

@LH1987: just out of interest, did you manage to keep the weight of calories for a while? The James Duncan diet looks harsh but just about doable for a week...

@costco yes walking at the weekends when the light is better with the dog and dh. It's nearly feasible to do an evening walk at 4pm. I'm a massive wuss and hate the dark.

Although to be honest I think Im running on empty on the 500 calories I have had today so don't feel too guilty sat by the fire. Also good I'm working from home.

I think today is especially brutal. had my salad (dh made an amazing salad) and two hot boiled egg- still have grapefruit. Worried it will be really sour and can't have sweetener although may sneak some on.

@10kaDay, I did keep it off but because I used it as the first step to another 6 weeks of pretty intense dieting. It was 7 weeks before my wedding a my dress wouldn’t zip up.......

I think if you use it as a kick start to another diet it’s good, if you go straight onto eating normally again you would gain back quickly!

Just wanted to say, well done and keep going! Sounds like this James Duncan thing is going to be mentally very very tough, so important to maybe up the walking next week for mood reasons as well.

I did the James Duncan diet. Which is an achievement in itself!

I lost 7lbs (not quite the stone)

9lbs down in total, 17lb to go. Should meet my target on April 4th according to nutracheck prediction!

Calories average 645 per day over the week.

It was a revelation too in terms of resetting hunger and satiation cues, eating clean and life just not revolving on what is next to eat because I'm either being a glutton or in a diet!!

The diet it's self is super easy and very cheap and not wasteful like some fads or plans that require like half a quails egg and you have to buy 12!

Decided eggs are good and grapefruit and lamb I can live without.

I didn't 100% stick to it - I had coffee with a dash of milk every day, an extra egg one day and a slice of apple on another. My salads had beetroot. sweetcorn and capers and not sure how much this affects how it works as it's supposed to be a chemical diet but I'm pretty happy with my self. Calorie counting for three weeks then back in this.

Well done!
I used the Cambridge diet to fit in my wedding dress - again not something I’d recommend but if it gets to 4 weeks before target and you are struggling it will get you where you need to be, very structured so easy to follow in that way, once you are in ketosis you aren’t hungry.
Someone mentioned saxenda above - this is also a decent short fix, but if you do it I would do it now and stop a good 2 weeks before the appointment so it’s out your system. Saxenda is the “proper” name for skinny jab, it does work initially to reduce appetite, I lost and maintained a couple of stone on it (it works less well if you stop and return to it in my experience). Lloyds pharmacy do a structured program with it but charge quite a lot. You can get 5 pens for under £250 if you use pharmacy2u, the online clinic or burwash pharmacy etc. Both of those options I would use as plan B/C but have both worked for me in the past. Good luck

@slv2013 thank you. I've had a look at saxenda and Cambridge and will see how I get on.

Little update for you lovely Mumsnetters!

I did it!

My appointment is 6th June and so far have lost 24lb. So have had the gift of time!

My target weight from the consultant only takes me to BMI 30. 1 so going to keep going hard until I am well under as they keep monitoring weight at ivf clinic.

James Duncan won the day!

I got covid in February and that really set me back as was quite scared and poorly had a chest infection too and had to isolate from husband! (Lots of lying in bed eating ice cream watching Netflix )

After winning on the James Duncan diet now I'm doing five days of 800 calories one day of 1200 ish and one day cheat day (so we had a barbecue in the rain yesterday used portion control and it was quite healthy - we have an out door covered kitchen).

Bought the fast 800 book. So all in line with the new theory that rapid weight loss is more sustainable than 'lifestyle changes'

Taking cinnamon supplements and do 100 squats a day in May challenge for shelter in May.

I look better and the healthy diet makes me feel better.

So my typical 800 day is

1x Dry Toast with jam
Snack at 10.30- banana
3 x slices thin ham or an egg, melon, grapes, pear
Snack 4pm apple

1x chicken breast and brocoli, grapefruit
1 x rich tea biscuit.

I am only very occasionally hungry and will have an egg and piece of fruit.

Interesting to read the fast 800 books that eating say a Mars bar will do nothing for your hunger due to the impact is has on insulin so you go looking for more.

Next step is try 16:8 although I do love breakfast despite going without for years!

Well done you, I am doing fast800 with 16/8, having lunch after 12 and dinner before 7. day 14. Starting with BMI of 27.5, aiming to do 8 weeks.

First week got headaches on day3/4. Fine since. Will follow your progress, keep it up.
Ps I have had no carbs as bread,jam, bananas, biscuits etc will slow you down. Green veg is your friend and good oils/proteins.

Update for anyone out there:

I'm pregnant!

Fingers crossed this one sticks around.

Thanks for everyone help and encouragement.

@fitflopqueen I just only seen your reply and have since dropped the carb heavy bits for my impending ivf appointment.

It all feels a bit odd today especially having had two losses. Aspirin today and progesterone from tomorrow. HCG monitoring abs Cancel ivf appointment -book early scan.

Congratulations OP! I've got my fingers crossed for you. You must feel fabulous - all your effort has paid off!

Wow...so happy for you!!!!!!!

Thank you!

Fantastic news!

I swear by the blood sugar diet / 5:2 diet by Michael Moseley and do the couch to 5k every other day. It's really important to cut out ALL PROCESSED FOOD.