hunger or low blood sugar?

[gizmo77]

ive had the feeling of low blood sugar before. but is feeling hunger the START of it? should we always feel satisfied if not full on this diet? i mean seriously im getting hungry every 30 min!! i havent added simple carbs (well occ but not much), but eating just carbs and protein holds me for just a bit. i cant eat THAT much, we'd run out of money!!! besides if i even look at flour products ill gain 20 pounds. im not even working out THAT much..today will be 2nd time since sunday (so just 2-3xs/wk so far). dh says its bc im building muscles and have a constant need for protein.

any tips on how to stop eating like im pg? i DONT want to gain all that ive lost back!!!

[begonia]

Gizmo I think I was eating something every hour, LOL! But often it was a fruit or veg, have you been snacking on those? The nuts and fruit thing? Maybe some veggies and guac or hummus? I snacked on turkey dogs often too, they're pretty low-cal (I think 50?) and had potassium, sodium and protein.

And now that you mention it I typically do feel hungry just before I feel my blood sugar crash. If you're keeping it nice and even by snacking throughout the day though you might not get the hungry feeling first ... so yes, I think I would say you should always feel satisfied on the diet, and definitely eat something at the first sign of hunger.

[zanacal]

I am a mum of 3 boys and in the past I've rarely felt hungry - I was always eating just because I fancied it and hunger isn't a very familiar feeling to me! Even when losing weight I would snack a lot (on fruit or yogurt mostly). HTH.

[gizmo77]

thx guys. well i have been only eating fruits and vegies, bt i feel like all thsi healthy stuff im eating is going rightthru me (well not literally) but not reallye asing the hunger for long periods the way rice and breads do. im limiting my breads and grains (about once a day). when i was losing weight (before boy diet) i welcomed the hunger pangs bc to me it was like :i can control you, you cant control me! haha.

but i guess what i was concerned about is if im snacking every 30-60 min (just a couple bites here and there to ease the hunger), im finding it hard to do it with the protein (since we have to eat carbs and protein). i can eat a few carrots and be ok, but the protein part...mostly i was trying to get on a consistent system. 3 meals, 3-4 snacks, buyt im finding myself taking bites of fruits and veggies here and there (without the protein). i guess i can take a few bites of beef jerkies or turkey bacon, etc with my carbs.. instead of having this rigid system.

[LolaInLove]

Gizmo, this is what I struggle with a lot also.....I hate eating so much. (And I have gained 35lbs on the boy diet...mostly the IG one....in the past year since I started swaying!) I switched how I ate in the last 3 months. Before that, on the boy diet, I used to eat tons of red meat and potatoes, and that is what got me fat. Now, I try to do what Begonia is talking about....and I actually eat more of a vegetarian diet when snacking. I eat a lot of nuts with fruit, or a fruit bar like Nutrigrain bar with a little bit of cottage cheese, lots of hummus and avocados, stuff like that. It is very hard to eat every time I start to feel hungry, though, because I work so much and there are times when I get hungry and am in a meeting and can't eat for an hour after my hunger starts....even though I just ate something beforehand. It goes through me also.

I am actually getting sick of meat....I am going to start a new thread, but I am turning vegetarian all of the sudden. It is weird.

[Flava]

Same here I don't think I can do this how the hell I eat carbs and protein every time I eat ! Ok? So Im thinking I screw this for sure and will have another girl. Actually Im so sick of it all just today I told DH maybe we better stop and just have our 4 kids.
Also I already put on like 8 lbs and I only wanted around 5 and our try would be only in Sept.!!! I don't want to be freaking fat again it did not worked with DD4!Oh and I do work out like 5-6 times a week ! But I only see more fat on me!!!(and BY suppose to help with that? haha)
I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EAT! So fruit and nuts are good together? But Im getting tired of nuts too.
Oh and just to add still can't do the eat breakfast right after you waked up thing!:hair:
Ok I hate all this, that's it.

[DoulaMama]

I am a mum of 3 boys and in the past I've rarely felt hungry - I was always eating just because I fancied it and hunger isn't a very familiar feeling to me! Even when losing weight I would snack a lot (on fruit or yogurt mostly). HTH.

Ha! This is me! Eggs, maybe pancakes, oatmeal, etc in the am. Sandwiches and soups or maybe leftovers for lunch, and then for dinner it was always meat, rice or pasta and tonnes of veggies. I was probably packing away 2500-3000 cals a day!! No wonder I'm overweight! Ha! I started my first pregnancy about 30 lbs overweight and the next 2 about 40 lbs overweight.

[LolaInLove]

Ha! This is me! Eggs, maybe pancakes, oatmeal, etc in the am. Sandwiches and soups or maybe leftovers for lunch, and then for dinner it was always meat, rice or pasta and tonnes of veggies. I was probably packing away 2500-3000 cals a day!! No wonder I'm overweight! Ha! I started my first pregnancy about 30 lbs overweight and the next 2 about 40 lbs overweight.

How much weight did you gain in your pregnancies, DM? I am at 35lbs over now!!!! Hoping if I get pg again to be able to not gain the usual 40lbs I did with my girls. Sorry to change subject here....

The breakfast thing seems to be a big difference in us girl moms, I am noticing this more and more when I look at our old eating habits!

[zanacal]

It really is isn't it Lola! I'm afraid I put on around 4 stone with each of my pregnancies (that's about 56lb!). But - as you know, I'm always eating and I don't even attempt to control it when pregnant, despite my best intentions!

Is it crucial to eat both carbs and protein the whole time? I can see that your main meals should be made that way, but perhaps it can be relaxed for your snacks (or grazing!) at other times. You could pack away a LOT of nutrient full fruit by grazing on it all day - perhaps keep a fruit salad mixed together in the fridge to pick at (with a variety of fruits and some orange juice) or make a jelly (jello!) with fruit inside it to munch on every time you open the fridge. I also like to eat cereal bars and crisps (chips) for snacks - are those allowed? Perhaps a dark chocolate coated cereal bar with oats and nuts in or some really salty crisps.

Before I got pregnant with each of my boys I had lost weight very healthily with Slimming World (although each time I knew we were ttc I stopped the plan so was probably putting on weight at the point we conceived!). On that weight loss programme you can eat unlimited fruit, veg, beans, rice, pasta, quorn, meat and fish as well as 1 portion of milk or cheese (for calcium) and 1 portion of wholemeal bread or cereal (for fibre) each day. On top of this you can have around 300 cals each day for treats. The only rule at mealtimes is that 1/3 of your plate should be filled with veg/salad leaving 2/3 for the other unlimited foods I mentioned. So you see that's a lot of food you can eat each day on this diet and a lot of it is (I believe) boy friendly - but I lost a lot of weight each time I did it. I know you don't want to lose weight when ttc a boy but surely something like this would be healthy enough and you could relax the 1/3 rule and eat more of the calcium and/or fibre and treats to limit how much weight you put on. I may be way off with this suggestion but thought I'd put it out there :D

[gizmo77]

you know when i first read about the boy diet i kept thinking "but i DO eat like hat!" well i guess i dont. i always thought of myself as ameat LOVER and i am..but only for dinner. i can eat 12-16oz steaks. but i couldnt eat like that ALL day (for bkfst, lunch). im usually a lighter eater in am then get heavier and heavier by dinner. i ALWAYS ate cereal for breakfast but i guess the time DOES make a diff, even before TTC DD1 i guess i'd eat about 45min-2 hrs after waking (forced myself to eat before work, if i worked or had to be somewhere early). also my p's who are indian, they typically in india eat carbs and protein (lots of rice/bread lost of meat!) for bkfst too and id always shun them bc it was SOO heavy. but if my mom made a huge brkfst id eat it but after being up for at LEAST 2hrs. im finding it hard already (its only been 2 days) to keep up with the cooking of meat ahead of time (turkey bacon, beef jerky's are too expensive for the amount you should eat for meals so i reserve them for snacks), bc it takes more time away from my kids, and im having a hard time adding protein (meat) to my before bed snack. and ive alread had trouble sleeping after stuffing myself before bed, tummy aches and nightmares!

i think ill just be more gradual about it. i think thats key. but it really is hard to find protein to add to the carbs. carbs (fruits and vegies) i could snack on all day...its hard to add the protein to get up to about 100g a day!!!

so i guess THIS is the big change we should make in order to make boys. i mean ppl say if you have the same gender twice youre more likley to have the 3rd the same gender. my husb says he agrees with this esply with all this GD research ive been doing on here with you guys. he says it makes sense if you dont change youre dite youre more likely to conceive the same gender...i kinda believe it too i guess..

and nuts....you guys arent worried about magnesium????? im having trouble with oatmeal!! and water. and i cannot tolerate warm plump raisin in it YUCK! so far ive just been eating my special K with minimal 1% milk.

[Flava]

Gizmo idk...Im so sick of this omg! And the nuts well for some reason don't know why I think I must eat nuts because that's what give me a boy lol. Normally I never eat any nuts . peanuts makes me sick oh my tummy hurts from it so much! So I skip that and try to eat a 1/4 cup mixed nut /day.
Also have big problem with meat I don't eat hot dogs , bologna ect. So only thing left is some salami and bacon for me.

[LolaInLove]

Zan, that is helpful info. Your weight loss diet in and of itself looks super boy-friendly. I agree with you Gizmo, I think it makes sense to do the opposite of what you did when you had the girls (or boys for pink swayers) and see if it helps? But that is the thing, it is so unnatural for all of us, which is why it is hard! I am not used to eating all day. Heck, I used to sometimes eat a cereal bar around 11am, then nothing till dinner when super busy at work! And I drank a lot of coffee, which filled me up and made me not hungry.

I am not so worried about the minerals, Gizmo. I think the more minerals, the better, but am definitely having more potassium and sodium, like lots of it, which I did not used to do. I never ate tomatoes or potatoes before, maybe the occasional banana, but probably had low levels of nutrients there. But the nuts are tiding me over in the morning with my hard boiled egg and banana to round out the protein/carbs thing....which yes, apparently the whole trick to swaying blue is eating a ton of nutrients and often so your body thinks you are living high on the hog which is a suitable environment for a male fetus. Opposite for girls....and I'm sure my body thought I was the poorest pauper in the land!!!

[Flava]

G2g eat getting hungry...:sigh::hair:

[LolaInLove]

Gizmo idk...Im so sick of this omg! And the nuts well for some reason don't know why I think I must eat nuts because that's what give me a boy lol. Normally I never eat any nuts . peanuts makes me sick oh my tummy hurts from it so much! So I skip that and try to eat a 1/4 cup mixed nut /day.
Also have big problem with meat I don't eat hot dogs , bologna ect. So only thing left is some salami and bacon for me.

I hate peanuts also, but love peanut butter. I have been eating a combo of salted almonds, cashews, pistachios, and walnuts. But, I only eat about 30 nuts (which says a serving on the bag). I hate hot dogs and processed meats also....but I will eat turkey deli meat on a sandwich, that is my lunch protein for now...although trying to eat veggie lunches and only meat at dinner until I get pg. I am going to have a vegetarian pregnancy, I can telll it now. Flava, I am so sorry this is so frustrating to you, hunni.....I know with having a couple of opposites it must feel so defeating but I swear you can do it! I am going to keep cheering you on! :kiss:

[atomic sagebrush]

ive had the feeling of low blood sugar before. but is feeling hunger the START of it? should we always feel satisfied if not full on this diet? i mean seriously im getting hungry every 30 min!! i havent added simple carbs (well occ but not much), but eating just carbs and protein holds me for just a bit. i cant eat THAT much, we'd run out of money!!! besides if i even look at flour products ill gain 20 pounds. im not even working out THAT much..today will be 2nd time since sunday (so just 2-3xs/wk so far). dh says its bc im building muscles and have a constant need for protein.

any tips on how to stop eating like im pg? i DONT want to gain all that ive lost back!!!

Yes, being hungry is the beginning of low blood sugar. You don't need to stuff yourself all day, just by grazing a bit here and there you will do a lot towards keeping your blood sugar high...a handful of nuts will keep you going for a long time and they have both protein and carbs. Just do your best and don't panic if you get hungry, just eat as often as you can.

Your DH is right about the building muscles, and your body needs both carbs and protein to do it.

[atomic sagebrush]

Gizmo idk...Im so sick of this omg! And the nuts well for some reason don't know why I think I must eat nuts because that's what give me a boy lol. Normally I never eat any nuts . peanuts makes me sick oh my tummy hurts from it so much! So I skip that and try to eat a 1/4 cup mixed nut /day.
Also have big problem with meat I don't eat hot dogs , bologna ect. So only thing left is some salami and bacon for me.

Haha, that is probably my influence. If they are making you sick that's ok, you can try nut butters or just skip them. No one should be miserable or unhappy on this diet, it shoudl be the funnest diet you've ever been on!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

thx guys. well i have been only eating fruits and vegies, bt i feel like all thsi healthy stuff im eating is going rightthru me (well not literally) but not reallye asing the hunger for long periods the way rice and breads do. im limiting my breads and grains (about once a day). when i was losing weight (before boy diet) i welcomed the hunger pangs bc to me it was like :i can control you, you cant control me! haha.

but i guess what i was concerned about is if im snacking every 30-60 min (just a couple bites here and there to ease the hunger), im finding it hard to do it with the protein (since we have to eat carbs and protein). i can eat a few carrots and be ok, but the protein part...mostly i was trying to get on a consistent system. 3 meals, 3-4 snacks, buyt im finding myself taking bites of fruits and veggies here and there (without the protein). i guess i can take a few bites of beef jerkies or turkey bacon, etc with my carbs.. instead of having this rigid system.

If you're really and truly eating every 30 minutes then you can get away with just carbs, carrots and dip or whatever, because eating again in 30 minutes will keep your blood sugar up all the time. It's only when you're going for long periods (like between meals) that you need to be sure to mix the protein with the carbs.

[atomic sagebrush]

Gizmo, this is what I struggle with a lot also.....I hate eating so much. (And I have gained 35lbs on the boy diet...mostly the IG one....in the past year since I started swaying!) I switched how I ate in the last 3 months. Before that, on the boy diet, I used to eat tons of red meat and potatoes, and that is what got me fat. Now, I try to do what Begonia is talking about....and I actually eat more of a vegetarian diet when snacking. I eat a lot of nuts with fruit, or a fruit bar like Nutrigrain bar with a little bit of cottage cheese, lots of hummus and avocados, stuff like that. It is very hard to eat every time I start to feel hungry, though, because I work so much and there are times when I get hungry and am in a meeting and can't eat for an hour after my hunger starts....even though I just ate something beforehand. It goes through me also.

I am actually getting sick of meat....I am going to start a new thread, but I am turning vegetarian all of the sudden. It is weird.

I think you're doing great Lola. Even the moms who conceived boys had days where they missed a meal or whatever, it's not make or break. As long as you're moving in the general direction of eating more frequently, it's going to be a step in the right direction and your body will take note of it.

[atomic sagebrush]

Same here I don't think I can do this how the hell I eat carbs and protein every time I eat ! Ok? So Im thinking I screw this for sure and will have another girl. Actually Im so sick of it all just today I told DH maybe we better stop and just have our 4 kids.
Also I already put on like 8 lbs and I only wanted around 5 and our try would be only in Sept.!!! I don't want to be freaking fat again it did not worked with DD4!Oh and I do work out like 5-6 times a week ! But I only see more fat on me!!!(and BY suppose to help with that? haha)
I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EAT! So fruit and nuts are good together? But Im getting tired of nuts too.
Oh and just to add still can't do the eat breakfast right after you waked up thing!:hair:
Ok I hate all this, that's it.

It's all about optimizing your chances, Flava. So no, you don't have to eat carbs and protein every time you eat. That's just a goal. If you can't meet that goal every time you eat, it's ok because even if you fall short of the goal you are still going in the general direction of more boy friendly. All the boy moms had plenty of days where they ate just carbs at one meal or skipped lunch or whatever and they still had boys. It's just that since this is swaying, I figure people want to aim for the goal and fall short, KWIM??? It shouldn't be so hard and I feel really bad.

[atomic sagebrush]

Ha! This is me! Eggs, maybe pancakes, oatmeal, etc in the am. Sandwiches and soups or maybe leftovers for lunch, and then for dinner it was always meat, rice or pasta and tonnes of veggies. I was probably packing away 2500-3000 cals a day!! No wonder I'm overweight! Ha! I started my first pregnancy about 30 lbs overweight and the next 2 about 40 lbs overweight.

Me too. I eat all day long and I HATE being hungry so I often eat before I ever even get hungry. What I find is that my first stage of hunger is thinking about food...I do that before I ever get hungry and that's generally when I eat so I can stave off the hunger pangs.

[zanacal]

Oh gawd, I think about food all day long - as soon as one meal is finished I'm planning the next one!

[atomic sagebrush]

It really is isn't it Lola! I'm afraid I put on around 4 stone with each of my pregnancies (that's about 56lb!). But - as you know, I'm always eating and I don't even attempt to control it when pregnant, despite my best intentions!

Is it crucial to eat both carbs and protein the whole time? I can see that your main meals should be made that way, but perhaps it can be relaxed for your snacks (or grazing!) at other times. You could pack away a LOT of nutrient full fruit by grazing on it all day - perhaps keep a fruit salad mixed together in the fridge to pick at (with a variety of fruits and some orange juice) or make a jelly (jello!) with fruit inside it to munch on every time you open the fridge. I also like to eat cereal bars and crisps (chips) for snacks - are those allowed? Perhaps a dark chocolate coated cereal bar with oats and nuts in or some really salty crisps.

Before I got pregnant with each of my boys I had lost weight very healthily with Slimming World (although each time I knew we were ttc I stopped the plan so was probably putting on weight at the point we conceived!). On that weight loss programme you can eat unlimited fruit, veg, beans, rice, pasta, quorn, meat and fish as well as 1 portion of milk or cheese (for calcium) and 1 portion of wholemeal bread or cereal (for fibre) each day. On top of this you can have around 300 cals each day for treats. The only rule at mealtimes is that 1/3 of your plate should be filled with veg/salad leaving 2/3 for the other unlimited foods I mentioned. So you see that's a lot of food you can eat each day on this diet and a lot of it is (I believe) boy friendly - but I lost a lot of weight each time I did it. I know you don't want to lose weight when ttc a boy but surely something like this would be healthy enough and you could relax the 1/3 rule and eat more of the calcium and/or fibre and treats to limit how much weight you put on. I may be way off with this suggestion but thought I'd put it out there :D

It is crucial to eat carbs plus protein whenever anyone is going for a long time (like 2 hours) between eating. So for meals and snacks, I really want people to at least try to eat carbs and protein. But for a person who is eating 3 meals and 3 snacks and still getting hungry, if they want to graze between meals and snacks on pure carb fruits or vegetables, that is just fine as long as you're eating all the time.

What you DON'T want to do is, eat the dreaded Rice Krispies with non-dairy creamer for breakfast, wait 4 hours during which your blood sugar will totally crash, follow that up with a lunch of ramen, and then wait another 4 hours for dinner because that's not going to help you sway blue.

But that having been said, if you have eaten your three meals and your three snacks and you're still getting hungry, if you want to have an orange or a banana, you DON'T need to eat protein with that. It's ok if you will be eating again soon. OR if you are finding it too much and you want to replace a snack with some grazing on fresh fruit or drinking some juice, that's fine but just don't go for a super long time before eating again. Either be thinking of having a snack or meal within an hour or two, or else keep grazing off and on until your next meal/snack rolls around.

The goal is keeping your blood sugar from crashing. The carbs plus protein is just a means to that end. If you find it's easier to keep your blood sugar up by eating carrots and oranges or drinking juice every 30 minutes, that's equally good.

[zanacal]

Oh yes, I would probably have gone no more than 2 hours between meals (if that!).

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh gawd, I think about food all day long - as soon as one meal is finished I'm planning the next one!

ME TOO. I have a shelf full of cookbooks and I read them for fun. Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do!!!

I mentioned this on a thread in the girl board, but for you blue swayers, I want to point out that it may be helping to raise your T levels by making all these meal plans and having to go out and get the ingredients and stuff. It's like a little triumph every time you make a tasty meal!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

you know when i first read about the boy diet i kept thinking "but i DO eat like hat!" well i guess i dont. i always thought of myself as ameat LOVER and i am..but only for dinner. i can eat 12-16oz steaks. but i couldnt eat like that ALL day (for bkfst, lunch). im usually a lighter eater in am then get heavier and heavier by dinner. i ALWAYS ate cereal for breakfast but i guess the time DOES make a diff, even before TTC DD1 i guess i'd eat about 45min-2 hrs after waking (forced myself to eat before work, if i worked or had to be somewhere early). also my p's who are indian, they typically in india eat carbs and protein (lots of rice/bread lost of meat!) for bkfst too and id always shun them bc it was SOO heavy. but if my mom made a huge brkfst id eat it but after being up for at LEAST 2hrs. im finding it hard already (its only been 2 days) to keep up with the cooking of meat ahead of time (turkey bacon, beef jerky's are too expensive for the amount you should eat for meals so i reserve them for snacks), bc it takes more time away from my kids, and im having a hard time adding protein (meat) to my before bed snack. and ive alread had trouble sleeping after stuffing myself before bed, tummy aches and nightmares!

i think ill just be more gradual about it. i think thats key. but it really is hard to find protein to add to the carbs. carbs (fruits and vegies) i could snack on all day...its hard to add the protein to get up to about 100g a day!!!

so i guess THIS is the big change we should make in order to make boys. i mean ppl say if you have the same gender twice youre more likley to have the 3rd the same gender. my husb says he agrees with this esply with all this GD research ive been doing on here with you guys. he says it makes sense if you dont change youre dite youre more likely to conceive the same gender...i kinda believe it too i guess..

and nuts....you guys arent worried about magnesium????? im having trouble with oatmeal!! and water. and i cannot tolerate warm plump raisin in it YUCK! so far ive just been eating my special K with minimal 1% milk.

Well, I'm sure you've noticed at this point LOL that I don't exactly agree with the mineral stuff. ;) Nuts are like almost a perfect boy food because they have protein, carbs, and healthy fats all in one usually salty package.

I kinda wonder if the reason why some find it so hard to do (because it seems easy to me) is that you guys are following the mineral stuff and in my mind, I'm not. I think, eat a banana and a handful of almonds, or some full-fat yogurt and some berries, a half a peanut butter sandwich, a bowl of cereal, or a couple of cheese sticks and some Wheat Thins, or cherry tomatoes and a deviled egg and all those things seem so light and so easy to me but none of them would be "allowed" on the other diets. I believe with all my heart that those things are all totally boy-friendly but I can see that if you're sticking to a French style or IG diet that those options are not on the table for you.

I suppose this is more evidence that the diets just can't be mixed. So if you're going to follow the mineral recommendations, maybe you should relax on some of the "high everything" tips because otherwise you end up too restricted.

[DoulaMama]

How much weight did you gain in your pregnancies, DM? I am at 35lbs over now!!!! Hoping if I get pg again to be able to not gain the usual 40lbs I did with my girls. Sorry to change subject here....

The breakfast thing seems to be a big difference in us girl moms, I am noticing this more and more when I look at our old eating habits!
Well, I gained 55 lbs with my first!!! I was 220 when I had him! Totally unnecessary to gain that much but I just ate constantly because that was the only way to keep the nausea at bay for the first 20 weeks.
With #2 and #3 I gained 21 and 19 lbs. I lost it much easier after as well. When you have extra on you you can gain less I find. :) Good Luck Lola!!! Your attempt is approaching fast, hey?!

Me too. I eat all day long and I HATE being hungry so I often eat before I ever even get hungry. What I find is that my first stage of hunger is thinking about food...I do that before I ever get hungry and that's generally when I eat so I can stave off the hunger pangs.
Yup- this was me! I never got hungry...unless we were out and about and then I wouldn't wait to get home to eat...I would pick up something yummy like banana bread with a full fat latte! HAHAHA!

Oh gawd, I think about food all day long - as soon as one meal is finished I'm planning the next one! Yup...this is me too. I have battled weight issues all of my adult life and been at least 20 lbs heavy since I was 19. The more I think about this the more I realize that I should really get down to my smallest adult weight before TTC. :( Sigh~

[Flava]

It's all about optimizing your chances, Flava. So no, you don't have to eat carbs and protein every time you eat. That's just a goal. If you can't meet that goal every time you eat, it's ok because even if you fall short of the goal you are still going in the general direction of more boy friendly. All the boy moms had plenty of days where they ate just carbs at one meal or skipped lunch or whatever and they still had boys. It's just that since this is swaying, I figure people want to aim for the goal and fall short, KWIM??? It shouldn't be so hard and I feel really bad.

Only peanuts makes me sick (oh and walnuts if I eat it alone)if I eat mixed nuts it's ok. So I eat some every day. Also Im not a big fan of peanut butter either. I think the hardest part about this eating is that we don't know WHAT TO eat!? I always think when I pick up anything at all if this good for us? is this 2 goes together ? ect. ect. is just making me crazy by now and ohhh where is Sept?? So I told DH I don't want to be more fat Im going to eat more veggie and fruit from now on and that's it.

[LolaInLove]

Thanks for the encouragement, Atomic! Overall, I will say that I have changed my body, eating habits, and diet completely since the last 2 kids were conceived, so hoping it is enough to do the trick.

DM, thanks for that info! I am waiting for AF to start, and then we'll try this cycle. I got the thumbs up to go ahead from my doctor. I'm excited, a little nervous to try Clomid, but hoping it helps me pop out a good egg (or two!). But really hope it is one, obviously. If I do get pg, I am going to try a mostly vegetarian diet during pregnancy, and am going to try to really be vigilant about my diet, but I am like you....if m/s strikes, I just gotta eat what I can put down the hatch! Hope you are doing well, too!

[gizmo77]

Well, I'm sure you've noticed at this point LOL that I don't exactly agree with the mineral stuff. ;) Nuts are like almost a perfect boy food because they have protein, carbs, and healthy fats all in one usually salty package.

I kinda wonder if the reason why some find it so hard to do (because it seems easy to me) is that you guys are following the mineral stuff and in my mind, I'm not. I think, eat a banana and a handful of almonds, or some full-fat yogurt and some berries, a half a peanut butter sandwich, a bowl of cereal, or a couple of cheese sticks and some Wheat Thins, or cherry tomatoes and a deviled egg and all those things seem so light and so easy to me but none of them would be "allowed" on the other diets. I believe with all my heart that those things are all totally boy-friendly but I can see that if you're sticking to a French style or IG diet that those options are not on the table for you.

I suppose this is more evidence that the diets just can't be mixed. So if you're going to follow the mineral recommendations, maybe you should relax on some of the "high everything" tips because otherwise you end up too restricted.

okay atomic. so what youre saying is you dont necessarily agree with the IG diet (restricted minerals) and that your high everything diet works better. but do you think that potassium and sodium are an exception and those should be higher than normal on the high everything diet?

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, I do believe my high-everything diet is better than the IG diet, obviously or else I wouldn't have even tried to make it ;). I think they've traded too much in an attempt to make a diet that is so low in calcium, that it goes too far and if a person is very strict on it for many months, could end up swaying pink. Thankfully, calcium is something your body stores so most people's bodies simply rob their bones to make up the calcium deficits. Plus, I think the high everything diet is better for raising testosterone/estrogen and MUCH better at keeping blood sugar high. My biggest pet peeve with the IG boy diet is the blood sugar stuff (i.e. the Rice Krispie rant) and then too much emphasis on highly processed foods that are not good for fertility overall.

I think that more nutrients across the boards including potassium and sodium, sway blue. If you're doing the high-everything diet right, your sodium and potassium should be higher as a matter of course because you're eating more foods that contain them and more calories as well. HOnestly, I am not sold on the idea that sky-high sodium is good for anyone's fertility and I don't want anyone taking potassium supps because I don't think they're safe, but other than that I am on board with more sod and pot for blue. The issue I have with the minerals is cutting out cal-mag-Vit. D and B6 for blue because I don't think the facts bear it out.

Point being, in the HIgh-Everything diet, almonds are not only allowed but encouraged and so that's a great easy snack because they are protein, carbs, and healthy fats all in one. BUt in the French and IG diets, almonds are a huge no-no because of the calcium. So if you're going for minerals, it may very well be that you can't include almonds (or cheese or peanut butter or yogurt or eggs or all the other things that I mentioned above)...maybe the diets just cannot be mixed because the end result is so restrictive...if you're going for minerals, you are kinda limited to meat and potatoes or meat and tomatoes at every meal and snack and who can eat that 6 times a day?? I don't blame anyone for being frustrated with it.

[gizmo77]

Yes, I do believe my high-everything diet is better than the IG diet, obviously or else I wouldn't have even tried to make it ;). I think they've traded too much in an attempt to make a diet that is so low in calcium, that it goes too far and if a person is very strict on it for many months, could end up swaying pink. Thankfully, calcium is something your body stores so most people's bodies simply rob their bones to make up the calcium deficits. Plus, I think the high everything diet is better for raising testosterone/estrogen and MUCH better at keeping blood sugar high. My biggest pet peeve with the IG boy diet is the blood sugar stuff (i.e. the Rice Krispie rant) and then too much emphasis on highly processed foods that are not good for fertility overall.

I think that more nutrients across the boards including potassium and sodium, sway blue. If you're doing the high-everything diet right, your sodium and potassium should be higher as a matter of course because you're eating more foods that contain them and more calories as well. HOnestly, I am not sold on the idea that sky-high sodium is good for anyone's fertility and I don't want anyone taking potassium supps because I don't think they're safe, but other than that I am on board with more sod and pot for blue. The issue I have with the minerals is cutting out cal-mag-Vit. D and B6 for blue because I don't think the facts bear it out.

Point being, in the HIgh-Everything diet, almonds are not only allowed but encouraged and so that's a great easy snack because they are protein, carbs, and healthy fats all in one. BUt in the French and IG diets, almonds are a huge no-no because of the calcium. So if you're going for minerals, it may very well be that you can't include almonds (or cheese or peanut butter or yogurt or eggs or all the other things that I mentioned above)...maybe the diets just cannot be mixed because the end result is so restrictive...if you're going for minerals, you are kinda limited to meat and potatoes or meat and tomatoes at every meal and snack and who can eat that 6 times a day?? I don't blame anyone for being frustrated with it.

okay please dont think im attacking you or challenging you, just overly curious here. so with the french gender and IG diets most of those theories are backed by studies done by animals (cows) and some humans. are you saying that those studies just FOCUSED on those particular minerals (sodium/pot/calc/magn)? and didnt really look at the whole picture (as many studies DO forget to look at whole picture)?

and with your high everything diet (havent looked at it but know the concept),did you just come up with that via your own personal research bc as you said you were a part of IG at one point (so then were you always disagreeing with the IG ways from the get-go?)? or is it from your personal experience (incl ppl you know). or are there any facts/research studies that im missing (besides TW).

ihave to say, i DO agree with you. but to go from believing in IG, and then having to abort THAT mission and just start a new type of thinking/dieting (high everything), it makes me think well who is right? i know YOU can argue FOR the high everything but is there anyone on here who can argue FOR the IG diet (100% no sharing diets with other theories). i mean i guess i can go on there and see but i dont have time for monkies! ;-) and i have to say i love that i can ask you these questions and you not get offended (i hope!) bc i SO AM NOT trying to offend you! just curious and trying to understand it all!

obviously i dont believe in the 'rice krispies' mentallity as they PROBABLY didnt have them back in 1675. but wondering really, CAN diet really affect gender or is this all in our heads?? all just by chance? (that ppl do these diets and end up with their DG).

[nuthinbutpink]

I just wanted to comment if I may. Before launching the site, I spent time going through all the available research and there is some compelling info out there about diet and the influence on gender. I felt even better about it when I got a copy of the FG diet and read about their process too(and it did involve animals as well as humans!).

So, I think the general principles that we all promote with the ratios of sodium/potassium to calcium/magnesium are valid assumptions- but that is all they are- assumptions. I think you have to look at yourself, your life when you conceived what you have and see if it matches up with what we say. If it does, I don't see what you have to lose by trying the approach!

Good luck!

[nuthinbutpink]

http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?2221-Choosing-Your-child-through-Diet-The-French-Gender-Diet-Introduction

It is compelling to me!

[skrimpy]

I agree with Atomic on the high everything diet over obsessing over minerals. Firstly, if you read the studies posted you will see that TW hypothesis does seem to lend to boys with "high everything" And it's clear that a diet high in everything increases your chance of a normal cycle with copious ewcm and a good luteal phase (and ovulation!)

And in my experience the comprehensive diet is easier to follow and has lead to boys. I was following the Brewer pregnancy diet and got boys - it's a very high everything diet!

I would go for protein/carb/fat snacking and not worry as much about minerals.

[zanacal]

Hi gizmo :D

Have you read Atomic's blog from when she was first researching the Trivers Willard hypothesis and so on? Here's the link: http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?253-Trivers-Willard-hypothesis
I believe Atomic was part of IG when she wrote the blog so it may help answer some of the questions regarding that period of time.

I've started reading some of the studies on gender recently and so many of them come back to testosterone levels and blood sugar levels. The reason for the low/high everything diets is to control those aspects - because we can raise or lower our testosterone and create a high/low blood sugar environment through what we eat (or don't eat!) and the supplements we take. I found this study particularly interesting because it refers to so many other studies on the subject:

http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/content/198/1/3.full

The Oxford Study is also a good study to look at because it looks specifically at what mothers ate in the lead up to their pregnancies and it too supports the low/high everything diets, in that women who consumed the most calories and nutrients (including calcium!) conceived more boys and vice versa:

http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/275/1643/1661.full

Other good threads to look at are the 'what we ate to conceive our boys/girls' threads because 'real' mums on these boards seem to back up these theories.

I've spent a lot of time reading Atomic's posts (and asking lots of questions!) and reading some of the studies for myself and I'm sold on the low-everything diet (because I'm swaying for a girl) as the best tool we currently have to emulate the conditions studies suggest favour a girl - low testosterone, low blood sugar, and the illusion of 'hard times'.

[gizmo77]

i havcent read on all the studies yet but will in due time. so since i always thought ihad high T levels, always had lots of ewcm, stopped dieting just before conceiving DD1 (increased carb intake), and if timing is proved wrong by shettles (bc we started dtd as soon as i saw ANYTHINg..creamy...whatever..didnt really know much back then), had increased calcium (ate calcium with all meals plus additional supplements), that i probably conceived girls both times bc i was low in nutrients (just bad sugars/carbs,not enough fruits/veggies, etc)...? and didnt really pay attn to blood sugar ;evels..would eat late, etc...?

[LolaInLove]

I will add that I do not think the IG boy diet is good for you at all. I was on it for about 6 months and I gained a ton of weight and felt awful from all of the meat (red and processed) and potatoes. I have been doing the high everything diet for about 3 months, and although my weight is stabilizing (because I keep up the eating), I do not feel as bad as I did on the IG diet. I don't think restricting calcium is good for any woman ttc. Nor do I think overloading on sodium and red meat is a good idea either! I don't recall whom, but I am pretty sure there were ladies who had health issues from some stuff...I am sure Atomic and NBP can remember that. It was before my time but I remember reading bits and pieces.

Gizmo, I also think I was low in nutrients....although I ate a fairly balanced diet, I did not eat very much (low blood sugar) and I did not eat very much fat at all. (My ex was a doctor with OCD....go figure....he was absolutely psychotic about what we ate.) No oils, no mayo, no sauces, so I probably got very little in the way of nutrients from fats, be them healthy or not.

[zanacal]

i havcent read on all the studies yet but will in due time. so since i always thought ihad high T levels, always had lots of ewcm, stopped dieting just before conceiving DD1 (increased carb intake), and if timing is proved wrong by shettles (bc we started dtd as soon as i saw ANYTHINg..creamy...whatever..didnt really know much back then), had increased calcium (ate calcium with all meals plus additional supplements), that i probably conceived girls both times bc i was low in nutrients (just bad sugars/carbs,not enough fruits/veggies, etc)...? and didnt really pay attn to blood sugar ;evels..would eat late, etc...?

There's the fertility factor too - if DH's sperm count was/is low either naturally or because of something you were doing even without realising (abstaining/frequent release/using antihistimines) or you'd been ill leading up to conception, those things may also have had an impact.

[gizmo77]

thx guys!

[gizmo77]

if you guys are still in contact with the IG ppl, have you shared your newfound knowledge and if so, are THEY then (IG) changing their methods as well?

[atomic sagebrush]

okay please dont think im attacking you or challenging you, just overly curious here. so with the french gender and IG diets most of those theories are backed by studies done by animals (cows) and some humans. are you saying that those studies just FOCUSED on those particular minerals (sodium/pot/calc/magn)? and didnt really look at the whole picture (as many studies DO forget to look at whole picture)?

and with your high everything diet (havent looked at it but know the concept),did you just come up with that via your own personal research bc as you said you were a part of IG at one point (so then were you always disagreeing with the IG ways from the get-go?)? or is it from your personal experience (incl ppl you know). or are there any facts/research studies that im missing (besides TW).

ihave to say, i DO agree with you. but to go from believing in IG, and then having to abort THAT mission and just start a new type of thinking/dieting (high everything), it makes me think well who is right? i know YOU can argue FOR the high everything but is there anyone on here who can argue FOR the IG diet (100% no sharing diets with other theories). i mean i guess i can go on there and see but i dont have time for monkies! ;-) and i have to say i love that i can ask you these questions and you not get offended (i hope!) bc i SO AM NOT trying to offend you! just curious and trying to understand it all!

obviously i dont believe in the 'rice krispies' mentallity as they PROBABLY didnt have them back in 1675. but wondering really, CAN diet really affect gender or is this all in our heads?? all just by chance? (that ppl do these diets and end up with their DG).

No, not at all!

Ok, the researchers behind the FGD looked at some studies from the 1930's that were originally done in animals that are so far removed from human beings as to be utterly worthless (marine worms and some frogs) and extrapolated this theory from there. Mineral content in their environment really DOES affect some of these creatures. Unfortunately, worms and frogs have entirely different reproductive tracts and reproductive methods than mammals do. Most of the animals they studied don't even have boys and girls the way we think of them...they can actually change their sex from male to female!!! There is no logical comparison between them.

The issue with the research done by the FGD people is that they already had their minds made up from the beginning and they started out trying to prove that cal/mag and sod/pot are what matters and that's all they were looking at. They didn't compare calories, protein, fat, other nutrients, or anything else. They ONLY looked at minerals. I believe it is 100% coincidence - a diet that cuts out red meat and limits fruits and veg is going to sway pink but not necessarily because of anything having to do with calcium. In an effort to make these mineral diets they inadvertently designed diets that do sway to a certain extent but it's not necessarily minerals that are doing the swaying.

Yes, I just came up with the high-everything/low-everything diet after researching this stuff for a few years. It's both research and my own experience and that of others. When I first started looking into swaying, it bothered me because I have always eaten tons of dairy and my mom eats none and I have boys and she has mostly girls. Then I saw several people on IG who didn't want to sway very hard and just took cal-mag supps and ate a normal diet and they ALL had opposites and then several others who were drinking milk by the gallon and tahini by the ton had opposites too while the ones who were eating really restrictive diets were the ones whose sways worked.

Then the Oxford study came out and it found that moms who had boys actually ate MORE calcium than moms who didn't (in addition to protein, calories, and other nutrients. Once I started to look into it and found that a) 75% of all adults can't even digest dairy products and b) the countries that eat the most dairy have more boys and countries where people are almost all lactose intolerant and eat little to no dairy have more girls, I realized I did not really believe in the calcium theory, but then I got scared when it came time to sway and I went ahead and took great big doses of calcium, magnesium, Vit. D, and cut way back on potassium and to a lesser extent sodium, and I STILL had another boy. If minerals are what is doing the swaying it sure isn't anything any of us should rely on because it's pretty dang inconsistent.

Anyway, there is a huge body of evidence having to do with the Trivers Willard hypothesis dating back 40 years and I know I should put together a list of links for people but I haven't gotten to it yet. Declining/improving maternal condition, lower/higher nutrient diet, blood glucose, a carb-based diet as opposed to a high-fat diet, vegetarians having more girls, and testosterone/estrogen levels all have much much firmer data to back them up, from much more reputable sources, and they agree with the overall pattern of what I personally had observed and could see in the world. Researchers have even witnessed in the lab that XX and XY suck up different levels of glucose - no one has EVER witnessed eggs and sperm being electrically attracted to each other by calcium or sodium ions.

All I did in designing the diet is just to do research on ways to lower testosterone, lower estrogen, keep blood sugar low, and put that into a diet. People could easily choose to follow the mineral recommendations in addition to my recommendations but people found it to be too restrictive.

I understand that not everyone may want to go this route and that's fine, but I just can't support what I don't think is true.

[atomic sagebrush]

I just wanted to comment if I may. Before launching the site, I spent time going through all the available research and there is some compelling info out there about diet and the influence on gender. I felt even better about it when I got a copy of the FG diet and read about their process too(and it did involve animals as well as humans!).

So, I think the general principles that we all promote with the ratios of sodium/potassium to calcium/magnesium are valid assumptions- but that is all they are- assumptions. I think you have to look at yourself, your life when you conceived what you have and see if it matches up with what we say. If it does, I don't see what you have to lose by trying the approach!

Good luck!

I do want to take the opportunity to thank NBP for giving me the opportunity to share my diet here even though we don't always agree!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

if you guys are still in contact with the IG ppl, have you shared your newfound knowledge and if so, are THEY then (IG) changing their methods as well?

Actually Tamara and I are very good friends and while we occasionally send each other studies, I think we kind of have an unspoken pact not to get into that. They have their way of swaying and I have what I think is best and I couldn't make them co-exist with each other (which is why I got burned out on being a mod there so quick.)

They did encorporate a lot of my stuff into their sway already - skipping breakfast, exercise, skim dairy, weight loss, and just the general importance of diet all comes from me originally.

[atomic sagebrush]

Hey, I wrote a total essay about this issue and it is found here: http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?4666-the-calcium-conundrum-part-3-deconstructing-the-FGD

[gizmo77]

Hey, I wrote a total essay about this issue and it is found here: http://genderdreaming.com/forum/showthread.php?4666-the-calcium-conundrum-part-3-deconstructing-the-FGD

di di read right? are yous waying now for a girl?? :-)

[gizmo77]

thanks for responding! clears some things up

[zanacal]

I thought the signature just meant I want a baby - and that the pink colour was coincidence!

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, I just thought the baby was cute! I would be thrilled with a girl or a boy although I do think a boy would "fit in" better. I hadn't realized the baby was so pink!!!

[zanacal]

Lol, pink enough for me to roll my cursor over it to check :D