variety or creatures of habits?

[gizmo77]

i know some of you boy moms posted about what you ate when conceiving your boys. was wondering if your diets were basically the same day to day or did you have a variety of diff types of foods/meals every day or every week.
im a creature of habit and i end up using the same recipes once a week, every week. i try to vary it up esply for the kids, but wondering if this will have any effect on my body (will my body get used to the same high potassium, sodium foods, or should i vary it?)

i typically eat the same bowl of cereal every morning (special K). on wknds or days dh is home we always have bagels with strawberry cream cheese (yum). for lunch, one week ill eat boiled eggs all week, then next week turkey salad all week. then back to boiled eggs. for dinner, i have a set menu for the week (alternating chicken and beef). its usually chicken risotto, beef enchiladas, chicken arabbiata, hamburgers, chicken fajitas, chilli, chicken cutlets, sp and meatballs, etc. and then this rotates. i may change a couple dishes here and there.

every saturday we eat chipotle (mexican). and every friday we have lunch out (subway or Mcds). hehee.
(this was my "girl diet" but i'll prob eat the same boy things the same way i schedule the meals previous to the boy diet).

[swish]

I always ate the same breakfast and lunches and dinners during the week were always pretty much the same but the weekends were always varied - so a bit of both!

[rainbowflower]

I ate a variety really (although always Shreddies for breakfast with full fat milk)

I'd buy a pack of minced beef at the start of the week and get 2-3 meals out of that (cottage pie, meatballs, spag bol, lasagne, chilli). Also enjoyed my stir frys. I'd make sure I packed veggies into every meal I ate. LOVED roast chicken dinners with lovely salty roast potatoes. I didn't know any of that swayed blue!

At lunch I'd sometimes have chips with baked beans if I was in the office, or a soup or sandwiches.

Ate chocolate, nuts, fruit, and cake as snacks, and had a yoghurt each day too.

[zanacal]

I wouldn't eat the same thing for breakfast every day or the same thing for lunch every day but I wouldn't eat something completely different each day either. We have (had!) several meals which we ate often in rotation, things like chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognese, pasta with spicy tomato sauce, cottage/shepherd's pie, curry etc. We'd often have a take-away at the weekend (usually Indian or Chinese) and a roast dinner on a Sunday. Breakfast would either be toast (usually marmite) or toast and cereal (whatever was in the cupboard) on weekdays and something like a bacon sandwich/beans on toast or eggs on toast at weekends. Lunch was usually a sandwich, maybe cheese or ham and pickle.

[DoulaMama]

Pretty much different meals daily, with a huge variety in the month. I am always looking at different stuff to make- sushi, curry dishes, different meats(fish, deer, moose, antelope, pork, beef, chicken, seafood(lots of raw salmon/tuna etc), shellfish, etc), chinese, vietnamese...the list is very long. And I don't think it was the variety that got me boys...I think it was salty, full fat, foods in EXCESS:)

[queen-of-harts]

Yeah i really have always eaten a variety but i really eat alot in excess,tiny portions are not something i have done in the past lol

[atomic sagebrush]

i know some of you boy moms posted about what you ate when conceiving your boys. was wondering if your diets were basically the same day to day or did you have a variety of diff types of foods/meals every day or every week.
im a creature of habit and i end up using the same recipes once a week, every week. i try to vary it up esply for the kids, but wondering if this will have any effect on my body (will my body get used to the same high potassium, sodium foods, or should i vary it?)

i typically eat the same bowl of cereal every morning (special K). on wknds or days dh is home we always have bagels with strawberry cream cheese (yum). for lunch, one week ill eat boiled eggs all week, then next week turkey salad all week. then back to boiled eggs. for dinner, i have a set menu for the week (alternating chicken and beef). its usually chicken risotto, beef enchiladas, chicken arabbiata, hamburgers, chicken fajitas, chilli, chicken cutlets, sp and meatballs, etc. and then this rotates. i may change a couple dishes here and there.

every saturday we eat chipotle (mexican). and every friday we have lunch out (subway or Mcds). hehee.
(this was my "girl diet" but i'll prob eat the same boy things the same way i schedule the meals previous to the boy diet).

Wow that is an interesting concept gizmo and I will tell you, I think variety = boys. In fact when I am working on my TTC boy cookbook my goal is to have 3 months of different months of recipes/meal suggestions for both lunch and dinner because I think lots of different foods and nutrients send a signal to your body that times are very good and there is so much food lying around that you can eat something different every day of the week.

I have also noticed that a lot of boy moms tend to be "foodies" and spend a lot of time seeking out new recipes and planning meals, and that simply HAS to have some sort of positive effect on testosterone. So if a mom who wants boys gets excited about more variety in her diet and starts researching/planning, that has to be a good thing.

FWIW I did eat the same thing for breakfast most days (nuts) but I do and always have liked a lot of variety for lunches and dinners and snacks.

[swish]

I would say I am a foodie, I love finding and cooking new recipes, dh and I were always testing out new recipes on weekends

[zanacal]

Ugh, does that mean I should stop being creative with the girl diet?!

[atomic sagebrush]

hahaha I knew someone was going to worry about that. ;)

NO, because on the girl diet, it's already so limited that you are counteracting all that. Should you enter the Pillsbury Cookoff or go onto the Iron Chef, probably not (just ask Cat Cora, she has 4 boys herself!! although she did not get them in the usual fashion http://www.workingmother.com/2010/7/home/iron-chef-cat-cora) But just some regular day to day fun with tahini and Craisins is totally acceptible. ;)

[zanacal]

Lol :D I was actually thinking that while 'cooking' my dinner (microwave rice, tomatoes and mushrooms and parmesan - yawn!). My diet isn't severely limited but if I find something I can fit in I probably eat it for a week before I get fed up of it and I think you're right, there just isn't the potential with the restrictions on intake to be that creative!

[zanacal]

Ooh, I like the idea of having somebody else at home who can breastfeed for you when you want to go out :D

[gizmo77]

Wow that is an interesting concept gizmo and I will tell you, I think variety = boys. In fact when I am working on my TTC boy cookbook my goal is to have 3 months of different months of recipes/meal suggestions for both lunch and dinner because I think lots of different foods and nutrients send a signal to your body that times are very good and there is so much food lying around that you can eat something different every day of the week.

I have also noticed that a lot of boy moms tend to be "foodies" and spend a lot of time seeking out new recipes and planning meals, and that simply HAS to have some sort of positive effect on testosterone. So if a mom who wants boys gets excited about more variety in her diet and starts researching/planning, that has to be a good thing.

FWIW I did eat the same thing for breakfast most days (nuts) but I do and always have liked a lot of variety for lunches and dinners and snacks.

see i consider myself a foodie. i love new recipes, i love food. i live to eat and not the other way around. but i guess its mostly for dinners lik eis aid before. i eat light for brkfst and lunch but heavy for dinner. i think also bc ive alwasy 'struggled' with my weight and i always tried to be athletic and thin and in good shape, that ive forced my mind to be conscious of what i eat (even while i eat a lot of bad foods, im always thinking im gunna regret this tomorrow but ill make up for it next time), and always thinking of working out to lose weight, alway sthinkingof cardio to shred fat,etc. stupid image issues. so that if i eat the way the boy diet on here says too i feel like im doing something "bad." but really if im eating fruits and vegies (see ive been brainwashed into thinking fruits have sugar so its a no-no), and protein i should be good.

the variety thing..aaggh i didnt want to have to keep track of my minerals/proteins and carbs always so i thought id keep track of them NOW (maybe 1st month or so) and once i met my numbers id just continue with the routine. if i throw in variety id have to take teh time to research the nutritional content and input in my diet tracker. see what i nerd i am?
so i thought itd be easier to just rotate the meals week to week. but i think im going to throw teh diet tracker out bc i just cant take the 30 min each day to input, plus you guys dont seem to think tracking minerals is impt (except potassium and sodium right?). in my test run, ive found ive met my caloric and protein needs (with nuts). but havent met my calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium needs. so i guess i can just increase those. i think ill stikck with the nuts until teh last 6 weeks since im so worried about minerals!!!

[atomic sagebrush]

I wouldn't bother tracking anything if I was swaying blue. I really wouldn't! More is more, if you're moving in a more boy-friendly direction and fall a little short, that's just fine, it's still going to sway blue for you.

I think pink swayers shouldn't track minerals because they might get obsessed and raise T. Likewise, I think blue swayers shouldn't track minerals because they might get overwhelmed and discouraged and lower T. There's a potential for backfire for everyone.

On all three diets, IG, French, and the High Everything diet, fruits ARE allowed for blue. Please don't forgo fruits, they're really going to help you sway blue!!!

[zanacal]

I lost weight on a diet than involved eating a tonne of fruit each and every day before conceiving each boy :D

[queen-of-harts]

I lost weight on a diet than involved eating a tonne of fruit each and every day before conceiving each boy :D

So do you think the fact that you were losing weight was crossed out by the fact thst you were getting lots of vitamins from the variety of fruit?

[zanacal]

I don't think I was losing weight when I actually conceived - I'm pretty sure that each time we decided to try again I stopped bothering with the diet so was probably in the process of gaining some of it back!

[gizmo77]

I wouldn't bother tracking anything if I was swaying blue. I really wouldn't! More is more, if you're moving in a more boy-friendly direction and fall a little short, that's just fine, it's still going to sway blue for you.

I think pink swayers shouldn't track minerals because they might get obsessed and raise T. Likewise, I think blue swayers shouldn't track minerals because they might get overwhelmed and discouraged and lower T. There's a potential for backfire for everyone.

On all three diets, IG, French, and the High Everything diet, fruits ARE allowed for blue. Please don't forgo fruits, they're really going to help you sway blue!!!

dont worry im defly keeping my fruits. its just that ive been brainwashed into think fruits have sugar which adds weight. but since im not dieting to lose weight anymore, rather trying to have a BOY! ill eat em and i have been ;-)

[purplepoet20]

My wonderful food for the boys...

Breakfast - cereal 4-5 days a week (Frosted Flakes, Cinn Toast Crunch, or Frosted Mini Shredded Wheats) Never the same each day. One day a week I have a bagel with cream cheese. On saturdays I made fried potatoes with an egg (flavored with garli, onion, and herbs) and a few slices of bacon. And on sundays we had waffles (pure maple syrup), french toast, or pancakes (with a few slices of bacon). Banana everyday.

Lunch - 9-12 grain bread with 3-4 slices of meat, tomatoes, spring salad, avacado, chedder cheese, mayo, and dijon mustard. (used to eat a lot of hot dogs before DS1 but went to sandwiches before DS2). On the weekends we would either have Burger King or Del Taco and eat as much as we can. Either an apple, pear, peach or orange everyday.

Dinner - I do alternate the meat each day (only making enough for that night and a few oz for hubbies lunch). We'd have Chicken, Pork, Beef (not lately :( ), fish, and one vegan night. I like to change out the veggies by color and season. We mostly eat greenbeans, carrots, peas, brocilli, but we enjoy others at least 1-2 days a week. Always fresh or frozen. Sourdough bread, pizza dough, potatoe and pasta mostly as sides... rarely rice.

Later - Cookies, chocolate, ice cream, or something sweet and fattening.

We ate until very full and unable to move!

[gizmo77]

I wouldn't bother tracking anything if I was swaying blue. I really wouldn't! More is more, if you're moving in a more boy-friendly direction and fall a little short, that's just fine, it's still going to sway blue for you.

I think pink swayers shouldn't track minerals because they might get obsessed and raise T. Likewise, I think blue swayers shouldn't track minerals because they might get overwhelmed and discouraged and lower T. There's a potential for backfire for everyone.

On all three diets, IG, French, and the High Everything diet, fruits ARE allowed for blue. Please don't forgo fruits, they're really going to help you sway blue!!!

well im having a hard time tracking calcium and magnesium anyway bc #1 they dont list magnesium as much as i guess it isnt significant and #2 they post calcium in percentages and that trhow s me off! (too much calculation fo rmy dumb butt)!
but the thng i wanted t omake sure (esply if im going to drop this whole dont worry TOO much about calcium/mag) is making sur eim getting enough calories (reaching to about 2200-2500) and protein (reaching up to abou 100g/day).

[gizmo77]

My wonderful food for the boys...

Breakfast - cereal 4-5 days a week (Frosted Flakes, Cinn Toast Crunch, or Frosted Mini Shredded Wheats) Never the same each day. One day a week I have a bagel with cream cheese. On saturdays I made fried potatoes with an egg (flavored with garli, onion, and herbs) and a few slices of bacon. And on sundays we had waffles (pure maple syrup), french toast, or pancakes (with a few slices of bacon). Banana everyday.

Lunch - 9-12 grain bread with 3-4 slices of meat, tomatoes, spring salad, avacado, chedder cheese, mayo, and dijon mustard. (used to eat a lot of hot dogs before DS1 but went to sandwiches before DS2). On the weekends we would either have Burger King or Del Taco and eat as much as we can. Either an apple, pear, peach or orange everyday.

Dinner - I do alternate the meat each day (only making enough for that night and a few oz for hubbies lunch). We'd have Chicken, Pork, Beef (not lately :( ), fish, and one vegan night. I like to change out the veggies by color and season. We mostly eat greenbeans, carrots, peas, brocilli, but we enjoy others at least 1-2 days a week. Always fresh or frozen. Sourdough bread, pizza dough, potatoe and pasta mostly as sides... rarely rice.

Later - Cookies, chocolate, ice cream, or something sweet and fattening.

We ate until very full and unable to move!

hahaah!! question, would you have a protein with those cereals above? and with the bagel?

[purplepoet20]

I didn't but I did eat double the normal serving... Mini Wheats=10g of protein and 1cp of whole milk (protein?).

In a day I ate 80-90 grams of protein, mostly from the dinner meat 8-12oz each night.

[zanacal]

There's lots of protein in milk and the cream cheese on the bagel!

[atomic sagebrush]

hahaah!! question, would you have a protein with those cereals above? and with the bagel?

There is ample protein in the milk on the cereal and it is a complete protein with the protein in the cereal. VEry boy friendly.

[gizmo77]

There is ample protein in the milk on the cereal and it is a complete protein with the protein in the cereal. VEry boy friendly.

so are you ppl telling me that id ont need rto eat additional meat with my cereal ???? all this time ive been trying to swallow a couple ounces of some leftover meatloaf or a beef jerky when the protein in the milk is ample!! aaggghh no wonder i gained 50lbs already!! i guess i was going by the "try to eat at least 30g of protein" at the main meals rule!!! ;-)

[atomic sagebrush]

You don't NEED to eat meat with your cereal as long as you are getting some protein via the milk or whatever else you're eating. I do like you to get 30 g of protein at your main meals, although breakfast can be a challenge. But 1 cup of milk has 8 grams of protein, there's a smaller amount of protein in the cereal (varies by brand), and then if you eat a couple of eggs or some nuts or a couple sausage links, you're approaching 30 grams without having to resort to meatloaf.