Diet and cycle...please help

[Pebbles1012]

So I started a slow transition into the LE diet over a couple months. I went full force in March with skipping breakfast and my cycle went completely out of whack. I am now on day 49!!! Cm would come and go. I was hoping to start trying this month. :(

With timing and knowing ones cycles being so important, what am I to do?!

And no, I'm not pregnant (took 2 tests).

If and when I get AF should I be sticking with the diet/skipping breakfast? Other than that I have been taking 2 aspirin weekly, folic daily and an appetite suppressor with magnesium and fiber

Anyone else experienced this?

[Dutchgirl]

I heared before that cycles can get really messed up when you start on LE.

How many cals, fat, carbs and proteins are you on? Make sure you're not too low, especially when you are excercising.

[Pebbles1012]

I don't think I am too low (although I should track better). I was not being super strict and mostly keeping to the principles of LE.
No time to exercise.

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

I'm following...my cycle just came back after a year, but it's def not right still I don't think


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[maidentomother]

Is this your first time actively tracking your cycles?

[I've got the blues]

Oh my gosh I don't feel so alone!!!! I was on a light LE diet for 3 months and started getting more strict for 2 months I was really sick with a cold when I got my AF at the beginning of March and did not ovulate, the result I thought from being sick.I was really disappointed as that was going to be our first attempted, but now I'm on day 32 of my normal 26 day cycle and still no AF!! I have also taken 3 test with BFN. Any advice?

[atomic sagebrush]

Timing isn't important at all and neither is knowing one's cycle.

What I would do is start BD every 4 days from here on in, we are getting astounding success with that of late, and that way you'll be covered when the egg arrives (which it will, eventually)

Can you tell me more about what you're doing for diet? Sometimes people say they're doing LE and it turns out they are starving themselves.

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh my gosh I don't feel so alone!!!! I was on a light LE diet for 3 months and started getting more strict for 2 months I was really sick with a cold when I got my AF at the beginning of March and did not ovulate, the result I thought from being sick.I was really disappointed as that was going to be our first attempted, but now I'm on day 32 of my normal 26 day cycle and still no AF!! I have also taken 3 test with BFN. Any advice?

Colds can def. delay ovulation.

Can you tell me more what you mean by "more strict"??

My general recommendation, when O goes missing, is add in 1 serv. full fat dairy a day, 4-6 eggs a week, and 1 serv. salmon (if you like it) or red meat (if you don't) per week. This works well for fixing cycles.

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

Is this your first time actively tracking your cycles?
For me No. When ttc with both ds3&4 I tracked for 3 months. I got pg first attempt with both, I did not temp with ds3, I did with 4. The only wonky thing was my luteal phase was a touch on the shorter side (which may have counted for 1 mc and blighted ovum before ds3.)


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[I've got the blues]

Still no sign of AF. I have no pregnancy symptoms but my cervix (TMI) feels longer and harder then normal?!?! More strict for me was going from 3 meals a day to the 2 meals and I was eating small amounts of pork now I only have eggs or chicken every few days! I am at the lower end of the LE limits but still feel full after my meals. I however was not eating much of anything for a few days when I got really sick and lost an extra 3 lbs and that pushed me to only 103 lbs, my smallest ever! I'm only 5 foot but I think maybe that weight loss might have helped put me in this situation!! It's a little frustrating after there was zero effort when I got BFP with my boys! I might end up making a Dr apt if AF does not show and my weird cervix thing does not change!

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

Ya that's pretty tiny - maybe it is the diet. They do say it can wrEak havoc. Taking Any other supps?


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[I've got the blues]

No just the fibre and I only take about half as much as they recommend on the bottle before my meals!!! I have been tracking my cycles for about 10 months, that's when I went off the pill, and they have always been 26-28 days long. This is the first time it has done anything like this! Do you think I should be adding something else?

[atomic sagebrush]

3 meals a day is 100% fine and allowed on LE. It is 2 or 3 meals depending on what works for you.

Sorry to keep pushing you for more detail but I need to know SPECIFICALLY what you mean by "lower limits of LE Diet." Soo many people tell me they're doing LE but then I find out they are eating little but cranberries and rice cakes.

You will O and get AF eventually, sometimes your body just needs a bit of time to adjust. Many people need to simply give themselves more calories to work with. Chicken is really not best for restoring ovulation. It is very rarely protein that is the problem. Plus, protein foods like chicken tend to have very few calories in them so then you end up going over on protein and have little wiggle room for the rest of the day, since things like pasta and rice and dairy have protein as well. Focus on carbs and fat for restoring ovulation.

[atomic sagebrush]

No just the fibre and I only take about half as much as they recommend on the bottle before my meals!!! I have been tracking my cycles for about 10 months, that's when I went off the pill, and they have always been 26-28 days long. This is the first time it has done anything like this! Do you think I should be adding something else?

Try dropping fiber till this rectifies itself.

[I've got the blues]

Thanks atomic, I did drop the fiber when I was sick but went right back on it so I will drop it again! The more detail the more you can help and I'm good with that!! I don't eat a lot of chicken but my family is all onboard with everything we are doing and my DH has been on the no red meat with me so on Sunday's my family makes a chicken or fish dinner with potatoes!( I don't eat fish) During the week I eat a lot of grilled cheese, veg stirfry, noodles with a lil sauce, yogurt, and probably way to much air popped popcorn, I eat an egg salad sandwitch or fried eggs and toast ever 3 days ( will up this as you suggested) I also drink a low fat hot chocolate with cinnamon most nights. All in all I don't think its so bad but I will try any of your suggestions!!

[XXforhubby]

FWIW- I ate a lot of the same foods you listed here (except for the hot chocolate- burned myself out on it with DS2 [emoji6]), and I just got my BFP a few weeks ago. Not sure what we are having yet, but it all sounds good to me! I did have chicken or turkey one meal a day (I was doing Atomic's fertility diet) but only 2-4oz. My husband did the diet with me too and fasted while at work. My DH still doesn't eat red meat! Big difference from when we had our boys!

FX and GL to you? When are you TTCing?


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[I've got the blues]

Congratulations on your BFP I hope you get your pink!!!!! I'm happy to hear someone else is eating the same foods as me. I only have the hot chocolate for the cinnamon (I hear it's good for ttc girl) and also because I NEVER had any kind of chocolate or sweets when I had my boys, I'm a big fan of the salty foods and I always hear "do the opposite as what you did with the boys"! I would be ttc right now if it was not for my AF abandoning me! Any other time in my life and this would have been fantastic, but not when you want to try for a baby!!

[I've got the blues]

pebbles1012 any luck with the diet and with AF showing up?

[Pebbles1012]

Af finally showed up today...52 days! Usually I am 32-36 days. This last cycle I was skipping breakfast till 11:30am. Typical style of eating:Lunch is usually salad and I put cheese, egg, cucumber, etc and no meat/fish or a little, I would snack around 3:30pm on allowed fruit and yogurt or crackers and cheese, and dinner was pasta with vegetables. No snacking. Too low on protein or iron? Calories? I felt full.

I was taking a drink 2-3x a day with fiber and magnesium to help appetite control (helped me lose 5lbs), asprin 3 a week, peppermint tea, and folic.
I have been so discouraged with my cycle being out of wack and now I don't know what to do!
I have a cbfm to help me figure out when to cut off. Doing the opposite of what I did when I conceived my boys which was working out/weights and dtd at ovulation (I know it's not timing but have to try this first). I will be doing more this month as we will try.

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks atomic, I did drop the fiber when I was sick but went right back on it so I will drop it again! The more detail the more you can help and I'm good with that!! I don't eat a lot of chicken but my family is all onboard with everything we are doing and my DH has been on the no red meat with me so on Sunday's my family makes a chicken or fish dinner with potatoes!( I don't eat fish) During the week I eat a lot of grilled cheese, veg stirfry, noodles with a lil sauce, yogurt, and probably way to much air popped popcorn, I eat an egg salad sandwitch or fried eggs and toast ever 3 days ( will up this as you suggested) I also drink a low fat hot chocolate with cinnamon most nights. All in all I don't think its so bad but I will try any of your suggestions!!

Right kinds of foods, but be sure you're eating a min. 1500-1800 cals, 40-50 g protein, 25-60 g fat

[atomic sagebrush]

Af finally showed up today...52 days! Usually I am 32-36 days. This last cycle I was skipping breakfast till 11:30am. Typical style of eating:Lunch is usually salad and I put cheese, egg, cucumber, etc and no meat/fish or a little, I would snack around 3:30pm on allowed fruit and yogurt or crackers and cheese, and dinner was pasta with vegetables. No snacking. Too low on protein or iron? Calories? I felt full.

I was taking a drink 2-3x a day with fiber and magnesium to help appetite control (helped me lose 5lbs), asprin 3 a week, peppermint tea, and folic.
I have been so discouraged with my cycle being out of wack and now I don't know what to do!
I have a cbfm to help me figure out when to cut off. Doing the opposite of what I did when I conceived my boys which was working out/weights and dtd at ovulation (I know it's not timing but have to try this first). I will be doing more this month as we will try.

I cannot tell either of you if you're too low because no one has posted the amount of cals or protein or fat they're eating. I simply cannot know that from here. The right kinds of foods, but I have no way of knowing without the totals. You guys need to track this stuff not because you are going over, but because many people are going UNDER. The lower levels are more important than the upper ones.

Peppermint tea can and does delay or stop ovualtion. YOu need to be sure you are stopping peppermint tea at CD 14 or positive OPK, whichever comes first.

[atomic sagebrush]

Since everyone mentioned doing the opposite...

Whoever is advising eople to do that,'s because they're don't want to take the time to give you real advice as to what is swaying for most people most of hte time or they don't know. That advice rarely comes from me. I only ever recommend that when two options appear to be absolutely equal in our statistics and you can't make up your mind. Otherwise, PLEASE DO WHAT THE DATA INDICATES IS SWAYING GENDER FOR PEOPLE.

Doing the opposite only helps when what you were doing before was actually swaying blue. It may not have been, it may have been utterly irrelevant or even swaying PINK (example, if you got boys drinking one cup of coffee a day, you actually would be better off drinking MORE coffee, not dropping it all together) and so you simply cannot decide to do everything the opposite and think that's going to get you anything at all. IT is like going on a diet and not losing weight, and then deciding to do the opposite so you're going to eat nothing but birthday cake and expect to lose weight..

It may not seem like it matters, but when you guys do things like timing that do not sway but really cut odds of conception, and you don't get pregnant, ending up with longer on diet, and your cycle goes bonkers, and you end up having to drop sway tactics in order to get pregnant or even relaxing on diet to get your cycle going again, it's a huge disaster that backfires on you and ends up causing opposites. I strongly believe that our stats for pink sways would be at 70% right now if not for this. It is of course always your sway and you should do it the way that you feel comfy with, but just do not feel like you have this mission to hunt down everything in your past life when you conceived your boys in order to "do the opposite". Focus on what is working for people - diet longer than 12 weeks, exercise, and one attempt.

[Pebbles1012]

Oh man! You try to tease out all the research and end up doing the wrong thing. Scary! When I said opposite I know my lifestyle was boy friendly (heavy weight training, diet, breakfast, using pre-seed, and dtd every 2 days including O).
I won't drink peppermint much more this cycle then and will track eating again. I can't do one attempt as dh is 39. But as I understood, every 4 days has also been working?

Is the PCOS diet better for a girl sway (if hormone imbalance may be suspected). More reading ahead for me.

[Pbn3]

Oh man! You try to tease out all the research and end up doing the wrong thing. Scary! When I said opposite I know my lifestyle was boy friendly (heavy weight training, diet, breakfast, using pre-seed, and dtd every 2 days including O).
I won't drink peppermint much more this cycle then and will track eating again. I can't do one attempt as dh is 39. But as I understood, every 4 days has also been working?

Is the PCOS diet better for a girl sway (if hormone imbalance may be suspected). More reading ahead for me.
Hi Pebbles just crashing in here to ask why you cant do one attempt as dh is 39?

[Pebbles1012]

From what I have read, one attempt after age 35 is not advised due to sperm quality. With ds1 we had fertility issues and a sperm analysis so I know I won't take that chance as sperm quality was an issue for us 6 years ago. Although with ds2 we didn't have trouble getting pregnant, dh didn't take the expensive supplements, and ds2 is healthier than ds1.
Any type of cfr wouldn't work at dh's age either :p

[atomic sagebrush]

Oh man! You try to tease out all the research and end up doing the wrong thing. Scary! When I said opposite I know my lifestyle was boy friendly (heavy weight training, diet, breakfast, using pre-seed, and dtd every 2 days including O).
I won't drink peppermint much more this cycle then and will track eating again. I can't do one attempt as dh is 39. But as I understood, every 4 days has also been working?

Is the PCOS diet better for a girl sway (if hormone imbalance may be suspected). More reading ahead for me.

No need to be scared, I just don't want you to get too hung up on the Do the Opposite idea. Some people take it to the brink of insanity.

You are confused about one attempt, more about this below. But we've got good results so far with every 4 days and no one needs to feel that it's a second choice, it's getting it done as well.

I do not have the data I need to say if PCOS diet will be better for everyone BUT I will say that we have been getting very nice results with it and I do recommend it for anyone who is having issues with egg quality, insulin resistance, or PCO. THe problem is, if you have a long cycle because you cut back too far on diet (and again, without knowing your totals in cals, fat, and protein I cannot confirm or deny this) then switching to the alt diet can make things WORSE.

There are two reasons for long cycles, one is PCO and then other is cutting back too far. The solution for one can aggravate the other so we must take great care to diagnose the real problem and alter things accordingly. :)

[atomic sagebrush]

From what I have read, one attempt after age 35 is not advised due to sperm quality. With ds1 we had fertility issues and a sperm analysis so I know I won't take that chance as sperm quality was an issue for us 6 years ago. Although with ds2 we didn't have trouble getting pregnant, dh didn't take the expensive supplements, and ds2 is healthier than ds1.
Any type of cfr wouldn't work at dh's age either :p

You have this wrong hun, it's ABSTAIN that can't be done over 35, not one attempt. You can have your husband do regular release every 2-4 days (on his own or with you, with a condom) and then still do the one attempt. That is fine for men over 35. :agree:

Dont' worry about the FR or cFR, not effective and I have all but dropped them for most.

Regular release with one attempt or DTD unprotected every 4 days is best. :)

[Pebbles1012]

Thank you for clarifying Atomic. To abstain and one attempt do not mean the same thing. I have to see what dh is willing to do. At his age he complains frequency is an issue and to abstain (which he could do) is not an option :p

[atomic sagebrush]

Then do regular release with one attempt.

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

I had no idea that FR wasn't a thing so much now. I was all ready to do FR (7-10 days before O) with one attempt BUT this every 4 days might be better since I have no clue when O will be (I haven't got a single pos opk and I d given up testing this month as its day 32) and it's hard to know when to start the FR. (We're attempting May, maybe June). I have to revise my sway though if we do this though. I may have to drop vitex.


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[atomic sagebrush]

No one was more surprised than I was, but it became pretty obvious at the start of last year that it was the number of attempts that was swaying and that the frequency patters were doing nothing. I started playing around more and more with dropping frequency and keeping one attempt, and our success rates actually went UP when I did that.

I just want everyone to understand that frequency patterns (aside from abstain) were something that I MADE UP 4 years ago because it seemed sensible given the state of the information we had (which was sperm count/numbers themselves swayed) that they would sway. At that point, there were no theories that even GUESSED that one attempt = girls. Once it became evident that no, some how, some way, it is number of attempts and NOT frequency, and that all frequency seems to do is lower odds of conception (because we had several swayers 2011-2013 who kept frequency but added attempts because we did not know any better, and got boys even with otherwise outstanding sways) then it's time for them to exit stage left.

I think one of the most important things we are doing here is finding out what DOESN'T work. I think that many of the sway sites like to make things so overly complicated so they can't be blamed for opposites but that's not the way we do things around here. We want you gals to get pregnant fast focusing on that which really works! :)

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

Totally agree. It's all a
Process


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[Pebbles1012]

I am in 2ww. Although trying to be good re :LE diet. I have not lost much on the diet (I am In the right ranges and skipping breakfast). I ate more yesterday (snacking more than I should have), and I lost 2lbs!

Is the point of the diet to send signals that the body is in starvation and not lose weight necessarily or is losing weight essential and a PCOS diet may be better?

[XXforhubby]

If you have weight to spare, losing weight is fab. If you don't have much to lose, hold steady so ovulation doesn't stop.

The point of sticking to the diet in the 2WW is two fold- A) you don't undo all your hard work if you have to keep swaying if you end up getting a BFN. B) I'm loosely quoting Atomic here- based on research that has been done XX embryos develop better in a low glucose environment. Sticking to the diet in 2WW is ideal. Remember cheating is ok, just don't over do it.

FX and GL!!


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[atomic sagebrush]

I am in 2ww. Although trying to be good re :LE diet. I have not lost much on the diet (I am In the right ranges and skipping breakfast). I ate more yesterday (snacking more than I should have), and I lost 2lbs!

Is the point of the diet to send signals that the body is in starvation and not lose weight necessarily or is losing weight essential and a PCOS diet may be better?

Cross the word "starvation" out of your mindset because this is NOT and never has been meant to be a starvation diet.

YOu are trying to send a signal to your body that food may be scarcer and it will reduce your fertility which also may sway pink. But NOT starvation because you will stop ovulating!

I do think losing weight can help (and studies back this up_ but beyond that, if you aren't losing weight, it may indicate that the standard diet could be raising your blood sugar and your testosterone and may even end up swaying blue, so you NEED to switch diets if you are gaining weight at eating 1500-1800 cals a day.

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

In question to atomics response - I think I've plateaued at 130. Just this week I've bumped my cals doe from 1500-1800 down to 1200- 1400 bc I wasn't seeing results. I weigh in on Wednesdays. If I'm STILL at 130 (with very minimal cheats this week!) what are you're thoughts? I'm 5' 2". I was 125-130 when I got pregnant with ds4, so I was *hoping to get a fair bit lower before I made my attempt but time isn't on my side. Id be happy losing 2 pounds a week until my attempt(s).


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[Pebbles1012]

When I say "starvation" I meant having hunger pangs when you are not eating for 12+ hours through the night and morning. By no means is 1500-1800 cals a day starvation. You do get use to it, especially the breakfast aspect.

I was not losing weight on the LE diet. So hard to know. I will have to do my reading for a diet switch.
Hitmebabyonemore time...I am exactly at the same plateau as you re:weight and I am the same height.

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

I'm just getting used to the diet, I hope in my case it's just a minor tweak in cals. I'm also doing cardio, which I tend to eat what I burned ykwim? So I think I'll take my whopping 340 cals I burn and keep them in the bank.


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[atomic sagebrush]

I strongly, strongly recommend against anyone who is having issues with delayed O, dropping cals! Tthat may contribute to delaying or stopping O!

[atomic sagebrush]

When I say "starvation" I meant having hunger pangs when you are not eating for 12+ hours through the night and morning. By no means is 1500-1800 cals a day starvation. You do get use to it, especially the breakfast aspect.

I was not losing weight on the LE diet. So hard to know. I will have to do my reading for a diet switch.
Hitmebabyonemore time...I am exactly at the same plateau as you re:weight and I am the same height.

That's fine of course, I just have to consider all the people who may be lurking and reading posts who read that and then assume that they ought to starve themselves. :)

Anyone who is not losing weight when they feel like they should be, consider switching to one of the alt. diets in the PCOS thread.

[atomic sagebrush]

I'm just getting used to the diet, I hope in my case it's just a minor tweak in cals. I'm also doing cardio, which I tend to eat what I burned ykwim? So I think I'll take my whopping 340 cals I burn and keep them in the bank.


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340 cals sounds like not a lot but from your body's perspective that is like a 1/4 drop in the amount of cals you had coming in. HUGE difference.

[maidentomother]

It's crazy; six weeks ago I stopped swaying pink, resumed a nutrient rich diet high in cals, snacking, vitamins, lots of fat, amd I'm gaining weight...and I'm currently having my longest cycle and most delayed O ever. I think very often just a change in diet, especially extreme/abrupt, can impact our cycles, regardless of the actual diet and our weight. But I suspect some of us also have particularly narrow weight brackets in which our fertility functions optimally, and losing or gaining evrn minimal weight beyond those margins shocks our bodies.

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

I do agree with you guys - I do; I just wanted to try a week or 2 at a lower cal, or stop eating my calories (like sometimes i think I'd eat hat 340, bringing my calories up to the 2000+ mark.
And I guess I'm guilty of comparing myself to other swayers who are burning a shit ton of calories and still "eating them" and im also comparing to myself! I was hoping to get down to at or below the weight I was when I conceived ds4. I did get down to 121 for a bit, and quickly went up to 124, then I think I might have been 130 when I conceived. I'm 130 now, and would love to see myself at the 125 mark or lower. I'm 5'2 so even that isn't very skinny for me.
But about the alternate diet; I don't have a whole lot of time left; I've read over a bit of it and it seems in some ways more challenging; I'll have to read over it again to get s better grip on what I should do.


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[skillet04]

I find the atomic fertility diet to be challenging to implement as well...ive got a lazy 13 yr old ds im trying to home educate and a high needs, fussy, rarely naps, wakes every 1 to 2 hrs during the night 6.5 mth old ds....so if it isnt grab and eat food im either so eating things i shouldnt (too many processed carbs a no no with pcos or granola bars or premade atkins shakes...etc #soneedapersonalchef

[Hitmebabyonemoretime]

Lol yes to the personal chef!!! [emoji119]


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[atomic sagebrush]

I wish I knew how to do things like start marketing meal replacer shakes, I think that would really help people on the PCO diets to have something that isn't heavily fortified but still easy to do. In my next life LOL

[atomic sagebrush]

Skillet - what about something like cheese ****s or plain yogurt with fruit???

[skillet04]

I do make DH buy me cheese sticks and sometimes he buys me yogurt but unless I'm there to pick out the maple hill creamery kind that has the full fat, DH goes overboard and if I say strawberry he buys 10 different brands all in the strawberry esque family. Always good for a laugh my hubs ;)

6/2011-4/2012 I was fasting 2 days a week ....would only have coffee at work with creamer .... And I noticed my cycle was "regular" ,...I was single at the time so not dtding and don't chart because wake temps low....but I didn't demonized any food..like processed carbs and still cycled....again since not charting was not sure if ovulated though,...but what I found interesting was that on 5 days a week I could eat any thing and any amount and cycled....seemed strange with cystic ovaries....I also went on 2 hr bike rides once or twice a week. (I was recovering from a divorce...the fasting and long bike rides allowed plenty of time pouring my heart out to Adonai. )
I do so often find myself wishing I could eat processed carbs off the store shelves and still ovulate....I know my mom is a red meat eating lady and sweets and no dairy as she doesn't like that.....and she had two children, both of us girls ;)
Ah the problems only those with cystic ovaries face....
So glad others are here to help with the emotions and practicals

[atomic sagebrush]

A lot of people find that fasting helps with the PCO. I am hoping tht the overnight fasting will help normalize your cycles too.