Figuring out the food and exercise side of things

[Spunky]

I am your typical boy mom who obsesses and plans. I’ve been reading for a week (so much info! thanks!!!!) and am giving myself another 2 weeks of obsessing before I start letting go. (does it count as ‘letting go’ if you are still planning it? lol) That will give me 12 weeks before the start of our TTC cycle in July.

I have been reading up on the PCOS LE diet because I am obese. I have no other major symptoms of PCO. The last couple months I have not been dieting and gained 10 pounds (ugg), but otherwise I have been slowly loosing weight the last 2 years (50 pounds) and eating calories based on what MFP gives me + exercise calories. I was at 2100 some but dropped down to 2000 this week and also started lowering my protein (60-65g) and fats (30%). I use to eat low carb so this has been quite an adjustment. All my meals revolved around lots of meat and fat! lol

I currently keep track of protein from veggies and such, but am creating several lunch and supper meal plans based on your way of calculating with a balanced protein and fats so I can just pick a meal without thinking about it. My issue is that I don’t know how many calories to use. With my weight, I’m likely much heavier than your average person who is doing 1500-1800. What do you think I should start at and how much do I subtract as I loose weight?

I am 5’10” and 235. (down 5 pounds this first week!)
-walking 8,000 to 14,000 steps a day
-soon to start back at daily 40-60 min yoga (had an off couple past months). It focuses on isometrics and so I have been gaining muscle. I was 240 with my first boy, but 2 pants sizes larger than I am now.
-Currently I have stopped kettlebell works outs. Would a 5 min workout (3 sets of 10 swings) build too much muscle on days I don’t walk?
-soon to start walking 3+ miles 4 or 5 days a week. (hopefully our last snow storm will hit on tuesday and then it will finally start to warm up)
-based on my Basil Metobolic Rate I need to have at least 1831 calories.

Thanks for your help!

[Spunky]

This seems like a dumb question, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around things. I see many people talking about getting extra calories by eating potatoes and rice. I understand potatoes, being a starchy veggie, the protein does not count, but rice has protein. Are we not counting that protein? What about pitas, bread and other grains?

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes, it still counts as "letting go!" LOL! What we really want people to avoid is the people who make 12 weeks of schedules and colorcoded charts in which they're monitoring every detail of their life down to the minute (and yes, people do that.)

:agree: I want anyone with 30+ lbs to spare to do the alternate diet.

I actually want you to start off at the maximum cal intake you can lose weight at. This is how we prevent plateauing in the long term (well, at least severe plateauing) is by starting off as high as you can while still losing at least some weight and cutting back over time when and IF you need to. Let your weight loss be your guide, since everyone is different. If you're losing a couple lbs a week that's great, if it slows or stops, you need to cut back a little more (and/or cut back on carbs a smidgeon as well)

While normally I stress cardio, I do think that in your case the benefits to blood sugar control and metabolism would be so great that yes I'd continue with the kettlebells for 5 min. or so to maintain what you have. Same iwth the yoga - as a general rule I'd not recommend continuing with it but above all else we do not want you to lose ground, you've done so well for so long and I do not want you to go backwards in fitness when we don't even know that it will harm your sway anyway (all this stuff about "muscle building" is all just me guessing that it may sway - no study ever done.

[Spunky]

:oops: how did you know I have a color coded bullet journal? :rofl: I’m only semi organized with it (on top of it a few weeks, not for a couple and so on) BUT I’m proud to say, it’s not down to the minute! At least I have that going for me and I already decided not to track my intermittent fasting and just kinda feel it out so to speak. (I was only keeping track of it down to the 15 min mark. :sigh: )

Great news about maintaining with kettlebells and yoga. Not feeling strong was what snapped me to attention that being 240+ was not just a few extra pounds anymore. Before kids and 4 c/s, I could still run circles and lift heavy things easier than any ‘skinny woman’ and lied to myself that I was doing just fine.

I was afraid that too many months of so little protein would set me back and once pregnant, not be able to get back into it and really get behind. The good news is that my oldest likes to run and we started “training” last summer. He is only 7 so nothing major, but he reminded me yesterday that I said he could run longer this summer. We head down to the track and let the little kids bring their sand toys to play in the jumping pits, and I try desperately to pretend I’m letting him beat me. :bigsmile: oh, and I’m not above distracting him so I get a head start either.

Also good news about keeping the calorie amount. I had a big loss of 5 pounds this week. I don’t think it was just water weight, so if I drop a few more in the next couple days, I will up the calories another 500 or more until it feels right.

I added a post with question this morning that for some reason I can not reply to or copy on my phone, so I’ll get on my computer and make sure it is added to this post. Edit to add the post:
This seems like a dumb question, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around things. I see many people talking about getting extra calories by eating potatoes and rice. I understand potatoes, being a starchy veggie, the protein does not count, but rice has protein. Are we not counting that protein? What about pitas, bread and other grains?

[atomic sagebrush]

This seems like a dumb question, but I just can't seem to wrap my head around things. I see many people talking about getting extra calories by eating potatoes and rice. I understand potatoes, being a starchy veggie, the protein does not count, but rice has protein. Are we not counting that protein? What about pitas, bread and other grains?

Oh whoops I missed this - yes you count the protein in all grains including rice.

For reasons that are boring LOL the proteins in potatoes are less usable by your body than the ones in grains so I prefer you to count the protein in grains and not worry about the protein in potatoes.

[atomic sagebrush]

Here's a massively long series of essays on "control freakishness" and swaying. http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/33517-maternal-dominance-hypothesis-priviledged-daughter-hypothesis.html

Definitely put your health and well being FIRST. I have to make blanket rec's for everyone but what really matters is that you were eating less than you were recently and if possible, than when you got your boys (but recently is most important). If you never get down to the protein limits that others are using, that is FINE! The important thing is that you get somewhat less than you were.

It's not uncommon to occasionally see weeks where 5 lbs comes off but over the course of time, I don't want to see you losing huge amounts rapidly because you will def. plateau and end up frustrated. Slow and steady gets the job done and also helps keep the weight off in the long term.

[Spunky]

Oh whoops I missed this - yes you count the protein in all grains including rice.

For reasons that are boring LOL the proteins in potatoes are less usable by your body than the ones in grains so I prefer you to count the protein in grains and not worry about the protein in potatoes.

I thought so, but got confused with all the people adding rice to bump up protein. It just show how we can read things through our own perception filter. I was needing more calories to add after I already created a menu with enough protein vs planning it in the menu from the start.


Definitely put your health and well being FIRST. I have to make blanket rec's for everyone but what really matters is that you were eating less than you were recently and if possible, than when you got your boys (but recently is most important). If you never get down to the protein limits that others are using, that is FINE! The important thing is that you get somewhat less than you were.

It's not uncommon to occasionally see weeks where 5 lbs comes off but over the course of time, I don't want to see you losing huge amounts rapidly because you will def. plateau and end up frustrated. Slow and steady gets the job done and also helps keep the weight off in the long term.

I am definitely eating less than with all my boys. I had just lost 45 pounds when I got pregnant with our surprise DS4 almost 3 years ago. (was at 245) I was doing zumba (instructor focused more on muscle building than typical zumba), and was eating lots of protein and lots of beef. LOTS. The week before Oing, we were on kids free work vacation and got to have lots of yummy food and wine. I gained a few pounds, which were lost before the BFP. I am positive I could add much more protein now, but think I'll just jump up to 75g to play it safe. That will help with getting calories too. I use to be very into putting butter and coconut oil on everything. I've switched to small amounts of butter and safflower oil. I was also snack queen then. I only started intermittent fasting this year, and even then, I ate every hour or two during my 8 hour period. I am down to 2 meals and a snack. The snack is usually because of poorly planned out meals causing a rumbly tummy later. It should be remedied once I get a meal plan in place.

Over the years of living a healthy lifestyle (and not just yoyo dieting), I have focused on slow loosing. Although I do often weigh daily/weekly and it auto records for me, I really only pay attention to monthly trends. I've had a few months of 10 pound loss but usually am down around 5 pounds. I do have several months of weight not changing but loosing inches. Of course this was with lots of protein and muscle building. It won't surprise me if I start loosing a tad more since I am trying to maintain muscle VS greatly build on it, but I won't let it get too crazy. I also have months of upping calories and maintaining weight when mentally needed. This past month was my first month of poor choices and actually gaining. We will be vacationing right before TTCing, which normally would be when I would eat a maintaining about of calories, but I think I can handle avoiding both situations.


Here's a massively long series of essays on "control freakishness" and swaying. http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gender-swaying-general-discussion/33517-maternal-dominance-hypothesis-priviledged-daughter-hypothesis.html

I've read that once, but need to go through it again. When I first read it I went through a cycle of desperation, despair, anger and then then hopefulness before going through all the emotions again. It took a few days, but once I processed it, I figured out why I had such strong emotions about it. (It's complicated, but most everything can be explained with saying I have a no napping, clingy 4yo which this introverted and insomnia suffering mom struggles with! lol)


Thanks so much, Atomic, for your help! If I have any other questions I will be sure to start a new thread.

[Spunky]

I said I would start a new thread if I had more questions, but I assumed I was done with diet questions. However, it has been two weeks and the diet is not working for me. I'm working on sorting it out, but it is frustrating because it is triggering migraines. ugg. Plus DH has been out of town so I have all 4 kids on my own with the migraines! double ugg.

current diet:
goal -2000 calories and usually getting within 1900-2200 but this includes all calories, even veggies
70-75g protein (chicken and eggs plus whatever is in the carbs)
30% fat (switched to safflower oil for cooking and add sunflower seeds to tons of things for crunch)
my carbs have been lots of potatoes, brown rice, and multi grain bread and pitas. (and lots of veggies)

My problem is that last year I had a food sensitivity test and did an elimination diet. I've incorporated things back into my diet since, but have kept a small list of things I only have in small amounts and or infrequently. I have been having migraines, my reason for the test, the past 2 weeks. I can safely say that it is a reaction to all the carbs. In my case, the carbs turn to yeast in my stomach and yeast is my sensitivity. Simple carbs turn into yeast the easiest, but complex carbs in large amounts will too.

first migraine-
I did have a piece of birthday cake that possibly factored into it, so I was not really all that worried about completely changing things. I've had cake with no issue before, but not with the large amounts other carbs. I decided not to indulge in cake (not that I did much anyway) and the bread and pitas.

Second migraine -
I'm dropping the simple carb potato next. I think I will add sweet potatoes a couple times a week. I know they have more nutrients, but I also know this amount has not triggered migraines in the past. I did not eat much brown rice in the past, so the amount I can have is still up in the air.

As I typed this, I also remembered safflower oil was on my no-no list. I never ate it to begin with and figured with over a year of purposely avoiding it in processed foods it would be out of my system and ok to ingest. I might switch to avocado oil this week and see if it helps. If I am all set with brown rice and sweet potatoes, I'll add safflower oil back in and find out it if triggers it. If I still get migraines without safflower oil, I'll know it is too much brown rice.

I was thinking about joining the site for the LE diet sub forum. Is it worth it if I don't seem to be doing anything remotely like the LE diet or even PCOS LE diet most people are doing? I am getting close to my 'let it all go so I don't think about swaying' time so I'm not sure if joining would just push me to thinking about everything more. :think: :confused:

[Spunky]

poo. I typed a response, but it is not here. If this post, I'll write up my previous post again.

[Spunky]

Well, it has been two weeks and the diet is not working. I'm working on sorting it out, but it is frustrating because it is triggering migraines. Plus DH has been out of town so I have all 4 kids on my own with the migraines! ugg.

current diet:
goal -2000 calories and usually getting within 1900-2200 but this includes all calories
70-75g protein (chicken and eggs plus whatever is in the carbs)
30% fat (switched to safflower oil for cooking and add sunflower seeds to tons of things for crunch)
my carbs have been lots of potatoes, brown rice, multi grain bread and pitas. (and lots of veggies)

My problem is that last year I had a food sensitivity test and did an elimination diet. I've incorporated things back into my diet since, but have kept a small list of things I only have in small amounts and or infrequently. I have been having migraines, my reason for the test, the past 2 weeks. I can safely say that it is a reaction to all the carbs. In my case, the carbs turn to yeast in my stomach and yeast is my sensitivity. Simple carbs turn into yeast the easiest, but complex carbs in large amounts will too.

first migraine-
I did have a piece of birthday cake that possibly factored into it, so I was not really all that worried about completely changing things. I decided I would not risk anymore sugary carb treats while figuring this out and also cut out the bread and pita.

second migraine-
I decided to drop the simple carb potato next. I think I will add sweet potatoes a couple times a week. I know they have more nutrients, but I also know this amount has not triggered migraines in the past. I did not eat much brown rice in the past, so the amount I can have is still up in the air.

As I typed this, I also remembered safflower oil was on my no-no list. I never ate it to begin with and figured with over a year of purposely avoiding it in processed foods, it would be out of my system and ok to ingest. I might switch to avocado oil this week and see if it helps. If I don't get migraines with eating the brown rice and sweet potatoes, I'll add safflower oil back in and find out it if triggers it. If I still get migraines, I'll know it is too much brown rice.



I was thinking about joining the site for the LE diet sub forum. Is it worth it if I don't seem to be doing anything remotely like the LE or PCOS LE diet everyone else is doing? I am also debating seeing the OB about femara. I don't want to wait 6 months for it and don't want to lie about having TTC 6 months. I'm not sure if being over 35, a history of short LP (Three of my boys had their EDD changed 9 to 10 days later after an early U/S; two of which took 14 months of TTCing), and with a few months of current charts showing a 9 day LP would be enough to get it from the start? (Not sure if it would help or factor in, but I've had a great relationship with my OB the last 8 years.) Would the private forum give me more insight on if it is might be an option for me? (I'm currently reading all the free forum posts). If I had a chance of getting it, I would go in. If I don't have a chance, I'd rather not go in because I think I would have to pay out of pocket for the visit. (we pay the first $500 of each "incident" and not sure I can get it grouped in with the "pregnancy incident" if we are not actively TTCing or how that works. I'll get DH to figure it if needed.)

[atomic sagebrush]

Starting a new thread or keeping the old thread going - totally up to you!

We sometimes have a glitch where I have to approve a post before it's visible. If that happens, just post again (usually the next post will show up) or message me so I know it's here and I'll approve it.

Drop whatever you need to drop to prevent the migraines. Sweet potatoes are fine!

I have a lot of recipes in the Dream Members forum and many other posts on various topics. I always appreciate the DM's because this is how I make a living. Otherwise I'd have to work outside the home and could not be available to answer questions every day. If the information on the site is helpful to you, a Dream Membership is a great way to help keep me doing this. :) But follow your heart, I don't want anyone to buy anything they don't think is helpful. :)

[Spunky]

It has been very helpful! I joined and can't wait to hopefully explore more tonight :)

[atomic sagebrush]

Thank you so much! I'll message them to be sure they activate your DM ASAP!