Back again: blue sway planning

[ruby_blue]

Hey Atomic - merry Xmas I just sent you an email as I have a personal query. Hope it came through and that that’s ok. Thank you so much xx

[atomic sagebrush]

Ruby, I replied to your email, did you see my reply?

[ruby_blue]

Hello, yes - so sorry for the muddle. I just replied to your email with a short message. I think we’ll both start taking some supplements soon, just the basics (any recs on what might be best to start early alongside the multivitamins?).

I’ll aim for 3 meals a day for now. Then to give some leeway, I’m thinking 10 weeks before my first try to start snacks too - 3 a day right? Bit nervous about all this food!

But I suppose with blue sways, there’s an emphasis on exercise as well to help manage calorie input? I have a few quick questions too, hope that’s ok:

Supplement questions:

DH
- Centrum Men has 15ug of vitamin D in it, which I believe is 600 IU. I could supplement it for him with one of my 1000 IU tablets every day (or every other day) so he’s taking 1600 IU daily or is this too much / stick to the 600 in the Centrum?
- Is this an ok probiotic for him? Bio-Cultures Probiotics - 180 High Strength Capsules(on Amazon). Just checking before I buy.
- Shall I space his Carnitine 500mg twice a day? Or is he ok to take two at once?

Me
- Centrum Women has 10ug of vitamin D in it, which I believe is 400 IU. I am already prescribed 1000 IU tablets to take daily due to low bone density, so am I ok to take 1400 IU daily?
- I used to be anaemic and was in both pregnancies. No idea about now but I do eat red meat once a week and my periods are more regular than they once were! I’m currently taking Ferrous Fumerate or Sulphate (I have both) every other day. Should I drop this to 2x a week, as I can see you previously recommended to me once?
- I take Optibac probiotics for women - apparently specifically designed for vaginal health! Is this ok?
- Is there any benefit in taking spirulina capsules? Someone recommended them for health and fertility recently.

Contraceptive:

Also, in a previous post to me, you recommended not using spermicide in the months leading up to trying (how many months - should I stop using it now?).
As you know, I fell pregnant 2 years ago while using my diaphragm without spermicide. Hence my lovely little girl!
But…. This makes me a little bit anxious to use this as a method.
Do you recommend using condoms instead around fertile periods? Or is there another method of contraception which is more blue friendly?

Diet:

- Are standard porridge oats for breakfast with fruit and nuts a good idea? I usually add oat bran too but this may soak up nutrients - shall I cut it out?
- Another breakfast query: if I have time, I like to try to do a Pilates or yoga online class (30-40 mins) before breakfast. Is this a bad idea for blue? Do I need to eat at least something beforehand?
- I am a tea lover thanks to you! I mainly drink decaf black tea though. I’m also a herbal tea fan. Shall I cut out herbal tea? And what about raspberry leaf tea? I do actually have a teapot and could buy my own leaves to brew…. So tell me what’s best for blue?!
- DH does a lot of our cooking and is a BIG fan of soy sauce. It’s on everything he makes, and peas… are these things ok for blue? I seem to remember that peas aren’t..?
- I know how important dairy is. So I’ve been buying these Total 5% fat Greek yoghurts, (they make them in the UK – not sure about elsewhere). I just checked the ingredients list on them today and it is: pasteurised skimmed milk, cream, and live active yoghurt cultures. I’m guessing that the skimmed milk inclusion means these are not a good idea? So would regular Greek yoghurt be better? Also do you recommend that I don’t eat any more of the Total yoghurts from now – annoyingly, I have a couple of tubs in my fridge, and I’m the only one who eats it!– or would eating it now, not hurt a sway in May / June time?
- On that note — honey in yoghurt, ok for blue…?

Thanks so much and happy new year to you xxx

[ruby_blue]

Bump!

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks for the bump, I had apparently clicked on this and it shut down withut my replying, and then it didn't show up any more.

The most important thing is to eat more than you were. If you can't get up to the full amount, then don't.

Yes, that's part of why we exercise, but of course exercise does also help your sway.

For DH, either the 600 or the 1600 are both in the range of acceptable. Your choice on that. The 1400 is also fine for you to take.

The probiotics are both fine.

The carnitine spaced or together is at your preference. Whichever he prefers.

I would suggest having your iron levels checked before changing anything. Once a week red meat is really not a lot and if you're prone to anemia I would not want to mess anything up telling you to reduce it without knowing your levels. Taking it every other day is also acceptable. Iron certainly doesn't sway pink, it's more that I don't like to see anyone who is already high in iron, continuing with it as in the long term it is not good for health.

STAY AWAY FROM SPIRULINA. It doesn't help your health, your fertility, or anything that you aren't already getting from a normal everyday multivitamin and a reasonably healthy diet. And these algae supplements (also blue green algae and chlorella), because of naturally occurring chemicals in the algae itself, are linked to motor neuron disorders like ALS and Alzheimers. My father in law died of ALS, and it is a horrible disease - and yes, he did take all sorts of supplements including algal supplements.

So are you not able to be able to tell when your fertile window is opening?? Many of us who have all boys have unprotected sex without spermicide or condoms when we aren't fertile, and only use protection during our fertile window. Then, when we want to start actively trying, we stop using the birth control. I would simply use non-spermicide condoms during the fertile window. Or, if it's too hard to tell when you're fertile, then use the non-spermicide condoms all month long.

I would have the oats but probably skip the oat bran, unless you need it for regularity.

Just have whatever kinds of herbal tea you want, but have any one kind no more often than 2-3 times a week. Have chamomile 2-3 times a week, mint 2-3 times a week, etc. That way you will avoid any medicinal qualities of them. I remain unconvinced about how rasp. leaf tea actually sways, so again, I'd have that no more than 2-3 times per week.

Soy sauce and peas are fine in dietary amounts. Soy protein isolate is what to avoid (so like the "frankenfoods" that have tons of soy protein added). Soy sauce is a natural food and is fine to have in dietary amounts, there's hardly any protein in it. With the peas, while I prefer to see you guys go lightly on the pea proteins that are added to vegan protein shakes and stuff like that, dietary peas are perfectly fine to have.

Honey is fine for blue.

As long as there's 5% fat in the yogurt it's fine to finish up what you've got. You are a LONG way from May-June and even if it was actively swaying pink (which it isn't) that would be enough time to get over that. I would probably seek out the regular greek yogurt from here on in, they add that skim dairy powder to try and artificially boost protein sky high and you don't need that. But if you can't find any other kind I'd likely just keep buying it.

[ruby_blue]

Hiya, thanks for the reply. I totally forgot to ask about Ovaltine as part of the blue diet? I like to have a cup most nights – half a cup of full fat milk, three spoons of Ovaltine, and the rest boiling water. Figured that more dairy would be a good idea, but just want to check on that as I haven’t heard it mentioned before?

Another diet question: is a salad (leaves, tomato, celery, cucumber, etc) plus protein (chicken / mozzarella cheese) not enough of a meal for blue? It’s missing a complex carbohydrates, but I’m wondering what could be added that would be nice!

Also, I wanted to check about exercising before breakfast.
— Sometimes I have to do a 1hour cycle into work, and leave so early in the morning that I don’t eat breakfast beforehand. This is about once a week.
— There are also times where I want to do a yoga or Pilates 40 minute class in the morning, before breakfast. To be honest, I’m not that hungry first thing.
But is it a good idea to eat before these activities and, if so, how much? Would a few nuts and dried dates suffice?

As for iron, I will try to get my level checked, but think maybe it’s safer to do one every other day, as then I can just push it up for the next couple of months and always taper it down later in the year.

As for my fertile window…. I’m not that on top of it! I have polycystic ovaries, and so my cycles have, in the past, been very irregular and long. I used to have 60 days cycles and found it near on impossible to track ovulation.
Thanks to a healthier diet, my cycles have shortened to around 32 days, But they are still not very regular. I’m going to get some condoms and use these during the fertile period. I do have two little girls thanks to using the diaphragm (without Spermacide) when I thought I was fertile, so I don’t think it’s the best method to continue as unless I want another’ oops baby’ (although like you said - they’re just the sweetest little people!).

One sex question while I remember: is it preferable for the woman to have an orgasm during sex in her fertile window for blue, or is just before sex just as good?!

And to clarify, is that 2 to 3 cups of herbal tea per week?

And lastly, I know you don’t usually comment on exact tablets to get but my brain is a bit scrambled around the right folate to buy.

1. This one is comparatively cheap, but I’m not sure if it’s actually Folic Acid? Looks like confusing marketing actually…. Solgar Folacin (Folic Acid) 400 µg Tablets - Pack of 250 - Vitamin B9 - Healthy Wellbeing - Healthy Maternal Tissue Growth - Vegan, Gluten Free and Kosher https://amzn.eu/d/3BPp4Vo

2. This one is ‘Folate’ it seems (and more ££): Folate (L-Methylfolate) 400μg x 90 Capsules - 5-MTHF Active Form of Folic Acid/Vitamin B9 - Supports Normal Maternal Tissue Growth During Pregnancy - PRENATAL- Magnesium Stearate Free - Made in Wales https://amzn.eu/d/0jBCGst

I know you said 6 weeks before swaying is an okay time to start taking all of the pills, but given I’m heading towards my late 30s and DH is in his mid 40s, I think a 12 week timeline of taking all the medication might be more favourable, if you agree? 12 weeks before June that is…

Thank you so much for the help, as ever xxx

[ruby_blue]

Bump xx

Also wanted to add a quick question - I’m drinking Yorkshire tea bags but also got a snazzy new kettle thing for Xmas, so I could brew my own tea…. Would it be better to buy black tea leaves and brew it that way? Might make it stronger I guess!

I’m a total tea addict now but can only handle it in the morning or I’m buzzing all night haha

[ruby_blue]

Also…. One more question (sorry) that’s been bugging me but I’m sure experts on this site will know the answer to.
What counts as day 1 of your period? Is it when you start spotting/ very light bleeding? I always thought it did, but most websites seem to say it’s the day of full flow. Or the day AFTER you start bleeding a little bit, if that bleeding starts after midday / 3pm / 5pm / 6pm (this time varies wildly!!)

Does anyone have a consensus on this?! I’m totally baffled.

[atomic sagebrush]

RE the tea, whatever you prefer. I don't think it needs to be stronger if you're happy with what you have.

The official rule on periods is, the first day of bright red flow. I personally use the rule of thumb "if you think it's your period, then it is". If you ALWAYS start your period, 14 days after you ovulated, and you have a day or even two of light flow that then gets going, some people just start off their period that way. If you have half a day of light bleeding that then worsens (even if it starts at 6pm and doesn't worsen til the next day) and that is just how your period normally starts, then I would count that as the first day!

Now what NOT to count is if you're say only 7-10 days past ovulation and you start having spotting that goes on for a few/several days, and only at that point THEN turns into a normal period, then that spotting wasn't the period and you should count the day of red flow. And if you notice bleeding at 11:59 PM, then count the NEXT day as CD 1.

This really is not a critical deal, though. It doesn't MATTER at all what day is CD 1, if you get it a day sooner or a day later it is totally irrelevant.

[atomic sagebrush]

Ovaltine is fine provided it doesn't have artificial sweetener. I haven't had it in years so I can't remember exactly if it's sugar based or not.

That low carb salad would NOT be enough of a meal. You could add any source of carbs - croutons, dried or fresh fruit bits, sweet potato, chickpeas, a sugar sweetened salad dressing, or have a roll or glass of fruit juice alongside to add some carbs and make it acceptable.

It is best to eat before exercise, even if it's something small. A few nuts and/or dates would work.

on the iron.

Ah, got it. In that case just do your best to use a non-spermicide condom if you can.

I'm not quite following your question about orgasm but both sex in the fertile window and/or before sex are good. For reasons we don't really know, the average couple with all boys is more sexual (both men and women) than the average couple with all girls - exceptions abound but there's a strong trend that way. We don't know if it's a coincidence or if it's the increased sex that sways, so if you can have at least one orgasm in the fertile window and/or before your attempts, I would do so.

2-3 cups of any given kind of herbal tea per week. You can have "herbal tea" the larger category more than that, but the amount of any particular herb, 2-3 times a week.

Either of those folic acids/folates are fine. We do have a lot of people use the Solgar, but the other brand looked ok to me too. I know it's very confusing the way they describe and label the folate/folic acid bottles, I wish they'd standardize it. But either one will work.

12 weeks works too. There's nothing wrong with doing the supps for 12 weeks if you can afford it!