General note to all those on the LE diet...
Today is the 1 year anniversary of me going on the LE diet full force. I was very strict because I did not want to have any regrets. I was on the diet for almost 5 months before conceiving and lost a lot of weight. I just wanted to encourage you all who have been on it for a while or who are just starting out and are feeling overwhelmed. It is soooo worth it!! I cant believe I am expecting to meet my DD in just 5 weeks! Stay with it. Stay strict but give yourself a break at least one day per month.
Here are my personal tips that worked for me, everyone is different though and I am by no means an expert but here they are..
- get a "base" of foods that you know calorie/protein/fat counts for. Make those your main meals. I basically ate one meal of white rice and one meal of pasta daily with various things on the side.
- measure everything except free veggies - I used a digital kitchen scale
- I used soda and candy to up my calories without upping fat and protein
- dont be afraid to go low fat. I kept my fat at the bare minimum (just enough). I think this had the biggest impact on my weight and sway long term.
- be certain to stay on your diet strictly after O
- give yourself a "cheat meal" to keep your sanity. Mine was one meal either 10 or 11 dpo. It was my "bfn pout party." I recommend being completely vegetarian but my cheat meal usually included chicken.
- I posted pictures of beautiful baby dresses on the fridge, pantry, etc. When I needed encouragement, I looked at them and took a minute to dream about my baby girl. Worked every time!
Now, everyone is free to customize the LE diet to fit them - that's part of it's beauty. But for me, this was my only chance to have the daughter of my dreams and I was not willing to take any chances.
You can do it!! It is such a SHORT time in your life relative to the JOY you will have when you get your DD!! I wish you all the luck in the world!!
