Is 3 WEEKS enough for LE Diet Success???????

The last 3 weeks I'd say I've been doing the diet pretty loose. I went on vacation for 10 days so that totally messed most things up, however when possible I stayed away from meats, skipped breakfast, ate the allowed foods. I definitely didn't go low cal though.

Now that we are home I have exactly 3 weeks to go full on LE as I O right on Christmas - yah I know, BRUTAL time for diet/2WW! Is 3 full weeks enough to make any difference.. honestly? I already am underweight, but have been since my first DS. 16.8 BMI so I'm not sure how much I'll lose. I already have had a non-stop headache from lack of food (probably more not snacking as I normally ate every 1-2 hours) but want to try as hard as possible to get it right this time. I am SO bad a diets..

Is it really long enough, 3 weeks as I know it's recommended a full 6?

Thanks ladies!

I think a sudden change sways a lot so I'd say so...personally I'll also be starting a diet at ovulation the cycle before we start trying because I don't have much weight to spare either, hopefully that will be 4 weeks on the diet... but I've never conceived first cycle anyway

I wouldn't be confident about 3 weeks personally. You don't want regrets if you do fall pregnant first month trying, so just weigh it up in your mind about the outcomes. The recommendation is at least 6 weeks as you know.

Holy cow, you're only 16.8bmi?

Okay, first of all, PLEASE do not lose any weight. You can't afford it!

Second, I agree with Cinss. The holidays is no time to be starting up a no-fun restrictive diet. And by diet, in your case, I mean food types and meal timing, NOT calorie restriction. You must maintain and not lose at that bmi, you don't want to lose your ovulation entirely by getting too thin. It's still the LE 'diet' if you eat low protein, high carb, and only 2-3 meals a day. "Diet" doesn't necessarily mean losing weight.

Since you haven't even started, honestly, I'd encourage you to wait till the New Year. 3 weeks isn't really enough, and you don't want to regret rushing the sway later. Your DG is worth the wait. :) No point in stressing the crap out trying to be disciplined when everyone else is enjoying themselves, not to mention the first few weeks on the LE diet tends to be miserable even without food temptations everywhere. So I say indulge, and since everyone goes on New Year's diet anyways, it'll be much easier psychologically to get strict in January.

Hmmm I asked practically the same question about three weeks ago and got really different answers.... Hmmmmm I was on the diet for a month and it was ovulation time and I was planning on starting to try in Jan so I asked if it would be just as good to start trying on my nov cycle and I get preg very easy... Everybody told me ther is no magic time and that it would be basically just as good... So I don't know I'm a little discouraged myself now.....

one of the Trivers Willard studies suggested it's a sudden change in condition that swayed, which would support being on a girl diet for a short time before conceiving. And there's no guarantee you'll conceive first month and if you're already thin you really don't want to be on it too long! plus losing too much can stop you ovulating altogether so you really need a fast BFP.

I think this was the study actually Extreme sex ratio variation in relation to change in condition around conception

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Originally Posted by Wanting-a-girl

Hmmm I asked practically the same question about three weeks ago and got really different answers.... Hmmmmm I was on the diet for a month and it was ovulation time and I was planning on starting to try in Jan so I asked if it would be just as good to start trying on my nov cycle and I get preg very easy... Everybody told me ther is no magic time and that it would be basically just as good... So I don't know I'm a little discouraged myself now.....

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Hey Wanting, I faintly recall your thread. Maybe you can link us? I think that your circumstances were a little different and you still had a few weeks left till your attempt. Something like around 4? And you were encouraged to try to do other non diet things because you hadn't been on the LE diet long, as I recall, like antihistamines and FR.

I think we're encouraging Msblakely to wait if she can because holiday month is just such a terrible time for trying to restrict your diet, too many temptations. And 3 weeks is really very short. The LE diet really needs 6-8 weeks to make significant changes.

I was on the le diet for 3 weeks when I conceived with one attempt at + opk. I just got confirmation last week that I'm having another ds. If I could go back and change one thing about my sway it would be the length of time I was on the diet. I still managed to lost over 10lbs, but still wish I'd dieted for another 4 weeks.

Ah, this is so frustrating! Like I said i've been loosely doing it for 3 weeks and still have a exactly 3 three weeks left today (I've been already going strong on the diet for the last 4 days.. so it'll been more like 3+ weeks of good diet, 2 weeks of loose. I guess our issue is that I get pregnant really easy, both DS's were first try. The thing is we really want a baby this cycle. I have an October baby, and a december baby so we'd like to try and get a september baby and not have any overlapping birthdays!! I'd be fine with november.. but if I didn't get pregnant first try we'd be rushed and stressed to get pregs before the next year. You see I have this huge thing about wanting my kids 2 years apart, and because they are born end of the year they both will start school early, so if I wait and end up conceiving in april.. that baby will be 3 grades behind his brothers (like how I call it a 'he' already!) where as my other sons are only 2 grades apart.. so stupid I know.. but it matters to me for some ridiculous reason. Of course if it is a girl I really could care less.. but for obvious reasons I assume it's not
I am planning on using represh, antihistamines, baby aspirin and dh will be taking licorice root. You really think it's not enough time? Grrr... now i'll have to rethink my whole sway! I'm sorry, but I HATE swaying.. this suckkkkksssssss!

And just another thought.. I also sort of felt that a sudden change, like illness etc. would more help sway because it's drastic for your body whereas the longer you are on something, your body just gets used to being "starved" so to speak and deals with it. My SIL eats VERY little.. refuses to gain any weight but has been like that for years and has had 2 boys.. obviously everyone is different but that just seems to make sense. Anyways, I don't know a thing about swaying so I'm not claiming to know.. just what seems to make sense in my head :)

And the BMI, i've been that low for years and eat like crazy so it's just my genes right now obviously. I won't be aiming to lose any weight, just change eating habits. I do know for sure that for as long as I can remember I would eat every 2 hours just snacking all the time, and ate healthy, protein etc, high cal so I'm not shocked I have 2 boys.. This is definitely something new for my body

Yeah swaying is not really much fun. I just personally feel like the longer you have changed your lifestyle especially the diet the better odds you would have at your DG. Seeing as you really want a baby to fit into your family at a certain time you could just throw caution to the wind and you never know, maybe it will just happen to be a girl for you next or the sway you have done up until your attempt may be enough, unfortunatly there is no checklist that we can tick off as we go and see that yep we have done enough, or no we still need to wait a little longer.

Well, 3 weeks isn't enough time to rely on diet to be as effective as it could be. But if you're doing all that other stuff, it's still a pretty good sway!

I'm envious of you, I've never fallen pregnant that easily so any thoughts of timing are thrown out the window since it's always taken us 4-10 months to conceive. :P By the time I finally fall preggo, I'm usually just relieved to BE preggo. I do joke that I'm cursed to only be fertile in spring or something because all of mine are winter babies, and two out of 3 are redonkulously close to Xmas too - one on Dec 9, one on Jan 12. Go figure.

Anyways, you can still go for it with all the other stuff you're planning to do. I would say it's better to be super conservative and keep it to either abstain and one attempt, or FR with bd'ing on day 10 just once and leave it at that. You won't have done the LE diet long enough to really count that as swaying for you just yet. Odds are with all of the antihistamines and restricted bd'ing you won't fall first cycle anyways.

Okay, well thanks for the advice ladies!!! I'm going to have to decide what to do now! Not like it's a gaurentee obviously as I could easily not get pregnant, but just incase. This might sound ridiculous but one of the main reason I want a girl is so that all the annoying stupid people won't say "awwwww you didn't get a girl!!!" blah blah blah. I'm so sick of the "Aren't you going to try for a girl" like it's literally some magic solution. I'd be thrilled with another boy, kinda think same gender families are really cool.. but the peoples comments would drive me to insanity. Now DH is another story.. he wants that father-daughter thing so bad!

I completely understand Ms. Blakely. I am stressing because if I don't get pregnant this month or at least try then December is pretty out because of diet for holidays and travel and then by January my kids will be over 3.5 years apart (thats a way bigger gap than yours). Which is way bigger of a gap than I ever imagined. Who knows how long it will take for me to get pregnant. My sway this month sucks but I think I am just going to go for it. Its a tough decision but I want a baby. I am just counting on having a boy though. Seriously.

For anyone without weight to spare, then YES I BEG that you only do diet a short time. I would try to eat less fat/protein and give up multivitamins in the months before if at all possible, but even that's not a make or break. We do seem to see higher rates of success with people having been on diet longer, but virtually none of those people already HAD BMI under 17. Just your BMI alone is already pink-friendly.

PS - cheating on Christmas is mandatory!!

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Originally Posted by Wanting-a-girl

Hmmm I asked practically the same question about three weeks ago and got really different answers.... Hmmmmm I was on the diet for a month and it was ovulation time and I was planning on starting to try in Jan so I asked if it would be just as good to start trying on my nov cycle and I get preg very easy... Everybody told me ther is no magic time and that it would be basically just as good... So I don't know I'm a little discouraged myself now.....

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I would have to see the post itself to tell you why it was a different response.

The cold, hard truth of all of this is that we simply do not have the answers. We are doing our best. Until very recently I really did think that most people could hit it hard for a few weeks and still get good results but the proof is in the pudding and there have been a few sways where people weren't on diet for very long and got opposites, so now I'm coming around to the idea that for people of normal weight, it may be better to give it a bit longer on diet for better results. But there have been many people who were NOT on diet very long and did get successes.

The original poster is already perilously slim which is why I would err on the side of her not doing diet for very long.

I was of normal weight, did the LE diet for 3.5 month, lost abut 17 lbs, was down to an 18 BMI and conceived another DS. But I eat an extremely boy friendly diet and have all my life so it may take longer for my body to change. If we decide to have a 4th and we sway again, I plan to do the diet loosely for quiet awhile and then get strict for a longer period if I can do so without losing too much weight. I think everyone's body is different and while a short period on the diet may work for some, it won't for others.

In the end it's a sway and not a guarantee so I think you can only do what you can mentally and physically handle like for instance I refuse to give up my Starbucks lattes lol


I'm curious tho cause since having my 3 boys I have totally changed my life style and I wonder if that might work in my dg favor

I was just thinking a few days back how before I started swaying we were eating a lot more girl friendly - in that I barely ate meat. Anytime I made a meal, the protein was usually black beans - which I know is protein.. but the amount I'd eat wouldn't compare to a chicken breast, steak etc. I was also trying to be more cautious with what I ate because we were starting to slack and eat fast food quite a bit before that. So i'd say it's been a good few months of more girl friendly type foods. With both boys I was exercising - around 20mins (running) ever second day and our meals always consisted of some form of meat. I was always a HUGE snacker for as long as I can remember - that obviously wasn't girl friendly until I start LE.

Anyways, all that to say I'm attempting my best sway as possible. But at the same time I'm cautious because I want it to be as natural as possible - I've always been super careful about what I eat while pregnant and before (no processed stuff, aspartame etc) so the fact I've had a few diet cokes is just crazy for me. We aren't doing supps except folic acid and we're just going to hope for the best. If it's another DS, I will confidently be able to say I did what I could without going totally crazy and I won't regret it. I already want to be pregnant, so this can't be a long term thing for me if it's preventing pregnancy :)