Your cycle and the LE diet

Hello pink swayers! I have been on the LE diet only three weeks. I've become a vegetarian and have kept my fat cal and protein levels where Atomic suggested. I began the LE while on my period- coincidence or not my flow decreased and the days on my period went from 8 to 5.

I started again today - a week early. Very weird for me as I'm usually regular with my cycles. I'm not sure I ovulated even. How has the LE diet affected you? What do you think this means?

Also I'm still nursing my 15 m old. When I am nursing I'm typically hold on about 10lbs. If my body won't lose while nursing is it better for the sway to lose weight or keep nursing?

Thanks!

Hi! The LE diet does cause changes to your cycle by default. Breastfeeding can also cause changes to your cycle as your child takes in more/less milk at times.

If you're getting your period regularly, most likely you're ovulating. Unless you are having mid-cycle bleeding that lasts more than a day or two, you should be ovulating.

Having a flow of 5 days is normal! Even 3 days can be normal. Don't worry if it gets lighter- that can happen too.

Losing weight isn't necessary, and in fact, may not be wise while nursing. I only lost 10lbs while swaying and nursing (It took me 8 cycles and 12mo to conceive). I personally think nursing or weight loss can help. I would just aim for one or the other! If you lose weight, just make sure you're not losing too quickly.

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Do you have weight to lose? I know Atomic doesn't want anyone's BMI to go below 20. Both losing weight and nursing are good for a pink sway but don't lose weight if you have none to spare. The diet likely won't change your cycles after just a few weeks of diet so it could just be nursing that's making it wonky. I nursed while swaying and lost too much weight so I stopped ovulating. Once I got ovulation going again, my cycles got shorter (ovulation came earlier and earlier). My flow was also lighter but I bled for longer.
Good luck!!!

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Originally Posted by ksmom

Do you have weight to lose? I know Atomic doesn't want anyone's BMI to go below 20. Both losing weight and nursing are good for a pink sway but don't lose weight if you have none to spare. The diet likely won't change your cycles after just a few weeks of diet so it could just be nursing that's making it wonky. I nursed while swaying and lost too much weight so I stopped ovulating. Once I got ovulation going again, my cycles got shorter (ovulation came earlier and earlier). My flow was also lighter but I bled for longer.
Good luck!!!

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Thanks to both of you for your reply. I have about 10 lbs to lose. I doubt my BMI is under 20. Right now I'm just getting used to diet. No snacks. Wine at night. (I can't skip breakfast most days bc i lead excercise classes and don't want to risk fainting) this diet is a huge change for how I usually eat. I have never been vegetarian before! Anything else you all rec'd? Atomic rec'd we start with once a week. Right now we've been pull and praying until I've been on diet a while.

Diet, exercise, alcohol and one attempt are what get best results so it sounds like you're on the right track. Coffee is great to add too. Clomid or femara are good too if you can get it. Anything else is just gravy. :)

3 weeks is not usually the time frame we see dramatic changes in cycles and there's no way that starting LE on your period could make your period lighter. Your period comes from the lining that has built up the month prior. We do see shorter lighter periods over time but it just can't happen that way.

If you get your period and you've had 21-35 day cycle, the odds are about 95% that you ovulated. Breastfeeding does make for some goofy cycles and it's entirely possible that you have normal ones that then get strange again for a while. I've nursed 5 times and I have definitely had that happen to me even when not dieting or taking any supps or anything. Just that the baby nursed a bit more and it affected your cycle.

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

3 weeks is not usually the time frame we see dramatic changes in cycles and there's no way that starting LE on your period could make your period lighter. Your period comes from the lining that has built up the month prior. We do see shorter lighter periods over time but it just can't happen that way.

If you get your period and you've had 21-35 day cycle, the odds are about 95% that you ovulated. Breastfeeding does make for some goofy cycles and it's entirely possible that you have normal ones that then get strange again for a while. I've nursed 5 times and I have definitely had that happen to me even when not dieting or taking any supps or anything. Just that the baby nursed a bit more and it affected your cycle.

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Hi Atomic! Thanks for weighing in. Always appreciate your knowledge. I worry a lot about whether or not in doing the LE diet "right." I've been on it for almost a month and I definitely feel my clothes looser and I've been consistent with staying at or below 1650 cals 50-60 protein and fat. And I have t had any meat at all.

Questions- is fish every once in a while ok?

As long as I'm staying in my limits - and reading the calcium conundrum- I'm wondering if cheese is ok? Occasional ice cream?

I have my nightly wine usually an hour after dinner- does this count as snacking?

Thanks!

While breastfeeding let's boost that up to 1800-2000 cals, 50-60 g protein and fat.

Fish up to 2x a week is fine. No more than that due to mercury risks

All foods are fine within limits!! The only caveat about dairy is for the people who think dairy is an all you can eat food for TTC a girl. Anything within LE limits is fine.

Technically we try to put the alcohol with a meal but most of us did exactly that - hour before, hour after, or with bedtime instead and have still gotten girls that way.

My periods went from textbook 28 days and 4 day periods before I had my son. Once AF came back in January and I started LE and it has been 22-24 day cycles with 1.5-3 day super light periods. Not sure if it's the hormones or LE but I do wish it were a bit heavier, I can hardly wear a tampon and I can't help but feel like it's stopping me from conceiving. I am going on month 6 now.

I can assure you from firsthand experience that you CAN get pregnant with your period like that. I have ALWAYS had 3 day and fairly light periods and conceived all 5 of my kids with that length, and then in the month prior to when I conceived my daughter my period was barely there at all, a day of spotting and then a day of very light flow and then that was it.

I have had this reported to me from probably 1000 people by now, all of them in a state of panic and convinced that "my lining is not good" but then 999 of them got pregnant and the remaining one was starving themselves and wouldn't listen to reason.

The cure for this is always the trusty "one serving full fat dairy a day, 4-6 eggs a week, 1 serv. salmon if you like it and red meat if you don't per week". And you can drop fiber. I know it seems like a small change but it really works!

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It is fine to nurse a 15 month old while having a drink or two even every day.

Alcohol comes out in the same concentration in breastmilk as your blood at most. So even if you were technically drunk, .08 BAC, the concentration of alcohol in your breastmilk could not be enough to harm a baby. It is 1/100th of the amount of alcohol in one glass of wine. You would be dead from alcohol poisoning long before the concentration of alcohol in your breastmilk could harm your baby. People give their babies vitamins and medications (recommended by doctors, no less) that are many, many times higher in alcohol than a woman's breastmilk could be even after several drinks. Plus, most people will nurse before they drink and then wait a few hours before nursing again (even though you don't even have to do that, honestly)

1-2 drinks with any baby over 9 months is perfectly fine. Would I nurse a newborn after drinking, no, of course not, but no one on this site ever suggested that.

The main reason why some experts warn against doing this is the risk of causing your baby harm while drunk. People get sleepy after drinking and if a woman were to nurse a small baby and fall asleep holding it, that could end in tragedy, but nursing a toddler after having 1-2 drinks is safe and fine.

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No, not at all, many sources say that, but they are just erring on the side of caution (and since not that many people nurse more than a few months, it makes sense with a newborn, not so much with a toddler.)

I always welcome the chance to clarify anything along these lines.

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