Planning pink sway Q's: gradual vs. sudden changes, moderate exercise, easing into sway

Hi all! I am new here, I have two beautiful boys (3.5 and 2) and we plan to start ttc in July. We would love to add a daughter to our family so I'm going to start a pink sway in April.
A little background: I have always been an all-day snacker with small frequent meals and my diet is high in protein and healthy fats, lots of tea. I've also always done about 30 min of cardio most days and light weight-training. I've never skipped breakfast and up until recently, I always ate fortified bran flakes before working out in the morning then had another breakfast after. Ive never felt like I'm a control freak but I am really into eating healthy and exercising. I am 32 and DH is 29.

I have a few questions maybe someone can shed some light on:

1. Is there any benefit to adjusting some of my eating habits (skipping breakfast, not snacking as much) before really starting to sway in earnest? Since I'm still about 16+ weeks from ttc, I figured I'd start doing some things gradually until I get stricter at 12 weeks, but does it really help if I'm not consistently skipping breakfast (some days and not others) at this point?

2. In terms of helping my pink sway, is a sudden transition from moderate cardio and weights to the 60 min of cardio with no weights the best way to go? Has anyone made a transition like this and have any advice?

3. I also do a lot of walking and other active stuff with my kids- if this is in addition to the 60min cardio already is there any negative impact that could have?

4. In general for a pink sway, are gradual changes or more sudden changes more effective? Part of me has wondered if I suddenly just change all my habits then my body would just be like "woah!" and the sway would be better. All else being equal, would a sway with a gradual start be just as "good?"

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Originally Posted by Kbird

Hi all! I am new here, I have two beautiful boys (3.5 and 2) and we plan to start ttc in July. We would love to add a daughter to our family so I'm going to start a pink sway in April.
A little background: I have always been an all-day snacker with small frequent meals and my diet is high in protein and healthy fats, lots of tea. I've also always done about 30 min of cardio most days and light weight-training. I've never skipped breakfast and up until recently, I always ate fortified bran flakes before working out in the morning then had another breakfast after. Ive never felt like I'm a control freak but I am really into eating healthy and exercising. I am 32 and DH is 29.

I have a few questions maybe someone can shed some light on:

1. Is there any benefit to adjusting some of my eating habits (skipping breakfast, not snacking as much) before really starting to sway in earnest? Since I'm still about 16+ weeks from ttc, I figured I'd start doing some things gradually until I get stricter at 12 weeks, but does it really help if I'm not consistently skipping breakfast (some days and not others) at this point?

2. In terms of helping my pink sway, is a sudden transition from moderate cardio and weights to the 60 min of cardio with no weights the best way to go? Has anyone made a transition like this and have any advice?

3. I also do a lot of walking and other active stuff with my kids- if this is in addition to the 60min cardio already is there any negative impact that could have?

4. In general for a pink sway, are gradual changes or more sudden changes more effective? Part of me has wondered if I suddenly just change all my habits then my body would just be like "woah!" and the sway would be better. All else being equal, would a sway with a gradual start be just as "good?"

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Im starting my sway next month, like u im 32 and 2 boys. Im struggling with keeping calorie intake, I haven't really cut back at all and only added a couple of walks a week in for exercise. What im hoping will sway is all my other tricks! I ordered acijel online it keeps ph acidic which sways girl. Get the clear blue opks with the 4 fertile days showing and try and do the deed 3/4 days before ovulation. Drink peppermint tea or spearmint it lowers testosterone and get hubby to take licorice root itll lower his testosterone. And finally u both take calcium and magnesium. Im going this will sway it for me

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Thank you, Third times a charm! Sounds like we are in the same boat :) I too am going to have a hard time maintaining enough calories, I noticed even cutting back on snacking makes things a lot harder because I'm not used to eating big meals! That will take some getting used to, for sure. I definitely see why I am a mom to two boys, lol!

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Originally Posted by Kbird

Thank you, Third times a charm! Sounds like we are in the same boat :) I too am going to have a hard time maintaining enough calories, I noticed even cutting back on snacking makes things a lot harder because I'm not used to eating big meals! That will take some getting used to, for sure. I definitely see why I am a mom to two boys, lol!

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I'd love to know exactly how much diet sways percentage wise, I kno a whole lot of girl moms who never quit eating lol also part of the diet is to sway ph and if your using acijel then that does that for u. Ph sounds to b a big factor in it. Are u going to do shettles method?

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I think I will do the one attempt at pos OPK- I did some research into shettles and personally can't see much scientific evidence that convinces me it works. I think there are some great essays on this site about timing and Atomic has a lot of great info about it. I know for some people that's a big thing to include in their sway, just for me I'll probably focus on the one attempt :) I got both my boys (not swaying) having many attempts within the fertile window and I know lots of people who also conceived boys while bd very frequently so antecdotally at least, makes sense to me!

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Originally Posted by Kbird

I think I will do the one attempt at pos OPK- I did some research into shettles and personally can't see much scientific evidence that convinces me it works. I think there are some great essays on this site about timing and Atomic has a lot of great info about it. I know for some people that's a big thing to include in their sway, just for me I'll probably focus on the one attempt :) I got both my boys (not swaying) having many attempts within the fertile window and I know lots of people who also conceived boys while bd very frequently so antecdotally at least, makes sense to me!

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Just wondering, do u have to pay subscription to get advice from atomic or does she answer questions on this?

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Originally Posted by 3rd times a charm

Just wondering, do u have to pay subscription to get advice from atomic or does she answer questions on this?

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She answers questions on this. You only have to pay for a customized plan to help your sway and to get answers FASTER. She will answer regardless, just not as quickly.

But I have found she is wonderful at getting back to you as quickly as she can and there are several other wonderful users who will jump in and answer questions too!

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1)I'd def have you start exercising more like 60 minutes if you can right away, because this may help you not lose too much weight suddenly as compared to starting more exercise and diet simultaneously.

Skipping breakfast has not been super effective, I'd wait till 12 week mark on that.

2)We can't know what is best - too many possible ways to do it. I DO have a pretty good bead that 60 min. exercise is much better than 30 and so that change I would definitely have you make right away if at all possible.

3) Nope, not at all, as long as it's in addition to at least one bloc of 60 min. I DON"T want people to do 15 min. in the morning, 30 at noon, 15 at night and call that 60 min. Unfortunately it appears it needs to be concecutive for at least one 60 minute time period.

4)We originally considered that there may be something to "shocking" your body but when we played around with the idea, it did NOT seem to help and in fact got worse results. The reason I know this, is because our swayers who only dieted and exercised 2-4 weeks before conception, got considerably worse results than those who did so more like 12+ weeks, even though the people on diet a short time were almost always very strict and those dieting longer had almost all relaxed over time. So it appears that "shocking your body" doesn't work as well as slow and steady changes over time. :)

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Originally Posted by 3rd times a charm

Im starting my sway next month, like u im 32 and 2 boys. Im struggling with keeping calorie intake, I haven't really cut back at all and only added a couple of walks a week in for exercise. What im hoping will sway is all my other tricks! I ordered acijel online it keeps ph acidic which sways girl. Get the clear blue opks with the 4 fertile days showing and try and do the deed 3/4 days before ovulation. Drink peppermint tea or spearmint it lowers testosterone and get hubby to take licorice root itll lower his testosterone. And finally u both take calcium and magnesium. Im going this will sway it for me

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I think I answered this in more detail in a different thread, but I really can't recommend doing this approach since we've found that the only things that are really helping are diet, exercise, one attempt, and Clomid or Femara if you can get them. For DH, smoking and jogging and/or biking have been proven effective. So I strongly urge everyone to focus on the things that actually sway rather than relying on the things that are not working and have really cut odds of conception by quite a lot.

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Originally Posted by 3rd times a charm

Just wondering, do u have to pay subscription to get advice from atomic or does she answer questions on this?

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I answer all the questions asked, just that it takes me a little longer to get back to you in the free forums. :) If it's been more than like 5 days or so, do bump your post since occasionally I'll open a post to reply and get interrupted and then it looks to me like I answered when I didn't. :)

This is my job, though, and so I do always appreciate anyone who can get a plan or a Dream Membership since it enables me to do this as my full time job - answering q's, doing research, writing articles - rather than working outside the home in which case I'd probably be unable to do much with the site! :)

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Originally Posted by Kbird

I think I will do the one attempt at pos OPK- I did some research into shettles and personally can't see much scientific evidence that convinces me it works. I think there are some great essays on this site about timing and Atomic has a lot of great info about it. I know for some people that's a big thing to include in their sway, just for me I'll probably focus on the one attempt :) I got both my boys (not swaying) having many attempts within the fertile window and I know lots of people who also conceived boys while bd very frequently so antecdotally at least, makes sense to me!

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Anyone who wants to read the full case against timing, it's here! http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gend...le-timing.html

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Originally Posted by atomic sagebrush

I answer all the questions asked, just that it takes me a little longer to get back to you in the free forums. :) If it's been more than like 5 days or so, do bump your post since occasionally I'll open a post to reply and get interrupted and then it looks to me like I answered when I didn't. :)

This is my job, though, and so I do always appreciate anyone who can get a plan or a Dream Membership since it enables me to do this as my full time job - answering q's, doing research, writing articles - rather than working outside the home in which case I'd probably be unable to do much with the site! :)

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Im so new to here I haven't quite got my bearings! Can I just ask, how often should u do the 60mins exercise? What's the minimum? Wud once a week make any difference? Thanx

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KBird- I would really try to cut snacking and only eat at designated times. You sound like me before my sway, with high protein and lots of healthy fats, the girl sway diet is not that! And it was hard to not eat “healthy.” But the diet overall still meets health requirements. And you’re body will change, you’ll lose muscle, just warning you, but I think that’s the point. I ate a lot of veggie soup and would add white rice to fill up, definitely not my typical meal. But from what I understand, diet is important.


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Thank you so much for the advice Atomic! That all makes sense and I can see how the slow changes over time could have an effect, especially with all the hormones involved- I think it's so interesting how complex the hormones in our bodies are and how powerful hormones are, yet we still don't understand them very well!

I am willing to put a little effort into my sway right now before I really start in April, so I think I can start doing some 60 min cardio sessions. Would it still benefit my sway if I'm starting out with just a few 60min sessions a week? I'm not sure I'll be able to do the 4-6 days per week already and keep it up until late summer. Also, I am assuming that if I switch from treadmill to biking during the 60 minutes without stopping, that is ok- I get bored easily haha.
If I am willing to put in a little effort diet-wise, it sounds like trying to not snack between meals would be more helpful than skipping breakfast at this point?

That makes sense that the cardio needs to be in one block, the reason why I've always kept my cardio sessions under 45 min at a time is to avoid the release of stress hormones like cortisol that some studies have shown are released by your body after 45 ish minutes of cardio. Just always thought that was interesting!

Thanks Gwynn! Yes cutting out the protein and healthy fats will be super hard, I think veggie soup is a great idea because I love soups. I was thinking salad would be a nice option too to help me feel "healthier" (by my normal standards lol). I have kinda been starting to limit my snacking between meals, that seems like a good place to start! I will probably go mostly vegetarian when I fully start the diet in April, so I'll definitely need to add in more grains like rice, which aren't really things I'd normally eat much of either.
Are you still swaying currently?

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Originally Posted by Kbird

Thanks Gwynn! Yes cutting out the protein and healthy fats will be super hard, I think veggie soup is a great idea because I love soups. I was thinking salad would be a nice option too to help me feel "healthier" (by my normal standards lol). I have kinda been starting to limit my snacking between meals, that seems like a good place to start! I will probably go mostly vegetarian when I fully start the diet in April, so I'll definitely need to add in more grains like rice, which aren't really things I'd normally eat much of either.
Are you still swaying currently?

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Since I last commented ive seen some stats on diet and have started today! Im presuming I won't get pregnant for the first month r 2 so hopefully by time it happens ill have been doing diet for sufficient time. Can I ask what do u put in your veg soup? I don't want to make a soup and put in some blue sway ingredients by accident!

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Originally Posted by 3rd times a charm

Im so new to here I haven't quite got my bearings! Can I just ask, how often should u do the 60mins exercise? What's the minimum? Wud once a week make any difference? Thanx

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Full exercise essay is here: http://genderdreaming.com/forum/gend...-both-genders=

You need to do a minimum of 4 days a week exercise and more like 6-7 is best.

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Originally Posted by 3rd times a charm

Since I last commented ive seen some stats on diet and have started today! Im presuming I won't get pregnant for the first month r 2 so hopefully by time it happens ill have been doing diet for sufficient time. Can I ask what do u put in your veg soup? I don't want to make a soup and put in some blue sway ingredients by accident!

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Foods in and of themselves don't sway, it's your diet as a whole that matters, particularly calories, protein, and fat.

All vegetables are allowed on LE Diet. :)

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Originally Posted by Kbird

Thank you so much for the advice Atomic! That all makes sense and I can see how the slow changes over time could have an effect, especially with all the hormones involved- I think it's so interesting how complex the hormones in our bodies are and how powerful hormones are, yet we still don't understand them very well!

I am willing to put a little effort into my sway right now before I really start in April, so I think I can start doing some 60 min cardio sessions. Would it still benefit my sway if I'm starting out with just a few 60min sessions a week? I'm not sure I'll be able to do the 4-6 days per week already and keep it up until late summer. Also, I am assuming that if I switch from treadmill to biking during the 60 minutes without stopping, that is ok- I get bored easily haha.
If I am willing to put in a little effort diet-wise, it sounds like trying to not snack between meals would be more helpful than skipping breakfast at this point?

That makes sense that the cardio needs to be in one block, the reason why I've always kept my cardio sessions under 45 min at a time is to avoid the release of stress hormones like cortisol that some studies have shown are released by your body after 45 ish minutes of cardio. Just always thought that was interesting!

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Yes it's fine to start with less exercise and work up to it.

Yes, also fine to change types of exercise as long as it's all contiguous.

I can't say what is "best" just don't have that kind of data, but stopping snacks will def. help.

KBird-
I did SO many veggies then would add filler like white rice, some noodles, or in a tortilla. Salads would be great too, as long as it’s enough calories. For swaying, I did the low fat or fat free dressings or sauces which is something I never did. I also switched to vegetable oil for cooking instead of the olive or coconut oil I usually used. For the soup, i would just find store bought, usually just a veggie or veggie and bean then add my own rice or noodle. Campbell’s Well Yes have a nice variety that all tasted good, if that’s available. The only things I avoided were breakfast cereal and oatmeal. And I am no longer swaying because I’m pregnant with a baby girl!!


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This is great advice, Gwynn - thank you!

I do want to clarify though, that you guys do keep need to eat SOME fat every day. I have had a fair number of people cut out all fat and eat only fat free stuff and I don't want people to do that because it makes ovulation become delayed or even stop all together. So some people may actually need to continue with full fat dressings/sauce because they need the fat.

Non-PCOSers your minimum fat intake is 30 g (do not go under this amount!)

PCOSers your minimum fat intake is 50 g (do not go under this amount!)

Thanks Gwynn this is super helpful! And congrats on your little girl on the way! I'm sure you are over the moon!
I'll definitely be using the soup idea- I make a lot of soups like minestrone (with beans) and will sub some canola oil instead of my usual olive oil or coconut oil when cooking. Don't worry Atomic, I like to err on the side of too many calories and fat, especially to start out with!, so I'd probably try out a soup, salad, and bread type of lunch, adding some butter and/or Parmesan cheese to those things to add extra fat. I'll probably get the lower fat dressings too like you did Gwynn, especially because I make my own and use a lot of olive oil normally!
If you don't mind my asking, are you normally vegetarian Gwynn or did you go vegetarian for your sway? I haven't decided yet but I think I'll just try to decrease meat and have only rarely (I pretty much just eat chicken or turkey anyway),eat tons of veggies and tweak stuff to stay in the limits. I don't really enjoy counting calories and stuff so hopefully once I do the diet for several days I'll get the hang of it so I can chill out and enjoy life :)
Anyway thanks everyone for your answers, y'all are super helpful! :)

I am not usually vegetarian, I did that for the sway. I did end up having meat about once per week at group functions when it was hard to avoid. It was hard because my husband and kids did not go vegetarian with me. I thought I did really well with fasting overnight and between meals, NO snacking, which was a huge change for me. I did lots of black coffee, which is normal for me. And I only took folic acid throughout the day, not the prenatal vitamin.


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Thanks Gwynn, it's so good to hear about your experience and it gives me some hope that I'll be able to do it. The no snacking is probably the biggest change for me too. I wasn't drinking any coffee when I conceived my boys so maybe that'll help my sway too.
Congrats again and best of luck with your baby girl!