Pink Sway - questions

[Pink8081]

Hi,

I am new to this site and if someone can please help me. I have read a lot of forums on this site and I am still confused about some things.

I have two boys ages 10 and 8. I am 37 and trying to sway pink, this will be my last pregnancy. I want to do everything possible to get a girl. I have been dreaming of having a girl forever.

here are some of the things I am doing:

1) I am a vegetarian since almost ten years and mostly eat beans, lentils and curries. Do I need to add more veggies salads?

2) I don't eat anything in the mornings except tea or sometimes coffee with a bar or cookies.

3) I eat lunch around 11:30 or 12 and dinner is always around 7pm. I snack in between on nuts. I sometimes skip dinner and only drink a cup of warm milk with cinnamon. I do try to eat a tablespoon of ghee with lunch/dinner (clarified butter).

4) I love sugary treats so mostly end up eating chocolates every day or even cookies. should I stop the sugar?

5) I don't eat fruits, may be one apple sometimes only. also, I am not big on milk may be with tea/coffee or a cup of milk at night.

6) My weight is 185 and I have been trying to exercise from last three weeks. I walk for one hour and have been sweating a lot.

7) I don't like sodas or juices. I drink a lot of water throughout the day.

8) I have been taking prenatal vitamins (the vegetarian version) since three months now. after reading some of the things on this site, I understand if I want to sway pink I should not be taking vitamins. If I start taking folate, should I do the vitamins 3 times a week and then wean off? or should I continue vitamins 3x a week and folate every day?

9) after reading some of the forums on this site, I have been trying to DTD e4D, I hope this works. We have been trying since last six months, I do use OPKs and have gotten solid smileys and DTD on positive OPK but still got BFN. Sometimes, I do jump and dumb and try to use the missionary position or spooning. I am not even sure if I am ovulating even after getting solid smiley. each month before I get my periods, I do have spotting few days before and sometimes really bad cramps. I am wondering if I should see my obgyn but I just don't want to complicate things and get into this wrong or that wrong. I am not sure what am I doing wrong at this point.

IF someone can please help me I would really appreciate it

Thanks

[atomic sagebrush]

1) No, you don't need to add in more salads unless you want to, you just need to stick within the limits for the day - 1500-1800 cals a day, 40-50 g protein and 30-60 g fat for most people. A few eat a little more or less but that's the basic guideline. That having been said, salads may help you cut down on your calories and carb intake which may help with your weight and your sway.

2)Switch to just coffee and skip the bar/cookies.

3)You can have 2 or 3 meals on the girl diet, whatever works better for you. It's fine to treat your snack of nuts as a meal or the warm milk with cinnamon as a meal.

4)Sugar is fine for most people as long as it's with a meal and not in between meals. But given your weight you will likely do better if you give it up.

5)That's fine, please focus on what you like eating and leave out things you don't. You don't need to drink lots of milk to conceive a girl, that's one theory but most of us on this site got boys doing that. I got my girl with the least dairy ever in my whole life after getting 4 boys with lots of dairy!

6)Given your weight, I think you will be best off doing a slightly different version of diet than the one I listed above. Keep calories to 1500-1800, increase protein and fat to 50-60 g. Eat whole grains only, eliminate sugar as much as you possibly can, and have full fat dairy only, no skim dairy. keep it up with the exercise!! Great work.

7)That's fine, no need for sodas or juice. Water is fine.

8) Yes I'd go to 3 times a week and then gradually wean off. At the same time yes start the folate every day.

9)If you get your period at a normalish time, you are almost certainly ovulating. The spotting is likely a slightly short luteal phase but I think that making those diet changes I've outlined above (particularly cutting back on the sugar!) and taking off a bit of weight while exercising will really help improve that.

[Pink8081]

Hi Atomic - thank you so much for your reply. This helps a lot.

I think my only problem right now is eating sugar throughout the day and I will keep in mind to reduce day by day. It will be tough but I have to do it if I want a girl

Yes, I do get my periods on time. My cycle is anywhere between 28-31 days. The spotting is concerning me since I get it every month with cramps. But as you are recommending to cut back on sugar I will go that route first before talking to my obgyn.

Again, thank you so much. This site is really helpful. I will post again if I have any questions and will keep you updated

[atomic sagebrush]

Just remember, it's a journey, not a destination, and as long as you're moving in the direction of pinker than you were, that's what counts.

Do you know about when you're having ovulation symptoms in relation to the spotting and your period arriving?? It is not unusual for people to have a bit of spotting prior to their period arriving, just want to see how many days before your period and after ovulation this is occurring.

[Pink8081]

Hi Atomic - I am not really sure what happened but I got my periods 4 days early this month. This has never happened before I usually get my periods on time or a day or two late but never early. Is it may be because I started walking since four weeks now and I also started adding cinnamon to milk and coffee about same time (4 weeks) and my body is adjusting??

Also, this time I started checking for ovulation using the OPKs around CD13 and kept seeing the blank circles and no solid smiley. I use the clear blue kit. In July I got a solid smiley on CD18, in Aug CD 13 and after my periods in Aug also got a solid smiley on Aug 31 which was CD 13. No solid smiley in September but just got my periods three days ago and four days early.

About spotting, I do experience cramps and spotting before periods. I usually have really bad PMS about 5/7 days before periods. I have been writing down my symptoms since July so I will have better idea.

question about meals, if I have 2 meals lunch and dinner and would like to also add nuts/dates/strawberries. Can I eat nuts nuts/dates/strawberries in between meals or it has to be with meals? how long the between each meal? 4/5 hours? I am kinda confused here.

I have also stopped eating cookies/bars since 4 days now. this was tough but I am managing. I just have coffee with milk, sugar and cinnamon. I am using whole milk. is little bit sugar okay with coffee? does milk coffee count as one cup?

I am worried that I messed up my cycles and ovulation. Should I start any herbs? I want to be pg by end of this year if everything goes fine.

thank you so much Atomic for replying and sorry to ask so many questions.

[atomic sagebrush]

So how many days in total was your cycle?

And no pos OPK this month, right?? Can u think back 10-14 days from when your period came? Did you have any ovulation type symptoms?

How much cinnamon, do you estimate? I do think you could benefit from it just want to be sure you're not having too much.

If you were ovulating late and having a short LP, then yes absolutely the cinnamon and exercise could move your ovulation to earlier in the month and put a more normal LP at the end, and so your period could come early. OR, your ovuation could move earlier and just that your LP hasn't gotten normalized yet and that could make a period come even earlier.

Both 2 and 3 meals are totally fine. So if u wanted to add a 3rd meal of nuts and strawberries that would be great. I'd stay away from the dates though. They're really sugary which will be best for u to avoid and have a reputation as being boy friendly.

RE number of hours between meals - do what works for YOU. Figure out what schedule is easiest for you to stick with and do that. And it's fine if one day u need to eat a little sooner. As long as you've pushed breakfast back a little, and are sticking to 3 meals without snacks in between, it doesn't matter if there's 4 or 5 or 6 hours between meals or even 3. What I did was ate around 11ish, then at about 5, and then had a bedtime snack. But if a different pattern works for you, then do that.

Again, i think you'll be better off working towards giving up the sugar in the coffee as well. Whole milk in your coffee is great. I want you drinking and eating only full fat dairy (whole) NO skim. Skim dairy acts like sugar in your body.

Please don't start any herbs. Herbs really DO mess up cycles. I think you're on the right track with the diet changes you're making!

[Pink8081]

This month my cycle was 24 days. No, I didn't get positive opk this month. I started checking from CD 13. May be I should start checking earlier this month starting CD 8 or 9. I was having abdominal cramps and spotting starting CD 18 then got my periods on CD 24th. Also, I usually don't check CM but noticed it was sticky around CD 14.

I use less than half of teaspoon of cinnamon in my coffee in the mornings and in a cup of milk at night. Should I reduce/increase it?

I will have to see this month how my cycle reacts to all these changes. I will start using the OPK earlier.

okay, I will not eat dates anymore. I have started eating more spinach, broccoli for lunch now. I used to eat lentils or beans for lunch everyday. I feel that they are not helping me to reduce weight. So, last 2/3 days I have been eating baked spinach, broccoli, sweet potatoes and I add a small portion of cottage cheese (paneer). First day I only had the veggies and I was super hungry by the evening so today I added cottage cheese and feel fuller.

Is it okay if I give up lentils and beans all together? I used to eat these in lunch and dinner since I am a vegetarian and used to eat these either with rice or bread (home cooked bread). then I realized I have to quit rice and bread to loose weight.

I am only drinking coffee in the mornings now, no cookies/bars. so this is a good start and thank you for that.

One problem I have is a I eat big portions - does this sway blue? I can't eat anything in moderation or small portions. Should I be really reducing my portions so they just fill me up and not over eat? This will be hard because I do end up over eating everyday.

Do I need to quit sugar in my coffee all together? I usually put in 2 spoons. I can reduce it to half slowly or should I just stop?

A huge thanks again

[atomic sagebrush]

Yes please reduce that cinnamon right away. Cinnamon is weirdly strong and it doesn't take much at all to get the benefits from it. I would go to 1/4 teaspoon during the follicular phase, 1/8 teaspoon in the luteal phase

I am worried if you give up beans and lentils totally that you will be too low in protein. Do you have a rough estimate on how many grams of fat and protein you're getting every day?

Also, be aware that the small amounts of protein and fat in fruits and vegetables don't count, fruit and high carb vegetables you count calories only,not protein or fat, and then for low carb veg, like the spinach, broccoli you can have as much as you want. This means you have to be getting your calories, protein, and fat while NOT COUNTING the amounts in the fruits and veg!

I understand that is how I am too, I want to be full! I want you to let your protein, fat, and calories be your guide. It's your overall food intake that matters and it may be that you can stick within the limits and still have good size portions. I was never going hungry on LE Diet (some people do feel unsatisfied after eating, but I never did) and was able to lose weight on LE Diet while still feeling I was full at the end of my meals.)

If you can give up the sugar in the coffee, yes I do recommend that. now personally, I chose to continue having sugar in my coffee. And I still got a girl. But I don't have the insulin resistance issues that you may have so I could possibly have gotten away with it and you may have a different reaction. I honestly can't say, but if you find you just can't live without it, even if you were to cut the amount back as much as you could, that could be a compromise.

[Pink8081]

Yes, I will reduce the cinnamon right away.

I do feel I am not eating enough because I am hungry even after eating a full meal so I will prob add back the lentils/beans. I would say one cup of lentils have about 18g protein and beans have more. Kidney beans, chickpeas, black beans have 35g to 42g. I think I should start including about a cup to one of the meals with spinach and broccoli. Would that be enough?

what about cottage cheese? it has 25g of protein and 10g of fat.

can I include beans/lentils in lunch then cottage cheese in dinner? would that be enough?

what about sweet potatoes? do they sway blue? I love sweet potatoes if they don't sway blue.

I am on my 5th week of walking 60 mins a day. I really hope this is the month I get my BFP

I have reduced sugar in my coffee to one tablespoon from two, i hope to reduce it more by end of the week.

THANK YOU again for your reply.

[atomic sagebrush]

It's the overall amount of those type of foods you eat daily, not the amount of protein per serving. So overall you want to be aiming at 50-60 g protein and 50-60 g fat a day and so I really can't tell you what enough would be, since "enough" depends on all the other things you've eaten that day! But you absolutely can have those foods.

Sweet potatoes (in fact, NO foods) don't sway in and of themselves. It's the overall nutrient content of your day's diet. I ate GOBS of sweet potatoes when I was swaying for my girl. We have used sweet potatoes with peanut butter and sweet potatoes with cheese as pink friendly meals.

Excellent! Keep up the good work with your exercise and your sugar!!