11/11/09

Sometimes it's just nice knowing

photo by flicker
So yesterday Chris and I played hookie from work so we could get some important things taken care of. Most importantly the reason for us taking work off yesterday was so that we could both be present at the much anticipated doctors appointment where we could discuss fertility options (for those of you who don't know, Chris and I have been trying for a baby for one year now). Chris and I really wanted to work with The Center for Reproductive Medicine on the U of M campus because our good friends had so much success working with them to conceive their baby boy and they come very highly recommended for women who have PCOS. We unfortunately do not have the ability with our strict work schedules to drive back and forth between down town etc... for the numerous tests that would need to be preformed. Therefore we have been researching for a great OBGYN in our area. With prayer we were able to find Western OBGYN that actually is a satellite clinic for one of the doctors that works at The Center of Reproductive Medicine! This is very exciting to us because this means we will be able to get the same care, if not better, closer to home.

The appointment yesterday was a preliminary appointment where they went over our medical history and discussed options that would best suit our needs and concerns. Chris and I are looking at the beginning stages of infertility treatments and have thought, and prayed long and hard about how far we are willing to go. Our doctor thought it would be best for us to have some preliminary test taken to rule out some probable causes for us not being able to conceive. This would include getting Chris checked out to make sure he is not a contributing factor for our inability to conceive. It would also mean getting my glucose levels checked as well as getting an x-ray and ultrasound done to rule out tubal blockage, and endometriosis. Getting an ultrasound done will be beneficial for my doctor as well because then she will be able to determine what shape my ovaries are in (scaring, cysts, etc...).

My doctor believes that, pending the lab results, the best option for Chris and I at this time would be for me to start taking a prescription called Clomid, to assist my body in ovulation. She believes that my body is probably having trouble producing enough estrogen to ovulate completely. This is her speculation and she will know more after the test results come back. She may also decide to put me on a combination of Clomid and Metformin. Metformin is a diabetic medication that helps with the control of insulin resistance. If she determines that I am insulin resistant combining the meds will help my body have more chance to ovulate as too much insulin can cause hormonal imbalance.

Chris and I will be going into the clinic the day after Thanksgiving for our lab tests. Please be praying for us just that we can have wisdom and peace with the many different options and tests that we might be faced with. Also be praying for our finances because fertility tests can be expensive. I have a $3000 deductible so that has to come out of pocket before any insurance kicks in. Then insurance will only cover up to so much for fertility tests.

Its a nervous and exciting adventure we are embarking on because on one hand it makes us excited to know that we are getting closer to having a baby, and on the other side we are nervous for all that it entails, not just the "having" or "raising" of a baby, but the "trying" for the baby is a bigger worry for us because of the financial, emotional, and spiritual toll it can sometimes take. We decided to go see a fertility doctor to put our mind at ease, sometimes it is just nice knowing what is going on if we are able. There is no guarantee we will find out what is going on but for peace of mind we decided to try. Any encouragement and prayer you would like to give us is greatly appreciated, we are comfortable being open about what is going on.

Chris and I are very happy where God has lead us thus far in our marriage. We are a joyfully blessed family just the way we are, just the two of us. We relish our time together, and I often think about how much different our lives would be if we had a child, and am truly grateful for the time we have just Chris and I. Its not that we feel like we need a baby, or are unhappy without one, no matter what we want to be in God's will. Wherever, God wants us to be that is where we want to be. Yes, we truly have the desire on our heart to raise godly children one day, and at times this can be emotionally difficult, however our hope is in the Lord and His good promises, and to that end we stay encouraged with our infertility. Oh the great and wonderful plans the Lord has for us, plans to help us succeed, to become strong, to flourish and not to harm us, but to give us hope and a future.

11/9/09

Sparking People to loose the weight





I wanted to take a second and share with you a little news story that was done about the website I am using to track my food journal, weight, fitness etc... all in an effort to help me lose weight. SPARKPeople is a great website and very user friendly. Check out the video at:
http://www.sparkpeople.com/video/fox_video.asp
If you wanted to check out the website yourself just go to SPARKPeople.com

11/5/09

South Beach Diet Chronicles




So Chris and I have been trying to get pregnant for about a year now with no avail. We have done steps to find out what is going on and one of the major factors is that I have something called PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which in laymen's terms means I have trouble ovulating due to blood sugar in my body throwing my hormones off balance. So how do you solve this? Well you have a few options, go on birth control pill to help with the hormones...um did I mention we are trying to get prego?, or you can take Clomid to stimulate ovulation, or 3rd and usually combined with the use of Clomid, loose weight! Simple Right...not exactly. One thing my doctor recommended was going on the South Beach Diet because it really does help with blood sugar stabilization. I have struggled with my weight much my life, and both Chris and I have the desire to live a more healthy active lifestyle so we thought we would do it. We started on Monday, November 2nd and I have already lost 8 pounds! You can visually see it yet, as I am sure much of it is water weight but something is happening! There is no doubt...this is super exciting for us so I thought I would post what we have been doing so far:


Ok here is my meal plan thus far:

Day 1

Breakfast: 8:30-9am
2 Hard Boiled Eggs - you may eat the yoke!
1 or 2 Cheese Sticks (usually 1 but depends on how hungry)
1 5.5fl oz V8 Juice (for veggie, this has a little sugar in it from the carrots, but is aloud on the SBD Ph1)
1 Snack Cup Sugar Free Jello (I like this because I can't have fruit on phase 1, you may also make your own sugar free jello at home to save a little $ and then poor in travel friendly sizes, you are supposed to limit "sweet treats" to 75 calories a day, usually a jello snack pack is only 10 calories)
If I am still hungry I can either have more eggs or have some sort of raw veggie like : Cucumber, snow peas, celery, broccoli, green peppers or a salad...but usually I an not that hungry. If you want to you can have black beans or some sort of legume to go with your eggs this is ok too.

Mid Morning Snack: 11:30-Noon
a salad or veggies and dip

for the Salad on Phase 1 you must look for Salad Dressing with out Sugar! this is hard so I usually like Newman's Own Oil and Vinegar dressing...there is no sugar in this so its a safe bet, you may also use his Balsamic Vinegar Dressing...it does have a little sugar but if you use sparingly he says its ok to use on the diet...not light...usually light dressings have more carbs so always go for the Regular.

For the Dip you can buy Ranch Dressing or Dip season packets and mix it with low fat Sour Cream....you need to watch how much dip

Lunch: 1-1:30pm
Homemade Chili: 2 Cans Crushed Tomatoes (no sugar), 1 bag of dried kidney beans prepared (canned kidney beans have sugar),Zucchini, jalapeno pepper, green pepper, 1 pound Extra lean Ground Beef or Ground Turkey, Spices: (make sure they don't have sugar in them) onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, 1 or 2 cups water to help the broth.

Afternoon Snack: 3:30-4:00pm
More veggies and dip or salad, cheese stick, or sugar free jello cup, chicken or turkey (no sugar) - (Chris and I grilled an entire bag of Chicken on Saturday so we could have plenty of chicken for the week for snacks etc... makes it easy)

Dinner: 5:30-6:00pm
Mustard Curry Chicken : Take as many frozen chicken breasts as you would like rise them season with curry powder, and coat with mustard of choice (no sugar). Throw in oven around 375 until done...sometimes I turn up the oven near the end to 400 to get it extra done...the way I like it.
Side Dish: Black Beans and cilantro - throw in mini crock pot or pan and simmer canned black beans with cilantro and garlic
Additional Side: Frozen Green Beans

Evening Snack: 7:30-8:00pm
Sugar Free (No Sugar Added) Fudgesicle

Beverages:
Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, to flush out system it helps you loose water weight too! you will pee a lot at first but your body will stabilize. (That's 2 Nalgeen 32oz Water bottles full a day)
V8 100% Vegetable Juice - Not V8 Splash or Fusion
Crystal Light or Sugar Free Drink Mixes
Diet Soda (drink sparingly)
Coffee - No sugar added, Black
Tea - Sugar Free
No Alcohol as it is high in Sugar
No more than 1 caffeinated beverage a day!

Most importantly it says if you are hungry you need to eat!!! Not eating slows down your metabolism, so I eat pretty much every 2 hours even if I don't feel super hungry...and thus I have not had that crazed starving hypoglycemic feeling. I make sure I don't eat at least 2 hrs before bed but if I am really hungry after trying to drink water and other things...it probably means I didn't eat enough at snack time or dinner time and then I will have some low cal snack...but try not to eat at least 2 hrs before bed.

That is one day on the South Beach Diet - I can give you more ideas if you would like. 4 Things I recommend if you go on the diet

1. Buy this book as it will tell you all the food you can and cannot have: South Beach Diet Good Fats/ Good Carbs
2. No need to buy the SBD cookbook Check this website out for recipies! And SBD tips: Kalyn's Kitchen
3. Check these websites out for other SBD tips and support: South Beach Diet Plan & South Beach Diet 101 & just Google it lots of sites come up with ideas and tips.
4. Check out Spark People to track your SBD success for free!

Ask me if you have any more questions! I am not a dietitian or Doctor so you will want to talk with them first but I would be happy to share some tricks and tips I found useful!