A glimmer of hope (again)!

The nutritionist

Rosie and I went to see another nutritionist. We had hoped to stick with the same one we had back in October, but it was not to be. She did manage to send through some recommendations though and last Sunday evening I went through the options. Unfortunately, (and for various reasons) none were suitable, so the search continued with that multi-coloured search engine. I came across someone in Fife who seemed reasonable in price and whose biography was enough to catch the eye. I wasn’t convinced about the situation and thought it was be another dead end, but we needed an option and there it was.

But…!!!

It wasn’t. We were at the nutritionist’s house for around an hour and a half. In that time, we had answers to all the questions we had, another direction to try and a second appointment in a months’ time.

Auto-immune condition

Apparently, Endometriosis is similar to an auto-immune disorder. This means that the body gets confused and starts attacking the healthy cells. Endometriosis is also an inflammatory condition which is why it is likened to an auto-immune disorder. For me there is inflammation around the ovaries and the womb and that is where half of my problems lie. There is still a lot of research being done on this particular idea but I am sure in time there will be more information. In the short term we know what I have just said.

What does that mean?

In simple terms it means I have a ten foot fire inside of me. Eating the current foods that I eat means the fire goes up to twenty or thirty foot. This in turn inflames the body which does not help the body recover. However, and here is the good news. If I change the food, I eat I can bring down this fire to one foot. Just by eating a different diet I can make the change so the fire burns at one foot rather than thirty feet. Now that is a brain puzzle!

What do I have to do (dairy and gluten)?

There are several things that I need to do. The first is give up dairy which I have already started to do. This in turn has already started to bring down the inflammation markers in my body. The second thing is to go gluten free (again). I know I tried it and didn’t get on with it but I need to give it a longer time to work.

However…

However, the nutritionist has said that I have not only to go gluten free, but I must avoid gluten and gluten contaminates. Even a crumb is enough to make my bodies inflammation markers rise. Let me explain: I can eat gluten free porridge oats, but I cannot have normal porridge oats. The normal porridge oats are in themselves gluten free, but they hang out in a field where wheat could have been and hey presto, they get contaminated. This means they are no good for someone like me.  

What do I have to do (the rest)?

I also must make sure that I finish eating by 1900 in the evening and have a better bedtime routine involving Epsom salts. The Epsom salts will help take the toxins out of my body which is good, and I will also feel sleepy after doing this. I have also to eat lots more fruit and vegetables to make sure I am getting the right vitamins and nutrients. Along with that I must eat flaxseed everyday and add to smoothies all anti-inflammatory foods like ginger, garlic and turmeric. All of this will help bring down the inflammation surrounding my insides. Drinking more water is on the cards as well. Eating pork and any processed foods is out. So, no more bacon, sausages and ham sandwiches.

The sugar and the protein monsters

Taking out a lot of processed foods means there will be a lot less sugar that goes through me. I am allowed dark chocolate still, but I have to keep an eye on my proteins. From what I understood the sugar monster runs around the body causing havoc. Once protein has been consumed they eat the sugar monsters. The body will then have to find other sources to snack on, i.e. fat. This will in turn make me lose weight.

Inflammation surrounding the ovaries

Oestrogen at the minute in my body is being a bully and it is inflaming the ovaries and womb. Now here is the good news. If I can change my diet it will start to bring down the inflammation surrounding my ovaries. This means they will cope a lot better. There is some suggestion I will reduce the need for another emergency surgery to deal with the ovarian cysts too. There is also some hope that if there is a good egg in one of the ovaries then it will be looked after by the oestrogen. They will become friends rather than enemies. This in turn could be the egg that allows us to have a child.

Hard work

Yes, it will be very hard work. My diet needs another re-vamp, I will need to be a lot more organised with making food and I will need to keep track on what is being eaten. However, the good news is there could be weight loss, a lot less inflammation both on the inside and outside of my body and even better is there could be a golden egg in there with the start of our dream on it.

Jaded

After seeing out NHS consultant last September I became very jaded by the whole experience. I am now known to judge medical professionals and “size them up” before I let them in on who Helen is. Today I still have my moments when I am more negative than positive about the situation as well. I am sure time will help sort some of this as well.

Lucky

I am just very glad and very lucky that we could have the opportunity to consult with private IVF consultants and nutritionists so we have the answers to some of these questions. Had we not done this then we would have got around to August and still not been ready for the IVF waiting list. This would have meant we would have been kicked out of the service to “sort it out” then would have had to go back to our GP to start the whole process again. I am aware there is a long way to go still but we have a glimmer of hope that will take Rosie and me to the next point or decision. Hopefully in the next few months we will be ready for the next step. What we do know is that there are now people around helping us to get there.

IVF update

We have had another visit to our IVF consultant over the last few days. The basics are we need to keep losing weight to get into the service. The good side is we have made a good start. The bad news is that instead of 90kg which was originally stated we need to get to 88kg. The 90kg was for all the tests for further investigations. As we have skipped that step now (having had it completed in December during the surgery) we now have a slightly different goal.

The injection

The other downside is that I was apparently meant to keep having the injections to shut down my ovaries and pop me into a menopause. Doing this allows the body the best chance of getting into the IVF procedure. I also now have to start taking H.R.T to make sure my symptoms from the injection don’t cause me too many issues. The joys of it all!!!

The nutritionist’s information

If anyone is in a similar boat we recommend the Food Physio who is based in Fife. Details can be found here.

-Helen

Just keep walking, just keep walking!

Simple really!

And it really is. 2 Spuds goes on about walking a lot. We talk about it in many blogs as it is as great stress reliever. Walking however, has many other benefits as well. These include:

  • Lose weight
  • Healthy heart and lungs
  • Good muscle workout for the legs (granted after a good few miles it may take a while before your legs talk to you again but this isn’t my point!)
  • Increased energy
  • Low impact

So you see there are benefits to taking a walk.

Why am I going on about it?

Well, picture the scene! In January of this year Rosie and I decided to get the year off to a good start by going for a walk. We had picked to go from Milngavie (pronounced Mul-guy) to Carbeth and return. We got about halfway through and Rosie mentions she has a challenge for us. Now here I am thinking that it will be a week in the Maldives, a deck chair by the pool, a book and a glass of sparkling water. Now that would be a challenge for me to say the least. Me and sitting still have still not ended up in the same sentence. My remark was met with a no!

The conversation

Rosie – “You know people walk the West Highland Way?”
Helen – “Of course, I think it takes between 7 to 10 days depending on your mileage per day”.
Rosie – “You know some people can do it in 4!”
Helen – “Uh-huh!”
Rosie – “I think we should walk the West Highland Way in 4 days, it will be a challenge both physically and mentally but we can do it”.
Helen – “Uh-huh! You say 4 days? As in 1, 2, 3, 4! 4 days? FOUR DAYS!”
Rosie – “Yes!”
Helen – “Forget it, no, nope, never going to happen, I refuse!”
Rosie – “It’ll be fun!”
Helen – You will need to check the dictionary for this “fun” definition! (pause) Can I complain everytime my feet or legs hurt or we are going up the biiiiiiig vertical hills?”
Rosie – “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you!”
Helen – “Ok, I’ll do it.”

Challenge accepted

And there you go. We, in May of this year, are now walking 96 miles over 4 days! That’s roughly a marathon a day! Gulp!

The details

For those of you who may not be familiar with the West Highland Way it is a stretch from Milngavie (just outside Glasgow) to Fort William (further up North in Scotland). It takes in some spectacular scenery, countryside, lochs and steep mountains.

The miles

We have estimated that we will be breaking the route down as follows:
Milngavie to Rowardennan – 26 miles (accommodation in Rowardennan)
Rowardennan to Tyndrum – 26 miles (accommodation in Tyndrum)
Tyndrum to Kingshouse – 19 miles (accommodation in Glencoe as it was all booked up (the season hasn’t even started yet!))
Kingshouse to Fort William – 25 miles (accommodation in Fort William)
We have also decided to get our bags transferred from accommodation to accommodation so we will only be walking with day packs. This saves us carrying a lot of extra weight and also I am not a massive camping fan so no need to carry a tent. I want a bed and a shower at the end of the day. Obviously we will take the train back to Glasgow and are in the process of sweet talking a parental to come and pick us up.

The Kiltwalk

I then decided that I wanted to do the Kiltwalk towards the end of April. It is a 23 mile Glasgow Green to Balloch day walk for charity. Clearly I had had one too many sugary drinks that day and was full of energy when putting that idea together. I also told a friend of mine about it and suddenly I have a walking buddy for the day as well. Between us we will be taking care of the mental and physical side of things. My chosen charity is Marie Curie and hers will be Glasgow Mental Health Association.

Interesting

It’s great to be able to have a walking buddy on the day and even now it is spurring me on to train. I mean I know I have to train to be able to do both the Kiltwalk and West Highland Way but I am a perfectionist. I don’t want to let anyone down so I will go the extra mile (sorry bad pun!) to make sure I am not lazing around in the back. To have to be accountable to someone on both walks is doing wonders to get me ready for it.

The training

I had already started walking back in December as a way to rehab me back to health post surgery but now it has taken on a different spin. I need to increase my miles per week to be able to do this. The rule of thumb is that by the end of the week the miles will add up to the total on the day. Let me explain. Last week I walked the following:
Friday – 4.6 miles
Saturday – 9.1 miles (thankfully before the storm set in)
Sunday – 13.1 miles (courtesy of a treadmill and a Zumba class as the storm was well and truly in Scotland)
The total – 26.8 miles
So this is the Kiltwalk well and truly covered as it is 23 miles however, that is only day 1 of the West Highland Way.

My plan

Other than to walk as much as possible I am just making sure I am looking after any niggles. I have already bought myself another acupuncture pillow which helps loads after a long walk day. I started by doing Tuesday and Friday with short walks then a long one on the Sunday. But now I am walking shorter ones most days and aiming for longer ones on Friday and Saturday and then a massive one on the Sunday. I am trying to have at least one day off too. With a lot in the diary it is tricky at times to keep the days the same but I will get there.

Isolation

The downside with these walks at present it Rosie’s work schedule. Most of the days I am off to train she is at work. A lot of my walking training has been on my own which I am not thrilled about but I can’t dwell on that too much. I pick places which interest me or I have never been to before so it keeps the mind busy. So far I have been to Queen Elizabeth Forest Park (near Aberfoyle), Chatelherault Country Park (near Hamilton), Strathclyde Park (near Motherwell), Kelpies and Falkirk Wheel, Auchinstarry Canal Path and the Roman Fort and Callendar Park (in Falkirk). I am aiming for more Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Chatelherault Country Park as well as Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, New Lanark, Linlithgow and anywhere else that takes my fancy. In a few weeks time I am also going down to do some of the Northumberland Coastal Path too. Of course the treadmill and Zumba classes are in there too as you never know about the Scottish weather.

There you have it

So there you have it. The next few months will see me walking, walking and then walking some more (luckily I have a good pair of boots!). I am hoping for some more weight loss as at present it has stalled which it making me very frustrated. But here is the thing. Walking is a stress reliever. So what better way can I let off some pent up frustrations than by walking.

-Helen

Going free (dietary free!)!

The start

I have read and watched a lot about the benefits (and disadvantages) of being gluten and dairy free.

What is gluten free?

Let’s start there as it is an excellent question. A gluten free diet is one that excludes the protein gluten. This includes wheat, rye and barley based foods. It is very common for people who are celiac or have gluten sensitivity to be gluten free. However, some people who do not have these conditions find they put on weight so it is very important you have some knowledge on the subject or ask your GP.

Gluten free benefits

Some of the benefits of being gluten free are: improves cholesterol levels, promotes a healthy digestive system, can increase energy levels, it can reduce your risk of heart disease, some cancers and diabetes and it makes you aware of what you are putting in your body as fuel.

What I have found

I spent around an hour in the gluten free aisle of a supermarket about two weeks ago to see what the story was. Most things which were gluten free I found had incredible amounts of sugar, salt and fat in them. Some did not as well. My conclusion was that when going gluten free you make a lot of your own foods from scratch rather than store bought. This way you can monitor the sugar, salt and fat content. You also change a lot of what you are eating. For breakfast I used to eat Weetabix, now I eat either porridge with an little apple sauce or fried eggs with vegetables. So from the quick and easy option I am now needing to be prepared in what I am eating.

The conclusion

In conclusion, I am still on the fence about a gluten free diet. I have tried some parts of it and I like it and some parts not so much. I would say I am a part-time gluten free. As I don’t need to use gluten free as part of a medical condition, I don’t put too much pressure on to be. I think the one thing it has made me do is think about what I am eating and not necessarily going for the “easy” option. There is still a lot to learn but I am sure I will get there.

Dairy free

This means that there is no dairy in your diet. This means there is no milk, cheese, ice cream and the list could go on. The main thing that is bad about diary free is calcium. There is obviously a lot of calcium in diary based foods. However, there is also calcium in green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried fruits and pulses.

The benefits

Cutting out dairy means the removal of saturated fats, sugar and salt from your diet which in turn decreases your calories, it can also heighten your senses (there is a protein called casein which can lead to extra mucus production), it can be good for your skin as well.

The downside of diary free

The downside for me is that a lot of diary free foods contain a plant based ingredient called soya. I have found that I am intolerant to this unfortunately. This proves slightly tricky for the yogurts, ice cream, dessert and many more food. It means that a “quick and easy” fix for me is longer winded and I need to be more prepared. The diary free cheese situation is also a little troublesome so again I would say I part-time. I eat goats’ cheese about once a week (if that) and other than that I am experimenting with vegan cheese. The jury is still out on the cheese front. The good news is that coconut milk is all good with me so a coconut hot chocolate from a barista is perfect when I have a craving for one.

The conclusion

In conclusion, I am sticking more to the dairy free side of things at the minute as I am starting to see some of the benefits. I am feeling “cleaner” as I feel the old diary is getting out of my system. I am also feeling more alert and have slightly more energy. I have only been doing it for two weeks so time will tell how it goes. Apparently, it can take 4-6 weeks to feel the full benefits.

Why?

Why am I doing this? Well the short answer is I am trying everything to get my weight down this stupid BMI number to allow us into the IVF programme. As my sister pointed out I can try gluten and diary free temporarily. If it works then fantastic, if it works to an extent then needs tweaking then this may show some benefits too and if it doesn’t work then by the end of March, I will have bread and milk again. It is also interesting as it really makes you think what you can and cannot have in terms of food.

The big conclusion

I think the big thing for me is it has made me re-focus on what foods to eat. I am conscious of what I am making as well (even if it does take some time). I think I will stick with the diary free for a little while longer but with the gluten side of things I will not put too much pressure on it. Now all I need is for the scales to reflect the hard work I am putting in.

Please check before proceeding!

Please check with a nutritionist or your GP before trying gluten and diary free.

-Helen

Frustrating!

Why does life have to be so frustrating?! I mean sometimes we are only trying to get from point A to point B. In the way there are obstacles, hoops, wrong phone numbers, people who are no help at all. You find yourself three steps backwards and feeling down from doing such a simple task.

Customer Service

Now I could talk about customer service for hours and hours. However, for the point of this blog I will keep it short. Having worked in many a customer service role you could say I have a fair amount of experience. I also have a lot of people experience.

My current line of work

In my current line of work I deal with people who comes from all walks of life, from different careers, who have different illnesses or mental health conditions, who have different fitness goals and different life goals. Everyone in my book is treated with respect. A seven letter word that means so much but is quite often forgotten about, don’t you think? My point is with everyone I met I try to display professionalism, friendliness and a quirky sense of humour. The bottom line is that in my book everyone is treated the same. I try to give the best customer service that I can give.

When it goes bad!

I struggle when I have a big problem to solve and no one out of a customer service role is ready to help me. May be I am asking too much but then again may be I am not.

Let me paint you the picture!

Let me do just that. There is one more test I need to do for the IVF criteria and it something called a HyCoSy scan. Google can fill you in. In order to do this I need to have a Mirena coil removed.

Too many phone calls!

First of all I called my local GP but no, they apparently do not do such things. I was given another number to phone. But that number wasn’t recognised. I then got on to Google and had a search around other practices in the area to help us. But there were no phone numbers that I could see on their website. I tried the one number I could get and got through. But again no, they apparently stopped doing coil removal earlier this year. I was given yet another number. My poor phone was beginning to wonder what it had done to be calling so many different people. I got through to the last number and the lady asked had I spoken to the GP. My exact words were something like, “I have and they don’t do it, I have been sent on a wild goose chase, can you help?”.

I finally got a date!

After a few questions and a few calendar dates I finally have a date. It took about an hour to do all of that but I finally made it to the end. And here is my point. Did it really have to be that challenging to do such a simple thing?!

IVF

To me this is just another hoop we need to get through with a few obstacles thrown in. It is like we are being tested to make sure we are ready to progress down the children route. It is frustrating, it is challenging and it is darn right annoying as well. To do something so simple, which is to have children of my own, I need to go through many, many hoops.

What else do they want from me?

Exactly that. I have changed my diet, changed it again and finally changed it so it makes even more sense. I now eat a lot more than I did. The first few weeks were nerve-racking and scary while I looked at the amount I had to get through. Now I willingly make my own breakfasts and lunches making sure I have the correct meals and snacks. Admitting it now that I do like to snack. My appetite is back and I am not hangry as often. We have discovered that I have more muscle than fat and that is what is making my BMI and weight loss is challenging.

What else?

I changed my exercise regime and now run. Run! I do many more gym classes. In the rain, the sun and the cold I train. I do exercise when I really want to sit on the couch and eat cake. I do my own research into how best to go forward with IUI or IVF. Rosie and I ring many different people to try and get an answer. We have become massive Google fans as well. We read articles, forums and much more just to see if there is anything else I can do except wait.

I know it will be worth it!

Now, I know in the end it will all be worth while but I am also aware we are going through many different hoops. A lot of hoops before we even get to the massive ones that IUI or IVF will throw at us. I know I will have a little rant and then pick myself up and carry on. I have a goal to get to and I am going to try my hardest to get there.

-Helen

That BMI thing, again…!

You guessed it! I am not quite finished with this BMI thing. The reason being we had our chat with the nutritionist and it came up there with an interesting twist.

The Nutritionist

We saw the nutritionist last week where she was not as scary as I was first thinking. Read my previous blog to find out why I thought they would be scary. She went through our food plans and then put us on a fancy looking machine. Said machine sent an electrical signal through our bodies as it measured our fat, muscle, calories expenditure and biological age. It provided a lot of interesting answers to say the least. My personal favourite was backing up the fact that I think a BMI measurement with me is useless.

Let me explain

As I have explained before in a previous blog BMI takes your height and your weight to give you a number. The number is then put on a chart which tells you if you are: underweight, normal, overweight and so on. However, (and this is the issue) it takes your full weight. It takes your fat, blood, muscle, bone and all that other stuff in our bodies that make it work. It doesn’t separate it. And this is where I am falling down. I have lost around 8 kilos at the minute which is highly likely to be fat based. I am due to lose another 10 kilos to make it into the IVF criteria number. But due to my nutritionist machine results I can only lose a further 4 (ish) kilos in fat. So what about the 6 other kilos I hear you cry? Muscle. To get to the IVF number I am now having to lose healthy muscle.

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

Due to having PCOS I have more testosterone running around my body than someone without PCOS. Testosterone is partly responsible for muscle. This is why I have more muscle in my body. Muscle weighs more than fat. Therefore I am heavier than most but it is muscle which is causing me an issue and not so much the fat.

What have I to do?

A very good question. After years of doing heavy weights I have to give it a break and concentrate on cardio to decrease muscle mass. Zumba and boxing are thankfully cardio based exercises but I am also going to have to try this running thing. Now me and running are not the best of friends. The first time I attempted running I got so far and then had my appendix out and the second time I attempted it I ended up with a slipped disc in my back. I hung up my running shoes after that as I wasn’t about to attempt a third time. However, here I am having to attempt a round 3. I am really hoping with a gradual build into it and a physio on stand by the third time will be better.

Sunday

Last Sunday we attempted a run. We went down to a running track in the next town and saw what we were working with. It was great (maybe not!). It was cold, it was tipping it down with rain, the ground had many puddles on it and it was an early Sunday morning. I was very tempted to take a photograph of this and send it to our IVF consultant with a note saying, “this is weight loss”. We started slowly and just let our legs take us where we needed to go. I ended up running around 4.4 km. I have not run like that in about 18 months so I thought it was a good attempt. Now we need to see where running may take us.

A glimmer of hope

Now all this being said the chat with the nutritionist and the fat to muscle result has given us a teeny tiny bit of hope. It may be a lost cause but it is something new to try. The end of December was always going to be a point for checking our weight and seeing how close we were to that magical BMI figure. It is still going to be but what I am going to do is this: get on the nutritionist’s machine again, ask her to write a report about the results then take it to our consultant. Once we meet our consultant I will show them our results and ask if we have a chance to get into the IVF service. I fully understand they may turn around and say no but it is worth a shot, isn’t it?

Not eating enough

The nutritionist also mentioned that I am not eating enough calories and not eating enough protein. It is common in a weight loss journey to eat too few calories. This will slow everything down and your body will learn to hold on to calories to make you function. Having come from 2 meals a day to 3 with snacks I thought I was doing ok. According to my food diary I was still 300 -400 calories short. I was also short on my protein intake. With a few protein suggestions (which didn’t scare me as being too much) we put together a new eating plan. I am currently trying it and so far so good. Our next weigh in is at the end of November and I will see where I am there or if there are a few more amendments to make. Time will tell and I will of course update you from there.

Just ask!

If you have any questions with anything I have said in this blog then feel free to drop 2 Spuds a line.

-Helen

IVF Update

I wanted to give you guys a bit of an update as we have had our next consultant appointment for IVF. The short answer is we are currently in a delay with no time frame. All the tests have back as excellent from the first round, but the downside is that sodden BMI. The long and short of it is, until the BMI comes down to the required number there is no proceeding forwards. End of discussion.

We are annoyed!

We were annoyed at that appointment for the following reasons.

One. The consultant we saw didn’t seem to have any bedside manner and it was all black and white. Now at the end of the day the consultant can close the file over, go home for tea and report back the next day to carry on working. Us on the other hand have the news that we must wait.

Two. Their weight scales and ours at home are 1.5 kg out. Now I get that scales are different but seriously, SERIOUSLY, 1.5kg is actually quite a lot at the end of the day. Again, when I tried to tell the consultant this their response was very matter of fact.

Three. From what we have been told by the nurse at the first appointment we attended to what we have been told by the consultant are two very different scenarios. Now is it too much to ask that when dealing with such a sensitive subject that all parties are on the same page?!

After the appointment

After the appointment we were both left very disappointed. There was anger, there were tears, there was no talking to anyone and so on. That general feeling when that one dream that you had was removed from the table. I am aware it is temporarily removed but at the time it did not feel like that. I have over the last couple of weeks come to terms that it is a delay rather than a straight no, but I still feel pretty angry and upset over the situation.

Why do I feel this?

I feel this way for many different reasons. We have decided to go via the NHS as we are aware that privately it can lead you into tens of thousands of pounds of money and it can sometimes mean re-mortgaging the house. I am also aware that people have set up fundraising pages for IVF. I don’t blame them for doing this but for us it again doesn’t seem like the right way forwards. I am also annoyed as I feel we were treated more like a number than a couple trying to get pregnant. I feel that the consultant may be didn’t know how to deal with a same sex couple. It isn’t as if we can go home and “practice” (although at this point it may be quicker!!!). And finally, I feel that we have put a lot of hard work to get to this point. I get the impression that until you reach the desired criteria numbers that anything else is just not acceptable. I mean it would not cost the NHS anything to say, “fantastic work guys, now you need to keep going, have your tired a, b or c…”. I find the personal approach goes a long way in these things, but I guess that is just me. So, there you go, there are my reasonings.

When I was 20

When I was 20 years old, I had some tests done at the GP. I then had a phone call calling me into the surgery to discuss. The receptionist couldn’t tell me over the phone why but in I went to find out what was happening. I was told that I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome). The likelihood of me becoming a mother was going to be tough to non-existent.

For more information on PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) click here to take you through to the NHS website.

Now that was around 15 years ago. Today there are many, many things that can be done to help people with ovary issues. However, that feeling of having a dream of becoming a mother all your life and then it being taken away from you (or delayed when you are working hard) is not a nice one to have. I personally feel that medical staff need to be aware of these matters when dealing with such sensitive situations or information. If you get a doctor with a poor bed side manner, then I feel you are on the pathway to nowhere. As I have said at the end of the day, they get to close the hospital file and go home. You get to go home with a racing head, upset and angry.

The IVF Criteria

Now I am not just saying this as I have not got my way, but I personally feel the IVF criteria is out of date. I managed to rant to Rosie in about an hour with 22 new points I would like to add or change about the current system. I am open to anyone who is in charge of the IVF system in Scotland to meet me for coffee so I can explain. I understand in Scotland we are very lucky that as part of the NHS we get a free go at the procedure but still I feel we need to think about these criteria.

Please note, in England we were turned down from moving forward with IVF as we were not in a borough which supported it. The fact we were a same sex couple was not a sufficient point for them. We were told we either had to move to a different borough or pay for it.

In the meantime

In the meantime, we are researching any other ways to go forwards and any options we may have missed. Going to any information evenings that we can to make sure we are up to speed with any latest developments. We are also making sure our weight keeps coming down and we remain active.

The conclusion

So, we are currently in a delay until our weight comes down and the BMI is the correct one for the IVF criteria. Only at this point can we begin more rounds of tests and eventually get into the service. We have estimated it could be at least another year before the actual IVF begins and possibly another 2-3 years before we can bring a child home and call it our own.

My advice to anyone else going through something similar. Speak to your friends, family, loved ones. Don’t keep it bottled up. Be active and look after yourself. As my Dad often says “what is for you will not pass you by”.

-Helen

Weight loss

Let me sum up a weight loss journey for you in two words:

It’s hard!!!

There you go. It is as simple as that. A weight loss journey is hard. Your meals, your exercise, your life, your body, your family and so on all change. Now, I wish I could sit here and say that there was a magic way of doing it but seeing as I not a multi-millionaire there isn’t. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and changes to do a weight loss journey.

How badly do you want it?

This is a very true statement. I have been asking myself since day one of the journey and I will quite often ask my clients who are on a weight loss journey:

How badly do you want it?

How badly do you want to achieve your goal? Are you prepared for it to be a long hard slog? Are you willing to make changes? If the answers to these questions are yes, yes and yes then you are ready to get started. If you waiver or say no to any of them then you need to think really hard about those answers.

Sustainable vs quick fix

As we said at the start of the journey we made more of a lifestyle change that a little, non-sustainable change. We changed the following: diet, meal times, meal prep, food groups, portion sizes and exercise programme. With IVF you could be in the service within a few months or within a couple of years depending on your provider. We wanted to do a lifestyle change so we changed everything, therefore, making it sustainable. Of course we could have done a crash diet and restricted our diet and done tonnes of exercise. But this is not sustainable. It can be done for a holiday in a month or so and it can be done as a quick fix. However, as soon as you go back to your “normal” diet, portion size and exercise the weight may pile back on within a few weeks. A lifestyle change means you will still be on the same diet, doing roughly the same exercise (depending on intensity) several years down the line.

What have we changed – diet

Where we used to have sugary cereal it is now Weetabix, porridge, yogurt with fruit and sprinkle of nuts. Lunch which was normally a sandwich, crisps and a yogurt is now a fried egg wrap with fruit or something else egg related or a salad with ham or tuna. Dinner where our portions were too big is now a much smaller affair and we will now rarely have treats afterwards. For dinner we have wholemeal pasta, chicken and rice, a massive salad, baked potato with beans, tacos, naked hamburgers and so on. If we need a sweet treat it is either an apple, banana, strawberries or yogurt (depending if we have had it in the day or not). I used to drink masses of milk as well but now it is a much smaller glass. We have treat days on Saturday nights where we have a small chocolate bar or share a dessert from the supermarket. Saying that we now make almost everything we eat from scratch. We are now masters of the kitchen. We make spaghetti bolognaise, tomato soup from the tomatoes in the greenhouse, stir fry where we make our own sauce, Sunday roasts which lasts us Sunday and Monday. We are forever on food websites, watching the food channel on TV and reading magazines about food to get ideas. We try most things. Some work out and are tasty whereas some do not and we don’t make them again. As Rosie says I have come a long way from supermarket bought salad and supermarket bought ready made chicken. I will often kick Rosie out of the kitchen as I create my newest delight.

What we have changed – portion sizes and alcohol

We have also made a massive change to our portions and we eat much smaller ones these days. With alcohol I was never a big drinker but over the last few weeks I have barely touched it. I think I have had 1 beer in that time. I tend to drink more water now and if I feel I need a change from water then I will splash out and have some fizzy water instead. Again on Saturday treat nights I may have a fizzy zero drink but before where Rosie and I would go through litres in the week it is now a 330ml can every few weeks.

What have we changed – meal timings

The biggest change for me has been when I eat my meals. Before the weight loss journey, I would eat 2-3 meals a day whereas now I eat 4. This means that my metabolism is continuing to work. On the old way of eating it was not effectively which means as much as I was exercising my weight was not really moving anywhere. You need to have a working metabolism to do a weight loss journey.

What have we changed – exercise

If anyone read my previous blogs on exercise then you will know I already get a lot exercise with the work that I do. However, that did not stop me carrying it on. I aim to get 1000 minutes of exercise a week but do not get too fussed if I don’t meet it. If it is 800 minutes I make a note to try harder the following week and if it is 900 I say well done to me and see what I want to try the following week.

The biggest change – exercise

The biggest change I think for me has been hiring a personal trainer who is working with me at the local gym on high intensity training. I find if someone pushes you on high intensity training you get a lot more out of it. On top of the personal trainer I will always try to find a Zumba class (or 2, or 3, or 4) in the week as well as other high intensity classes. It is said that if you have a good level of fitness that high intensity can push you on to the next level. We also try to walk as much as we can.

Please speak to a gym instructor or even you GP before getting involved with high intensity training.

Rosie’s workouts

Rosie is a bit limited at the minute with exercise due to her hand but still she manages (under supervision) to go to the gym and cycle, walk on the treadmill and do some leg weights. It helps her mental health considerably which at the end of the day makes her happy.

Conclusion

As you can see Rosie and I have changed a lot. However, at the end of the day we want our goal. We want to progress with the next round of tests with IVF and eventually have a child to call our own. We will continue and it will be hard but we are off to a great start and we will see what the next few months to years bring.

-Helen

Previous blogs on exercise and BMI

Zumba
BMI and my challenge
Exercise
An even bigger challenge
First challenge is complete

First challenge is complete

Well the 1000 minute a week exercise challenge is now complete for July. For proof please see the above photo. It was an interesting challenge to say the least. It was hard but rewarding at the same time. Hard because it involved a lot of time from my schedule. Sunday mornings were where I would usually lie in, watch films, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and generally relax. But the last few Sundays I have been in the gym doing high intensity classes, gym training and walking home afterwards. It was rewarding though as I feel I am stronger; my cardio has improved greatly, and I have learnt some new exercises. I can certainly confirm that my muscles are now crying for attention and luckily, we have a sports massage booked for this coming Monday.

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An even bigger challenge

I am going to go back to this BMI thing one more time. I am sure you are all getting bored of me going on about it, but I have been for good reason. The BMI is part of the criteria for fertility and IVF treatment. Last week we went for our first appointment. Surprise, surprise we met all the other criteria except for the BMI one. And it is as plain and simple as this. If you do not meet the crazy BMI number, the NHS can’t help you. End of story. I find it a bit harsh that it all comes down to just this number and that your activity levels and exercise regime is not taken into consideration but there you have it. It frustrates me no end but that is the bottom line and to get into the service we need to meet the criteria.

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