Fertility Part 3

I would like to rewind and press play again on some other aspects of this fertility journey. I want to share with you what I ended up eating, because my appetite changed dramatically. I read some good advice, after my egg retrieval, that it is a good idea to stock up on items you will need BEFORE the procedure. Also get the laundry done and have lots of clean comfy clothes and clean sheets for your bed rest. I did some of this, but now we're out of clean clothes and I'm still not supposed to be lifting anything over 10 pounds for another week or so while my ovaries calm down.

We were told to "eat healthy" and "no exercise" which is why on Wednesday and Thursday (March 6-7) I enjoyed my last CSUN CTBF workout followed by an egg McMuffin and regular cheeseburger for dinner. I have been using MyFitnessPal diet tracking app, which recommends 50% of your diet in the form of carbohydrates, 30% fat and 20% protein. I had been struggling to get enough protein and I was almost always getting too much fat. So let's remember that my DAY 1 = Thursday, March 7th.

Dear husband and I both agreed that this process became primary focus in our daily lives. Thank goodness I have been on Spring Break since DAY 10. I'm at work today, trying to ease back into it. I haven't had any coffee yet and I will try to stay off of it since we don't know when we'll go for implantation. There were so many things to remember to do each day, not listed in my meal plan below are the vitamins. My LabCorp results indicated that I was Vitamin D insufficient so I started taking 2000 IU at two separate meals, in addition to the 400 IU included in my prenatal vitamin. I also take DHA/EPA softgels.

Vitamin D-3

During the first week of March, I decreased my carbs and fat to 46% and 32% respectively, and increased my protein to 22%. During the second week of March, I decreased my carbs and fat to 35% and 39% respectively, and increased my protein to 26%. The third week of March, my carbs and fat were 37% and 38% respectively, and increased my protein to 25%. I am targeting these numbers based on a study finding that when women's daily protein intake was 25% or more (of all food eaten) and whose carbohydrate intake was 40% or less, they achieved four times the pregnancy rates of patients who ate less protein and more carbs daily before and during IVF cycle.

It started off innocently, and unintentionally. I didn't even read about that study until March 17th. It started off with a craving for Think Thin bars (20g protein, 0g sugar). At first I made fun of them but after getting used to it, I really started to enjoy those for breakfast (March 5, 6 and 7). On March 6th I went by myself to Rite Aid and bought Vitamin D 1000 IU pills, four cans of B4Y coconut water, and six GNC Total Lean shakes (25g protein, 2g sugar). I settled on that brand of shake because it had some whey protein, and it said on the label gluten free, lactose free and low-carb friendly. Turns out it was made with lactase enzyme in it so although it did contain milk, it was digestible for me. So then I felt ready.

Other protein sources that I utilized included Pure Protein bar (20g protein, 2g sugar) and Rx bar (12g protein, 0g sugar). I had already had Garden of Life (28g protein). My sister let me know that Whey protein has leucine and Garden of Life does not.

leucine

We went to Von's grocery store on March 12th, Whole Foods grocery store on March 13th, the Matador Mercado on March 14th. We went to the Encino Farmer's Market on March 17th to pick up avocados, apples, salad, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts. We finally got around to Trader Joe's on March 17th to pick up the Whey protein, some coconut water, salt-free raw nuts, frozen fish, almond milk and vegetable juice to help me during my recovery days.

We had some Pedialyte in the fridge leftover from some time when we were sick, so I started drinking that around day 8. The Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) prevention instructions from the doctor recommended low sugar and to include coconut water and vegetable juice specifically. I tried drinking Gatorade one day and it just had too much sugar. The Trader Joe's low sodium Garden Patch juice is actually really good.

Importantly, I was instructed to take in 3 Liters of water per day. I found it handy to have two 500 mL bottles and I knew that if I drank them three times then I was getting my fluids. It is annoying to have to get up and pee every 45 minutes, but I would rather be flushing everything out of my system than sitting in a puddle of toxins. The instructions also noted that I should be weighing myself every day and call the doctor right away if my weight fluctuates 5-10 pounds (gained) over 1-2 days.

DAY 1
breakfast Think Thin Bar, Coffee with Creamer (2 cups)
lunch Flatbread, Turkey, Colby Jack Cheese
dinner Egg McMuffin, classic cheeseburger

DAY 2
breakfast raw almonds, oatmeal, raisins, Coffee with Creamer (2 cups)
lunch reduced fat Triscuit, Turkey, string cheese
dinner grilled chicken salad (IHOP) + 2 scrambled eggs

DAY 3
breakfast yogurt, banana, English muffin, peanut butter, 2 egg whites, Coffee with Creamer (2 cups)
lunch grilled chicken, vegetables, 2 oatmeal cookies, cantaloupe, honeydew, strawberry, grapes
dinner spaghetti with meatballs and fresh steamed broccoli with mizithra cheese

DAY 4
breakfast yogurt, cantaloupe, honeydew, biscuits, gravy, Coffee with Creamer (2 cups)
lunch oat bread, peanut butter, strawberry jam, 2 oatmeal cookies
dinner lentils and sausage

DAY 5
breakfast burrito with potatoes, egg and cheese
lunch Coffee with Creamer (2 cups)
dinner roasted cauliflower, roasted sweet potato cubes, boiled chicken breast

DAY 6
breakfast Pure Protein Bar, Coffee with Creamer (1 cup), Triscuit, Lemon Zest Luna Bar
lunch pupusa with pork and black beans and cheese, cole slaw with salsa
dinner chicken tortilla soup (chicken breast, black beans, corn) with avocado

DAY 7
breakfast Pure Protein Bar, Coffee with Creamer (1 cup)
lunch egg salad, green salad with peas, beef meatloaf
dinner chicken tortilla soup, avocado, roasted carrots, braised red cabbage

DAY 8
breakfast Rx bar, Coffee with Creamer (1 cup)
lunch firm tofu, steamed broccoli, chicken breast, candied pecans, arugula salad, quinoa, cucumber, tangerines, raw almonds
dinner coconut water, Pedialyte, Total Lean shake, braised red cabbage, white fish, 1 egg

DAY 9
breakfast Think Thin Bar, Total Lean shake, Coffee with Creamer (1 cup)
lunch apple with peanut butter, 2 hard boiled eggs
dinner Total Lean shake, kale salad, avocado, coconut water

DAY 10
breakfast Total Lean shake, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 stuffed grape leaf, quinoa, barley, mixed vegetables steamed, Pedialyte, beef meatloaf. This is the first day I tried drinking herbal tea instead of coffee.
lunch southwest chicken salad (half), soy milk, Garden of Life protein powder
dinner southwest chicken salad (half), edamame, cherry tomatoes

TRIGGER DAY
breakfast 2 hard boiled eggs, walnuts, Total Lean shake
lunch chicken southwest salad, coconut water, blueberries
dinner beef and black beans with turkey sausage

DAY 12
breakfast Total Lean shake, 2 hard boiled eggs
lunch lamb gyro meat, green salad, grilled zucchini, white fish, babaganoush, 4 stuffed grape leaves
dinner Pedialyte, Whey protein, almond milk

RETRIEVAL DAY
breakfast Whey protein, almond milk, 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 small avocado
lunch beef and black beans with turkey sausage
dinner chicken, cole slaw, mixed greens, garden patch juice, apple, coconut water

DAY 14
breakfast coconut water, Whey protein, almond milk, 2 hard boiled eggs, apple, walnuts
lunch chicken, cole slaw, mixed greens, Gatorade, garden patch juice
dinner Whey protein, almond milk, 2 hard boiled eggs, blueberries, 1 small avocado

DAY 15
breakfast Whey protein, almond milk, 2 hard boiled eggs, apple, walnuts
lunch beef and black beans with turkey sausage, garden patch juice, coconut water
dinner Whey protein, almond milk, egg salad, roasted Brussels sprouts

DAY 16
breakfast Whey protein, almond milk, blueberries, oatmeal, yogurt
lunch egg salad, mixed greens, chickpeas, almonds, coconut water
dinner salmon and steamed broccoli

One of the side-effects of the hormones reported was constipation, but I didn't experience that. I tend to include a good amount of fiber in my diet, so maybe that's why it wasn't an issue for me. Some people said "don't eat cold food" or "don't eat raw vegetables" but I think the most important piece of advice is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY and when I did, I ended up eating exactly the right stuff.

That's all I can share with you because Day 16 is actually today! I mentioned in a previous post that I was feeling so good when I was on Follistim and Menopur. It was like walking on a cloud. Also my appetite was like, normal. I wanted to eat only healthy food. It was easy to eat a bit and then stop eating. Now, I'm back to myself. Hungry as a hippo. Short-tempered. Anxious. I wonder how I will be feeling on the pregnancy hormones...