Knock knock - any room in here for me?

[Marisa6826]

Hi girls!

As some of you may have read, we're back on the fertility doctor wagon. I'm supposed to start metformin (Glucophage XR) this week. I was told I will have to stay on it till I get preggo (hopefully by end of January).

I was on it last time around and got really sick off it - couldn't even leave the house for fear of not being near enough to a bathroom.

I told the nurse this at the new RE's office. They told me that I have to be on a low-carb diet, or else I WOULD get sick. Apparently, nobody told me that last time.

She mentioned the Zone, Atkins, etc. The nurse (who was less than my favourite person for several reasons) went into this whole diatribe about how carbs are "toxins". I told her that I didn't believe that to be true, but refused to argue with her. I called my cardiologist to clear everything, and she also recommended the South Beach. The cardiologist said I just have to be careful about the fats and not go crazy.

Here's the deal. I am a confessed HARD CORE carb addict. I also don't eat fish.

Any suggestions? I'm supposed to start the metformin by Thursday.

Thanks!!

-m

edited to say that I've been going through other old posts here and I'm inclined to go with the SB. My only concern is the artificial sweeteners. I know that they're no go during pregnancy...

[houseof3boys]

Not too much advice on my end Marisa but I just wanted to say I wish you luck on the preggo front! When we did IVF, they stressed making sure I was eating low carb and high protein though so I wanted to second what you were told.

I have found that it takes about 1.5 weeks for my body to get used to the change in carbs (I am a carb addict too :)) and I just make sure that I drink a ton of water with lemon ( I drink it hot now since it is cold outside) and chew lots of gum when I have food cravings. A silly little thing but hey it helps!

Good luck with everything.

[egoldber]

Marisa, I have been doing the South Beach for 4 weeks now and I've lost 9 pounds. So for me, its definitely working! I didn't "think" I was a huge carb eater, but when I look at my diet now vs before I see now that I was a TOTAL carb junkie. I would honestly go days without eating a vegetable (I loved fruit though).

For me, I prefer thinking about the SBD as a lifestyle change, not a diet. After the first two weeks, you do add back in carbs, but they are not likely to be the same carbs you are eating now. They will be whole grain, unrefined carbs and far fewer of them. The hardest part for me has been the complete difference in what you eat. But I think that the diet is VERY doable. Its big pluses for me and DH are that it does not restrict portions so you never feel hungry. That is a HUGE psychological thing for me.

But I will say that I started this with a pantry full of food that I can no longer eat. To make it work, what I would do is get the book,(its $14 at Costco) read it, plan a shopping list around the meals and menus, and then go stock up at the grocery store. I probably went to the grocery store 5 times the first week because I could not believe how many veggies I would be eating! I used to wonder who bought those huge things of romaine lettuce and peppers and other vegetables at Costco. Now I know, its me! I now get most of my vegetables, eggs, seafood and chicken at Costco, supplementing with a few other basic items at the regular grocery store.

FYI, you don't need to use artificial sweeteners if you don't want to. But the sweetener he recommends is Splenda, which is actually derived from sugar and is not aspartame based. I believe that the artificial sweetener that people are concerned about in pregnancy is aspartame (the one in Equal and in most diet soft drinks).

You also don't have to eat fish. If you eat tuna that will help. But you can do it with other proteins too, but the seafood really helps to vary the proteins. Do you like shrimp and scallops? Those are great too!

And when the nurse was talking about carbs as poisons, that is probably true of refined, non-whole grain carbs. The more I read about refined carbs the more I see how terrible they are for you. But the SBD emphasizes that whole grain carbs ARE good carbs and shows you how to replace the bad carbs with good carbs.

I sound like a zealot, but honestly, I am now horrified at the way I used to eat. And I HONESTLY didn't think I was eating that badly. But I was eating nowhere near enough vegetables and relying too heavily on fruits. It is a definite lifestyle change, but its one I'm glad I'm making.

Good luck and we're here for you!

[MelissaTC]

Good luck with the Met. I am doing much better on it this time around than last. I have cut out some carbs from my diet, stopped being a Pepsi addict and changed to whole wheat pasta & brown rice. The bathroom episodes are much more controlled and a lot better. I do better on the XR than the regular. I have also lost 5 lbs and I swear, this is all I have done besides adding water and not snacking as much as I used to.

E-mail me privately. We are both going through the same thing and it would be nice to chat with someone who has similar experiences :)

[Annette_C]

Welcome, Marisa!
I, too, am doing the SBD and, being an Italian, you can imagine how tough I thought this was going to be! Well, it really isn't!
Like Beth said, I love the fact that you can eat until full on this diet. To me, when you have a nice, full stomach, you won't be tempted to cheat as much.
Also, I like the fact that SBD allows you to have an off day (wedding, special occasion, holiday) as long as you make it up during the rest of the week.
You can do it, hon! We'll compare notes!:)
BTW...there's a totally natural sweetner that you can use. It's called Stevia and you can find it at health food stores. It's made from an herb (thus, no artificial ingredients) and has no calories. Ask your doctor about it but I'm pretty sure it would be safe for you.
Annette
SAHM to Sabrina 6/24/02

[stillplayswithbarbies]

I have been eating low carb for two years now, and I do not use any type of artificial sweetener. I do a combination of Atkins and the Curves diet, with some Sugar Busters thrown in there too. (The Sugar Busters book does a good job of explaining what goes on in your body when you eat refined carbs and really helped me to make better food choices)

From the low carb boards, I know that some people with PCOS are able to conceive after they start eating low carb, even without the glucophage. I am certain that is what helped me after 4 years of trying to conceive. Eight months after starting low carb, I conceived.

If you stick to the diet, you will find that the cravings for carbs go away. I never thought I could do it, I used to live on pasta and bread and sweets. But it really does work.

I don't use artificial sweeteners, so that means I don't eat the fake desserts and other sweets. For me, I don't want those chemicals in my body, especially when pregnant, plus they give me a headache. Splenda is made from sugar, but it is changed so that your body doesn't absorb it. But even that makes me nervous, so I don't use it either. Stevia is all natural, but (last I heard) it has not been tested and approved by the FDA, so I haven't tried it. "Natural" doesn't necessarily mean safe. After all, hemlock is "all natural". :)

...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03

[JustMare]

Beth,

Thanks for all the details of the diet!!! I just asked Santa for the book for xmas.

I'm a carb addict and have been eating everything in site lately with that familiar phrase "This is the last time I'll eat....... so let me enjoy it now". I have 8 weeks left to this pregnancy and I'm already looking forward to a new way of eating. I've heard great things about the SBD and was very happy to discover that you all are following it here.

I'm curious to know, how often do you all exercise?