Posts by cbenevy

Original Post by darkmiko2003:

Hello! I've been hoping for another child since my son turned 2 but I have been unsuccessful. My son is now 4 and I don't want a huge age gap between children. My mother thinks my stress levels and weight have something to do with my inability to conceive. I'm hoping that she's right and it's not something more serious and by managing my weight and stress I'll be able to have another baby.

Hon, do yourself a favor and go see a good doctor, your GYN can run tests or give you a referral to a fertility doctor, for a thorough checkout.  There might be factors other than weight and stress at work.  And if everything comes back good and healthy, maybe that will help alleviate some of the stress :)  Hope this helps, I wish I had known about my endometriosis and how to correct it before we spent a year trying unsuccessfully.  Sending happy healthy baby vibes your way :)

Original Post by buttercup_dml:

I have a julienne peeler that I use to make 'spaghetti' out of zucchini, summer squash, carrots and egg plant.  We call them rainbow noodles at our house.  They toss nicely with actual noodles too.

I absolutely LOVE this idea and cannot wait to try it!  These are my four favorite veggies from the farmers market and I see this becoming a staple in my household!  Thanks to everyone for the great ideas!

Hello all, and happy healthy 2012!

I am 39, lost 90 pounds in 2.5 years eating better, counting calories and exercising, then been maintaining since May 2011.  Still about 25 pounds from goal but life has been too intense to concentrate on losing any more for now.  I wanted to and did lose enough weight to be healthy enough to start TTC. 

SO, in the past 14 months, I had tests and more tests, laproscopy to correct endometriosis and uteran adhesions, seven unsuccessful IUI inseminations including four with Clomid (wifey and I are using high quality FRIGGIN EXPENSIVE donor sperm from a cryobank), and found out a few weeks ago that my Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) keeps rising which indicates low ovarian reserve (read: I am running out of time).   Doctor is recommending IVF, NOW, but we are moving from Washington DC back to New Jersey soon so I have to miss a couple of cycles until we get settled and I find new doctors. Sigh, hurry up and wait is the theme of this whole process.  That and "Oh Ma'am, your $764,589.00 co-pay is due again."  :)  I agree with the poster who mentioned the years spent trying NOT to get pregnant only to face challenges now that we are ready.

Good luck to everyone, I know our babies are out there, moving toward us, and when the time is right they will find us and we will be ready to receive them.

We have a microwave rice cooker from Pampered Chef which was the best $20 I ever spent.  I like to do rice with low sodium chicken broth, putting raw diced carrots, raw chopped onions, golden raisins, 1 teaspoon five spice, and 1 tablespoon medium hot curry powder into the cooker all at once.  The carrots cook perfectly.  I then add chopped cilantro and scallions afterwards.  I have also used coconut milk and dashes of hot sauce and lime juice in a similar recipe to make a nice thai-style sticky rice. 

My mom's family is German and we have a family recipe for rice pudding that would work in a rice cooker.  1/4 c uncooked white rice, 1/4 c sugar, 1/2 c raisins, 1 can evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed, this makes it GROSS and fails to cook the rice through) and 1 can water (just fill the milk can).  I have also done a variation with dried blueberries and chopped pecans.  I bet you could make this recipe with oatmeal, quinoa or other grains too.  Mmm sweet grain pudding!

Hello all,

I just found this group today and started looking through everyone's posts. The first several dozen I didn't see anyone who, like me, is battling with infertility issues and all those invasive treatments.  My apologies for my short attention span if there were later posters I missed :)

Just looking to connect with other women who are enduring the physical and emotional roller coaster at the same time they are trying to maintain/ attain a healthy weight.  I am down 90 pounds in 3 years with another 25 to goal, but the fertility treatments and all that goes with it have pushed me back to maintenance mode for the last seven months.

Good luck to everyone, healthy and happy new year to you all!

The BIG one was when I made it to "onederland" and broke the 200 lb barrier for the first time since 1991.  Another was when I tried on a size 12 skirt two years after being a size 26 and it was LOOSE!  (it was a larger cut 12 but I don't care one bit).  Another was when I realized I had been able to maintain my 90 lb loss for six months through some of the most difficult personal and health challenges of my life.  I am so thankful for my forgiving body for staying with me through a very tough year!  Last one, two weeks ago a friend was talking about how she feels like she doesn't look good in clothes, I encouraged her to find things with a flattering cut and she said "well, you are just gorgeous anyway, so everything looks good on you!"  My inner fat girl nearly cried!

Great tpoic!  The holidays are hard for everyone, so we ALL share the struggle with so much rich and tempting food around coupled with extra busy schedules that make it hard to find time to exercise.  Like other posters said, fall back on what works for you and you will be fine.  Even if you do overindulge and gain a little, you know how to take it right back off again. 

We just need to remember why we decided to try to get healthy in the first place and keep putting ourselves FIRST.  For me, sometimes that means saying a polite "no thank you", sometimes it means adding extra workouts to balance my intake, and sometimes it means taking a break, relaxing and enjoying myself with food or cocktails or whatever. 

NOTHING is a catastrophe - whatever the scale says next week, I will know that I am STILL 100% improved over where I was before I started this journey.  My healthy mindset cannot be ruined by big turkey dinners and chocolate chip cookies, and my healthy future is entirely up to me.

Mine would say "Seize the Future!" on the front. and "Pinky Pinky Powerhouse!" on the back! 

Background... Pinky Pinky Powerhouse is part of my self-motivation rap - "I am the POWerhouse the PINKY PINKY POWerhouse, I am the POWerhouse the PINKY PINKY POWerhouse..." LOL :D

Reward yourself with foodie gifts that will help you LOVE eating healthy!  Other posters mentioned healthy recipe cookbooks (excellent!), but how about a new attachment for your kitchenaid mixer, or a set of great knives to slice and dice all those veggies, or bowls with measuring lines on the inside to help you gauge portions, or a basket of food prep gadgets like cherry pitter, mango slicer, garlic peeler etc.  Or save for expensive exotic spices like saffron or fancy ingredients like truffles or imported olive oil or high-end flavored balsamic!  Or, plan a road trip to the nearest regional mind-blowing farmers market to get amazing fresh ingredients!  Then use those ingredients for a healthy, gourmet feast party at your place where you can show off your skills to friends who think eating healthy means eating nothing but celery and dry baked chicken. :D

I have been on this journey for a long time.  I have gradually learned that being healthy and loving food are not only NOT mutually exclusive, but are BOTH totally essential for me to reach my goals.  I am down 90 pounds so far, another 25 to go :)  Best wishes on your journey!

PS - for lunch today I am having leftover cherry-balsamic grilled chicken with garlic roasted zucchini, broccoli, and red onions over spicy herbed rice made with garlic, basil and cubanelle peppers.  No rabbit food here...