[Shmead]

This came up in another thread but I wanted to repost it here and see what you all think:

I am getting myself artificially inseminated this morning. I'm also in the middle of a pretty good losing streak. Part of me wants to stay strict, because in all honesty, whether or not this works probably has nothing to do with whether I eat 1600 or 2300 calories a day these next 2 weeks, or if I exercise or not. But not eating/exercising almost feels silly (This is $1500/time, plus the emotional stuff--don't I want to maximize my chances?!). So overall--for the next two weeks until I know about the pregnancy--I have no idea what to do.

I know what to do when I AM pregnant: I have a whole plan in place (knock on wood) that I think will keep me maintaining/slightly gaining for the first trimester. If I knew for sure I'd get pregnant, I'd just go to that now, in the two week wait before I find out for sure. But, there may be 3-4 more months like this: I don't want to be maintaining/gaining a little for 3-4 months before I even get pregnant, especially when I am so close to goal. Those little gains add up.

My two obsessions are diet/exercise and trying to conceive. I'm not really rational about either, and I really don't know what to do. I know I have no sense of perspective on this. Any suggestions?

[sacha]

I think the key here is moderation - not too low, not too high. At 165bs, 1600-2300 is very reasonable and allows you enough wiggle room to get in all your essential nutrients. Exercise is fantastic, nothing too outrageous there either (ie no marathons perhaps, but getting in a good 5k is great).

Good luck and hope to see you here with a wee beanie!

[beerab]

Maybe speak to the people who are doing the procedure? Ask them if it's okay for you to continue your workout and eating the way you are?

[Gale02]

I agree with beerab, ask your doctor what they recommend. There's certainly no reason for you to start eating to gain weight until you know for sure you're pregnant. Even then, pregnancy only requires an extra 200-300 calories per day, but no extra at all in the first trimester. I'm sure you're taking your vitamins which is what's really important in the first tri.

Definitely talk to your doctor, they know all of the specifics of your situation and whether exercise would have an impact on your ability to conceive via IVF.

All that said, I'll be thinking about you and praying for you today! I hope to hear good news soon!

[Shmead]

My doctor doesn't seem to think moderate dieting could hurt anything, but he wants me to exercise in shorter sessions. But I think that is, at best, an educated guess on his part, so I am still anxious!