How much does it cost to get a baby? Err, those things like the cost of drinks in a bar and taxi fare home after a one night stand doesn't really count here.
What I am thinking of is, how much does it cost? Those pre-conception stuff. Vitamin pills, lubricants (yes, there are special lubricants for the purpose), ovulation test kits, pregnancy test kits, basal temperature monitors.. etc etc. Oh yes, how about books? Books about fertility, books about how to do it, books about how to determine your baby's sex etc etc. There is a whole industry there going after our money! There are so many economic studies about how much it cost to raise a child. Anyone costed how much it cost to "create" on in the first place?
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Xenical Day 7
When I see cakes and yummy pasta dripping in olive oil, my imagination goes wild.
I see oily stool, leaking oil which stains my panty liners ( eeewww totally disgusting) in my mind. I hear myself farting and my stomach rumbling from the gases. My stomach feels bloated, and I feel like vomiting from that bloating stomach.
This is the psychological damage from Xenical? Yay!!!!
I see oily stool, leaking oil which stains my panty liners ( eeewww totally disgusting) in my mind. I hear myself farting and my stomach rumbling from the gases. My stomach feels bloated, and I feel like vomiting from that bloating stomach.
This is the psychological damage from Xenical? Yay!!!!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Xenical and I, Day 6
I have lived with Xenical for 6 days now. Apart from my naughtiness and it very well deserved pay back time of oily stool, I have been good. I have been watching what I eat!
So, no more leaky oily stools. There is no visible oil in my stool (good!). However, I still get very soft stools and visit the toilet a few times a day, instead of my once daily trip to do the "big one". Yes, I am farting. Yes, I am bloated. I am even nauseous for a few days! But heck, I am eating very healthily now.
I guess the best reward from taking Xenical is my husband had been very cooperative - he is totally disgusted with the idea of leaking oily stool. I also made it known leaky stool means no baby making is possible - it will be just too disgusting.
He had been willing to live with healthy food this weekend!
So, no more leaky oily stools. There is no visible oil in my stool (good!). However, I still get very soft stools and visit the toilet a few times a day, instead of my once daily trip to do the "big one". Yes, I am farting. Yes, I am bloated. I am even nauseous for a few days! But heck, I am eating very healthily now.
I guess the best reward from taking Xenical is my husband had been very cooperative - he is totally disgusted with the idea of leaking oily stool. I also made it known leaky stool means no baby making is possible - it will be just too disgusting.
He had been willing to live with healthy food this weekend!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Unexpected excitement
I have been nauseous for two days. Maybe it is the Xenical which I had just started to help with my weight loss. Perhaps it is just a stomach bug. I spent the weekend in bed, tired and have no appetite for food.
Despite the tiredness, I still spotted the continuous and not so subtle hint from the other half. His "baby radar" was turned on! He had been asking me "jokingly" whether I was pregnant. I told him "in your dreams, I just tested yesterday", but he was still not convinced.
I was reminded that have I have stocked up some really cheap pregnancy test kits; all I have to do is just to test (again!). Fine, to have some peace, I tested, again. Negative.
He totally surprised me when he told me that the best time to test is in the morning. And apparently, although the strips are cheap, they are just as good if used correctly since it these are high sensitivity tests!! Wow! I wonder where and when he learned this. He is a biology idiot.
I can smell baby desperation in my hubby, and I am not sure whether I like it.
Despite the tiredness, I still spotted the continuous and not so subtle hint from the other half. His "baby radar" was turned on! He had been asking me "jokingly" whether I was pregnant. I told him "in your dreams, I just tested yesterday", but he was still not convinced.
I was reminded that have I have stocked up some really cheap pregnancy test kits; all I have to do is just to test (again!). Fine, to have some peace, I tested, again. Negative.
He totally surprised me when he told me that the best time to test is in the morning. And apparently, although the strips are cheap, they are just as good if used correctly since it these are high sensitivity tests!! Wow! I wonder where and when he learned this. He is a biology idiot.
I can smell baby desperation in my hubby, and I am not sure whether I like it.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
High stress reduce your chance of pregnant, the scientists say
Yes, the scientists are now saying what many of us have know: High stress levels is not going to help you get pregnant.
"Women with the highest levels of alpha-amylase (an indicator of adrenalin levels) had about a 12% reduced chance of getting pregnant during their fertile days that month compared with those with the lowest levels of the marker"
So, tell those busybodies to go away and leave you alone, and stop asking you when you are going to have a baby. My period had became more normal, until I was totally stressed out. Now, I am missing it for a few months.
"Women with the highest levels of alpha-amylase (an indicator of adrenalin levels) had about a 12% reduced chance of getting pregnant during their fertile days that month compared with those with the lowest levels of the marker"
So, tell those busybodies to go away and leave you alone, and stop asking you when you are going to have a baby. My period had became more normal, until I was totally stressed out. Now, I am missing it for a few months.
Xenical Day 2: the psychological trauma
I have also quite reluctantly started Xenical (orlistat). I am using the full prescription dose of 120 mg capsuloes instead of those you can get over the counter. It works out to be much cheaper per mg of the drug!
I don't think this drug will help me to reach my target weight at all. But the very unpleasant side effects ( I get totally nasty, embarrassing side effects of oily leaking out and diarrhoea if I eat oily things) will hopefully stop me from eating anything with high fat content. That is the purpose of the drug for me, and I have been told to take it everyday, instead of only after fatty meals to get this preventative benefit.
So, yesterday I took a capsule about 1 hour after lunch ( taken it the afternoon, I save some money since covers both my lunch and dinner! Genius) I knew I was going to take the capsule after lunch, and had painstakingly chosen low fat options for lunch. I gave the cakes a miss. For dinner, I was dragged into a very good pizzeria by friends, and there was lashings of olive oil in my pizza!
I paid for it later that night. I was so bloated (another side effect), and I had oil in my stool ( that is another word for shit). This morning, I keep going to the toilet (another side effect if you take oily food). I am so bloated, I can hardly take any lunch!
Horrible? Yes. Totally horrible. Am I taking it again today? Yes!!! Anything with fat looks totally unappetizing now. Cakes turn me off. Those (fatless) konyaku noodles look delicious.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
This will make me thin - shirataki, or konyaku noodles
I love carbohydrates - I admit. Nothing beats the nice feeling of having a bowl of hot noodles, some pasta, or even a some white and fluffy steamed rice to go with curries.
Top of the list is is Shirataki or Konyaku noodles. I was in Asia and found that Konyaku noodles is a "dieting secret weapon" for the girls who seemed to be 1/3 of my size there. Shirataki noodles are made from the root of the Konjac plant and they are a kind of jelly. The calories are remarkably low!
This is the typical nutritional values:
Typical Nutritional InformationPer 100g serving.
Energy: 6kcal
Protein: 0.2g
Fat: 0.4g
Carbohydrate: 2.0g
Sodium: 1mg
(Nutritional may vary slightly depending on the brand of Shirataki in stock)
Yes, that is right, it is 6kcal per 100g, and 1 pack is typically about 180g, ie less than 12kcal! Wow, that is probably what you get just eating a mouthful of pasta. I tried getting some and cooked, and realised that 1 pack fills me up. If I am not too hungry, I only need about 1/2 pack. Since the main "material" of the noodle-ish dish only contributed about 12kcal, there is lots of room for vege and proteins like chicken fillet, prawns, or fish!
The noodles are really easy to cook. There is a rather fishy taste, i think, if you throw it directly to your soup. I find that by boiling it in water for about 1-2 minutes, and draining away the water is important. After that, all you need to do is just add it to your soup base, in place of usual noodles or pasta. It keeps you full, and only take minutes to cook!
You can get this from Japanese food stores, or larger Asian supermarkets. Here is a link:
http://www.japanesefoodshop.co.uk/shimonita--shirataki-noodles-yam-noodles---180g-147-p.asp
Top of the list is is Shirataki or Konyaku noodles. I was in Asia and found that Konyaku noodles is a "dieting secret weapon" for the girls who seemed to be 1/3 of my size there. Shirataki noodles are made from the root of the Konjac plant and they are a kind of jelly. The calories are remarkably low!
This is the typical nutritional values:
Typical Nutritional InformationPer 100g serving.
Energy: 6kcal
Protein: 0.2g
Fat: 0.4g
Carbohydrate: 2.0g
Sodium: 1mg
(Nutritional may vary slightly depending on the brand of Shirataki in stock)
Yes, that is right, it is 6kcal per 100g, and 1 pack is typically about 180g, ie less than 12kcal! Wow, that is probably what you get just eating a mouthful of pasta. I tried getting some and cooked, and realised that 1 pack fills me up. If I am not too hungry, I only need about 1/2 pack. Since the main "material" of the noodle-ish dish only contributed about 12kcal, there is lots of room for vege and proteins like chicken fillet, prawns, or fish!
The noodles are really easy to cook. There is a rather fishy taste, i think, if you throw it directly to your soup. I find that by boiling it in water for about 1-2 minutes, and draining away the water is important. After that, all you need to do is just add it to your soup base, in place of usual noodles or pasta. It keeps you full, and only take minutes to cook!
You can get this from Japanese food stores, or larger Asian supermarkets. Here is a link:
http://www.japanesefoodshop.co.uk/shimonita--shirataki-noodles-yam-noodles---180g-147-p.asp
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