I start stims tomorrow night....so tomorrow I see my trainer and am going to try to go to step (if the city calms down a bit). I also have step Tuesday - I figured that my first day after first stim shot I would be ok for cardio. My nurse said twisting/crunching and lifting heavy are discouraged. I didn't want to do these things and have the cycle fail and wonder if that was why. So I will be walking on the treadmill, walking my dog and maybe elliptical.

For food, I am going to increase protein and reduce carbs (as a vegetarian a lot of my proteins are carbs so I am adding chicken and more eggs).

The advantage of this will be more time - I work out after work every night and usually don't get home until 7:15, then cook/clean and am exhausted by the time I hit my bed. I am going to try to use this time to try to relax. I'll walk at the gym, then walk my dog with my husband and try to do things after work that I haven't been able to do for a long time. I am hoping it won't make me fester about the cycle! But I am trying to stay positive and relaxed and let science work.

And trying not to think about my soon to give birth smug sister in law

I also did kickboxing, zumba and saw a personal trainer. I continued to see my trainer, but my workouts had no jumping or twisting. I took long walks - 5-7 miles to keep sane. I stopped cardio at the gym. I didn't really pay any particular attention to food, but do try to eat healthy. My RE said to keep working out or go for a swim, but I needed to be aware that my ovaries would be larger.

Thanks guys!
Seems like early days of stims it would be OK to work out and then put it back to walking only (treadmill, too cold outside!) until beta?

as for diet, I have switched entirely to decaf and only drink a cup in the AM before work - so I'll cut that out once I start stims. Has anyone been told no hot drinks? like, no tea? no soup?

Sex: nurse told me 3 days of abstaining is what you want for the ER, but I'm sitting here thinking what bloated, drugged out lady wants to have sex? But I could definitely be wrong as I haven't done a cycle before! We're also freezing some juice in case the day-of has any issues.

As a side, does anyone have experience with whether after transfer, getting a facial at the spa is bad? I was trying to think of ways to relax, and this is something I might do even though I definitely have better things to spend my money on! I was wondering if the blood flow stuff was bad (I figured no massage)?

Exercise: I got to a point where I was very, very bloated and uncomfortable and wasn't able to do anything comfortably other than long walks. I would just listen to your body and see how you feel. I was cycling at SGF and, as far as I can remember, they do not have exercise restrictions during stims. I know of someone who cycled at Cornell in NYC and they don't want you to exercise during stims.

Diet: I tried to eat as healthy as possible but did not make any big changes. I drank caffeine and alcohol in moderation during stims and my TWW and got pregnant twice from IVF. (I also had several failed cycles.)

On both points, I'd say to listen to your body and don't feel the need to make any drastic changes. It sounds like you are relatively healthy anyway.

Sex: I would check with your doctor. I think they usually want you to abstain for a couple of days before the sample.

Good luck!

My succesful cycle was the one i did NO caffeine
protein is good for egg development, you could do protein shakes if you dont want to do chicken

exercise, i've heard its ok in the beginning but to stop when ovaries are becoming enlarged as it could cause problems

I have sought exercise advice from this board many times and unfortunately don't think there is a clear cut answer. My RE says do whatever you want basically and other doctors say do nothing at all. (I asked about this a lot as I don't ovulate and exercise can be a cause but my RE said that since I did ovulate on meds. cutting out the exercise wouldn't have any real benefit.

Over the past year I've cut down on running but still do a lot of it. I plan to cut out all but walking and very light elliptical when starting IVF because after many clomid and injectables cycle - while I did ovluate- I did not get pregnant. For me this is like facing my darkest fears (I use exercise as a huge coping mechanism) but I am finally willing.

Of course when my baseline testing this week showed I had naturally ovluated (for the first time in 18 years!!) during my (get insurance approval) break, I was frustrated by the delay in starting but also very excited for one more week of running.

Hi all,
First, thanks again for this great resource - you have all been so helpful and supportive. I hope as I go through this, I can be the same.

Assuming my baseline goes well tomorrow, I'll start stims next week and want to plan accordingly. Once I start stims, at what point do I need to stop my fitness routine as it stands now (step/kickboxing/personal trainer)? Is it ok to walk brickle on the treadmill (like 3.8-4h)?

Food: are there certain dietary considerations I should make? I know "eat healthy" but is there anything anyone can particularly recommend for food stuffs? I am normally an ovo-lacto veg but am ok adding chicken if needed so is it usually recommended to add protein? I've heard no warm drinks but are soups ok?

Sex: is there a point whn sex before ER is a no-no? Our issue is MFI so at what point should I make sure we don't ruin his day of sample? (we are going to try to get GW to take a sample to freeze just in case as a sort of insurance policy).

Thanks in advance!!