(Written a few days ago, when my first post was written. I have a bad habit of proof-reading a hundred times before I allow anything to become permanent.. Damn OCD!)
Week 1:
It seems my first goal should be to raise my progesterone levels. They’re usually low during the premenstrual week and slowly climb towards the end of the period. Maybe I can supplement my body’s own naturally climbing levels of progesterone with phyto-progestins, giving a little boost to what would be considered normal for an average woman. (If the levels of hormones I need to achieve NBE are low, why work against them when I can cycle alongside what naturally occurs and boost through herbs for a more natural approach?) This is just a theory, but it sounds like it may work. For now at least, until I stabilize myself.
Fennel seed tea may be a good place to start (funny, I always kind of suspected it would be wise for me to begin there). Added bonus being it will boost my metabolism (possibly to my awesome pre-pregnancy level?)! I should look into adding L-tyrosine to supplement this effect.
My only concern is that progesterone stops NBE progress. However, considering there is no progress to speak of yet, maybe now is a good time to work on a little fat reduction before breast growth. (Looks like the exercise regimen I devised months ago should finally be enforced!)
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I smashed the fennel seeds in a small saucer using the back of a soup spoon. I tried to get them as close to powder as possible (all I honestly achieved was crunching them into thinner slivers than what they started as. At least I broke them open, which I suspect may be the entire purpose behind this). Then I soaked about a tbsp of seeds in roughly 2 cups of hot water for 10 minutes and strained the water into a new cup using a coffee filter. I squeezed two lemon slices into the cup to mask the taste and added 6 packets of Splenda to sweeten it up a little (I usually use ¼ cup of sugar in my standard size coffee cup every morning. So you can see, I’m trying to cut down and alter my diet quite a bit). I can honestly say I hate the taste! Then again, I’m not much for bitter or tart flavors. My diet mainly consists of sugars and salts (usually in ridiculously high doses) just because that’s what my taste buds tend to like.
I found myself unable to finish the tea. Tomorrow I’ll try to add milk, as I would with normal tea. I need to cut the taste somehow, or I may just have to go back to putting it on chicken breast every day like I used to (not sure on the effectiveness of cooking the seeds in comparison to soaking them in reference to NBE).
I should be starting my period any day now, so I better start formulating my next plan of action.
Week 1:
It seems my first goal should be to raise my progesterone levels. They’re usually low during the premenstrual week and slowly climb towards the end of the period. Maybe I can supplement my body’s own naturally climbing levels of progesterone with phyto-progestins, giving a little boost to what would be considered normal for an average woman. (If the levels of hormones I need to achieve NBE are low, why work against them when I can cycle alongside what naturally occurs and boost through herbs for a more natural approach?) This is just a theory, but it sounds like it may work. For now at least, until I stabilize myself.
- A nicely written article detailing how hormone levels climb and fall throughout the menstrual cycle: Your Life in Hormones – Female Hormone Cycle
- Wikipedia’s article on the menstrual cycle (Very helpful images on this page!)
Fennel seed tea may be a good place to start (funny, I always kind of suspected it would be wise for me to begin there). Added bonus being it will boost my metabolism (possibly to my awesome pre-pregnancy level?)! I should look into adding L-tyrosine to supplement this effect.
My only concern is that progesterone stops NBE progress. However, considering there is no progress to speak of yet, maybe now is a good time to work on a little fat reduction before breast growth. (Looks like the exercise regimen I devised months ago should finally be enforced!)
=============================
I smashed the fennel seeds in a small saucer using the back of a soup spoon. I tried to get them as close to powder as possible (all I honestly achieved was crunching them into thinner slivers than what they started as. At least I broke them open, which I suspect may be the entire purpose behind this). Then I soaked about a tbsp of seeds in roughly 2 cups of hot water for 10 minutes and strained the water into a new cup using a coffee filter. I squeezed two lemon slices into the cup to mask the taste and added 6 packets of Splenda to sweeten it up a little (I usually use ¼ cup of sugar in my standard size coffee cup every morning. So you can see, I’m trying to cut down and alter my diet quite a bit). I can honestly say I hate the taste! Then again, I’m not much for bitter or tart flavors. My diet mainly consists of sugars and salts (usually in ridiculously high doses) just because that’s what my taste buds tend to like.
I found myself unable to finish the tea. Tomorrow I’ll try to add milk, as I would with normal tea. I need to cut the taste somehow, or I may just have to go back to putting it on chicken breast every day like I used to (not sure on the effectiveness of cooking the seeds in comparison to soaking them in reference to NBE).
I should be starting my period any day now, so I better start formulating my next plan of action.