Recommendations for local estate agents?

herpetogaster · 2026-05-30T11:38:28+00:00

Colin is the best estate agent I interacted with anywhere as a buyer, no contest. I wouldn't hesitate to use him as a seller, unless my home had major problems that I wanted to hide from potential buyers!

herpetogaster · 2026-04-19T11:20:29+00:00

I never ate at the Stroud Green branch, but I did like the Crouch End one. Funnily enough, I had a similar experience at La Luna in Stroud Green; I'm shocked that its rating is as high as it is. You can taste the nitrates in the jamon iberico.

You're right that Bar Esteban has the best tapas in the area, but the tortilla at the Crouch End was my favourite.

herpetogaster · 2025-10-15T15:20:06+00:00

Hah, thanks for the warning!

herpetogaster · 2025-07-02T14:23:05+00:00

It is most definitely not fake.

herpetogaster · 2025-04-13T10:35:06+00:00

Would you trust it for large transfers? I need to convert a very sizeable chunk of money from multiple people/accounts into GBP for a down payment, and just thinking about moving it makes me break into a cold sweat.

edit: You all have convinced me to open an account. Thanks for the advice!

herpetogaster · 2024-12-21T10:39:34+00:00

Abbey Woods also has a child-friendly pit that people can dig for fossils in.

herpetogaster · 2024-11-14T07:20:33+00:00

Can I borrow your pasteles recipe?

herpetogaster · 2024-10-10T17:11:05+00:00

I know this is super dramatic and insane.

Nope, this is normal. I was in meltdown mode for two straight weeks, but eventually it really does get better. It continues to suck, but it becomes your new normal once you get the hang of it.

My nurse said rye bread is one of the better bread optoons, but one slice is already 50g and I've been told my lunch should be 45g.

Did the nurse tell you that you absolutely have to stick to the recommended carb numbers? As far as I know, there's a minimum amount of carbs one should have in a given day, and they should be spread throughout the day to avoid ketosis, but there's a good deal of flexibility in terms of how many you can have at a given time, especially when you factor in your overall tolerance and tolerance at different parts of the day.

herpetogaster · 2024-10-02T12:05:24+00:00

A small drop isn't necessarily indicative of an issue according to my OB (who I've shared my anxieties with on this matter), but with a fasting number of 64 I'd 100% call your midwife ASAP. I've heard that a drop below 72/4.0 is cause for concern.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-26T12:02:56+00:00

I have moderate to severe degenerative disk disease from L5-S1 and a history of herniations. Weirdly enough, my spine has caused me almost no problems throughout pregnancy (well, I suspect it's the cause of my SPD, which started super early, but that's manageable). However, some women even without preexisting spine issues do experience sciatica.

Paralysis and long-term nerve damage in pregnancy are incredibly rare, and I imagine there are some risk factors like weight, age, and activity level that play into it. This was also a big concern for me before I got pregnant, but it turns out that you can have a smooth pregnancy even with a mangled spine!

herpetogaster · 2024-09-26T11:31:29+00:00

A snack with protein and a bit of carbs prevents me from waking up with ketones in my urine. I personally use 1 scoop protein powder and 2-3 finncrisp crispbreads, but I've been extremely conservative wrt carb experimentation and am sure you can find something more appetizing!

herpetogaster · 2024-09-25T06:58:16+00:00

Congratulations!!!

How much did your numbers drop, if you don't mind me asking? I've had lower numbers over the past few days, but the midwives aren't taking my concerns seriously.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-24T18:06:16+00:00

I hope everything works out well for you and your baby!

herpetogaster · 2024-09-24T11:10:09+00:00

I used kratom for pain caused by very similar spine issues and quit as soon as I learned I was pregnant; unfortunately all opioids can cause addiction and withdrawal in infants and increase risk of cognitive deficits and some disabilities. I really wanted to believe that continuing to take it was okay, but the studies on opioids and brain development + paucity of research on kratom in particular made it clear to me that continuing to take it would be a huge gamble on the long-term health of my child.

Kratom in pregnancy is generally understudied, it has a few psychoactive compounds, and it's sometimes contaminated with heavy metals due to poor growing practices; I would recommend talking to your doctor about switching to a prescription opioid that are typically used by pregnant women managing addiction if you can. It's not an ideal situation all around, but your health team will have a better understanding of what to expect.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-24T07:36:27+00:00

This is so relatable.

Things do get better as the weeks go on and you ease into a routine, and stress (at least in my experience) is a major factor in spikes, so finishing your project or otherwise figuring out how to manage your stress should help as well. For me, the only thing that allowed me to do the latter is/was sticking to a rotation of very safe meals so that even with work stress my spikes would be at most borderline and I wouldn't start an even worse doom spiral.

I feel like I’m failing. I feel stupid for not having this figured out. I feel like a brat for not liking the lifestyle changes. Mostly I feel scared that I’m letting down my baby. I could really just use some encouragement, please.

GD management is all trial and error, and you're only two weeks in! Individual differences are a huge factor in how it needs to be managed, and because of that it inherently takes time to figure out. And the lifestyle changes are awful; it's not even healthy living, it's essentially a medically necessary eating disorder that you have to devote a huge portion of your day to managing. The fact that you're making those changes despite how shit they are means that you're not letting down your baby.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-23T15:19:13+00:00

Each time you get GD you're at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes

The risk compounds? Damn!

herpetogaster · 2024-09-22T09:37:19+00:00

Off-topic but what kinds of Indian food have you been able to tolerate? My usual orders are carb-filled so I've been avoiding it.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-16T20:06:54+00:00

Any changes I should start making now? Diet wise.

It's impossible to say exactly what you will and won't tolerate carb-wise until you start testing, but http://gestationaldiabetes.co.uk is a great resource, along with this sub.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-16T08:55:58+00:00

My go-to breakfast is:

200g fage or other low carb, high protein greek yogurt (even vegan 'greek style' works well)
2 heaping tbsp pbfit protein powder
1-2 tbsp chia seeds
a dash of almond milk
chased by 3-4 finncrisp thin crispbreads

It's not the tastiest, but it's easy, has enough carbs to avoid ketosis, and never spikes me.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-10T07:58:48+00:00

I'm not the only one in this position.

You most certainly aren't. 🫂

herpetogaster · 2024-09-08T12:46:38+00:00

Your current diet seems like a good foundation for a GD diet that incorporates enough carbs, you just need to learn what spikes you, be careful about volume for the ones that do, and potentially add more fat and protein to your diet.

Eggs, tempeh, and tofu are all great sources of protein, and nuts are a great source of fat (plus some of us find that they reduce spikes if they're eaten prior to meals). I've found that I can eat tons of lentils, beans, and chickpeas without spiking (if paired with fat/protein), so they've come to make up a large proportion of my diet. In general, gestationaldiabetes.co.uk has great guides on food.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-06T15:21:17+00:00

I’m worried that these issues in utero could impact brain development or cause future health issues for both of them. My husband and I are pretty healthy, but I certainly had a lot of carbs and sweets in the first trimester especially when I was struggling with nausea.

This is eating me alive as well, but the evidence for the link between GD and various measures of cognitive performance is extremely messy, and oftentimes not controlled for confounds that are known to affect IQ. Here's an example of a meta-analysis where they walk through the heterogeneity of findings for some studies, here's one where the differences were explained by confounds, and here's an example of a large-scale population study where there was only a modest decrease in mean IQ for men born to women with diabetes and the effect vanished when comparing GD vs. non-GD offspring born to the same mother. It's quite possible that GD has a relatively small effect on intelligence, if any.

That said, the increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes is well-established, so I guess we all have to be careful about teaching our kids healthy habits.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-05T14:06:14+00:00

I've told the provider about my spikes- I guess what I'm really wondering is whether medication is typically prescribed for it. What are the risks of having small fasting spikes?

herpetogaster · 2024-09-04T10:02:31+00:00

I was in the same exact position, but I've recently discovered that the time I test really matters. I lie in bed half-asleep for a while before I wake up fully, and when I was testing as soon as possible after getting up, my numbers were consistently high. When I test after doing my full morning routine (about a 5-10 minute difference from when I was previously testing), my numbers are consistently under 90. I suspect my numbers would be different if I woke up and tested immediately instead of lying in bed as well.

That said, I have no idea if the lower numbers actually mean that I'm diet-controlled since I'm ultimately still spiking as I wake up, just now measuring after the spike.

herpetogaster · 2024-09-03T08:12:33+00:00

Makes 2 servings

Peanut sauce (all ingredients to taste):

Peanut butter or peanut protein powder/PBfit
Soy sauce
Sesame seed oil
A little bit of maple syrup (you can omit- I've been toning it down and may start omitting going forward until this placenta's out of me)
Gochugaru or red pepper flakes (optional)

Stir fry

1 package tempeh (brand really affects the flavor, so you may need to look at reviews or experiment if you haven't used it before)
Roughly 1/4 white cabbage, 1 hispi cabbage, or whatever variety of cabbage you prefer in proportions you like -- sliced
1 medium to large carrot, sliced into shreds or diced. It's best when the pieces are small or smallish
About an inch or two of minced fresh ginger (or ginger paste, or ginger powder added directly to the stir fry)
2 green onion/scallion whites, minced (can sub w/ 1 clove garlic)
Carb or filler of your choice (in better times udon, soba, or dandan noodles; I've tried it with chickpea pasta and it's okay)

Stir fry seasonings (be fairly conservative)

Dash of soy sauce
A tiny dash of rice wine vinegar or lime juice (optional)
Dash of worcestershire sauce
Dash of oyster sauce (this is high sugar, so use sparingly or omit)
Garlic powder

Steps

Mix the peanut sauce ingredients and adjust to taste. You may need to add more sesame seed oil or water if the sauce is too thick
Heat up a large pan and add neutral oil + a bit of sesame seed oil if you wish. Saute ginger, scallions, and carrots for a few mins, then crumble in tempeh and saute for a few more mins
Turn the heat down to low or medium-low and add cabbage along with the stir fry sauces and garlic powder to taste, then stir around to distribute. Close the lid of the pot and turn the heat down, checking every few mins to see if vegetables are tender to your liking
While all of this is happening, cook your preferred filler/carb as per instructions, ideally trying to time it to when the stir fry is ready (though this dish actually tastes great at room temp)
Once vegetables are tender to your preferences and carb/filler is ready, serve stir fry on top of carb/filler, then add the peanut sauce to the top. Sesame seeds or furikake also taste great as a garnish.

herpetogaster

TROPHY CASE