Ya, I'm going there. A little over a week since I ranted about gaining eight pounds in four weeks, but I think that I have learned a few lessons in the last 6 months and to be honest, I don't want to forget them next time around!
This is completely MY outlook and my approach on exercise and nutrition. By no means am I saying I'm a health and fitness expert, but I just want to document what has, and hasn't, worked for me.
For starters, I'm a "Weight Watcher". I joined WW over 3 years ago and the plan helped me lose 25-30 pounds, focus on healthy and whole eating, and definitely aided in my new found love of exercise (and by new, I mean new prior to pregnancy...).
I always thought about how my eating habits would change when I was pregnant. Would I resort back to eating portions that are too large or stop exercising entirely? Would I throw all I've learned about eating the right amount of dairy and healthy fats each day?
Thankfully, when I found out I was pregnant, I was in the mindset, and am again now, that what I put into my body goes to our baby girl. Would I want to feed her fast food, high-fat meals with little to no nutritional value? Lots of sugar and minimal fruits and vegetables? Certainly not, so I focused on buying and eating foods that are good for the both of us, and that would also create a well-rounded palette for her.
Hubs and I rarely go out to eat. We do on special occasions, and we used to frequent nights out a lot more when I could drink with him. I love to cook, and still do even at almost 31 weeks pregnant, so we haven't felt the need to take advantage of going out to eat.
I'll break down my advice by trimester. Here goes.
First Trimester
In the first trimester, I continued to eat as I normally did, instead following WW's maintenance program instead of their weight loss program. I wanted to make sure I focused on eating the right foods, and not getting into the "eating for two" mindset that so often comes with pregnancy.
Around 7 weeks, the queasiness started. I had to force myself to eat my daily points as nothing, and I mean nothing, sounded appetizing. I had a major aversion to sweets, so I couldn't even try to get in my daily caloric intake that way. I stuck with things like Trader Joe's Macaroni and Cheese, saltines, chicken noodle soup, ginger ale, cereal (like Chex & Cheerio's), baked potatoes, chicken breast, grilled cheese, etc. My menu was pretty bland and I needed to keep it that way to avoid throwing up.
As for working out, that came to a major, major halt. I had zero energy and was in bed by 8:15 most nights. I came home from work around 4:30, laid on the couch, made dinner, and forced myself to stay awake until an "acceptable" bed time.
I participated in yoga twice a week, from week 8 through week 18, and it was tough to get there most nights. Thankfully yoga is very relaxing not as physically demanding as some of my other workouts, so I guess I wasn't entirely inactive during the first trimester.
I swear as soon as the books say you'll start to feel better, I did. 14 weeks and I was like a brand new woman (as far as eating goes. Energy? not so much....) Hello second trimester!
Second Trimester
I first started feeling better right around Halloween. I still had an aversion to sweets, so I didn't take advantage of all the candy that was laying around. I slowly started adding more normal foods back into my diet, and throughout November I felt better than ever. Thanksgiving dinner never tasted SO good!
I still struggled with low energy, but my appetite was back on track and being able to eat foods that were higher in protein and nutritional value helped give me a little more energy.
Around Christmas time, my aversion to sweets lifted. HA! I enjoyed a lot of cookies and cakes but still kept my weight gain to a minimum. As of my December 27 doctor's appointment, I was up a total of 8 pounds. At 21 weeks, I was right on track with where my doctor wanted me to be as far as gaining 25-35 pounds.
I tried, I really did, to work out. But the weekends and days off were filled with festivities and getting to the gym wasn't on the top of my to do list. In January, I started forcing myself to do some sort of physical activity, whether at my work's fitness center or our gym, to help increase my energy. I would feel really good after finishing my work out, but less than an hour later, I was crashing.
I mentioned my fatigue to my doctor at my appointment in January, and he obviously didn't bat an eye. I'm pregnant, I'm supposed to be tired. I had gained 4 pounds in 4 weeks, for a total of 12 pounds gained. I was impressed with myself, and probably went overboard thinking I had this whole pregnancy weight gain down pat. I took my glucose test that same day, and got a call the next to say I was mildly anemic. LIGHT BULB! No wonder I've been feeling like a zombie! I always wondered who these women were who had this boost of energy in the second trimester. As soon as I started my iron supplements, I was really feel great. My appetite and my energy levels were picking up.
I was starting to work out more frequently, 3-4 times a week, doing some high-energy cardio workouts on the elliptical. I'm now wondering if my increase in activity caused an increase in my appetite, which wasn't being filled by healthy foods, and ultimately leading to that 8 pound gain.
Here is an example of a typical menu in the second trimester:
Breakfast: Cereal and almond milk (Chex, Cheerios, Special K)
Snack: Banana, greek yogurt
Lunch: Salad with light dressing and grilled chicken breast, string cheese
Snack: Chocolate, granola bar
Dinner: Pork tenderloin, brown rice, and a roasted veggie
Snack: Probably more chocolate, ice cream, or a sweet snack. Marshmallow's roasted over the stove? Been there, done that!
Towards the end of the second trimester, I stopped caring as much about what I was putting into my body and feed our babe. A lot of sweets started making their way into my diet and I started having the mindset of eating for two, so to speak. I wasn't consuming 4,000 calories a day by any means, but I was definitely ignoring my hunger signals and indulging much more frequently in high sugar foods. Since I want our little one to be as healthy as she can be, I checked myself back into the right mindset and so far have been happy with the results!
More to come on the third trimester!
