Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Working Towards a Healthy Mom and Baby

  I am gaining weight way too fast for it to be “just baby weight”.  I know that I have been slacking off on the exercise, because I don’t feel 100% and I am so tired that all I want to do is sleep.  And I know that I’ve been eating a lot more than I normally do, because having a full belly is the only way I don’t throw up feel good.  Add the holidays to the mix and my cravings for carbs and fats, and it’s been a complete disaster.  I want to post a picture to show you how big I am already at only ten stinkin’ weeks, but I just don’t have the guts. 
     I’ve decided that I need to stop focusing on the weight gain and unhealthy choices I’m making and focus instead on eating healthy for myself and the baby.  Starting today, I am basically following the Abs Diet but making sure I’m eating enough calories for the baby.  I’m not trying to lose weight (duh, that would be impossible!), I am just trying to pick the right foods.

 
   So today is Day 1 (and yes, I know that it’s already the 4th of January, but tardiness and procrastination have become part of my life recently).  The diet plan is easy to follow, I’ve had success with it in the past, and it just makes sense.  You eat six small portions of healthy foods with one cheat meal a week.  You exercise, focusing mostly on weight training and interval spurts of cardio.  I’m not even going to attempt exercising until I hit the 12 week mark, hoping that that will be the point I feel “up to it”.
   A typical day in the diet will be:
Breakfast: Kashi  GoLean Crunch with soymilk
Snack: Berries and a cheese stick
Lunch: Sandwich on whole wheat bread with veggies
Snack: Apple with Almond Butter
Dinner: Chicken/Fish and Veggies or another small healthy meal
Snack: Greek yogurt, frozen fruit and milk smoothie
Plus, I’ll be drinking green tea, decaf iced tea, and lots of water.
It all adds up to about 1800 calories a day (1500 for me and 300 for the baby) and it seems do-able, so let’s see how long it lasts!  Anybody want to join in?

6 comments:

  1. Good luck! I eat 5-6 small meals a day like that too! It works great for me. I follow a plan that has a free day though. But, now, with all of the clean recipies I have found, I am able to limit my free day. My hubby and I are in a %BF "competition" with each other right now.

    I hope that all goes well for you and you have a healthy pregnancy. Do not worry to much about what is done. But you can have such a wonderful rest of your pregnancy and feel good about it too.

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  2. I just began taking a Bradley class and am trying to stick eat by the nutrition plan they give. It's great but I was so sick for my first 18 weeks of pregnancy that I lost 8 pounds (ugh! That was awful!) and have only recently gained it back and gone to a healthy amount over my pre-preggo weight. Now I'm getting so big that its hard to have an appetite because there isn't enough room!

    They gave me a chart to track all my food intake to make sure I'm getting enough protein etc! I am having a hard time with dairy because I'm just not really a fan, and I'm supposed to get 9oz of protein plus two eggs a day!

    Anyway, I will be joining you in the joys of attempting to eat well. Good luck and many blessings with your pregnancy!

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  3. love the kangaroos! Do you have the Abs diet for women? they have a special chapter for pregnancy and post baby. I'm sure you are glowing and looking beautiful!

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  4. Love that cartoon!
    Good luck to you, but don't make yourself miserable either, you've got to be a happy mama. ;)

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  5. That diet sounds perfect!! I did the Bradley recommended high protein diet with Leo and Elena. But the first trimester??? That was just survival for me. 2nd and 3rd trimesters I was able to function so I could make better choices. Cut yourself some slack. I think fatigue makes you want to eat fast carbs and fat just to keep yourself going. When you get some sleep you can make up for it :)

    I just started my diet in the last 2 weeks. I lost 4 lbs of water weight already and I'm feeling normal again!! I use myfitnesspal.com to track what I eat and so far I've been able to stay serious. Working out though? We'll see what I can do with the babies at home all day with me. Yesterday I tried to do some pilates through Netflix and Leo kept trying to sit on my back like a horsey ride...FAIL!

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  6. i really like this. i have been gaining a little too quickly also.

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