Today marks 23 weeks and 2 days for this pregnancy, and for most of us pregnant mamas we try our best to watch what we eat and make sure we get moving enough to exercise for the two of us. I include myself in this camp especially with this pregnancy.
When I was pregnant with Conner, I followed the recommendation of getting my calorie intake around 2,200 for the day and did a pretty good job at avoiding processed food. I would go on multiple walks throughout the day with my dog to top it off. Sounds pretty good, right? Well, let's just say that after gaining a whopping 84 pounds in that pregnancy, I learned that my body packs on pounds with that many calories even with the 2-3 walks per day. Let me tell you, 84 pounds is intimidating when you've always made sure to eat well balanced meals with a calorie intake that coincides with your daily calorie burn. Before pregnancy, I usually ate around 1,900 calories so I thought that increasing my intake to 2,200 during pregnancy was reasonable.
You would think that with a weight gain like that there would have been complications along the way. Well, that's where I was graciously spared. I did not develop any gestational diabetes. My belly measurements were always right where they needed to be. I did not develop stretch marks which I surely thought I would have since my mom and sister fell victim to them. And I gave birth to a very healthy 7lb 11oz baby. Or as the nurse called him, "slurpee size" in reference to the 7/11 stores. I did not find this funny after giving birth to him. I really don't find it funny still.
So, I learned my lesson with Conner's pregnancy. I was able to lose the weight before his first birthday. I followed the general rule of 80/20. 80% of the weight loss came through diet. 20% came from exercise consisting of step aerobics and long distance runs at the start of my weightloss and then sprint intervals and weight lifting during the last portion of weightloss. To touch on the diet portion, I followed an 80/20 rule there too. 80% of my diet was healthy and mostly non-processed foods while the other 20% was more relaxed because, after all, I am human, and I do have an obsessive love for pizza. And ice cream. And any bakery or dessert item with pumpkin in it.
Now to transition into this pregnancy and what I've been doing differently. First, here is a comparison for you all. At 23 weeks with Conner I had already gained 37 pounds! That's more than they recommend for the entire pregnancy! Now at 23 weeks with this little bebe, I have gained a healthy 14 pounds. Right where I need to be and I don't think I even need to say how much healthier I feel.
I've had a lot of people ask me about my diet and what I do to stay fit (besides the obvious of chasing around the world's busiest toddler!). So, I thought I would share my food and exercise diary. Now, everyone is different so this is what has been working for me. We should all know by now that what works for one person does not mean it will work for others. Just had to state the obvious here before you begin the eye rolling and think to yourself, "I know..".
Breakfast (7am) - 5 scrambled egg whites on 1 slice toasted 12 grain wheat bread and 1 slice Ultra Thin Sargento Cheddar Cheese.
Step Aerobics (7:10-8am) - I try to use a 4" step but there are some mornings now that I have to take it down to a 2" height.
Snack #1 (9:30am) - 1/2 c. fat free cottage cheese, 1 mandarin orange, 8 oz coffee with 2 tbs creamer
Dog Walk (9:40-10am) - 1 mile walk with my dog
Lunch (12pm) - 1/2 Panini (1 slice sourdough, 5 slices of deli meat, pepperoncinis, 1 slice of Ultra Thin Cheddar Cheese, drizzle of Italian dressing for flavor. I cook the Panini without butter or oil, just plain) and small side salad (3 oz salad mix, 2 tbs fat free ranch, 2 oz grilled chicken, tomatoes, cucumbers)
Walk (12:15-12:30) - 1 mile walk on the treadmill (4.0 mph, #5 or #6 incline)
Snack #2 (2:30pm) - 5.5 oz of homemade greek yogurt (This is extremely easy to make and I will be sure to post the recipe soon!) and 1 c. Multi Grain Cheerios
Walk (2:45-3pm) - 1 mile walk on the treadmill (4.0 mph, #5 or #6 incline)
Dinner (5:30pm) - Dinner is whatever we have planned for that night. For the most part it is healthy. This is the one meal that I do tend to consume more carbs, but I try very hard to watch the portions of the carbs that I put on my plate.
After dinner Joe and I play with Conner and clean up/get ready for the next day so no planned exercises!
Snack #3 (8pm) - If dinner hasn't filled me up completely, I'll go for something simple like 8oz of Fairlife chocolate milk or a string cheese or a bowl of Multi Grain Cheerios with 1 c. skim milk.
That's it! In all, I consume about 1,800-2,000 calories a day. As you can tell from above, if I eat carbs, I'm always pairing it with protein. That is essential for anyone that has dealt with PCOS and just in general for stabilizing blood glucose throughout the day. I'm a creature of habit so I tend to follow the same diet for about 2-3 weeks before switching it up (which by the way, I due for a menu switch up next week so I'll try to get that posted in the near future).
I do try to get plenty of veggies in at lunch and dinner, but I have been staying away from fruit. As wonderful as fruit is for the body, I know from experience that I gain weight too easily with it.
Now for a visual on how different I look from Conner's pregnancy compared to this one!
This is me at 22 weeks with Conner at my sister-in-law Shannon's wedding. Those are size large maternity jeans from Motherhood that I could barely squeeze into anymore at that point. (My pre-pregnancy size for pants are size 6 - proof that I grew a lot!)
I quickly snapped this photo of me this morning at 23+ weeks. (Ignore the fact I haven't brushed my hair or put on makeup yet!) But you can see the big difference! I can still wear my normal workout shorts and tank tops. I still haven't worn the maternity jeans shown above because they are actually too big for me at this point.
Sometimes the best way to learn a lesson is learning it the hard way.
