It's no surprise that after a few weeks of cleaning up my eating, I'm feeling pretty damn good. My nighttime heartburn episodes are a memory. Even in pregnancy my body does not like too many refined carbohydrates. It is a slight mind fu*k to watch my belly grow at what seems to me a super fast pace, yet not have the scale move. My only slight discomfort now is round ligament pain in my groin area, which is crazy because the ONLY time it hurts is when I'm rolling over from one side to the other, and when I'm picking up my legs one at a time to put on pants/leggings/skirts. It feels like I'm super sore from a workout, but when I do things like squat, or stretch my inner thighs, to try and loosen up the feeling, I can't get the discomfort to be there. It's hard to explain, but I did some googling (I know, I know) and it sounds like its pretty common for this exact time in my pregnancy, and it doesn't go away till after birth. Yay!
We did the obligatory grilling over Memorial Day weekend- chicken fajitas. Grilled chicken breast, grilled peppers/onions served on lettuce leaves with guacamole, fruit for dessert. So easy. So satisfying. So real. Just for fun, let's count the ingredients in the entire meal (not counting ingredients used twice, like salt and lime)- chicken, lime, olive oil, salt, pepper, orange and green peppers, onion, lettuce, avocado, tomato, jalepeno, pineapple, melon, strawberries. 15 total ingredients for an entire dinner and dessert. Count those ingredients on that "SmartOne" that is soooo healthy and low calorie. Yeah, that's what I thought.
It sucks that I spent so many years making this eating right thing more complicated than it had to be. I just didn't know any better. I fell for any buzz word at the time. Low-calorie? I can eat ALL the things. Low-fat? Sounds logical! High in fiber? Yes! I'll poop it out! Vegetarian? I'll try it! Gluten-free? Sounds legit. Oh, extra protein? That'll make my fat turn to muscle immediately. Sigh. Meat, vegetables, fruit, naturally occurring fats (nuts, avocado, coconut, heavy cream, olive oil). Also known as, real food. Yes, it means more preparation on my part. Yes, it means many convenience foods are a thing of the past. But the feeling? The lack of being controlled by food? Can't be beat.
This pregnancy seems to be zooming by sooo fast. I can't believe I have roughly 17 weeks left. That just seems like no time at all. I completed a registry over the weekend, wow, that was rough for me. I mean, I don't want our house to become swamped with baby stuff. I don't even want my kid to have a lot of toys (really, how many can they play with at once?). So I tried to just think of the absolute necessites. And even that was sooo much. I do think it helps not finding out the sex of our baby, because that helps stay away from accumulating too much stuff in general. Who knows. I might be in denial, in one year I could be laughing at my current naivete as I stare at my living room littered with multi-colored plastic things listening to "the wiggles." Barf.
Ok, I think this post is sufficiently representative of my brain right now- all over the place. I've got a hot gym date to head to (400m of walking lunges are on the agenda) and then some meat and vegetables to consume. Make today awesome, I plan on it.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Whole147
Let's talk pregnancy nutrition. Well over a year ago, I stumbled across this blog post (apologies if the link doesn't link, blogging from phone. Copy & paste, its worth it):
http://hawaiianlibertarian.blogspot.com/2011/05/paleo-baby.html
and was truly inspired. I think he does a really good job of explaining things that stand out to him that could be attributed to the diet he feeds his baby, without sounding self-righteous. He is well aware that the experience he is having maybe unique, but still decided to share in case anyone was curious.
I mentioned in an earlier post that upon first discovering I was pregnant, I began eating like rock star. My nutrients were spot on, and I was feeling great. Until I wasn't. Hormones began doing their thing, and I was suddenly so tired, nauseous, and/or puking. Luckily for me, that stage only lasted 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately for me, 3-4 weeks of soothing myself with food turned into many more weeks of half-hearted good eating (but still killing it at the gym!). I knew I needed to get back to what I know. I knew I was not feeling my best. I knew that if I continued down that road I would end up with A LOT of post-baby weight to lose. Around week 19, (or May 1st) I threw the brakes on. I decided I needed to go back and do a Whole30 to 'reset' and get my head (and body) back in the game.
It was getting too easy for me to justify things just because I was pregnant. I know myself, I know I need routine, structure, and a plan. I also know I'm perfectly capable of all these things. However, in the back of my head I kept telling myself that I was supposed to be gaining weight, and that my baby needed a few extra calories (yeah, like some extra protein, not sweet potato fries). But deep down, I knew I was slipping back into familiar patterns and making poor choices using the baby as a crutch. Yesterday, and my regular midwife check up, I had a long discussion with her about my feelings on gaining weight and struggles I've had. She was so incredible. She confirmed that a "whole30" diet is perfectly nutritious, AND that honestly, the current weight I'm at is fine to support a baby and if I didn't gain another pound over the next 18-19 weeks it would be just fine. I felt so relieved. Full disclosure, I have gained 17 pounds so far with my sub-par eating. I'd like to keep my gain in the 20-25lb range since I had plenty of pounds to lose at the start of this whole deal. I must remind myself, the less weight I gain, the less I will have to lose.
So, my goal is to follow the Whole30 guidelines (with grass-fed butter) until the bitter end, or roughly 147 days (133 left). However, the day I go into labor, I'm having an effing glass of wine.
My day(s) now look similar to this:
2 chicken sausages
1 granny smith apple w/ 2tbsps almond butter
CrossFit workout- scaled for momma
6oz turkey taco meat, braised cabbage, few baby carrots, few strawberries
sweet potato w/ Kerrygold butter, 6oz turkey taco meat, veggies, 1/2 avocado
The protein switches out between whatever I have cooked off. Sometimes its pork shoulder, sometimes its straight chicken breasts, sometimes chicken thighs, you get the idea. The veggies rotate between what's on sale, and what sounds good to me. So far in this pregnancy I've had a tough time with vegetables, but I'm really trying to get them in. I'm loving apples and almond butter right now, as well as yams, so those aren't going anywhere for awhile.
Some other good resources on pregnancy nutrition I've been following:
Peggy at Primal Parent- http://theprimalparent.com/
Weston A. Price Foundation- http://www.westonaprice.org/
http://hawaiianlibertarian.blogspot.com/2011/05/paleo-baby.html
and was truly inspired. I think he does a really good job of explaining things that stand out to him that could be attributed to the diet he feeds his baby, without sounding self-righteous. He is well aware that the experience he is having maybe unique, but still decided to share in case anyone was curious.
I mentioned in an earlier post that upon first discovering I was pregnant, I began eating like rock star. My nutrients were spot on, and I was feeling great. Until I wasn't. Hormones began doing their thing, and I was suddenly so tired, nauseous, and/or puking. Luckily for me, that stage only lasted 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately for me, 3-4 weeks of soothing myself with food turned into many more weeks of half-hearted good eating (but still killing it at the gym!). I knew I needed to get back to what I know. I knew I was not feeling my best. I knew that if I continued down that road I would end up with A LOT of post-baby weight to lose. Around week 19, (or May 1st) I threw the brakes on. I decided I needed to go back and do a Whole30 to 'reset' and get my head (and body) back in the game.
It was getting too easy for me to justify things just because I was pregnant. I know myself, I know I need routine, structure, and a plan. I also know I'm perfectly capable of all these things. However, in the back of my head I kept telling myself that I was supposed to be gaining weight, and that my baby needed a few extra calories (yeah, like some extra protein, not sweet potato fries). But deep down, I knew I was slipping back into familiar patterns and making poor choices using the baby as a crutch. Yesterday, and my regular midwife check up, I had a long discussion with her about my feelings on gaining weight and struggles I've had. She was so incredible. She confirmed that a "whole30" diet is perfectly nutritious, AND that honestly, the current weight I'm at is fine to support a baby and if I didn't gain another pound over the next 18-19 weeks it would be just fine. I felt so relieved. Full disclosure, I have gained 17 pounds so far with my sub-par eating. I'd like to keep my gain in the 20-25lb range since I had plenty of pounds to lose at the start of this whole deal. I must remind myself, the less weight I gain, the less I will have to lose.
So, my goal is to follow the Whole30 guidelines (with grass-fed butter) until the bitter end, or roughly 147 days (133 left). However, the day I go into labor, I'm having an effing glass of wine.
My day(s) now look similar to this:
2 chicken sausages
1 granny smith apple w/ 2tbsps almond butter
CrossFit workout- scaled for momma
6oz turkey taco meat, braised cabbage, few baby carrots, few strawberries
sweet potato w/ Kerrygold butter, 6oz turkey taco meat, veggies, 1/2 avocado
The protein switches out between whatever I have cooked off. Sometimes its pork shoulder, sometimes its straight chicken breasts, sometimes chicken thighs, you get the idea. The veggies rotate between what's on sale, and what sounds good to me. So far in this pregnancy I've had a tough time with vegetables, but I'm really trying to get them in. I'm loving apples and almond butter right now, as well as yams, so those aren't going anywhere for awhile.
Some other good resources on pregnancy nutrition I've been following:
Peggy at Primal Parent- http://theprimalparent.com/
Weston A. Price Foundation- http://www.westonaprice.org/
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Not Alone
Before I get to my real post, I just want to say a few quick words about the 'Sh*t Moms Say to Their Pregnant Daughters' post. Thank you for all the comments. My mom is my mom, and I know she means well (in some twisted universe where its always opposite day) and I'm used to it. The post was meant to be funny, but I'm not sure it came across that way. I don't want to bash my mom, she is an amazing woman that has had a tough life, and accomplished so much. Luckily, I've got plenty of smartz running through my head that I can see her comments for what they are- her issue(s) and not internalize them anymore. Now, I just like to share them with people for their sheer ridiculousness, oh, and also to remind myself of what NOT to do in the next coming years.
...Sunday we were invited to a Cinco de Mayo party/BBQ. It was an AMAZING day in Seattle, upper 70's, light breeze, just a perfect day. The hubs got home from work around 3:30p, and we headed over around 5pm. It was a BBQ held by friends/co-workers of my husband. Being a Sunday night, and also me being an 'outsider' non-co-worker I didn't plan on staying super late. I ate my bun-less burger and grazed on some raw veggies. We brought our dog, so watching him gave me plenty to do as he made his begging rounds and I yelled at him to quit it. There is nothing more annoying than a dog owner that thinks everyone else feels the same way about their dog as they do. No one likes a dog begging while they eat, even the cutest dog on the planet. I digress.
Many of the hubs co-workers came over to wish us congratulations, and ask us all the typical questions. I was enjoying myself, but noticed the party was slowly starting to get more drunk, and the daylight was quickly fading. I asked the hubs what time it was, and he said "just about 9p." "Crap. I gotta go." I said. The hubs wanted to stay longer since he didn't work the next day, and would take a cab home later. I grabbed the dog, said bye to the few people I knew, and headed home. The BBQ was really close to our house, only one freeway exit away. I hopped on the I-5, with the last rays of light on the horizon and the top of the sky starting to darken. The windows in the car were down, and the air smelled so clean. Just as I approached my exit, I felt something. A slight twitch or like a little bubble popping in my stomach. I knew exactly what it was.
Immediately everything was so clear. I didn't just know I wasn't alone, I felt I wasn't alone. I mean, so many times in my life I have been driving to my house, by myself, comfortable with being alone, and this time it was different. My future flashed before my eyes and I knew that I would never be truly alone again. This thing, this bubble, was going to be a part of me for the rest of my life. I was in awe and oddly comforted at that moment as I let it all sink in. Just when I thought I might have been imagining things, almost as if on queue, I felt another little tap inside my belly. Yup. Not alone.
...Sunday we were invited to a Cinco de Mayo party/BBQ. It was an AMAZING day in Seattle, upper 70's, light breeze, just a perfect day. The hubs got home from work around 3:30p, and we headed over around 5pm. It was a BBQ held by friends/co-workers of my husband. Being a Sunday night, and also me being an 'outsider' non-co-worker I didn't plan on staying super late. I ate my bun-less burger and grazed on some raw veggies. We brought our dog, so watching him gave me plenty to do as he made his begging rounds and I yelled at him to quit it. There is nothing more annoying than a dog owner that thinks everyone else feels the same way about their dog as they do. No one likes a dog begging while they eat, even the cutest dog on the planet. I digress.
Many of the hubs co-workers came over to wish us congratulations, and ask us all the typical questions. I was enjoying myself, but noticed the party was slowly starting to get more drunk, and the daylight was quickly fading. I asked the hubs what time it was, and he said "just about 9p." "Crap. I gotta go." I said. The hubs wanted to stay longer since he didn't work the next day, and would take a cab home later. I grabbed the dog, said bye to the few people I knew, and headed home. The BBQ was really close to our house, only one freeway exit away. I hopped on the I-5, with the last rays of light on the horizon and the top of the sky starting to darken. The windows in the car were down, and the air smelled so clean. Just as I approached my exit, I felt something. A slight twitch or like a little bubble popping in my stomach. I knew exactly what it was.
Immediately everything was so clear. I didn't just know I wasn't alone, I felt I wasn't alone. I mean, so many times in my life I have been driving to my house, by myself, comfortable with being alone, and this time it was different. My future flashed before my eyes and I knew that I would never be truly alone again. This thing, this bubble, was going to be a part of me for the rest of my life. I was in awe and oddly comforted at that moment as I let it all sink in. Just when I thought I might have been imagining things, almost as if on queue, I felt another little tap inside my belly. Yup. Not alone.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Sh*t Moms Say to Their Pregnant Daughters
"It would be nice if some of your weight turned into the baby's weight"
"No, you don't have to name it after me. Unless you want...you know, its up to you."
"I hope this baby gives you all the headaches you gave me."
"So, have you thought about how much weight you want to gain during your pregnancy?"
"You're going to have to give your dog away"
"I've got some of my old clothes that are too big for me for you to go through, you know, so you don't have to buy maternity clothes."
To her friends/strangers while I'm standing right there "yeah, she THINKS she's going to have a natural birth- chuckle- we'll see..."
"I only gained 18 pounds when I was pregnant the first time."
"I don't want to be called grandma."
Lastly, to put the cherry on top of the cake, here is a gem of a story that a mom might tell her pregnant daughter:
"So, I'm going to tell you something, take from it whatever you want." Oh, great I think, here comes another lecture about my weight. "I was having tea with my yoga instructor last week, and she..." Oh, no, I was wrong I think, here comes a plug for doing yoga while pregnant. "She has a daughter who pretty much has a parallel life to yours, she was living in the Pacfic Northwest 3 years ago, got married to a chef 2 years ago, about a year before you did. They had a baby about a year after that. See? Just like you, but a year ahead. Her and her husband moved down to Napa after the baby so they could be closer to family." (slight guilt stab there if you know my mom) "They like to garden, and be in the yard and stuff. My yoga teacher watches the grandson 2-3 times a week. One day, she (yoga teacher/grandma) was watching the baby who was about 3 months old and the baby just went limp. She knew something wasn't right and they took the baby to the hospital. They ran a bunch of tests, and nothing came up. The baby seemed to return to normal, so they were sent home. A few days later, the daughter was with her son, and the same thing happened. The baby just went limp. This time, the baby was sent to a larger hospital so more intesive studies could be ran. After a bunch of tests, they discovered the baby had contracted infant botulism. The baby had to be given a blood transfusion, and it was all very expensive and scary- costing tens of thousands of dollars. So, you know, just watch out for that. The baby was like 3 months."
This is 1) a true story, and 2) true that my mom TOLD me this story. Maybe its just me, but WTF. Why would you ever relay this story to your pregnant daughter? Well, I guess with all the previous quotes, it might just be my mom that says this stuff. Anyway, curiosity got the best of me, and I googled infant botulism. Turns out, there are less than 100 cases contracted each year in the U.S. To put that in perspective, my baby is 25 times more likely to die from SIDS than to contract this thing...as if I don't have enough things to worry about!
"No, you don't have to name it after me. Unless you want...you know, its up to you."
"I hope this baby gives you all the headaches you gave me."
"So, have you thought about how much weight you want to gain during your pregnancy?"
"You're going to have to give your dog away"
"I've got some of my old clothes that are too big for me for you to go through, you know, so you don't have to buy maternity clothes."
To her friends/strangers while I'm standing right there "yeah, she THINKS she's going to have a natural birth- chuckle- we'll see..."
"I only gained 18 pounds when I was pregnant the first time."
"I don't want to be called grandma."
Lastly, to put the cherry on top of the cake, here is a gem of a story that a mom might tell her pregnant daughter:
"So, I'm going to tell you something, take from it whatever you want." Oh, great I think, here comes another lecture about my weight. "I was having tea with my yoga instructor last week, and she..." Oh, no, I was wrong I think, here comes a plug for doing yoga while pregnant. "She has a daughter who pretty much has a parallel life to yours, she was living in the Pacfic Northwest 3 years ago, got married to a chef 2 years ago, about a year before you did. They had a baby about a year after that. See? Just like you, but a year ahead. Her and her husband moved down to Napa after the baby so they could be closer to family." (slight guilt stab there if you know my mom) "They like to garden, and be in the yard and stuff. My yoga teacher watches the grandson 2-3 times a week. One day, she (yoga teacher/grandma) was watching the baby who was about 3 months old and the baby just went limp. She knew something wasn't right and they took the baby to the hospital. They ran a bunch of tests, and nothing came up. The baby seemed to return to normal, so they were sent home. A few days later, the daughter was with her son, and the same thing happened. The baby just went limp. This time, the baby was sent to a larger hospital so more intesive studies could be ran. After a bunch of tests, they discovered the baby had contracted infant botulism. The baby had to be given a blood transfusion, and it was all very expensive and scary- costing tens of thousands of dollars. So, you know, just watch out for that. The baby was like 3 months."
This is 1) a true story, and 2) true that my mom TOLD me this story. Maybe its just me, but WTF. Why would you ever relay this story to your pregnant daughter? Well, I guess with all the previous quotes, it might just be my mom that says this stuff. Anyway, curiosity got the best of me, and I googled infant botulism. Turns out, there are less than 100 cases contracted each year in the U.S. To put that in perspective, my baby is 25 times more likely to die from SIDS than to contract this thing...as if I don't have enough things to worry about!
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