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/