Disclaimer: this post is quite the ramble! If you’re set on
reading the whole thing, I suggest you find yourself a comfortable chair :) But first.... bump pics! (Yes, I realize I am wearing the exact same outfit, and yes it is a complete coincidence, lol.)
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| 21 weeks - baby #2 |
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| 21 weeks - baby #1 |
Ok, so I haven’t talked too much about my pregnancy diet yet
because, well, I’m not really following any sort of “diet” per se. I don’t give myself too many rules while I’m
pregnant, and I actually find that this helps me to control my cravings
better. I’m the type of person who, if
I’m told I’m not allowed to have a certain food, I’ll binge on it, lol. I
really struggled with my eating for my first two fitness competitions, and it
wasn’t until I was pregnant with my first baby that I started to change my
relationship with food: I told myself at the beginning of my pregnancy that I
could indulge in any strong cravings I would have, with the only stipulation
being that I had to nourish my baby with predominantly healthy foods. Now, in
the back of my mind, I also had the intention of doing a fitness show soon
after the baby was born, and as a result I found myself simply not wanting to
indulge too much because I knew the more weight I gained during pregnancy, the
harder and longer I would have to diet afterwards. I also knew that I would be having more kids
down the road, and that I would have plenty more chances to indulge in the
future. By framing it like that in my
mind – in knowing that this piece of pizza staring me in the face right now
would not be my last chance to ever have another slice of pizza again, I didn’t
feel so desperate to eat it. And once that desperation was removed, I was able
to think logically: do I really want pizza, or do I just need something salty?
Can I replace it with something healthier, like smoked salmon? Am I thirsty? Am
I tired? Have I eaten healthfully enough today that I can afford to eat this
pizza? If those answers all lined up and I found that I still did want that
slice of pizza, well then I ate it! And I never felt guilty. I felt heartburn,
but not guilt, lol. And if there was a day that I over-indulged some, then
guess what, there’s always tomorrow to do better (although the trick there is
to actually follow through and eat better the next day!).
I do have some general guidelines that I like to follow, not
just during pregnancy but always:
-eat 20-30g of protein with every major meal, and try to
incorporate at least 10g with snacks
-minimum 3 servings of veggies per day, and 1 serving fruit
-one serving nuts/seeds daily
-at least one of my carbs should come from an unprocessed
source, like rice, quinoa, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, or beans
-don’t start the day with sugary foods
-drink lots of water!
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| Typical breakfast: oatmeal with raisins, almonds and maple syrup, egg whites with mushrooms, and a big ole coffee! Not too different from non-pregnancy, except there's more food on the plate. And not too different from competition diet except.... there's WAY more food on the plate! lol |
Aside from that, all’s fair. I don’t monitor my calories at
all, but I do respect my appetite (not doing so usually has terrible
consequences for me: excess hunger leads to nausea, and overeating leads to serious
heartburn), and thankfully I do have a pretty firm grasp on portion sizes. Some
of my favourite meals and snacks lately are:
-smoked salmon on crackers
-hot chocolate (made with real cocoa powder, NOT the stuff
from the box)
-home-made Egg McMuffins
-grits with butter and turkey bacon
-veggie straws
-freezies (hey, I’m pregnant in Florida in the summer… I need me some freezies!)
-raw carrots
-ants on a log
-steak!
-home-made sweet potato fries
-scrambled eggs with mushrooms
-granola bars (store bought or home-made)
As you can see, not too many veggies on that list :S Outside
of pregnancy I try not to “drink my calories” too often, but during pregnancy
whey protein shakes and powdered greens drinks become staples as I sometimes
(ok, often) just can’t choke down my baked fish, or bring myself to eat a
salad.
I’ve also purposely kept away from mentioning my pregnancy
weight gain as I think talking about the numbers freaks people out more than it
helps. In the end, the only people your weight gain is relevant to are you,
your baby, and your doctor. Most experts will say that a healthy weight gain for women of a normal starting BMI is 25-35lbs; some
people gain more despite all their best efforts, and some people gain less with
no effort at all. The most beautiful and scary thing about pregnancy is the
lack of control you have over your body, and that includes how it chooses to
put on weight – not just how much, but where! My personal feeling on the issue
is this: if you are eating NUTRITIOUSLY and are exercising to the best of your
abilities, then “que sera, sera!” If your weight gain (or lack thereof) becomes
a concern, your doctor will bring it up and the two of you can discuss an
appropriate weight management plan.
Oh, and for those of you who missed it (and have managed to
get to the end of this post), we are having a girl!
-Tess
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