Dealing with Pregnancy Weight Gain
Oh pregnancy weight gain. I know this topic can be touchy. Everyones experience is different. Some have to work to gain anything, while others seem to put it on like its their job even with keeping a clean diet and working out. Weight gain is not only natural in pregnancy it’s apart of the journey. For so many of us women most of our lives we are focused on keeping the scale around certain numbers. Then when we become pregnant and everything is turned upside down and we now NEED to be gaining weight for the baby to be healthy. It is completely new territory.
For me I didn’t gain a single pound my first trimester. Though my appetite was ferocious I devoured carbs like it was my job. (I was also walking 3hrs a day, 3-5 days a week). Second trimester though work slowed down and the walking went down to 0 days a week. With it getting cold outside, no gym membership and the holidays (food, food, and more food ALL THE TIME) the weight had no where to go but stick to me.
I discovered since becoming pregnant when I didn’t make healthy/clean choices the weight stuck to me like a leach. I instantly gained weight quicker than pre-pregnancy. My weight could go up or down 3-5 lbs easy in a days time! For someone like myself who has been underweight most of my life (that is just my body type- no need to go tell me to eat a cheeseburger) to all of a sudden have the scale jumping up was terrifying. I remember at the beginning of my second trimester I had a really hard time with checking my weight. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was gaining weight. I then remembered I hadn’t been working out and I was still eating whatever I wanted. That is just what happens when you stop your physical activity. Eventually I let go of needing to check the scale daily.
Until today.
My jaw almost dropped. I was not expecting to have gained as much as I had. To be honest with you I expected to be at this weight the day I gave birth to baby rubeo. Adios perfect pregnancy plan. (of which I have learned there is no such thing;)
Heres the facts though, while I workout 3-5 times a week at the gym I have been eating ice cream and dessert every single night. Wish I could say I skipped a night or two but its probably not true. Having a sweet tooth has always been my crutch. So its probably a miracle that I haven’t gained even more. However, those were the clean hard facts. I had gotten myself to where I was on the scale. It wasn’t that I had been eating clean and working out and still gaining weight. I was overeating with sugar and it’s only natural to gain weight when you overeat.
So where do I go from here and what advice do I have for pregnant mamas?
Take one day at a time. That is all you can do and there is a lot of power in that. Take today by the horns and live it well. Tomorrow will come in due time.
If necessary write down what you are eating. Not for the sake of being a calorie nazi- I simply forget most days that I have already had sugar. Then after I eat it I realize I’ve already had more than my fill. So tracking my food intake has nothing to do with calories and everything to do with pregnancy brain
Leave the scale alone. You’ll be weighed every 4 weeks anyways. If you wanna see what it says then you can. I found since being pregnant my weight can fluctuate up to 5 lbs in one day. If you are use to tracking your weight you will probably go crazy watching the numbers go up and down each day/week.
Be honest with yourself. Journal your feelings. There are probably a lot jumbled around in there. Sort them out with journaling, friends, and your partner. I have found this to be my saving grace. Sometimes I just need to say outloud to someone what I am feeling and then I can just move on.
Love yourself. What is happening in your body is iNCREDIBLE. It blows my mind every time I feel little man kicking around. There is a HUMAN BODY in me!!!! WOW!!
Don’t take what others say to heart. Well that negative stuff anyways. Like the cashier at target the other day who asked if I was nearing the end. Nope I laughed. Still have four months to go.
Stay active. This has kept me sane and feeling strong. Since January I go to the gym 3-5 days a week for 45 minutes of cardio and then I do 1-3 days a week I do LIGHT weights at home. The endorphins from working out have helped me out so much!
So now that I’ve stepped on the scale and know the number that this body is carrying what am I going to do? Take my own advice of course. Keeping track of my sweets intake daily/weekly, *try* to stop eating by 8pm cause thats when the real damage is done, and have healthy snacks readily available. Most of the time when I eat sweets though I am not even hungry. It’s boredom eating. So I’ve got to have a talk with myself about that 😉 Maybe its time for a nighttime hobby other than eat the entire pint of Ben & Jerrys Ice cream.
So for you mamas who have been through this I would love to know. What helped keep you on track staying away from your guilty pleasures?
