Healthy Lifestyle & Fitness for Preggos!

[Mara]

Hi ladies! I mentioned this over in FHH Preggo thread...so here it is!

My biggest issue with becoming pregnant is the loss of control over my body and how it works. I used to work out religiously 5x a week and kept my weight steady thanks to it. I knew what I could and couldn''t eat and how I could slip a bit and get back on track etc. But now that my body is taking over, it is doing what it wants. I''ve only gained 3 lbs but I feel like a cow...I know it''s silly but it''s mental. My pants don''t fit anymore as my hips have slightly spread. I had horrible indigestion and heartburn as well no matter WHAT I ate.

I couldn''t work out when I was sick but now that I am feeling better, I am back on it. 3-4x a week doing Zumba! My Dr told me I could continue doing what I wanted as long as I felt ok, and because my body was used to the exercise. I move a little more slowly and drink more water but so far I am able to keep up.

I actually WAS taking Bikram Yoga when I found out and had to stop because they don''t want the baby getting overheated. I didn''t stop til about 6 weeks so hopefully it didn''t cause any lasting damage! But I loved Bikram so I was bummed I had to stop...some ladies say you don''t have to but they have been doing it for years and I had just started.

So anyway what are you ladies doing to stay healthy, eat right, be active? How are you dealing with the changes in your body...do you just tell yourself it''s all for the good of the baby? Does that mentally work??? Also if anyone wants to pipe in about after-baby and how you got back into shape and/or trials or tribulations..I''d love to hear that too since I am planning my post-plan already!!

 

[steph72276]

Hey, Mara. Thanks for starting this thread, it is just what I needed to keep motivated to keep up a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy.

I am really aware of what I am eating and my activity level this time around. With my last pregnancy, I had never had any sort of weight issues, so I used that time to indulge, and completely stopped working out. I took eating for 2 literally and really packed on the pounds. Now that I know how difficult it is to get that weight off, I am doing everything possible this time to keep the weight gain within a normal range and I am keeping my activity level up.

I have been so sick for the first few months, that there was no way I felt like working out at the gym at 5am like I was doing before. And since I had cramps/bleeding around 7 weeks, I stopped my running. Now that I have been feeling better for the past few weeks, I am trying to get some form of low impact exercise in everyday. I swim almost daily (I take our noodle thing and do leg work while Andrew is swimming back and forth like a fish!). I have also been taking our dog on daily walks around 1 mile. So not too much, but still being somewhat active. When Andrew returns to school next month, I am going to try to go back to the gym a few times a week to walk on the treadmill and do some light weights.

As far as food goes, I was so sick at first NOTHING sounded good. Fruit was probably the only thing I could consume without getting sick. And still now, I am craving lots and lots of fruit. Adam said our fridge looked like a farmer''s market. In one week I bought apples, bananas, oranges, pineapple, watermelon, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries! My craving this week has been grilled chicken salads. I''m happy with these cravings because last time, mine were not so healthy. And I am keeping in mind, you shouldn''t really be eating for 2 since the little munchkin is only a few inches!

Sorry I wrote a book here, but glad to have a place for support for healthy pregnancies!

 

[Rod]

WOW Mara.........I had no idea you and Greg were expecting......HOW FANTASTIC!!! Just had to pop in say congratulations.

And Steph......I wondered where you''d gone. I guess I didn''t know were you expecting. I''ve missed you on the HLT too! Congratulations to you, Adam and Andrew!!!!

 

[steph72276]

Thanks, Rod! I hope you''ve been good. Miss all you guys over there on the HLT! I''ll be back over in a few months!!

 

[Sharon101]

Mara, I had the opposite. I started off being slightly overweight (so extra stomach didnt faze me) and just went crazy with the food. I stupidly thought it was a great opportunity to eat whatever I wanted. I did this 3 times and each time got so big I couldnt even hardly fit into maternity clothes!!! You would think I would have learnt my lesson after the first time!

But no, each time I put on about 25 kilos which was awful. But I enjoyed the ride!!!

Fast forward to today and Im back to a normal (slightly overweight) weight. Im actually working out now and trying to go for `skinny bitch` weight! Actually eatting less and trying to be fit the hard way of actually changing habits etc.

All my friends who started off at good low/ healthy weights ended up getting back to their old thin selves through motivation and good habits to fall back on. Some may have had a tiny bit of help (tummy tuck etc) but most stayed true to how they were pre pregnancy. The extra weight you carry during pregnancy is a short time in your life and not worth stressing too much about. Its a ride after all and you are making a baby which is so special!!!

You sound like you have the right attitude. Keep yourself mindful about what you put in your mouth and continue exercise where its safe to do it. You sound like you will be one of the yummy mummies that are so common right now!

 

[Mara]

Thanks Rod! I kept it under wraps until yesterday so it''s not like you missed much!!

Steph....swimming is great, I wish I was more interested in it. For now I am just trying to stay with my Zumba and getting extra walking in sometimes. But some days I am so tired...ugh. I really hate not feeling like MYSELF. I am like a big slug mentally...even TALKING to Greg sometimes is like an effort I don''t feel like expending. One of my friends said she went home after work every day when preggo and took like a 2 hour nap, then would eat dinner and go to bed! I am like ok well at least it''s not that bad. Can you imagine like 8 months of that?

Food is hard for me...nothing really ever sounds good and I love food! But when I am actually eating, it TASTES good, so I haven''t had any gaps in eating because mentally I can convince myself to eat since I know it will taste good and I will feel better afterwards. But it is very hard for me to have this aversion to food since I really like to eat. And the eating every 2-3 hours. OMG. I am so over EATING. It seems like I am always stuffing something into my face. Greg is amazed I haven''t gained like a thousand pounds already...hahaa.

My Dr told me to eat 300 cals more from the beginning but I really have just been eating normally and what sounds good. It''s hard to be ''healthy'' when so many things don''t sound good. I love the idea of fruit but when I was really gassy and had indigestion earlier, I could hardly eat fruits because of the natural sugars and gases. And water, ugh I hated it! And I LIVE off water typically. So this has really kind of messed with how I''d *prefer* to be eating and what I typically eat.

Sharon...so funny re: eating for 2 and doing it 3x and not learning! Since I have already lost weight in a previous life...not much only 10-15 lbs but still it was very hard to get that off, and so I am very aware of it now. I am older and not a super spring chicken anymore, so I know that I have to be careful. Porking out now will only make it harder after the baby comes...and I know how tied in my overall feeling of well-being is with how I feel and look and my activity level so I know that I Don''t want to sabotage myself. Thankfully I learned this BEFORE getting preggo or else I''d probably be like ''eating for 4 please!''.

 

[bee*]

Congratulations Mara! I didn''t know you were pregnant! Here''s to a happy and healthy 9 months.

 

[phoenixgirl]

OK, well maybe the day I found out that I now weigh 150 is not the day to be posting helpful tips on this thread. I have gained 33 pounds at 28 weeks! I guess I am overeating combined with the fact that I am burning fewer calories, which I really didn''t take into account. Or maybe it''s just what my body wants to do. (Yeah, let''s go with that.) I was very thin before I got pregnant, but what am I going to weigh when this is all said and done?

The doctor''s office thinks my starting weight was 7 pounds higher than it was (since I had gained that much by week 9 when I went for my first appointment), but they have been very positive so far. Today the doctor said my weight was great and I was measuring right on target, so I asked if it seemed like I had gained too much, and she said no, looking at me and not the numbers it didn''t seem excessive.

Anyway, during the first trimester I was tired/nauseated and I caught a cold, so my exercising was off and on. I was kind of scared to run (seemed like the baby must be jostling all around) but I gave it a try a few times. Around 15 weeks I stopped doing any exercises on my back per the recommendations (they seem to range from around then to maybe 20 weeks), but I tried to use my Firm incline to continue doing crunches and pec flies. I finally figured out that one of my Firm DVDs, Body Sculpt Blaster, never involved lying on the back/crunches so I''ve done that one over and over. I also got the Perfect Pregnancy Workout Vol. 1 with this Cirque du Soleil performer (I know) doing all these ridiculous moves, including this killer segment at the end where you hold your arms out like you''re on the cross and then make small backwards circles for three minutes until you want to die. I have an old Prenatal Yoga VHS my SIL gave me, which I did last week when I was sore from traveling and sitting a lot. It didn''t involve any strength training, and the woman demonstrating the third trimester poses was basically just sitting in a chair leaning from side to side, but the second trimester moves were pretty good for loosening me up.

So these days I''m doing workouts at least three times a week (25-35 min.) and walking one to three times (45-50 min.), plus purposeful walking to do errands like I would usually do. I don''t feel like I''m eating crazily but the numbers just keep going up. I am starting to slow down . . . 33 extra pounds will do that to you . . . and I am scared that if I gain 10-20 more pounds (please don''t let it be more!) I''m going to barely be able to move at the end.

So today hasn''t been the best day. DH came home from work early and took me to Babies R Us to look at gliders after I started crying about my weight and other things (friends canceling vacation plans), but then he didn''t want to buy one because he thought someone would get it for us if we registered for one (but I don''t want to risk not getting one and then having to order one when I just want to sit in my completed nursery now), so that didn''t really help. Then we had to go to Lowe''s for other baby/house stuff when all I really wanted to do was nap. I know he thought doing baby stuff would cheer me up but I''d rather have a present or a massage or a dinner out! Instead I''m sitting here feeling sorry for myself while he''s out playing frisbee golf . . .

These darn hormones! I am so not usually a girly emotional person!

 

[Mara]

Thanks bee!!

PG you are TINY from what I remember...so I imagine your body is just trying to do what it thinks it needs. Honestly I am shocked I haven''t gained more at this point because I feel like I am eating a lot so I am like REALLY? I am sure one day I will wake up and it will just start packing on. My girlfriend didn''t gain any weight in first tri but then within 2nd she gained like 5 lbs in 2 weeks.

My DR told me that if you were a little light to start that it is not unusual for them to say it''s ok for you to gain more...because you probably didn''t have much fat on you to begin with. Unfortunately I think our bodies are evolving WAY slower than we would prefer, in the class I took for pre-natal kind of ''what to expect'' they had ''fat stores'' in there of 6-8 lbs still! Even though hello in today''s day and age typically we don''t need extra fat stores, it''s not like the old days when you might not have a meal every day. But the hospital still adds that in.

BUT if you don''t have fat stores to begin with maybe you DO need it. Anyway I wouldn''t worry too much. The way I am trying to think about it is...if I can not jiggle like a crazy bowl of jello all over by the time I go in for the birth, I will be ecstatic. It is much easier to try to keep legs, butt and arms in shape than worry about everything, because then you can just focus on BELLY when all is said and done. So it''s great you are still doing toning exercises as you can (those small arm circles ARE killer, just be careful because I used to do them alot too about 2 years ago, and I ended up hurting my boob/pec muscle...and couldn''t do arm exercises for like 2-3 months after that...it sucked, so now I am more careful).

Greg tells me not to worry because he knows how anal I am about being active but man some days its hard to just not go sit on the couch and slug out....like tonite I do not want to go work out but I am going to try to force myself. But on the other hand Thurs is not the best workout so I am like why bother... I can just go harder on Saturday. It is definitely weird to not feel like myself.

We''ll see how positive I remain once the scale starts going up because it''s inevitable! Hahaha. And I hear you re hormones, the other night I was moaning about how fat and bloated I was and how I was depressed. And Greg is like ok sweetie, just go to sleep. And the next day I was like gosh what a whiner...hahaha. Totally comes and goes.

 

[monarch64]

HOLY CANNOLI!!!!! A baby GreMara!!!!! Congrats! Obviously I missed out on the news yesterday wherever you posted, but I noticed that YOU started this preggo thread and I figured it had to be because you were pregnant! How great for you and Greg, very exciting news indeed. Can we have diamond toe rings made for the baby?

 

[Kaleigh]

Mara,
I know you will be fine, because you are super fit and eat very healthfully. I gained the same wieght with both my kids about 28 pounds. Did I carry the same?? Nope, with Ash I looked huge. With Rob I was super tiny, just had a belly, like a basketball. I had c sections with both. With Rob because it was all belly and was little everywhere else, I left the hospital wearing my ..... Skinny jeans!!. The nurses couldn't believe it, they were like no one should be able to do that. But here I had gained the same wieght with Ash... but am guessing it went to all other areas.. Because I was the first of my friends to have a baby, when they came to vist after having Ash, they said why is your tummy so big??

 

[steph72276]

Is anyone else having a major aversion to meat? Adam has been making steaks and burgers and I will just have a frozen meal or salad b/c the thought of red meat grosses me out so much. And I LOVED steak before getting pregnant. I know I have been eating way too much pasta, but the whole meat thing is still making me sick. I am eating lots of yogurt and string cheese....any other ideas on ways to sneak protein in?

 

[phoenixgirl]

I've had aversions to meat on and off, but I think that overall I've eaten more meat being pregnant (especially hotdogs in the first trimester???) than I would usually. My (totally unscientific) theory is that your body is wary of foods that might contain listeria. At one of DH's bike races Chipotle was giving away chicken, beef, and veggie burritos for free, and I couldn't stomach the thought of eating any of them except the vegetarian one. I think my body knew not to trust the meat in burritos that had obviously been made hours before at a different location. I've found the thought of chicken pretty unappealing for most of my pregnancy.

On the other hand, before I got on my morning sickness medication, I was wanting fatty and salty meat all the time . . . sausage, bologna, Beefaroni, hotdogs, etc. I would normally avoid that stuff like the plague. That reminds me, maybe the food bank people who are coming tomorrow will take away our ridiculous stockpile of Beefaroni DH got me while I barked food-related orders from the couch . . . I think at that point my body was trying to pile on fat. Mission accomplished!

ETA: Ew, the stockpile is gone. I do remember DH having a can here and there. He must have eaten it all himself!

 

[ChinaCat]

What really clicked for me was changing the way I felt about my body and working out.

Pre-preggo, I was focused on losing or maintaining weight and looking toned or whatever I was focused on. Once I became preggo, I focused on being STRONG and HEALTHY for me and baby. So it's not about numbers or pounds, or how much you worked out that week, but it became about listening to my body and doing things that kept me active and flexible and stretched out so that my body could accommodate baby and extra weight.

It took a bit, but once I switched my thinking, it made a world of difference. So instead of feeling bad if I didn't work out or do certain things, I started being proud that I was still working out and being active. A lot of women take the preggo vacation, and eat whatever they want and don't work out. So I gave myself credit for just moving and strengthening the other parts of me (legs, back especially, arms). I stopped worrying about abs (my problem area).

For me, walking, swimming, yoga, pilates, these kind of things made me feel active and strong. I just stopped stressing about "cardio" and decided to feel relief that I didn't feel like I needed to "push" myself that way right now.

Just being active and moving and working out during your pregnancy keeps your muscle memory and everyone has said it is that much easier to lose the weight and get back in shape if you've been working out during pregnancy.

Luckily, for the most part I didn't crave really bad things- I thought I would, I tend to love junk food. I just ate what sounded good, but I ate a lot of small meals all day. You get to a point where you really can't eat too much, there isn't a lot of room in there. But if you are starving, you have to eat something. The most important thing is listening to your body!

Also, I don't weigh myself. I don't look at the scale, I don't care. I feel good about the way I look so knowing the "number" can only mess me up mentally. I mean, the nurse does tell me how much I've gained since last appt, so obviously I could quickly do the math, but I choose not to. I know about how much it's ok to gain b/w appts, and as long as I"m in that range, I'm happy.

Also know that you can not gain any weight for a few weeks, then pack on 5 lbs in a week, then again nothing for a week. Babies have growth spurts.

There is a breakdown of what everything actually "weighs" that helped me- the blood, the fluid, your uterus, baby, etc. I will find it and post it in a bit.

Oh, and the first 12-14 weeks are just about survival. Feeling nauseated and exhausted, it's all I could do to just go to work and come home. Nutrition and working out were the last things on my mind. I just ate what I could and slept when I could. It will pass, you will get a ton of energy back, so don't worry!!!!

 

[somethingshiny]

I just had to pop in and say "congrats, Mara!!" I didn''t know you were expecting!

steph~ When I was pregnant I had a HUGE aversion to meat. The only thing I could stomach was chicken and occasionally turkey if it was mixed in with other foods. I ate a lot of yogurt and low fat peanut butter to make up the difference.


Good luck to all of you ladies!

 

[steph72276]

SS, thanks for the ideas....I LOVE peanut butter. Off to the store to get the low fat kind!

 

[Mara]

lol re the beefaroni stockpile, that is hilarious.
monnie, i know isn't it SCARY? a mini me and greg.. (more me...haha!). thanks ss!

steph, i typically LOVE LOVE LOVE meat. as in i try to have it every meal practically. but now...not so much. not like i am veggie or anything but only certain types of meat sound appealing in certain ways. aka steak, i used to love it. but now i don't really like it at all. chicken chunks, gross. but shredded chicken in like a burrito or soup is fine. fried chicken ummm ok.

i also have a weird aversion to RICE, the texture i think.

i wanted a lot of SALT in the beginning and my sweet buds were totally turned off, very odd for me, the opposite in fact. and yeah i was really into hot dogs and hamburgers but now the thought of them makes my stomach turn (meat).

also PG it's funny you said your body is keeping you away from listeria stuff. for me, not at all. in fact i am craving bleu cheese dressings and the like. the thing is most of the stuff in the US is pasteurized, it has to be...so we don't have as much risk as those eating cheeses and other things in other countries. the US has pretty strict food guidelines. i am having sushi also sometimes because certain places freeze the fish and it kills the parasites. not the bacteria necessarily but the parasites. i usually only have a roll so it's not a large amt either and my dr said if its from a place that i eat at all the time and trust it is prob fine. also DUH before i realized smoked salmon wasnt cooked i was eating it weekly on bagels! it was soo good (the salt). so my body obviously doesn't have that 'protect me from listeria' gene going on...dammit!

and ugh speaking of food, last nite i had a peach and i swear my middle was swollen all night long, it was so uncomfortable. i wish i could eat more fruit without having the gas and bloating and heartburn.

 

[steph72276]

Do you think protein shakes are still okay? I guess that would be a good way to sneak some protein and fruit in. I will have to ask my doc if it's okay next time I'm there.

Mara, I am craving sushi in the worst way. I didn't know that freezing it kills the parasites.

 

[Mara]

Date: 7/31/2009 4:51:50 PM
Author: steph72276
Do you think protein shakes are still okay? I guess that would be a good way to sneak some protein and fruit in. I will have to ask my doc if it's okay next time I'm there.

Mara, I am craving sushi in the worst way. I didn't know that freezing it kills the parasites.

hmmm why wouldn't protein shakes be ok? isnt it just like milk, powder, fruit? if you can still eat those protein and fiber enhanced things like cereals and fiber bars out on the market, i would think stuff like that should be fine. i am also still sipping wine here and there though i hardly ever drink. everyone in other countries eats and drinks whatever they want, we are a little freaky in the US i think. my mom drank a LITER of coke with me every day and look, i turned out great.

i LOVE sushi so it was super hard for me the first 10 weeks to not eat it. when i read about the freezing i was like OK well hmm. and i asked whole foods when i went and they said yes they freeze for 24 hours to kill the parasites. so i tried it and felt ok. also i only have one roll so its not like i am eating 1/2 a raw fish. the rolls have tiny amts of the sashimi.

you can google it and read up. some people still say no you shouldn't but others say i did it and i was fine kind of thing. it's like almost anything re: pregnancy, do what makes you feel ok. and i know it doesn't kill bacteria, but there is so much crap out there that can have bacteria on it! esp food items. if i spent every minute freaking out about something i am stuffing in the gullet, my kid would prob be more damaged about my stress level. the endorphins from the sushi eating must be helpful right?

 

[Dancing Fire]

my advise...don''t touch them CUPCAKES !!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Well, this is embarrassing, but I thought smoked salmon was ok too! I''ve been eating it for lunch on a bagel with cream cheese! I swear that early in pregnancy I told my DH I couldn''t eat it any more, and he was like, "But it''s cooked. That''s what smoked means," and I was like, ok, great! I''m going to eat my current package because I did pay $8 for it . . . .

I''m no expert on listeria obviously, so this could be faulty reasoning, but I have a really, really strong stomach. I haven''t thrown up since 2003, and that time I was pretty sure I had been food poisoned but had to stick a finger down my throat because my body still was resisting. Even when I had morning sickness (which was bad enough I went on medication), I never got sick; I just felt wretched. Not that this means I''m not susceptible to the bacteria, especially since pregnant women have such higher rates of listeriosis . . . But I was under the impression that the dangerous thing that could cause miscarriage was the violent vomiting/fever . . . ???

So many do''s and don''ts! Sometimes ignorance is bliss . . .

 

[ChinaCat]

Phoenix- I think the issue with listeria isn''t whether or not it makes you sick, but how it affects the fetus. From what I remember, we''ve all probably had listeria and either didn''t have symptoms or had minor symptoms. Listeria for YOU isn''t a big deal, but it can be very very harmful to your fetus because it goes directly into the bloodstream. NOT trying to scare you, I think it''s pretty rare, but just so you know, it doesn''t matter if you get sick or not. Also, the risk is extremely low, but is higher in pregnant women b/c our immune systems are weakened. And I think the risk is really only if it goes untreated. So again, don''t stress about it, but be aware of it.

And I have no idea about salmon, I don''t eat it just cause I don''t like it.

Most cheeses are pasteurized in the US. As for deli meat, I have eaten it as long as it''s been in my fridge and I know for sure it''s been refrigerated.

I think Mara''s right on sushi, safe if you "trust" it. I know a lot of women that have eaten sushi throughout and been fine.

As for alcohol, totally personal. I didn''t have any until my 3rd trimester. I thought about having it after I hit 20 weeks, but just didn''t feel like it. I do drink non-alcoholic beer, and now I occasionally have wine.

As for the breakdown I was talking about:

APPROXIMATE WEIGHT GAIN:

BABY: 7.5 lbs
Placenta: 1.5 lbs
Amniotic Fluid: 2 lbs
Uterus: 2 lbs
Maternal breast tissue: 2 lbs
Maternal blood volume:4 lbs
Fluids: 4 lbs
Maternal fat stores: 7 lbs
-----------------------------------
Total average: 30 pounds overall weight gain

So try to remember that those 3 lbs aren''t necessarily FAT, Mara. Also, you are probably bloated at this stage, that should go away soon.


And I really like this cookbook: Feel-Good Foods for Pregnancy by Lyndel Costain & Nicola Graimes

 

[Mara]

i know pg i thought the same thing re: smoked salmon! i thought smoked meant cooked too! doh. but yeah i ate it for like 5 weeks with no issues so... who knows. what i read about listeria said it is even on plants and things. it says we typically have it in our systems with no issues, though sometimes we can get sick from it as well, but preggos are more susceptible. that whole heat to whatever degrees for some stuff sounds so gross, hot dogs to 200 degrees? barf!

i worked out yesterday quite vigorously, but also ate pretty lightly. my hunger is starting to not be as crazy which is good. i went mat clothes shopping today with my mom and sis as well and got a few cute things, but seriously most of this stuff really needs an actual BELLY on you to be cute, instead it just looks odd. the store had a STRAP ON belly which i thought was hilarious...if i could look as i do now by with a belly like that at 8 months i'd be ecstatic. haha. and i managed to come home and get online and find the paige cords i tried on in the mat store for $60 instead of $120! yay!

my obsession this wkd is emmenthaler cheese on a french baguette. reminiscent of what i ate in paris, i love it. we'll walk later, and i dont know what is for dinner but nothing sounds that appealing, typical since pregnany, so depressing!

and china yep that is a similar breakdown to what i saw. isnt it crazy they still have 7 lbs for maternal stores? mine are in my BUTT.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Just seeing this now..congrats Mara! Woohoo!! (never thought I''d "see" the day...

)

Keep well!

cheers--Sharon

 

[cellososweet]

For those of you who have meat aversions:

peanut butter
poached eggs or eggwhite omelettes
beans, beans, and more beans (I make a potato and corn chowder with lima beans, a black bean and corn chili, minestrone with cannelini''s)
tofu stir fry recipes

I''ve been a vegetarian for ages and have never had any issues. I am prone to being anemic, but I was prone to this even eating red meat, so that''s just me I suppose.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Mara, I hope your food aversions pass soon. You are into the second trimester now, right?

Today I walked 3 miles. I felt pretty good. My goal now that I''m in the third trimester is just to keep up my strength, agility, and endurance as much as possible. I''m obviously losing cardiovascular fitness by not running, but I hope that keeping running as something to get back to post baby will be the shock my body needs to get back to somewhere near where I was before.

My only physical complaint is that sometimes it''s hard to go up stairs and to get up from squatting. That makes me feel clumsy and out of shape. But I know that actually my leg muscles are probably stronger now than before since they''re lugging all 150+ pounds of me and the baby around, and I''m still doing my Firm workouts with the Fanny Lifter.

Speaking of, yesterday I discovered another pregnancy "friendly" Firm DVD in my collection: Super Body Sculpt (I think . . . all those titles are nearly identical). It wasn''t my favorite in the past because it does upper body, lower body, and abs in separate sections, which I always thought was an inefficient use of time. But the upper and lower body sections don''t have anything I can''t do, and while they were doing crunches on the floor I was doing these little piddly crunches from Perfect Pregnancy Workout Vol. 1. I also think it''s probably better for me to just do squats or just do overhead presses to reduce the risk of injury; when you''re doing both at once it''s easier to lose your balance/pull something.

Last night I cooked some yummy chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice from Cooking Light. I also made some chewy chocolate cookies from Eating Well, to which I added some peanut butter chips, but even with those it''s only 70 calories per cookie. There''s no butter, just sugar and egg whites (well, and other stuff too, obviously). If I were my father-in-law I would balk at the sugar and use splenda, but I just can''t commit to eating something fake like that even though I know there''s no real evidence that it''s harmful.

I wonder how much energy I''ll have to cook or try new recipes when the baby''s here, so I''m doing what I can now.

 

[Mara]

Thanks PG... the food aversions are not SO bad but it is weird to not like things I typically love and eat all the time. Last nite we had chorizo and eggs for dinner (a breakfast item). Greg was ecstatic, he loves it. I figured well this is yummy to me and it's protein soooo.

I went to Zumba last nite but was a bit tired. Today I hope to get Greg to walk with me for about 2 miles. I am also going to start walking with a friend 2x a week for about 40 minutes. Figure if I get into that habit now it'll just be easier later when I am bigger.

My nausea is much better thank god...and I am drinking more water than I was before which is great. I am also still at 3-4 lbs weight gain, which is fine with me. I know I am eating enough so that's all that matters. I am sure my body will start wanting to pack it on at some point.

 

[swingirl]

I don''t know how I missed your original announcement but now I see you are pregnant! Congratulations, Mara. How exciting! A cupcake bakin'' mama.

I have no advice about food and pregnancy. I gained about 40 lbs and lost most of it. I had fun. I didn''t try to eat for 2 but didn''t hold myself back when I was hungry. Once I ate half a lasagna. We''re talking a lasagna in a 9 x 12 pan and I ate half!! I figured if I was hungry my body must be doing some extra work building a baby.

I danced until about 6 or 7 months when it became too much of a strain on my joints. But I kept active. I don''t know how far along you are but the tiredness seems to go away after a while and you feel pretty good for the 2nd trimester. Oh and everyone I know says your brain gets a little mushy when you are pregnant. But it all goes back to normal.

Good luck!

 

[Mara]

thanks swin! yeah you are growing a 2nd person in there...your body is working hard! lol re pan of lasagna ... i feel like i am eating all the time in general so it''s crazy i have just gained a few so far. tonite we had chicken pot pies and cupcakes hahaa.

 

[marcy]

Congratulations, Mara and Greg.

Hi Steph!