Fit Pregnancy







While I was pregnant, I got so many questions about my diet and exercise. I'm going to tell you guys what I did during my pregnancies to maintain a healthy weight. It's so important to only gain the recommended amount of weight. This helps prevent stretch marks, ( I didn't get any!) extra loose skin after birth, and makes losing the weight more attainable. (And so much quicker!) 

It's super important to make sure your body is pretty healthy before putting it through a pregnancy. This makes the whole process so much easier. All kinds of crazy changes are going to happen, and you want to give yourself the best start possible. 

Pregnancy #1
Lux was a surprise, and I wasn't taking good care of myself at that time. I was in college, staying up all night cramming for tests, my diet was garbage, and I had zero exercise going on. I'm so thankful that I found out I was pregnant early on, so I could change my lifestyle drastically. At my first doctor's appointment, I weighed 122 pounds. I'm 5'2'', so healthy weight for my height is anywhere between 104 and 135. Since I fell somewhere in the middle of that, my doctor-recommended pregnancy weight gain was 25-35 pounds. (Use an online BMI calculator to find your own recommended weight gain for your height.)

I was super-sick the entire first trimester, and had no interest in exercising yet. I remember just wanting to eat cold, sugary cereal. (Fruity Pebbles!) By the second trimester I was feeling like myself again, and was so excited to just feel hungry. I had some cravings, and fell into some bad eating habits. Every day for lunch I would eat a bologna and cheese sandwich on white bread, and probably 2 bags of barbecue chips. Oh yeah, 2-3 cans of Wild Cherry Pepsi every day. That is embarrassing to admit, but I gotta be honest with you guys. I struggled with my food choices during these couple months.  


 (35 weeks pregnant here with Lux.) 

About halfway through, I packed on enough weight to realize I needed to slow down. During my third trimester, I started power walking. I would walk every afternoon up and down big hills in our neighborhood for about 45 minutes. I would jam out to my favorite songs, and picture myself getting back into shape after baby. I also tried to make better food choices. I started eating oatmeal for breakfast, (instead of fruity pebbles) and sweetening it with mixed berries. I also started craving cantaloupe naturally, so that was much better than the bologna and chips. Lol! 

When I got to the hospital to give birth, I weighed in at 155 pounds. That put me at a 33 pound weight gain. Which was not too difficult for me to lose in the next 6 months. (I will write a post about both of my "snap-backs" soon.)


I was 2 years post-partum here, and getting ready to get pregnant with baby #2 a couple weeks later. (115 pounds)


Pregnancy #2
This being my second time around, I knew more about what to expect. I spent months before I got pregnant preparing my body. I started prenatal vitamins 3 months prior, ate a lot healthier, and worked out almost daily. I also took weight-lifting seriously and tried to put on some muscle. I knew I wouldn't be able to maintain my gains throughout the pregnancy, but I wanted to start out the strongest I could be. I started this pregnancy at 115 pounds. Around 6 weeks I got super sick again. I think I'm just one of those people who get really bad morning sickness. The only food I liked at this time was the bacon, egg, & gouda sandwich from Starbucks. I was spending so much money there, but that was the only thing that would subside my nausea. I did not work out one time during the first trimester. I was totally miserable. 


As before, second trimester rolled around, and I was feeling great again. I got back to my normal food routine, and started adding in light-weight exercises again. My cravings now were for bagels with cream cheese. Not good. Haha! I just tried to keep it in check. At this time, we were deep into our home-building process, so that was keeping me busy. I was always at the new house, running errands, or picking out materials. This kept me from just staying home and devouring everything in sight. 

By the third trimester I had done great with keeping my weight down. We got all moved into our new house, and then all the wonky stuff happened to my body. I had such bad lower-back pain, and this really hurt my workout routine. Not to mention the huge belly in my way. I got some super-unhealthy cravings. I lived for Cracker Barrel's blueberry pancakes and bacon. I can't tell you how many times just me and Lux went there for breakfast. I also got to where I was making a "mug brownie" every afternoon. The chocolate cravings were out of control. Then I got a thrombosed hemorrhoid. (Pregnancy is so glamorous. Lol!) This was so much more painful than the actual birth. I literally couldn't move without pain for the whole last month. That issue resolved itself miraculously a week before my due date. 

Thea was about 3 days overdue, and I weighed in at the hospital 145 pounds. (30 pounds weight gain) She was the easiest labor and delivery! I felt like it took me a full 6 months to fully feel like my body was back and better. Be looking for my next post about everything I did after birth to make sure I lost the weight and put back on muscle quickly. 



Fit Pregnancy Tips

1. Weigh yourself weekly! I kept a note in my phone, and recorded my weight every week. This really kept me accountable for my choices. 

2. You're not "eating for two". This is the biggest lie. You do not need to try to eat extra calories. Trust me, you will eat more than you need without even trying! Consume the same portion sizes you normally would.

3. Get moving. Even when you don't have the energy, get up and walk. Outside, an indoor track, even the mall. 

4. Use weights as long as you can. Something I noticed with my first pregnancy is that I lost all muscle tone. I only did cardio, and I had to work for years to regain that lost muscle. I'm by no means a heavy-weight lifter, but I do use weights in almost all of my workouts. I would recommend using ankle weights, light hand weights, 10-lb kettle bell, and resistance bands. 


(third trimester - working out in our basement)

5. Try to find healthy swaps for your cravings. If your craving something super unhealthy, see what you can do to make that food more nutritious and "lighter". 

6. Don't think of pregnancy as an excuse to eat Taco Bell every night at 10pm. Yeah, it's fun to laugh about it at the time, but you won't be laughing when the baby is here and you have over 50 pounds to lose. 

7. Start a post-baby body Pinterest board. I did this during both of my pregnancies. I pinned tons of healthy recipes, cute outfits I wanted to be able to wear, and motivational fitness pictures.

8. Keep the clothes you want to eventually wear again at the front of your closet. I did this while I was pregnant with Thea. I hung up swimsuits, tank tops, and little dresses where I would see them every day. Every time I walked in my closet, I would remind myself I was going to rock those bikinis again. 

9. Have your partner hold you accountable. Let them know you are serious about staying healthy during pregnancy, and ask for their support. 

10. Enjoy your pregnancy, but remember there is life after. Make healthy choices now, so you can be a hot mom later! 

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