Keeping Fit Through Pregnancy Part 1

My first pregnancy went extremely well. About the best it can, I would suspect. I didn’t ever have morning sickness. I rarely was nauseous and I felt pretty much normal until the last few weeks (when you’re really huge). I lost fifteen pounds the first month being pregnant because I instantly went off sugars and soda when I found we were expecting. My family has a long history of diabetes and I knew that exploded my chances of developing gestational diabetes. I did NOT want that.

Pushing 187 lbs at 6weeks, Sucking in worth everything I had... I was sadly attempting to look skinny. My face and arms tell it all though... and my lifted chest in holding a huge breath.

 I told this to my OB/GYN at the time and he explained that it was alright because I wasn’t doing anything wrong and I was just losing extra weight that I had to lose. That hurt. It stung. I knew I was overweight, but it wasn’t like I was THAT overweight. Sure I was barely tipping the BMI calculators to Obese, but it wasn’t that bad. After losing that ten pounds though I was on the “overweight” side of the calculators. So, the doc was right. It was weight I could afford to lose, but still… ouch!

14 Weeks, arms at a good angle to hide the flab, but I'm not sucking in too much here.  This was after the first month and -15 lbs.

I wasn’t huge on working out then and I did not have a clue about eating healthy. I knew basically that the less candy and sweets and soda’s I took in the less I would weigh, right? WRONG! But it’s not a bad place to start and yes, the less of that sugary junk the better, but it’s not everything.

Well… guess what. We’re expecting again! YAY! Watching my lower abdomen expand is freaking me out, let me tell you. I’ve been focusing so long on making it shrink! I got below 30 inches on my waist! My lower abs dropped about 5 inches… so having it go the other direction. Very. Hard…

6 weeks with baby #2. Not sucking in. MUCH better.

 I currently look like I’ve just been eating too many donuts, which doesn’t help. I wish I would “pop” so it was obvious I was pregnant. If I was thinner it would probably be more noticeable, but let’s face it. I may not look my 170 lbs but I definitely have room for improvement. (No current pic sorry.)

I’m facing so many things I didn’t have to worry about with LW. I had nausea up the wazoo! I never threw up, thank goodness, and it’s gone now. I was tired like someone who hadn’t slept in a week, but I’m getting my energy back. I’m craving foods (specifically Chinese, which I love anyway so that doesn’t help) like mad! I feel really moody and LW rakes on my every nerve it seems. I just want to scream most of the time. Bah! Not. fun.

Here’s what I have noticed though. On days during my first trimester when I could get my body to allow me healthy foods (which was pretty much never, I lived on breads people),  I felt better. On days when I could drag my exhausted body up to the corner and back I felt pretty good. So… now that I’m feeling better anyway I have a new plan.

I’ve seen Mommy Fitness bloggers that post throughout their pregnancies and you see them beautiful as ever up through their birth. But they don’t really tell you what they did throughout it to stay healthy. They’ll give you little details sure! Like… I ate mostly healthy throughout it or I continued lifting weights/working out. And throughout their pregnancy they might post something here or there.

I want to actually document what I’m doing and eating. I’m not supposed to lose weight while I’m pregnant, but I already informed my currently OB/GYN that I’m eating smaller meals, more often, and they are healthy. I’m working out. Those two combine may make the scale drop a little. She nodded and told me that sounds great. I just can’t be going for BIG numbers and I can’t be “trying” to lose weight. Which… I’m not.

With starting out at an “overweight” … um… weight, it’s recommended I gain between 15 and 25 pounds. I shooting for only 15 lbs. With LW I gained about 20 lbs. For my first trimester. I gained… 1 whole pound! Woot! That made me feel GREAT! Especially since I was eating pretty much ALL breads for over a month. It was the only thing my body could handle. Ugh. It was ridiculous.

So.

My Goals.

Gain 15 lbs of healthy baby weight.

Eat five times a day. Small portions, healthy food.

Do SOMETHING active seven days a week. Sunday is the Lord’s day so I rest on that day, but stretching is good every day and I’m okay with that on Sunday.

I’m not a fitness model by any means, nor am I starting at a healthy weight or really anywhere near one. (my healthy weight range is between 108 and 145) So my “keeping fit through pregnancy” will be different from someone who is already in tip top shape. I promise though. My next pregnancy (yes we want more kids) I WILL be in tip top shape.