Well after a whole trimester of nausea and vomiting and not really wanting or desiring to eat that much and a week or transitioning into the 2nd trimester and sort of getting more of an appetite, HUNGER HAS SET IN. And it has set in big time. I have to eat something about every hour or two. No I am not talking about cheeseburgers and milkshakes, but really more like snacks or mini-meals, in fact I can't eat that much in one sitting (which is probably a good thing).
I tend to eat fruit, string cheese, or yogurt between meals or mini-meals and then have stuff that is more hearty for meals. If I don't eat something, I get crazy hungry (borderline sick even). I wake up to go to the bathroom and am hungry but right now sleep overpowers hunger at night. I guess my worries about not gaining weight the first trimester and wondering if I would ever eat enough/gain enough weight can go out the window now.
I am still sticking to what I figured out a few days ago - eat when hungry, eat more healthy snacks, eat smaller amounts more often, and don't worry about the weight gain too much.
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition. Show all posts
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Eating for Three
So coming into this pregnancy, I was overweight (the most overweight I have been non-pregnant or right off of pregnancy). I did attempt to lose weight while I was waiting to get pregnant again after the miscarriage in November. It was difficult to try to workout at home, eat right, and find motivation knowing I would be pregnant (God-willing) in a couple of months.
I managed to lose a few pounds, but as soon as I found out I was pregnant and the symptoms started, I ceased working out and ate whatever worked for the moment. One meal might be normal and one would be just a small apple or something. It was sporadic at best. Most days I was nauseous and some days vomitting so I didn't know how the weight would go. I managed to not gain a pound in the first trimester. I didn't know whether this was good or bad since I am carrying twins and know they need more than a singleton pregnancy would need.
After a lot of research and talking with one of the doctors in my OB practice, I have found very differing opinions. OB doctor said no more than 15 pounds the rest of the pregnancy. A highly accredited doctor's book said 25-42 pounds based on my BMI. So there's the window 15-42. Not much of a difference, right? Talk about confusing. My theory is to err on the side of gaining more if it will help the babies.
The funny thing I have noticed so far (besides gaining no weight) is that my body craves healthy food for the most part. I can only drink water and a small amount of juice. I crave all fruits, especially apples and bananas. I love smoothies made with OJ, greek yogurt, and fruit. I went through a baby carrots and light ranch phase which has passed for now. I like salad more now than I ever have. I eat them when we go out to eat more than I used to. I would rather have grilled chicken than fried chicken. I would rather have the good stuff than the bad stuff. Of course I do like some bad stuff like chips and fries.
My method is to 1) stay really hydrated so that I don't mistake thirst for hunger, 2) to eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full (imagine that?), 3) to go for healthy stuff mainly, 4) to have really healthy snacks (fruit, string cheese, yogurt, smoothies), 5) to allow myself "junky" stuff once in a while (everything in moderation of course), and 6) to just not worry too much about the weight (if I gain, I gain). So far it is going really well, in fact, this might be the best learning experience about food/weight I have learned in 10+ years of dieting. Hopefully I can take these things into my post-partum life when I need to lose weight again.
I managed to lose a few pounds, but as soon as I found out I was pregnant and the symptoms started, I ceased working out and ate whatever worked for the moment. One meal might be normal and one would be just a small apple or something. It was sporadic at best. Most days I was nauseous and some days vomitting so I didn't know how the weight would go. I managed to not gain a pound in the first trimester. I didn't know whether this was good or bad since I am carrying twins and know they need more than a singleton pregnancy would need.
After a lot of research and talking with one of the doctors in my OB practice, I have found very differing opinions. OB doctor said no more than 15 pounds the rest of the pregnancy. A highly accredited doctor's book said 25-42 pounds based on my BMI. So there's the window 15-42. Not much of a difference, right? Talk about confusing. My theory is to err on the side of gaining more if it will help the babies.
The funny thing I have noticed so far (besides gaining no weight) is that my body craves healthy food for the most part. I can only drink water and a small amount of juice. I crave all fruits, especially apples and bananas. I love smoothies made with OJ, greek yogurt, and fruit. I went through a baby carrots and light ranch phase which has passed for now. I like salad more now than I ever have. I eat them when we go out to eat more than I used to. I would rather have grilled chicken than fried chicken. I would rather have the good stuff than the bad stuff. Of course I do like some bad stuff like chips and fries.
My method is to 1) stay really hydrated so that I don't mistake thirst for hunger, 2) to eat when I am hungry and stop when I am full (imagine that?), 3) to go for healthy stuff mainly, 4) to have really healthy snacks (fruit, string cheese, yogurt, smoothies), 5) to allow myself "junky" stuff once in a while (everything in moderation of course), and 6) to just not worry too much about the weight (if I gain, I gain). So far it is going really well, in fact, this might be the best learning experience about food/weight I have learned in 10+ years of dieting. Hopefully I can take these things into my post-partum life when I need to lose weight again.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Nutrition and Weight Gain while Carrying Multiples
I am learning so much everyday about twins, carrying multiples, and how to take care of them once you get them safely delivered into the world. One of my major concerns was with gaining weight during pregnancy with the twins. I am overweight going into this pregnancy and if it was a singleton pregnancy, I wasn't planning to gain much because it is okay not to with one baby if you are overweight.
I found a great book called "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy." It's all about nutrition and weight gain while carrying multiples. It goes through how much weight you need to gain in total with twins, triplets, or quads if you are underweight, regular weight, or overweight when you start your pregnancy. It then gives you the high and low necessary weight gain for each category. It also breaks it down into how much you should gain by each couple of weeks.
I learned so many interesting things. First, it doesn't matter what your starting weight is, you MUST gain a good amount of weight when carrying twins. For my weight level, I HAVE TO gain between 30 and 35 pounds. I also learned that when carrying twins you MUST gain the weight fast (before 28 weeks) as they don't have as long of a gestational age. Most twins are born by 37 weeks if not even earlier. If you don't gain weight, your babies will suffer much more than a single baby.
Well, this was partly exciting and partly overwhelming because so far I have lost 2 pounds (even though my stomach already looks about 2-3 months pregnant). I should have gained about 5-7 pounds by now. So, I am on a mission to gain some weight. I never thought I would have a hard time with needing to gain weight, but I started thinking it was one and that I wouldn't need to gain more than 15 to 20 pounds.
I have to eat around 3,500 calories, aim to get a lot of really good stuff into my diet each day:
4 servings of dairy
Lots of protein
Lots of fiber/whole grains
Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Lots of water
Limit soda (it breaks down the babies' ability to absorb calcium and iron)
This is going to be a challenge as I already feel full after just eating a little bit. I am going to be working on eating every couple of hours so that I can still get in the amount of calories I need.
My number one priority right now is these babies. I want to gain whatever necessary to help them achieve an optimal birth weight. I want to be able to carry them as long as possible to help them be as healthy as possible. I also want to stay very peaceful, calm, and rested so that I don't get my blood pressure up so that we don't have any problems. These babies are soooooo important to me already. I want both healthfully and happily brought into the world.
Please pray for me as I carry these babies, healthfully gain weight, and nourish the twins.
I found a great book called "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads: Proven Guidelines for a Healthy Multiple Pregnancy." It's all about nutrition and weight gain while carrying multiples. It goes through how much weight you need to gain in total with twins, triplets, or quads if you are underweight, regular weight, or overweight when you start your pregnancy. It then gives you the high and low necessary weight gain for each category. It also breaks it down into how much you should gain by each couple of weeks.
I learned so many interesting things. First, it doesn't matter what your starting weight is, you MUST gain a good amount of weight when carrying twins. For my weight level, I HAVE TO gain between 30 and 35 pounds. I also learned that when carrying twins you MUST gain the weight fast (before 28 weeks) as they don't have as long of a gestational age. Most twins are born by 37 weeks if not even earlier. If you don't gain weight, your babies will suffer much more than a single baby.
Well, this was partly exciting and partly overwhelming because so far I have lost 2 pounds (even though my stomach already looks about 2-3 months pregnant). I should have gained about 5-7 pounds by now. So, I am on a mission to gain some weight. I never thought I would have a hard time with needing to gain weight, but I started thinking it was one and that I wouldn't need to gain more than 15 to 20 pounds.
I have to eat around 3,500 calories, aim to get a lot of really good stuff into my diet each day:
4 servings of dairy
Lots of protein
Lots of fiber/whole grains
Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables
Lots of water
Limit soda (it breaks down the babies' ability to absorb calcium and iron)
This is going to be a challenge as I already feel full after just eating a little bit. I am going to be working on eating every couple of hours so that I can still get in the amount of calories I need.
My number one priority right now is these babies. I want to gain whatever necessary to help them achieve an optimal birth weight. I want to be able to carry them as long as possible to help them be as healthy as possible. I also want to stay very peaceful, calm, and rested so that I don't get my blood pressure up so that we don't have any problems. These babies are soooooo important to me already. I want both healthfully and happily brought into the world.
Please pray for me as I carry these babies, healthfully gain weight, and nourish the twins.
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