It all started when I went to the Florida Keys to visit my Dad. Talk about amazing food---tropical delight! I let everything slide and ate whatever I wanted, right down to the Key Lime Pie! And truthfully, I didn't feel badly about it. I mean, vacation is vacation--right? Not to mention, I'm pregnant! Gotta have a little bit of enjoyment. Upon returning to Long Island, I would get back on track. Not a problem.
Except, it HAS BEEN A PROBLEM! I can't seem to get back on track! Here's the thing.....I am not a person who struggles with exercise--or even poor food choices. Generally speaking, I look forward to daily movement and I naturally gravitate towards clean, nourishing foods. The problem is that I don't always listen to GENUINE hunger cues---and I eat mindlessly. Picture this---digging into boxes, bags, grabbing handfuls of this and spoonfuls of that. Complete emotional BINGE EATING. That's me. Granted---I'll be spooning cottage cheese and grabbing handfuls of Kashi cereal---but nevertheless, it's completely mindless and unrelated to a physical NEED for food! And nighttime!!?? THE WORST! I really need to get this on track....
But I know what you're thinking. Realistically, I'm pregnant. Who cares if I gain weight, right? I mean, I'm SUPPOSED TO gain weight....
Umm… me?!!!
Yes. I'm pregnant. But, does that mean that the next few months are an all-out double-fisting-meatballs free for all!!?? No.
NO. NO. NO.
SO MANY PEOPLE fall into this trap. And, I'm not going there. It's the "I'll get back on track after I have the baby" mindset. Have you any idea how DIFFICULT a set up that is? To form poor eating habits and sustain them over the course of MONTHS....pack on extra, non-baby related pounds, undergo a major surgery (c-section for me, folks), and bring home a BRAND NEW HUMAN BEING---only to have to revamp my entire nutrition and exercise regimen? Ummmm....NO. It's no wonder why so many people fail at losing the baby weight with this mindset. Any mother knows....once the baby is here.....it's ALL ABOUT BABY. There's no time to focus on my menu planning, fitness, and weight loss. Come on! I have to HIT THE GROUND RUNNING!
And, that means addressing the issue RIGHT NOW.
Fortunately, my pregnancy thus far has been extremely healthy. As I've already said---I am a very active and fit mama--and I enjoy eating healthfully. For the first 20 weeks, my weight gain has been slow and steady--the doctors are pleased. But in the past few weeks, I cannot seem to get a handle on the mindless munching. Everything sends me rushing to the pantry---stressed about work? Pantry. Trying to decide on nursery ideas? Pantry. Not getting along with a family member? Pantry. Anticipating an exciting visit with friends? Pantry.
You get the point. Suddenly, the weight is coming on faster than usual. My digestive system is not---errrrrrrrr----functioning well. I feel sluggish. And, worst of all--at the end of the day, I have NO IDEA what I actually ate! Does that make sense? I mean, I have no concept of my usual 6 "mini-meals" every day. Suddenly, my day has been a cluster of frantic trips to the pantry and fridge to grab and pop something into my mouth. It's kind of humiliating to put this out there---but, it's the truth.
And now, in recent days, I see that my face is starting to fill out. My arms are losing tone. My pants are tighter around the thighs---UGH! Let's just say, "it's not baby, folks!" I have to get back on track.
The loss of planning/organization in my diet is what lead me to do the 21 Day Fix while pregnant. While the program is a diet and exercise plan, it's main focus is helping folks deal with portion control. Basically, it's screaming my name! I have been doing some of the workouts on my own, but thought the nutrition portion should best be left until post-baby. This is not an appropriate time to restrict calories...
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| 21 Day Fix Program |
Except I need to take a look at PROPER nourishment for myself and this baby.
Therefore, tomorrow I will be diving in to this awesome program!
So how does it work, especially considering I'm pregnant? When you purchase the program, you are given an exercise schedule to match up with the dvds that you received. You're also given an eating plan that tells you how many containers you can eat per day based on your caloric needs. The containers are color-coded which makes meal planning super easy.
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| 21 Day Fix Containers |
After calculating how many calories I should be eating a day, I figured out how many containers I get. It really is WAY less intense than it sounds. For the program, I get to eat between 1800-2099 calories a day. That's right, loads of HEALTHY calories to help this tiny human grow!
This means:
5 Green containers
3 Purple containers
5 Red containers
4 Yellow containers
1 Blue container
1 Orange container
5 Teaspoons (for oils, peanut butter, etc)
That is a LOT of food folks!! Plus, it's all nutritious… something the tiny human will thank me for!
I made my weekly meal plan to help break it down even more.
*Menu from Katie Graue
You might notice this doesn't follow the allotment to a T. While I do get 3 Yellow containers a day, one is to limit their milk intake to three times a week. The tiny human has me going through about a gallon a week, so I had to be realistic. I am knocking it down and replacing some with water, but I want that daily milk intake. If my body says I need it, I'm going to listen! That's why I'm mixing it with my Shakeology every day. The orange containers are dressings, nuts, etc. Three times a week, you are allowed to replace them with something small and sweet, like chocolate covered raisins. Since the tiny human has intensified my sweet tooth, I'm allowing a small daily snack to keep myself at bay. I would much rather allow myself a small splurge than go nuts and eat a pint of ice cream. I am also not eating all of my teaspoons, as I usually never cook in oil.
So there you have it. That's how a pregnant lady plans on doing the 21 Day Fix! I will also add that most of the exercises will have to be modified, as I cannot do any ab work. If it calls for me to lay on my belly, I'll do some yoga stretching instead. That should help me in a few more months!
Just to avoid confusing/criticism, I am NOT doing this program to lose weight! I am doing this program to get myself back on track, watch my portions, limit my sweets, and eat more veggies! What I've put on is what I will have to deal with until post-tiny human. However, if I can keep it from spiraling out of control, I'm sure as heck going to try. And, of course, I have the support of my doctors on this journey.
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