When I asked my followers to let me know what they wanted to read on the blog this week, I had a number of people request my diet and how I’ve been staying fit throughout this pregnancy. I’ve written a couple of posts, here and here regarding exercise and health but haven’t gone too deep on diet. Here’s why.
Before I got pregnant, I was probably the most healthy I had ever been in a long time. I took the month of January off of drinking alcohol (as I do every year), was motivated to exercise on a consistent basis, and ate clean the majority of the time other than the occasional pizza every now and then. This girl was on her A-game pre-pregnancy! As you know, that A-game quickly turned to carbs only game once the baby hit the uterus. So, I wont sit here and tell you that I’ve been the perfect plant eater this entire time… because you and I would both know that that is a lie (see Snapchat for reference). I do on the other hand believe that family genes may have a little to do with it. Did your mom get stretch marks? Was your mom sick in her pregnancies? All are questions we get asked to see whether or not this will happen to us during pregnancy. Yet, what about how you carry? Although every single one of us is so different, it could very well be a similar theory. What are your thoughts on this? Do you think how you’ll be in your pregnancy has to do with your family genes?
Pre-pregnancy and before I began my journey of eating clean, (began circa 2012-2013) I was always the thin girl in middle school, high school and the beginning of college. I definitely heard the word, “Anorexic” thrown my direction from the bitter oppressors of the world, yet, I stayed pretty active (cheer and track) throughout grade school and naturally ate whatever I wanted. High metabolism at its finest. It’s quite unfortunate how kids can always find a way to tease each other. Whether you’re “too big” or “too small”… it doesn’t matter; the bullies of the world will find a reason to hate something about you and let you know it. This unfortunately, hasn’t changed much in the adult world. A few years later, college came around and like the majority of young adults now living on their own, I drank more beer and alcohol followed by greasy foods to ease my hangovers in the morning. It’s pretty gross when I look back on how I treated my body. I wasn’t the healthiest I could be and it started to show. The 100 pound freshman definitely gained that freshman 15!
About 4 years ago, I decided to start my own journey of being my most happy, healthy, and fit self. I was tired of looking in the mirror and being positive one day and unsatisfied the next. I wanted to feel consistently confident and a lot had to do with my on again off again healthy to non-healthy lifestyle choices. I was so used to eating whatever I wanted growing up, that I didn’t learn how to eat anyway else.
Perhaps that was a bunch of unnecessary information thrown your way and you could care less to hear about my old unhealthy habits in college or how I chose to start eating clean a few years ago. All in all, I’ve always been a thin person with a decent metabolism who has to work on keeping herself healthy just as much as the next person.
Ah, so you’re here for the “magic answer” on how to stay fit during pregnancy, right? Society and social media has guilted us into believing that we need to look as small as possible in photographs and bounce back to our pre-pregnancy state immediately after giving birth. That’s what we see with the majority of social media influencers and celebrities, right? Or wrong? Are they to fault for us feeling this pressure? Please keep in mind that celebrities have a lot more money to spend on childcare, nutritionists, and personal trainers to get them to bounce back quicker than your average person. It’s not reality. There is no “magic answer” to looking a certain way while you are pregnant. Everyone is different, everyone carry’s different, and everyone wants to go about pregnancy in a different way. I recommend eating decent, exercising if you can (if not, take up long walks) and just enjoy yourself. You’re not pregnant forever. You can make the decision if you want to exercise the entire time or eat pizza most week nights. I would on the other hand not recommend comparing yourself to another pregnant person, or with someone who has the ability to alter and filter Instagram photos. Haha, everything may not always be as it seems. Just give yourself some credit… you’re pregnant!
Alright, so personally I don’t follow much of a routine. I take it day by day, week by week and just go with the flow. Some weeks I crave nothing but easy meals like grilled cheese and tomato soup, and then the next I’m all about juicing and taking the time to create a good salad. It’s all about balance. I typically like to eat majority healthy during the week and then enjoy a good brunch or two on the weekends. Yet, I’m never hard on myself when my car ends up at the In & Out drive thru on a Tuesday night. It happens.
Below are some options of what I typically eat throughout the day. Like I said many times, it all depends on how I am feeling that day/week and how motivated I am to cooking homemade. After long days, I sometimes want nothing more than an easy meal, the couch and a good show.
Every morning I start my day with a cup of coffee, juice (some days), and eggs. I do love my eggs.
My go-to juice: cucumber, spinach, celery, carrot, lemon, apple
Breakfast:
Onion, mushroom, organic baby broccoli, two over easy eggs
Avocado Toast: whole grain toast, over easy egg, half an avocado
Bagel and cream cheese: sometimes you just need a bagel.
Pancake skillet from St. Francis
Eggs Benedict
Snacks:
Carrots and/or pita chips with hummus
Apples and peanut butter
Half of a banana and chocolate chip muffin
Yogurt, nut mix, blueberries, raspberries, bananas
Bowl of cereal
Dark chocolate
Lunch:
Trader Joes Kale and Broccoli Slaw with White Chicken
Tuna Salad sandwich
Bowl of cereal
Kale and chicken wrap from Chop Shop Co.
Dinner:
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
Tuna Melt
Pasta with fresh tomato sauce
Fresh Salad
Pre-mix stir fry from Trader Joes
Stir Fry with brown rice, vegetables, and chicken
Pizza
Dessert:
Ice Cream
Yogurt
Fruit and peanut butter
I hope that was helpful to those of you asking about my pregnancy “diet” and routine. I apologize if it was a little repetitive. I would be happy to answer any additional questions you may have.
Some past recipes to try:
California-Style Chopped Shrimp Salad
Bow tie pasta with spinach and avocado pesto
Ezekiel Crusted Stuffed Chicken
xoxo,
Lola