Healthy Pregnancy Check-in 5/20

[legalbeagle]

Hi ladies! Welcome to the first D16 Healthy Pregnancy Check-in – a weekly check-in posted on Fridays for all of us to find encouragement and support for physical and emotional wellness during our pregnancies. (I’m still working on format of questions/check-in so suggestions welcome!)

- How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week?

- How will you love your body next week?

- Any recipes or fitness tips to share?

- GTKY: What is one thing that makes you happy? How could you integrate that more into your life?

[kaydee0402]

- How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week? I didn't eat all the things even though I wanted to But seriously, even though green leafy vegetables just aren't something my tummy can handle right now, I'm still eating a lot of fruit and cooking fairly healthy. And limiting my ice cream intake

- How will you love your body next week? I would like to get into working out more. I simply haven't had the energy so far. Plus, the weather has been crappy, so DS and I haven't been able to keep up with our nightly walks. But I have a prenatal yoga dvd I'm dying to do, I just need to get the energy to do it!

- Any recipes or fitness tips to share? Roast chicken is delicious. Sprinkle chicken with a little bit of sea salt and pepper and roast at 425 for 25 minutes. I don't know why, but it's one of the few things I can stomach and I absolutely love it. We've been eating it with cauliflower alfredo, which DS loves.

- GTKY: What is one thing that makes you happy? How could you integrate that more into your life? Wine. Just kidding. Outside of playing with DS, doing yoga. It takes me to my happy place and relaxes me. I haven't done it since my BFP because of nausea and energy. But I'm really going to try to get back into it!

[legalbeagle]

- How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week?
I walked/ran at the gym a few times and went to two barre classes. I am reading a really good book, but made myself go to bed early instead of staying up and reading so that I can get enough sleep at night (even with constant peeing). I'm a vegetarian and protein intake is hard for me but I made a really big effort this past week.

- How will you love your body next week?
I'd like to keep exercising a bit and also eat more veggies! I love veggies but I'm so focused on protein I haven't been getting enough.

- Any recipes or fitness tips to share?
I'm so totally into those Odwalla Protein Shakes when nothing else sounds good in the morning. I like that I don't have to think about it.

- GTKY: What is one thing that makes you happy? How could you integrate that more into your life?
Reading fiction makes me really happy. I'm trying to turn off the TV at night and get into bed with a good book at least 30 mins before bedtime/the time I pass out.

[Deleted]

- How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week? I'm really struggling, my nausea is in the evenings so trying for a healthy dinner just isn't happening, nor is working out. I've trying to walk my campus twice during my prep period. I went from only getting like 6,000 steps the past few weeks to 8K this week. I'd like to get back up to over 10K like I was pre-pregnancy, but I'm not going to push it.

- How will you love your body next week? Keep walking and make sure I get to bed at a good hour to get a full night of sleep.

- Any recipes or fitness tips to share? Nothing this week.

- GTKY: What is one thing that makes you happy? How could you integrate that more into your life? I started one of those 24 books in 2016 challenges with my friends so I'm enjoying reading the different types of books from the lists. My current book is "One with blue on the cover" so it's some book from the NYT best seller list.

[littlelion]

1. How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week?
I started walking during my lunch hr at work.  And I avoided eating brownies. 
2. How will you love your body next week?
Cooking healthy breakfasts at home so I can avoid the drive thrus. 
3. Any recipes or fitness tips to share?
This year I am all about the ground turkey. Before I would just make turkey burgers. But now I replace all ground beef with turkey in recipes. Still tastes yummy!
4. GTKY: It makes me happy to spend quality time just me and my DH.  I should get a babysitter for a date night. We save those usually only for special occasions. 

[Deleted]

littlelion, I really like substituting turkey in meatballs. I feel like it gives you more options for things to do with them and flavor combinations too.

[legalbeagle]

@cahistoryteacher, yes to walking more! I'm doing the same and just trying to keep my step count up.

[kaydee0402]

+1 for replacing beef with turkey. Heart issues run wild on both sides of the family, so to keep things a little healthier, I use ground turkey over ground beef all the time. Our favorite use for it is in crock pot hamburgers

I also like that ground turkey isn't as greasy and much leaner. Greasy foods mess up my tummy.

[emilie]

what do you eat for protein besides shakes legalbeagle ? I am not vegetarian but I find meat hard to stomach right now. I've been doing mostly greek yogurt and beans for protein, because I don't eat soy, but I would love some other ideas.

- How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week? Hmm. Yeah. Cookies and bagels are healthy, right? I did prenatal yoga for 4 or 5 days this week, but I've skipped it the last couple days because I've been getting so winded, even on beginner stuff. I did try to eat some salads though, and just give my body the sleep it needs, which is like 9-11 hours a night!

- How will you love your body next week? Sleep enough, try to steer clear of the sugar, and try to do some yoga every day. Also, I'm going to not feel guilty for spending too much time on the couch when I need it. I'm growing a person!

- Any recipes or fitness tips to share? Well, I learned this week that nausea and food aversions are a great way to lose a couple pounds. Not that you want to be doing that too much while pregnant I have found that greek yogurt has been my saving grace over the last week. It's loaded with protein and calcium, and it's one of the only things that doesn't sound totally revolting to me.

- GTKY: What is one thing that makes you happy? How could you integrate that more into your life? Staying away from technology. When I turn off my phone and prevent myself from checking it often I am a lot happier. I'm trying to train myself to reach for a book instead when I want to go for my phone.

[cipollina]

littlelion, replacing ground turkey for ground beef is such a great idea! While I don't eat meat any longer, I grew up thinking chilli was supposed to be made with ground turkey thanks to my mom using this "trick."

legalbeagle, +1 to protein shakes. I use the Orgain brand mostly, but you have me wanting to check out the Odwalla now!


- How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week? I've been taking time to rest and not beating myself up over not getting as much done as I'd like due to MS.

- How will you love your body next week? Since I seem to be doing a bit better over the last couple days, I'd like to start being more active again like taking walks with the pup an doing more around the house without pushing myself too hard.

- Any recipes or fitness tips to share? DF and I made "mashed potatoes" with parsnips, celeriac, and carrots from our produce box. Suuuper yummy and will definitely be making variations of it in the future.

- GTKY: What is one thing that makes you happy? How could you integrate that more into your life? Growing up in a large family, I took for granted how much I love having so many people around for love and support. I'm trying to keep in better touch with people despite the distance (my family is 6 hours away and DF's is across the Atlantic) and utilize more of the many methods of communication we are so lucky to have.

[cipollina]

emilie , chiming in on the protein question since I don't eat red meat/poultry/pork, and I get this question all the time IRL.

Nuts/seeds are a quick and easy source. Add them to salads, shakes, or eat as a quick snack. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, walnuts, cashews. Loaded with protein as well as healthy fats and iron.

Tofu, tempeh. There are so many awesome ways to cook tofu so it doesn't taste and feel gross. Put it in veggie stir-frys, bread it with bread crumbs and herbs for "chicken nuggets," and pan-fry/grill tempeh and make dipping sauces like a spicy ketchup or homemade honey mustard.

Soy beans. Just steam and add salt or soy sauce and hot pepper oil for a quick, savory finger food.

Instead of plain rice, substitute quinoa. So much more protein and it holds up really well in soups, too. I often add some pre-cooked quinoa to a can a veggie soup to "beef it up."

Spinach, peas, and artichokes all have a decent amount of protein per serving, too. Wilt some spinach with mushrooms, butternut squash, and a touch of balsamic for a nutrient-packed side dish. Add peas into mac and cheese and other pasta dishes. Steam an artichoke in a rice cooker.


eta: emilie, I need to read things fully before responding. Definitely missed the part about you not eating soy. 

[emilie]

thank you cipollina! such great suggestions! I don't eat soy because apparently it contributes to my thyroid being a jerk but I will try the other ones. I usually LOVE quinoa and nuts but right now they both sound gross to me I've learned that I just need to suck it up and eat, though. It's sort of a catch-22 - I don't want to eat, but I feel better after I eat.

[cipollina]

emilie , I totally hear you on the things sounding gross. I've recently come to accept that eating food is an obligation until getting over this MS bump. Drinking "food" seems to really be working for me. Don't know if it's the same for you. These are the protein drinks I use, and they are soy-free. They are honestly one of the best drinks I've found, and they actually taste good. I even add them to smoothies with fruit and peanut butter for extra calories and nutrition when I really can't stomach chewing food. I buy them on Amazon because they are cheaper there than in the grocery store where I live. Also, they come in four flavors.

www.amazon.com/Orgain-Chocolate-11-Ounce-Container-Packaging/dp/B003FDG4K4/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1463766148&sr=8-2&keywords=orgain

[legalbeagle]

cipollina , I love Orgain but the Odwalla ones have 32 grams of protein! Amazing.

emilie , cipollina had a ton of great suggestions. I eat soy so I mostly just try to make sure my protein doesn't come exclusively from soy since faux meat products are tempting to me. Right now I am trying for one soy (tofu/soy sausage), one plant (beans) and one protein drink (which admittedly might have more soy in it in addition to whey protein but maybe you could find one that is exclusively whey?) to get to 65-70 grams a day. If I don't hit it every day I try not to stress and just do better the next day. I am also having a few Babybels as a snack for some quick dairy and protein.

Edit: also EGGs.  One egg has 6 grams of protein.

[cipollina]

legalbeagle , Holy cow, Batman! 32 grams of protein?! I only aim for 40-50g per day, but they may be a good idea during this MS bump.

[legalbeagle]

cipollina , here you go: www.odwalla.com/products/proteins/chocolate-protein

Yeah, 32 grams! I don't track protein in my regular non-pregnancy life but I like that this seems substantial though I'd prefer more beans/nuts in my diet.

[kaydee0402]

+1 for greek yogurt. Chobani flips are amazing.

[lola]

kaydee0402, I'm SO with you. Anything green is making me want to vomit based on smell alone. When I came into the kitchen this morning my husband had bell peppers and broccoli in the food processor and I RAN out of the house. Also, I'd love to hear what you think about the prenatal yoga DVD.

legalbeagle, I'm on the same page (ha!) about reading. Same goal.

littlelion, I'm impressed you avoided brownies. I bought a slice of cookie cake at the store, and my only proud moment is that I didn't eat it all in one sitting.

emilie, The phone struggle is real.

cipollina, You'd think keeping in touch would be a breeze with all of the technology, but it's still really hard for me.

- How did you have a healthy pregnancy last week? I went to barre yesterday, and I'm hoping to get in another class this weekend.

- How will you love your body next week? Hoping to make it to three barre classes, as well as walks on non-barre days. My issue is that it's total toss-up on any given day if my fatigue will get the best of me. I'm trying to tell myself that listening to my body and sleeping when I'm that tired is also healthy. I'm also traveling for work next week, so that may wipe me out completely. If that's the case, I'm going to try to not be too hard on myself.

- Any recipes or fitness tips to share? No recipes right now, and I'm just eating anything that sounds good, which is mostly chocolate milk, frozen pizzas and tacos. The one thing I tell myself when I'm really dreading exercise is that I don't have to go at 100% if i don't feel well, but I can at least show up. A workout at 75% exertion is better than no workout at all.

- GTKY: What is one thing that makes you happy? How could you integrate that more into your life? Reading makes me happy, and my goal is to try to get in bed earlier each night so I can read, unwind and get to sleep at a decent hour.