Weight Gain Woes

I’m going to be honest here…some days I don’t feel pregnant, I just feel FAT.  I’m not telling you this for sympathy or “you look great” comments (I appreciate them, I really do), I’m just letting you know that this whole weight gain thing screws with your head. 

Coming from someone who’s recently lost a lot of weight, it’s really, REALLY hard..painful even…to watch the scale creep up each week.  (It doesn’t help that my boobs have gotten HUGE – I’m talking up 3 cup sizes already and the baby isn’t even here yet!?)

I’m not one of those women who didn’t gain an ounce until she hit 20 weeks (those of you out there are super lucky!), it’s just not the way my body is built or my genetics work.  I’m trying to stay active, but that’s a struggle with all this extra weight in the front of me now (my back feels the added stress for sure!), and as much as I’d love to say I’m being 100% healthy about my diet, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to caving into my cravings for things like pizza and ice cream.  The thing is – is that the worst thing in the world? To indulge in a treat here or there? Probably not, but the old me is fighting the urge to start counting calories and obsessing over every bite I put into my mouth.

My point is that it’s easy to judge…to say that “when I’m pregnant, I’m going to do X, or I’m not going to gain any more than the recommended weight, or I’m going to eat only fruits and veggies…”  It’s easier said than done.  Normally I’d be harder on myself – tell myself that I’m making excuses and I need to suck it up.  But I’m growing another life inside of me, and I don’t want to do ANYTHING that would put her in jeopardy, and that includes over exercising or not giving her enough calories.  That being said, I’m going to make an effort to be better about my food choices.  Now that I’m further along, I’m having less food aversions than I was earlier in my pregnancy, so I’m hopeful I can start incorporating my healthy staples back in on a regular basis, 21 day fix style.  Food has and always will be my biggest struggle, so I’m trying to remember that with my number one priority being growing a healthy baby, that includes feeding her the right foods now too!