Eating for 2

When you become pregnant you will most likely hear people say, "Oh, you can have another piece of ______, you're eating for 2 now!"

You might have a late night craving for a blizzard or an afternoon craving for chocolate cake. 

But, did you know that when you are pregnant, you only need an extra 100-300 calories a day? (depending on your BMI) I was very surprised to find that this was all the extra amount I needed with my first pregnancy and a little disappointed as well. I was thinking that pregnancy was a good excuse to let me eat whatever and whenever I wanted. 

I've always been a healthy eater (well...except for my love of ice cream), but I became an even healthier eater when I started dating Ryan. He was a BIG health nut and not into sweets like I was. This is a very good thing because if he loved dessert as much as I do then I'm fairly certain I'd be twice the size I am now. He was very good during the pregnancy keeping me in check. 

During my pregnancies I tried very hard to eat just as I normally do. To help on days when I was super hungry and really wanted to eat whatever was in front of my face, I would eat a protein bar. I love the Luna bars which can be found at both Wal-Mart and Target. These are much healthier and last much longer than cookies, candy, cake, etc. I would also eat unsalted almonds and nuts to keep me satisfied. I admit these are not very exciting, but you need to remember that whatever you eat, your baby is eating too. Do you really want to feed your baby all that sugar and high fat? I'm not saying that you shouldn't ever indulge in something that is bad for you. I would have ice cream every now and then, just not every night. 

The truth is that after the baby is delivered and you return home you are more than ready to get back into your pre-pregnancy clothes. The sad thing is that you probably won't be able to get those skinny jeans on  your post-pregnancy legs. It no longer feels cute to look pregnant when you're holding your baby in your arms. The more weight you gain, the harder and longer it will be afterwards to get off and believe me, you will want to get the extra weight OFF!! 

With Eli the weight came off pretty quickly. Not as fast as I would have liked it, but it came off. I think I gained about 30 pounds. With Miles the weight stuck around a little longer. I gained probably about 35 pounds and even though I was eating the same things I normally ate, the weight seemed to be going straight to my legs. I remember thinking "I'm not even eating anything bad!! Where are the pounds coming from?" 

So, as you continue on this 9 month journey, try to stay focused on eating healthy. Not only for the baby, but for yourself as well. Believe me, you will be so happy you did after your bundle of joy returns!