When I found out I was pregnant again in 2013, I decided that since I had not lost all the baby weight from the previous pregnancy, I wanted to gain little to no weight. Illness and extreme fatigue blew that idea out of the water. I started out this pregnancy not gaining much weight but after awhile, the weight really started to creep up there…to the tune of 24 pounds in 5 months and my OB was not happy about it. But I was feeling miserable with all the illnesses I was catching and the idea of exercising made my stomach turn.
When it was time for me to take my 1 hour glucose tolerance test (GTT), I knew that it might be a good idea to start watching my carbs. After all, I had been consuming ice cream every night and had horrific migraines and even lower energy the next day. To say that I was shocked when I found out that I failed the 1 hour GTT was an understatement. I was downright petrified of having Gestational Diabetes (GD). I was scheduled to perform the 3 hour GTT and felt pretty confident that if I cleaned up my diet a bit more I would pass. Unfortunately, the test made me extremely ill and I ended up failing the first of the three sticks. I was referred to the Diabetes Clinic at my local hospital where the iPro was inserted under my skin to continuously monitor my glucose levels. I was made to also check my blood glucose with a monitor after every meal. THIS straightened me up quick.So, at this point (week 25), I started to really clean up my diet and add exercise into my daily life. I just decided to start eating better and taking my prenatal vitamins consistently.
I used the LoseIt App, an app I had been using for years, as a tracking tool to track all my food and activity and keep me accountable. Something about “seeing” what went in motivated me. I eventually invested in a Polar FT4 Heart Rate monitor that gave me heart rate information and calories burned.
At first I just started with diet. So I started eating healthier and staying within my calories (I think I set mine at 1500-a bit below what is recommended for expecting moms) and carbs (This is what works for me: Breakfast – 15-20 g carbs; Snack – 15g carbs; Lunch – 45 g carbs; Snack – 15 g carbs; Dinner – 45 g carbs; Bedtime Snack – 15-30 g carbs). I started trying new and different recipes that would maximize food intake but not blow my daily calorie allowance. I switched to a lot of sugar free food indulgences (dark chocolate pudding and cherry jello) that helped me not feel like I was dieting. It also helped that I craved salad,and still do…constantly.
After a week or so of cleaning up my diet, I started exercising. I have an elliptical but it had broken right as I was beginning to get in the groove of exercising, so I had to use the neighborhood fitness center until I got my elliptical fixed. I found a couple of different treadmill and elliptical workouts on Pinterest to keep things interesting. I also got a couple of prenatal yoga DVDs from the library. I just tried to do at least 30- 40 minutes every day of something physical…even when went out of town. Sometimes I workout twice a day if I had the energy or I felt like I overindulged too much that day (walking keeps my ankles from swelling when I have too many carbs). I even count mowing the lawn as exercise. I am one that gets bored very easily with diet and exercise do I change up my routines a lot.
Since it has gotten warmer I have taken my workout outside and using Map My Walk App to track my calories, distance, pace, and route. I walk with the baby a lot now using my trusty running stroller. My husband, oldest kid, baby, and I (not runners at all) started doing/walking 5Ks for fun so we have been working on trying to get our times down by walking more. So far this year we have two 5Ks under our belt and have at least three more planned before the new baby comes along.
I am not going to lie, exercise at first was really tough for me (due to being sick, low energy, feeling like I had to pee all the time, etc) but I knew I had to do something because my weight went up so fast at the beginning of this pregnancy. But since beginning my workouts and eating better, I lost about 10lbs (the OB wasn’t happy at first but all my vitals and blood work are perfect) and I have maintained there for over a month.
I feel so much better and my energy is through the roof. The key, for any expectant mama trying to easy into an exercise and diet change is to find your groove and stick with it…good workout music helps too .
