Katigre
05-29-2012, 01:22 PM
I've posted a bit about how I've gone paleo/primal in my eating over the past two months. Just wanted to give an update on how that's affecting my pregnancy in particular as that is a common question people ask. I haven't had any grains in over a month now and my 'added sugar intake' per day is under 25g/day. I'm eating more vegetables than I ever have before in my life. I feel like sometimes people think primal/paleo is all about eating lots of meat but that's not true - the focus is on eating REAL food (not packaged/processed) that gives your body the energy and fuel it needs. And that includes plenty of fresh produce, plenty of healthy fats, and seeds/nuts in addition to animal proteins like meat and eggs.
So...how I feel is awesome - my energy level is sky-high (I don't feel like I'm pregnant except for the baby kicking and the larger belly - but a lot of the little 'normal' complaints people have just aren't there for me even though they were before).
I get tons of comments on how great I look (not 'you're so pretty' but 'You look so healthy! you look great!' from medical professionals as well as people I run into in regular life. It must really show in my body how well this lifestyle of eating is working for me :rockon. My skin is clear with no blemishes, I have zero swelling, my BP was 116/68 today at the midwife (even though I had just spent 10 minutes excitedly talking about things which normally raises the bp a bit), baby is growing great, etc...
I had been concerned about weight gain (i.e., not gaining enough) because weight loss is common when people eat primal/paleo. At my last midwife appointment (just 2 weeks after I'd cut out grains) I'd only gained about 1 lb. in a month (prior to that I was gaining 2 lb/month). But after that appointment I became very intentional about eating more food/higher fat food/higher carbohydrates (from primal-friendly foods) and this time I'd put on 5 lb :rockon. I'm up 21 lbs total for the pregnancy and am happy with that :yes. It's a good healthy weight gain for where I'm at (30 weeks pg). I no longer worry that eating primal isn't compatible with a healthy pregnancy because all points of measurement (bloodwork, growth of baby, weight gain) as well as how I look and feel have never been better. I have never felt so good while pregnant - not even with DS's pregnancy which was great.
A few weeks ago I posted in a thread here about how I didn't like being pregnant much and it was basically a means to an end. Now I feel like I could easily do another pregnancy no problem - having my 'normal pre-pg energy' is huge and I'm so thankful :rockon.
So I write all this just to update since I know I had been asking about how to gain weight while eating primally. It didn't turn out to be too hard - I added more avocados to my diet and more full-fat coconut milk, I made sure to include extra carbohydrates each day from fruit/dried fruit/dark chocolate (85%+), sweet potatoes as well as more fats. I'm going to stop eating the little bit of dairy that I have been as I know I'm intolerant (have been for years) and my eczema is flaring due to it, but previously had been doing greek yogurt and plain kefir too. I think I can keep gaining weight well without it though - we'll see. I did a food journal for a week this month to make sure I ate at least 150+ carbs per day as that seems to be the magic number for weight gain. I think I've shifted my mindset from 'non-pregnant/lactating eating habits' to 'pregnant lactating/eating habits' fairly well, and I'm interested to see how I do while nursing where I typically have a difficult time keeping on enough weight. Hopefully the things I'm learning now will help me stay strong and healthy while nursing too :).
---------- Post added at 03:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:20 PM ----------
And DH has decided to go paleo/primal too - he hasn't had any fast food or junk in two weeks and is feeling pretty good :rockon.
So...how I feel is awesome - my energy level is sky-high (I don't feel like I'm pregnant except for the baby kicking and the larger belly - but a lot of the little 'normal' complaints people have just aren't there for me even though they were before).
I get tons of comments on how great I look (not 'you're so pretty' but 'You look so healthy! you look great!' from medical professionals as well as people I run into in regular life. It must really show in my body how well this lifestyle of eating is working for me :rockon. My skin is clear with no blemishes, I have zero swelling, my BP was 116/68 today at the midwife (even though I had just spent 10 minutes excitedly talking about things which normally raises the bp a bit), baby is growing great, etc...
I had been concerned about weight gain (i.e., not gaining enough) because weight loss is common when people eat primal/paleo. At my last midwife appointment (just 2 weeks after I'd cut out grains) I'd only gained about 1 lb. in a month (prior to that I was gaining 2 lb/month). But after that appointment I became very intentional about eating more food/higher fat food/higher carbohydrates (from primal-friendly foods) and this time I'd put on 5 lb :rockon. I'm up 21 lbs total for the pregnancy and am happy with that :yes. It's a good healthy weight gain for where I'm at (30 weeks pg). I no longer worry that eating primal isn't compatible with a healthy pregnancy because all points of measurement (bloodwork, growth of baby, weight gain) as well as how I look and feel have never been better. I have never felt so good while pregnant - not even with DS's pregnancy which was great.
A few weeks ago I posted in a thread here about how I didn't like being pregnant much and it was basically a means to an end. Now I feel like I could easily do another pregnancy no problem - having my 'normal pre-pg energy' is huge and I'm so thankful :rockon.
So I write all this just to update since I know I had been asking about how to gain weight while eating primally. It didn't turn out to be too hard - I added more avocados to my diet and more full-fat coconut milk, I made sure to include extra carbohydrates each day from fruit/dried fruit/dark chocolate (85%+), sweet potatoes as well as more fats. I'm going to stop eating the little bit of dairy that I have been as I know I'm intolerant (have been for years) and my eczema is flaring due to it, but previously had been doing greek yogurt and plain kefir too. I think I can keep gaining weight well without it though - we'll see. I did a food journal for a week this month to make sure I ate at least 150+ carbs per day as that seems to be the magic number for weight gain. I think I've shifted my mindset from 'non-pregnant/lactating eating habits' to 'pregnant lactating/eating habits' fairly well, and I'm interested to see how I do while nursing where I typically have a difficult time keeping on enough weight. Hopefully the things I'm learning now will help me stay strong and healthy while nursing too :).
---------- Post added at 03:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:20 PM ----------
And DH has decided to go paleo/primal too - he hasn't had any fast food or junk in two weeks and is feeling pretty good :rockon.