Trim Healthy Mama Plan (25 page)

SERENE CHATS:
Halfway through the writing of this book I was thrilled to discover I was pregnant with my eighth biological baby. Pearl wanted me to tackle the majority of this chapter, since I'm going through this with you.

This will be my third Trim Healthy Mama pregnancy, and the positive differences between these and my other five pregnancies continue to bless my socks off. Certain issues that afflicted me in my previous pregnancies (such as chronic yeast infections) are simply not there! Nada! I wish I could tell you I no longer experience any nausea in the first trimester, but that wouldn't be true. I do have some tips, though, on how to get through that first twelve to fourteen weeks without completely making a nutritional mess of things.

Between the two of us, Pearl and I have had thirteen full-term pregnancies and nursed each of those babies. I was also able to nurse one of my adopted babies, so make that fourteen little nurslings for a combined twenty-two years of milk making. Both Pearl and I know all too well the crazy cravings, the morning sickness (make that twenty-four-hour sickness), the sleepless nights and fatigue, the insatiable nursing snackies, and the round-the-clock gorgeous little barracudas that are always at the tap. Let's tackle some of these issues.

CRAVINGS…CRAVINGS!!!

I get it, healthy foods you normally love when not pregnant are suddenly revolting, right? Everything makes you feel like throwing up except maybe one weird quirky thing. As long as that strange craving is healthy (not Cheetos) and not spiking to your blood-sugar levels, then have at it—for survival. This first trimester will soon pass.

In my last
pregnancy I craved foods like hearty meat loaf and buttery veggies and didn't care much for fruit. In this pregnancy I can barely tolerate meat and I want to eat oranges all day. What's a girl to do with these strange cravings and aversions? Well, I have tried it both ways and I've figured something out. Completely giving in to all pregnancy whims will backfire on you.

I'm thoroughly enjoying oranges but I realize that eating them all day without enough protein is silly and hazardous to my blood-sugar levels. I'd end up back with those annoying yeast infections if I gave in completely to the cravings. Oranges may be healthy, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, Serene! Elevated blood-sugar levels are known to be a cause of
miscarriage, pregnancy health issues, and even
birth defects. As you know from previous chapters, you can get elevated blood sugars without eating actual sugar. Keeping this knowledge in mind, I enjoy one orange for a snack and make sure to eat some protein with it. Maybe I'll have another for a dessert, but shoveling orange after orange into my mouth all day long just because I'm craving them AIN'T A SMART MOVE! I've also been curbing my citrus cravings by sipping on the Singing Canary (see the recipe in our companion cookbook). I opt to leave out the essential oil drops in that recipe while I'm pregnant, just to be on the safe side. I'm working through my aversion to meat by including lots of salmon and Greek yogurt, because I can still tolerate those, and am getting protein in other ways, including by adding collagen and gelatin to my shakes, hot drinks, and whips. And of course Pristine Whey Protein Powder is a quick and easy protein source. Whole sources of protein are so important, I know, so I have not forsaken meat altogether; I'm trying to get in little amounts here and there until my regular appetite returns.

In my first couple of pregnancies I would cave in to cravings for Taco Bell in the first trimester when nothing else sounded edible. But I made a discovery. I would eat the “forbidden” meal, yet would still feel sick afterward. I would eat something healthy, and feel sick afterward. The junk food that I craved did not help the sick
ness! The healthy food made me feel good about my pregnancy even though I still suffered with ickiness. The junk food made me feel out of control about my health and weight and worry about the baby. The good food choice helped sustain my energy but the poor choice drained me even more than the already drained feeling of the initial first trimester.

Do your best to stick to on-plan foods even if you cannot perfectly keep to meal timing, because those wild cravings for potato chips you think might help, probably won't. Those foods will just bite back all the more. Yes, the first trimester is the hardest. You will not be able to be perfect. You'll slip now and then (or more than now and then) and crave ridiculous things—and maybe give in sometimes. But don't throw your whole first trimester away even if you slip up multiple times. Endeavor to do your best in all trimesters even if you mess up. Make a healthier choice for you and your baby in your very next meal. Give yourself grace but don't throw in that towel! Things should get better after the twelve- to fourteen-week mark, and keeping to plan won't seem as daunting a task then.

SNACKING

If you have to eat before the recommended three-hour mark, that is perfectly okay; but don't graze all day. Your baby may be having a growth spurt or your milk supply may need to build up to compete with new demands, so it is natural to sometimes have to eat before three hours have passed. Waiting too long to eat
during the first trimester can make nausea worse. This doesn't mean you shovel something in your mouth every half hour, but eating a protein-based snack every two to three hours does usually help.

Make sure you are always well hydrated. If it is not nausea bothering you but
hunger, do a “drink” test to check for real hunger. True hunger brought on by the demands of a baby is different from mind hunger that tells you to eat just because you wanna. When hunger strikes and it is obviously too early to eat again, grab a nice glass of pure water or carbonated water laced with lemon or one of our All-Day Sipper drinks. Or try an iced or hot tea or Trimmaccino. If that doesn't do the trick and you are still truly hungry, then you do need to furnish your body and the growth of your baby and or milk supply with proper sustenance. Most of us pregnant and nursing Mamas will also want a little protein-rich snack before bed, while late-night snacking for those not nursing or pregnant is not usually necessary.

Fuel Pull snacks and desserts are excellent for providing a lighter caloric balance to these seasons of constant hunger. We preggie and milk-making Mamas need our main meals to provide solid fuel, ample protein, and concentrated nutrition, but there is room for the trimming talent of Fuel Pulls between meals and afterward for desserts. Used in this way, Fuel Pulls can be an extra tool to help control excess
weight gain
during
pregnancy and help gently lose that weight while nursing. You can still enjoy some S and E snacks and desserts, but don't neglect these recipes from our cookbook: Tummy Tucking Ice Cream, Tummy Spa Ice Cream, Cottage Berry Whip or Collagen Berry Whip, Thin Thicks and Baby Fraps, other Fuel Pull options like Swiss Crackers, Crunkers, Mad Melbas, and Crunch Puffs from the “Crackers, Chips, and Dips” chapter, and Wonder Wraps stuffed with lean chicken and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. These are just a few ideas for Fuel Pull slim-friendly snacks that can help you out when the ravenous snackies of growing a baby keep knocking. But caution: If you are a Mama who struggles to put on twenty pounds during pregnancy or who can't keep weight on during nursing, limit Fuel Pull snacks and rely on denser fare. Make every snack either a Crossover or an S or an E.

SAFE WEIGHT GAIN

A nice twenty- to thirty-pound weight gain is a sensible goal if you are starting your THM pregnancy already at or close to goal weight. This amount of weight will support your baby but will help prevent pregnancy problems such as preeclampsia and high blood pressure. It also won't make it difficult for you to get back into your pre-preggie jeans. But of course we are all different: For some a thirty-five-pound pregnancy is fantastic if the usual gain is sixty pounds! Your journey will be unique and we don't want to push hard numbers on you and squish any pregnancy joy.

If you start a pregnancy well above your healthiest weight, you do not have to gain a certain number of pounds. Your weight may not climb much at all on the scale but if you nourish your pregnancy the THM way, your baby will still grow healthfully while your own body fat diminishes.

GET YOUR CROSSIES IN

If you start your pregnancy at a healthy weight, you'll want to include plenty of Crossovers as well as some core S and E meals, depending on how your body re
sponds weight-wise. If you are not gaining enough weight, you'll need to up the frequency of those Crossovers. Some of our high-metabolism Mamas will need to make every meal in their
pregnancy tandem-fueled. If the scale goes up too quickly, pull Crossies back a little but don't stop them altogether. I have at least one Crossover per day while pregnant but I don't follow any strict rules on this. Some days I cross over all day and other days I eat more S's and E's than Crossovers. I try to tune in to my body as it lets me know what it needs.

Even if you are starting your THM pregnancy significantly overweight, Crossovers can still play a part in your pregnancy. There is nothing wrong with focusing more on the core S and E meals since they offer your body all the nutrients it needs, but don't ditch Crossovers altogether. Smatter a few here and there during your week. This way your body won't feel stressed by having to always seek out more fuel once it has burned through only one main fuel in your meal. A basic suggestion is to include four Crossover meals per week even if you are carrying extra weight when starting your pregnancy. Once again, this is not a strict number; listen to and learn from your own body during your pregnancy. Nourish deeply with your fats but don't forget your lighter meals, too. Keep juggling those fuels between S and E and a few Crossies. Fuel Pull snacks are fine but we don't want our pregnant or nursing women eating many Fuel Pull meals.

If you are exclusively nursing your baby, you'll also want to include some Crossovers along with regular S and E meals. S and E meals alone do contribute to rich
milk but, similar to pregnancy, nursing is a time of extra demand on your body. You don't want to stress your body by not offering both fat and carbs in the same meal a few times per week, even if you have weight to lose. Quinoa and oatmeal both promote a good milk supply, so enjoy them as pure E meals and also as Crossovers. If you are nursing but your baby has started eating some solids, Crossovers are not quite as necessary; but be sure to still enjoy a couple per week.

Remember, CROSSOVERS ARE NOT CHEATS! They are protein-centered meals with safe carb amounts and luscious fats. It is very important to stabilize your blood sugar during pregnancy. Getting pregnant and then using it as a reason to go off plan and just eat anything can be hazardous to your own body and the health of your baby. Spiking your blood-sugar levels is one of the fastest ways of aging internally and externally. While pregnant, your baby—and especially his or her brain development—can be adversely affected by dangerously high sugar levels. Cross
overs will negate that risk yet still give you plenty of tandem fuels to gain healthy pregnancy weight.

CROSS WITH
EASY-BURNING FATS

Here's a great tip for adding Crossovers without too much weight gain. Have more Crossover meals containing easy-burning fats. Coconut oil, red palm oil, butter, olive oil, and avocados are more weight-friendly than cheese, cream cheese, cream (especially the pasteurized versions), and heavy nut consumption. This is not a warning to steer clear of those other fats—just a little helpful tweak.

Enjoy liberal coconut oil or butter on your sweet potatoes instead of a cheesy Crossover. Pop a couple Skinny Chocolates in your mouth after your E meal instead of a dessert made with cream cheese. Don't make yourself miserable avoiding the fats that promote less weight loss, but do be mindful that every Crossover needn't contain them. Balance is a beautiful thing.

BEWARE OF CROSSIES IN A RUT

If you do have a weight issue while pregnant or nursing, you'll still need your pure E meals in the mix to change up the caloric load and rev your metabolism. It is not a wise approach to eat constant S meals, then splurge on a complete cheat meal, then go back to regular S meals. E foods contain important nutrients that both you and your baby need. Replacing those well-needed E meals with sugar or refined starches leaves you and your baby depleted. It is also another weight trap to go back and forth between S meals and Crossovers. Your trim will happen best when pure E meals are included. If you don't feel filled up enough after an E meal, finish your meal by blending a glass of unsweetened almond, coconut, or cashew milk with one to two tablespoons of whey protein, or one tablespoon Integral Collagen sweetened to your liking with an on-plan sweetener. You can always add cocoa to make that an easy chocolate milk—yum! Or tag on a nourishing Thin Thick found in the “Shakes, Smoothies, Frappas, and Thin Thicks” chapter of the
Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook—
ain't nobody going to be hungry after one of those thickies!

GESTATIONAL DIABETES

During pregnancy you are naturally more insulin-resistant and subsequently are more easily affected by foods that offer your body the fuel of glucose. This is a
natural consequence of your body sparing sugar for the baby's rapid growth. Mamas who are already insulin resistant from the ravages of a “normal high-sugar diet” might find their prediabetes catapulted into gestational diabetes by the added insulin resistance of pregnancy. Incredibly, we've heard from so many women who had previous pregnancies with gestational diabetes, but the next time were able to avoid it and have a healthier pregnancy eating the THM way. It's all about getting your blood sugar stable in each and every meal.

If you suffer from gestational diabetes, you may have a harder time with pure E meals. If you find yourself unable to handle E meals and many Crossovers cause too much weight gain for you, try the following ideas: