Staying Thin.
My friend, Suzana, just had a baby and looks awesome-she looked great until the day she delivered. She told me she gained 20 pounds in 2 months with her first baby and heard it's harder to keep the weight down with the second, but she only gained 25 total with her second. I had 2 babies close together and still need to drop a few pounds so I asked her how she did it.
1. How did you keep so thin during your pregnancy?
I watched what I ate. No juice or soda or junk food or any kind (though I would let myself cheat once a week). Only whole grains, fruits, veggies, plenty of beans (filling & healthy), brown rice & whole wheat pasta, lots of chicken & lean meats, yogurt & oatmeal. I had a lot of chicken salads. Also, when I went out to eat, I would check out their nutritional guide online first-you would be surprised how many salads have just as much if not more calories than a burger! With salads, I always had the fat free salad dressings, that's where a lot of the fat is. I learned to discipline myself & not eat unhealthy foods, even when they were readily available at a party or whatever. I didn't buy goodies so I wouldn't be tempted, though I did get to a point that if I did have some cake or cookies in the house I wasn't tempted much to eat it anymore, I just got used to telling myself no. Also, I would throw it away if I knew Marlon wouldn't eat it. We would inevitably have company or the missionaries over & make them dessert so if they didn't take it home with them I would toss the rest or try to give it away to someone else. I also really got into reading labels & looking up things online like different snacks that were supposed to be healthy. A lot of those things, like Nutrigrain bars, aren't really that healthy after all. Try Kashi or Fiber One brands. I also exercised 3x a week & tried to do prenatal yoga 2x a week.
2. You mentioned that you were hungry a lot. How did you keep from not eating? Kept busy, didn't have goodies in the house-what??
I kept goodies out of the house! I ate healthy filling snacks like trail mix, nonfat vanilla yogurt- add chopped fruit (berries are really yummy) & some granola on top. Another good one for me, was chopped fruit, (usually an apple or pear) mixed with low fat cottage cheese, good & filling. I'm also a cereal freak so I had things like oatmeal with raisins, Fiber One raisin bran, corn bran & shredded wheat, they are high in fiber & have whole grains so they're filling & healthy. Keep veggies like celery, broccoli, carrots & cherry tomatoes in little baggies in the fridge, you can throw them in your purse & you'll be more likely to eat your veggies if they are already prepared for a quick snack. Also, anything high in fiber keeps you full longer e.g. oatmeal, apples, oranges, bananas, pears, dried fruits, spinach, anything whole grain or whole wheat, avocado, beans, nuts, corn & potatoes. Also, a lot of times we think we're hungry when actually our body is actually thirsty. Drink a ton of water & preferably a cup of water before each meal, it will help you keep from overeating & help you feel full faster.
3. How do you plan on looking good now?
I have read that your body can lose the most weight the quickest the first 30 days after you give birth, so I plan continue with my diet, disciplining myself & going on walks seeing as I can't exercise yet. After that, I'll go back to exercising 3x a week & probably deviate from my current diet :)
4. What are some hot tips you could give for people trying to lose or maintain a good weight?
Eat healthy & make the time to exercise, there is no other healthy way to lose weight & KEEP it off. Learn to discipline yourself. Once you get the hang of it, things won't be such a temptation & you will be able to pass on unhealthy treats that you would have found impossible to resist before. Keep reminding yourself of your goals & how great you will feel when you meet them!
5. I feel like I mindlessly eat-like I'll grab something to eat when the kids are in bed-almost like a reward. Do you have snacks? How do you keep from nibbling all day?
I have snacks but I eat healthy & filling ones. I keep away from the kitchen & keep busy. i also eat when I'm bored :) I scheduled my snacks & didn't deviate from it. One snack between breakfast & lunch, between lunch & dinner & then one after dinner.
6. Do you eat out much?
We eat out a lot & I had to learn to go online & look at the nutritional guides online for each restaurant to find out what would be healthiest. If I couldn't find anything I liked that wasn't too high in calories, we went somewhere else. Cheesecake factory is horrible for calorie counts. Also, I thought Panera Bread & Corner Bakery would be great for healthy foods. They have a lot that sounds healthy, but you'd be surprised.
7. What kind of foods did you eat? Is it hard to eat healthy with a little boy and husband or do they eat well themselves?
They eat pretty healthy & I make sure my son eats healthy all day but for dinner I didn't have a lot of healthy recipes that I knew they would like so I made them dinners I've always made & I ate a lot of the same things for dinner unfortunately. Maybe if I weren't so picky I would have had a bit more variety. I ate a lot of chicken salads & chicken & veggies or beans. A lot of times I made 2 separate meals. I'd make them yummy chicken & pasta & then use some of the chicken & add it to a spinach salad for myself. I'd make them white rice & brown for myself. Instead of eating the mashed potatoes or tasty sides I had made for them, I'd eat a ton of extra salad or veggies that I knew they'd only have a few bites of. It was a hassle but it was worth it. It wasn't that hard, honestly. I could broil a few chicken breasts & make a ton of brown rice & for the next few days I'd heat some up, add some frozen veggies, there you go :)
