pregnant and starving! page 2

[rki]

It looks like "add meat" has been mentioned a few times, but I have a trick for when you feel starving--especially if you feel like you'd kill for a few more carbs.

I put 1/4 to 1/3 cup of cold coconut milk (full fat!) into a glass, add cold water, stir it with a fork and drink it. The extra fat really helps curb the appetite.

Now, being pregnant you may not be able to handle the smell, or texture, or whatever about the drink, but it's worth a try. Heavy on the calories, but I only ever need it once (max twice) a day.

[moo]

more primal carbs. sweet potato for starters. You aren't trying to lose weight when you are pregnant therefore you can safely eat at the maintenance level of carbs and be just fine.

Sorry, I am just not on board with VLC for a pregnancy

now go eat some berries and heavy whipping cream.

[cookie]

eggs, bacon, spinach totally set me straight this morning.
beef and shrimp for dinner last night didn't hurt, either.

just the thought of oats or anything sweet made me feel like barfing this morning! i think my body was on grain and carb revolt.
i never did VLC, i always have fruits for lunch or dessert etc. but the gluten free bread, soaked oats, etc.. i wonder if this was the problem?!

[kennelmom]

more primal carbs. sweet potato for starters. You aren't trying to lose weight when you are pregnant therefore you can safely eat at the maintenance level of carbs and be just fine.

Sorry, I am just not on board with VLC for a pregnancy

now go eat some berries and heavy whipping cream.

yeah...low carb, not just VLC, but low carb in general zaps me of energy and gives me headaches and nausea now that I'm pregnant. I ate 50-100g carb/day pre-pregnancy, so my body is 'used' to low carb. I added in more fruit, sweet potato and rice...plus the odd corn tortilla b/c the little one LOVES enchiladas ....and I'm MUCH MUCH happier! More satisfied from meal to meal and much better energy.

I've gained about 13 lbs so far (almost 16 weeks), but this is the weight my body just really likes to be lately and the weight gain has tapered off in the last couple weeks. I wasn't underweight before, by any stretch of the imagination, was just in the process of trying to convince my body to lower it's body fat set point to what it was before I got married 7 years ago and started going to hell with my diet!....then comes baby and I'm not fighting it anymore. If it wants some extra pad in my butt, thighs and boobs, then it can have it until after I deliver. The hubs is loving it LOL

I know that eating primally (as possible) and mindfully (not eating for two adults!) won't lead me astray....I just have to listen to my body (and not all my friends telling me to take advantage of being preggers and eat like there's no tomorrow!)

[Dragonfly]

eggs, bacon, spinach totally set me straight this morning.
beef and shrimp for dinner last night didn't hurt, either.

just the thought of oats or anything sweet made me feel like barfing this morning! i think my body was on grain and carb revolt.
i never did VLC, i always have fruits for lunch or dessert etc. but the gluten free bread, soaked oats, etc.. i wonder if this was the problem?!

Everyone's different.

Sounds like you have found out what works for you right now!

[Dragonfly]

more primal carbs. sweet potato for starters. You aren't trying to lose weight when you are pregnant therefore you can safely eat at the maintenance level of carbs and be just fine.

Sorry, I am just not on board with VLC for a pregnancy

now go eat some berries and heavy whipping cream.

Some women do better eating vlc during pregnancy. We are all so different!

I never prescribe macros to my clients--I have seen women eat the full range from almost zero carb to high carb & thrive during pregnancy.

[walnut]

carbs make me puke.

Lol

sorry but it's true. I am pregnant and on vlc. It's the only way for me.

to the op~if you're starving, eat more fat. It is what gives us satiety. Also small meals more frequently. I'd be starving too if i only ate what you have listed. Hope u figure something out that works for you

[Betho]

I'm pregnant and I'm trying to REALLY pay attention to what my body wants when it's hungry. For me it usually comes on later at night - after the kids go to bed and now I am hungry again! I have started loading up on fats, even to the point of melting butter with dark chocolate and some nuts and eating that as a late night snack, which seems to be doing a lot of good. Loading up on protein doesn't seem to have the same effect. It's like my body alternates between wanting tons of fruit and then wanting me to eat a ton of heavy fatty stuff.

Also, I notice when I have weeks like that, if I have a few more eggs in the morning (I also usually have two in the morning) it helps with the staying power. I'm also completely ignoring how some people say you should have an eating "window" or only eat twice a day, etc. I eat when I'm hungry! It doesn't matter that the baby is too small to require much of a calorie burn itself, your body is burning through energy trying to adjust itself to being pregnant. I think a lot of people don't understand that the first three months of pregnancy are the HARDEST and the times when you need to listen to your body.

Have you considered that perhaps your weight gain is because you were underweight to begin with, so your body was begging for calories so it could gain a bit real quick because it WANTS to have some reserves in preparation for pregnancy? Kinda like a "okay, first things first" type of deal. I say that because my body is also regulating itself weight-wise... in that I'm 6.5 months along and I haven't gained weight since I went primal at 3 months. but I am VERY overweight. Eating primal seems to be a very self-regulating way to eat.

Oh, and are you drinking coffee? I recently started feeling like having coffee again and even decaf I've noticed will decrease the longevity of my breakfast and I am getting hungry way earlier on the days when I drink coffee.

[paleo_hailey]

I'm with betho... I need to eat every few hours, or the nausea and fatigue get the best of me. And I regularly did long periods without food before getting pregnant.

I am much higher-carb than usual, but still well under 100 carbs every day. More like 70-80. It goes a little haywire on weekends - we're very social and always "out," so I often have to settle for whatever's available (again, not eating is not an option, unless I want to puke!) but I get control back during the week.

I do find if I eat more than about 20 carbs (and I'm talking primal carbs) in one sitting, it puts me to sleep. So high-carb is not going to happen for me, no matter what I'm craving... I have too much to do! We had a brunch on the weekend and apart from grapes and raspberries, the only vaguely primal foods were OJ and quiche. I probably ended up downing 50 carbs. I came home and slept for four hours