erinlajefa Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Hi, everyone! I recently found out I'm pregnant, and I feel like now is a good time to jump into another Whole30! I'm only five weeks pregnant, and I realize that the pregnancy is still new and vulnerable. However, I feel the sooner I adopt healthy eating habits, the better! In general, my husband and I eat healthier than the average person, but we've really struggled with transitioning to a Paleo / Whole30 lifestyle. My husband and I have successfully completed two Whole30s, but we haven't truly adopted this way of eating for a lifetime, although we want to! I feel my best when I follow the Whole30 plan, along with an exercise regimen, and yet I can't seem to stick to what works. I fall back into the trend of eating junk, feeling tired, then skipping workouts and eating more junk because I'm tired. I'm really just looking to share motivation and encouragement! I know I can complete a Whole30 because I've done it before, but I really want to maintain this lifestyle afterward! I am excited about following the Whole30 / Paleo while pregnant, in order to keep my growing baby and myself as healthy as possible. I look forward to hearing from you! Erin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 Good luck with it! Is this your first pregnancy? I will caution you that if you have aversions to everything and anything compliant...don't force yourself on this right now. Since you've done Whole 30s before you probably have a good idea of what non-compliant foods do to you individually so if the only thing you can eat is gluten free bread because everything else makes you want to throw up but you know you're okay with gluten free bread...eat the bread. I'm 11 weeks right now and finally just getting to the point where I can eat veggies and meat (but not a beef roast - if I can see the beef's grain I still can't do it) again. I didn't have morning sickness hardly at all but for almost a month straight could only stomach white potatoes (still can't do sweet), gluten free bread, plain potato chips, and gluten free mac and cheese (I have Celiac's so GF is a requirement). I could stomach fruit and cheese next after that, so I did a lot of those along with the potatoes/bread/chips/mac and cheese. I still can't do plain cooked broccoli but can do canned veggies like green beans now and raw baby carrots/celery/cucumber/homemade pickles. Basically, a Whole 30 way of eating will definitely be awesome for you now but if your aversions and the like keep you from it...be kind to yourself. This is a short period of time and you can always get back to a W30 way of eating when your body and hormones normalize and you no longer feel like eating any more of X is going to make you throw up like in Pitch Perfect. And even if you do put on a little extra fluff now, cleaning up your diet during second trimester can undo a lot of it. This is my first pregnancy so the strength of the aversions took me quite by surprise. Last week I made my meal plan's dinner for hubby and I - brisket and baked sweet potatoes - and as soon as I saw the brisket and smelled the finished sweet potatoes I could barely be in the kitchen with them. I had to light candles all over the house so I could stop smelling it. Keep your exercise light and listen to your body when you're exhausted too. First and third trimesters are the worst for exhaustion so if you can only walk for half an hour before collapsing on the couch and napping...do it. I've finally had energy this week...first time in 6 weeks that I've been able to do more than the bare minimum followed by laying on the couch for an hour. I walk 2 miles five days a week to and from work and get more than that another day or two per week. I have physical therapy twice a week for my shoulder as my 'weight lifting' right now...don't want to mess this up and get another shoulder surgery on either side. Give up any notion of only eating 3 meals and eat when you need to. First trimester you'll be making a lot of stuff from scratch (second trimester is just everything getting bigger for the most part) including the placenta, major organ systems, etc. and your blood volume will expand dramatically. That can cause lightheaded moments, so having food and drinks nearby will help you get over it (my worst one I actually legitimately felt like I was drunk for about 30 seconds...searching for words and trying to figure out how to act so people couldn't tell). I went from never snacking to eating 3 meals and at least 2 snacks daily. Always have a snack available too because you can go from feeling totally NOT hungry to OMG I WILL STARVE TO DEATH RIGHT NOW in about 5 seconds. It's kind of scary...my bottom drawer at work is full of snacks and I learned the hard way to always have a snack and water with me when I leave to go anywhere, even if I've just eaten. I'm really not trying to discourage you and hopefully you don't have problems with compliant foods but just be kind to yourself and your little baby bean! Have plenty of options of things you think you *might* be able to eat at home/with you at all times. Your tastes will change pretty quickly so that thing you couldn't do yesterday might be the only thing you can stomach today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erinlajefa Posted July 10, 2015 Author Share Posted July 10, 2015 Wow! Thank you for your reply! It was not at all discouraging, but definitely insightful and very realistic. Yes, this is my first pregnancy, so I am definitely on the naive side when it comes to cravings and aversions. My goals in doing the Whole30 are really to A) feel good (because when I've done Whole30 in the past, my pain, inflammation, and allergies all subside), and ensure a healthy food supply for myself and the rapidly dividing cells in my uterus! I will be mindful of keeping a variety of snacks on hand, and I've already increased my water intake from 2 liters to 3 liters per day, as one of my initial symptoms was constipation. I'm only 6 weeks along, which is early, I know! But that's one of the reasons I shared here, as I'm uncomfortable sharing my news with friends and family until I feel more secure in the pregnancy. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 10, 2015 Share Posted July 10, 2015 I'm the same way, I've only told my boss/doctors/one friend so I can vent to her IRL (she has a 10 month old and had her at the same hospital I'll be delivering at so it's nice to get some inside information). Family will be told in 2 weeks, once the first trimester is over. I definitely think that eating as cleanly as possible is a great idea but be prepared if it doesn't go according to plan. Your tastes are about to go crazy wacky and unpredictable. Not knowing what I wanted at any meal until the ten minutes before I was going to eat it was quite a change for me...hubby mostly just laughed about it. Oh! One thing that definitely helps me with the 'can I eat this' saga that my life still is a bit right now. If there's something you aren't sure you'll be able to eat for an upcoming meal, think about it. Imagine the flavors, textures, smell, etc. and you'll get a good idea of if it's going to squick you out or not. Whenever hubby wants to get something for a meal he'll ask me at least an hour before to think about it. That gives me a decent chance to figure out if it really will work for me or if I need something, anything, else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tudyloops Posted July 20, 2015 Share Posted July 20, 2015 Good luck!!! I was 5 days into my first Whole30 when I found out I was expecting. I'm now 24 weeks. Around 6 weeks, my nausea was so bad that I had no appetite. We were eating Paleo before the Whole30. But my new aversions were terrible. The thought of chicken and steak disgusted me. Zucchini, summer squash, and asparagus did too!! The only thing I could force myself to eat was grits, potatoes, and cheese and crackers. Or if I could eat it with sour cream on it, it was ok by me too! Needless to say, my first Whole30 was not successful. But I'm on my second one now. My nausea went away around week 13, but my aversions are still pretty solid. Now I am back to my healthy eating ways, and it is going great thus far. But the first trimester was extremely weird. Prepare yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 tudyloops, you sound a lot like me right now. I'm about to hit 13 weeks on Wednesday and aversions are still very strong but your ways of getting around it and things you could eat are almost exactly like me! Sour cream makes everything better still. But I'm able to eat things that are less appealing but not hitting the immediate "NOPE" button now, which is better than it had been. I'm still not near a Whole 30 way of eating, but I'm also still playing by ear with what I think I can/can't eat. Sweet potatoes might be out for a significant time period other than hidden under taco meat with lots of sour cream and other things to hide the flavor. I don't think I could handle planning for and executing a Whole 30 right now, but maybe later on I could. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tudyloops Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 MrsStick - It gets better!! Hang tight. There is no way I could have done a whole30 this pregnancy before now. After 20ish weeks of eating carbs, cheese, and my fair share of fast food, I was aching for the whole30! I feel more like my normal self now. Hopefully that will last these next 29 days. Lol And that "NOPE" button is so real! Foods that I would normally love to devour became disgusting and offensive to even consider eating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 @tudyloops - thanks. I think my husband's just grateful I can eat food again right now, even if I cover everything with sour cream and/or cheese. He actually started asking for the veggies he wanted to eat since I couldn't even try thinking about them for so long. Bonus to all of it is that it meant less work planning meals for a while... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingAmanda Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Hi Guys I am 4 weeks and a few days preg. I want to do a whole 30 again and its my second time being preg. Anyone want to be a buddy? So much more fun doing it with someone who is also in the same situation and no, i will not ascribe to eating 3 square meals. I am looking for someone who wants to share daily! I have been eating mainly rice cakes so this should be interesting but i know its best for the fetus. Anyone want in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitemcmc Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I have also read lots that high protein and low carb can help with morning sickness. My friend went gluten free on her pregnancy and felt the best. That being said I lived on pizza my first (from a store I don't even like not pregnant) yogurt with my second, and bagels with my third. I am now pregnant with my fourth and really trying hard to work with aversions while still getting nutrients and as close to whole30 as I can. I really want to limit sweets as well a usual craving for me especially when I get so tired. Good luck you can do it, but agree with others with the grace thing. Especially in the first trimester. Maybe the second when you feel so much better hopefully and have some motivation back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I'm not sure how I would have gotten protein in during the first trimester when all I could stomach without feeling like I was going to die was the occasional Greek yogurt, protein-wise. Everything non-carb was out, but I never had actual morning sickness. Aversions, yes. But no throwing up and only a handful of days feeling even vaguely nauseous despite eating carbs straight through (all GF though) for several weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Brock Bloch Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Hi, I am currently 13 weeks pregnant with my first. I have done 3 whole 30's in the past and in general we stick to the guidelines in the house but go off when we go out to eat. We have always done a whole30 in August, so we are gearing up for Aug. 1. I will be in my 2nd trimester so I am hoping I will be feeling better. Unfortunately for me, around week 8 the food aversions and nausea kicked in. I have had several IV lines for dehydration. I have not had soda in years, but I find a small can of sprite or ginger helps me. Toast in the morning with peanut butter or cheerios are the only two things I can keep down. Meat is delicious but fruit and vegetables are terrible. I am going to go into this whole30 with a different outlook. I am going to try to minimize my grains and cut off the soda. I am on medicine now to alleviate the sickness so I am hoping things get better. My advice is to be flexible and go with the flow. 1st trimester is no joke and neither are food aversions. (For a while, going to the vegetable section in the grocery store made me sick). Best of luck! I will be with ya next week! Whoo hooo! Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Christine - I'm 13 weeks with my first too! My aversions kicked in earlier than yours did (I was 5 weeks pregnant when I'd first made a plate of food, eaten two bites, and was unable to finish because NOPE) but ours are a bit different. You can do meat but not fruit/veggies and I can't do meat/veggies but fruit/grain were fine. That said, I was surprised how excited hubby was when we could start eating veggies this week. We're starting slow with canned and frozen ones right now but his excitement is getting a little contagious. Maybe I'll even try sweet potato fries again...I'm going crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Brock Bloch Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Yay MrsStick! We can go through this together! I am hoping that the second trimester magic kicks in like everyone talks about! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 I don't know if I'm quite to the point of doing another Whole30, but right now I'm trying to focus on adding more compliant foods back in gradually and cutting some of the non-compliant stuff out completely or at least reducing them. Grains are my focus to get rid of right now, sort of like a reverse re-intro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Brock Bloch Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 My husband is going to start whole30 on Aug 1. I am going to focus on reducing grains to maybe only in the morning. This morning I had toast with nutella (I know....) and pancetta...so that is a big improvement for me. As I get into the 2nd trimester, I am hoping to become more strict. There is no way I can commit to a strict one and the thought of going through the first 10 days (when you are so tired and grouchy) while pregnant is not appealing! I am more or less just trying to support my husband! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Definitely try to support your hubby because doing a Whole 30 while watching someone eat all the foods you can't have is discouraging. At least support him when he's around to see it! I feel you on toast with nutella, though that's too sweet for me without something to savory it back down. Last week was toast with peanut butter and a tiny bit of honey...all week. This week, though, I've shifted to a chicken apple sausage, tater tots, and smoothie (technically compliant with frozen fruit, bananas, and thinned coconut milk). It's a lot of fruit but I can't stomach the idea of veggies at breakfast still. It makes me wonder how some of the women who want to do a W30 in their first trimester make it work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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