How to keep the weight at bay when you're...

Pregnant!

What's a girl to do then when she's

• sick
• vomiting
• nauseated
• temperamental in all things?

It can be really ruff I know.
Really, I know because I'm there.  I'm 11 weeks along and feel worse by the day.
I thought I'd share with you what does help to make me feel better and some tips for keeping your weight in check.

First is to exercise! So many people have asked me if I still do with being pregnant and all.  The answer is a big Yes.  You have to keep your health up, and it's not just your health is your baby's too.  Plus, while exercising I always feel great.  After and before are a different story.  But during-great.  I feel bad before and sometimes during my warm up and I just have to push through and I never regret it.

The only thing to be mindful of is your internal body temperature you don't want your body to overheat that can be dangerous for the baby so if exercising outside wear the right clothes too keep you cool.  Also hydrate extra when you're done.

If your not up for exercising or you've already done it for the day just get your body moving.  Take a walk, weed the garden etc.  If I'm really bad I'll lay down for 15minutes and then I make myself get up and move.  It works, or at least until I stop moving again.

Next is Food!  My normal foods and snack make me vomit.  I don't like things that are potent.  I like plain and mild foods.    Also an empty stomach can make you sick so eat half the portions you normally would, and save the rest for two hours later.
Protein, protein, protein-these are the building blocks of life.  You need a complete protein and quality carb at every meal.  This will keep you and baby healthy and lessen your nausea.   Every time I skip my protein I regret it.  I get really sick

My friend is pregnant too, she is about a month ahead of me.  She was extremely sick.  After making a change to her diet by eating protein and some small carbs at night she started having better mornings.

Yikes, that's a lot of info.  I hope not too much,  I'll share more with you at another time.  Keep up with your health journey no matter where you are.

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Conveniently Healthy

I received a Kroger challenge to test out the taste and convince of Kroger brand products specifically their summer goods like chips and soda.

Everyone knows that convenience foods are not health foods so I took the challenge but wanted to see how well I could do this being health conscious.

I received vouchers for hamburgers, buns, chips, and soda, and off I went.

We started out with slider burgers on 100% whole wheat buns.  What is a slider you ask?  Its a mini hamburger.  Which is perfect, perfect I tell you.  For two reasons, one is keeps our portions in control.  It allows us to enjoy it with out overkill.  Two, it's also a convenient size for kids.  You don't have to give them a half a burger that will fall apart, or a hot dog full of composite pieces.
I topped it with fresh cilantro and lettuce from my garden and had a deliciously portioned burger.

Next we found whole grain chips, which are nothing special as to health but if my kids are going to eat chips I'd rather they be whole grain. (or those Green Giant chips still take all!)

For the soda, well I was not going to let me or my kids have that, so we bought Kroger Fruit Punch instead.  Wow was that a mistake.  I did a major no, no and didn't read the label.  It had a whopping 47 grams of sugar.  Lemonade didn't seem much better either.  Next time we do a picnic or have a special occasion drink I'll just get them juice in a can or something.

I also added watermelon and grapes to our meal.

Everything was well priced and tasted very good. My family all left the table happy and satisfied.
 I was surprised to find out that they had Turkey burgers too, for a low fat option. So I hope this helps you find quick yet more healthier options for your picnic and outing this summer. 

From the Trenches

I write about what is healthy and what is not, what is good for you and what will bring you down.  I've been educated and I write about health because I know how it feels to have health problems.

So the last couple months have been really ruff on me, and even more so lately.  I have hypothyroidism.  Which in short means that my metabolism does not work like it should.  So I eat and my body can't use the energies, nutirants, etc.  So if you don't use it you...store it.  And the major set back is not having energy.  Two weeks ago I was crying because I was so so so incredibly tired.

It stinks, but that's my cards, and as long as I keep tabs on my condition I can live with it.

So I wanted you to know that my life/body is not perfect either.  I have issues, but I don't let them be excuses. I make them reasons.

Because I have this I exercise to keep my weight in check.  Because I have this I eat healthy so I can keep my skin, hair, nails as good as I can get them.  So I can have energy to at least smile at my kids.

So what ever you may have or what ever condition your body is in just know that I'm in the trenches with you.  And it's a battle that we can't give up on.  Because if we do then things will only get worse.  Only through nutrition and exercise can we have a greater quality of life.  So stick with it, push through it.  I'm with ya. You wont' regret it.

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Is Greek Yogurt Better than Regular?

I started training a new client this last month, and as we were discussing her diet greek yogurt and traditional yogurt came up.

First off let me warn you about traditional yogurt.  It deviously houses around 26g of sugar per serving!!!   Yikes.  At 24g of sugar you can eat a full sized Twix bar.   Yes, that's right traditional yogurt has the same amount of sugar as candy bars do.  Don't do it.  Bad, bad, bad! 

Opt for the plain versions.  Which honestly don't taste good unless you mix it with things.  Such as frozen berries, granola and a pinch of honey.

Now going greek.  What is it exactly?  Greek yogurt has been strained longer, making it thicker, reducing some sugar, and thus resulting in more protein per serving.

So good right?  Well not so fast.  We have the same problems with greek as we do traditional...fat and sugars.  Both vary by brand.  Some brands had 29g of sugar and 8g of fat.  If your watching your waistline these would not be the things to eat.


If weight maintenance or loss is a goal for you then go greek plain non-fat. 

Why plain?  If it's flavored that's where all the extra sugars come in.  The only way to reduce the harmful junk is to take out those flavoring syrups.

The greek's thicker creamer texture is great for making creamsicles, dressings, substitutions for sour cream, mayonnaise and more.  It is a great option but only if  you stay informed.  Make sure you compare labels before putting it in your shopping cart.

I ended up with Stonyfield Organic Greek plain yogurt after comparing what was at my local supermarket.
130 cal, 9g of sugar, 0g fat, 23g protein-love that large protein amount.

 

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