Eating Well, Thinking Well

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

So, I finally got a hold of this book and I’m excited. I heard about it and a friend let me borrow hers. I was curious to know what this book was all about. My friend and my health educator told me the book was strict. I’m still reading it. My overall impression is that the book is similar to what they teach you in health education classes. They have what they call the ‘pregnancy diet.’

My doctor told me (and I read about it as well) that I should add around 300 calories to whatever I was doing before. I was trying to lose weight, so my calorie count was kind of low. I was working with the number of calories allotted to me while making sure I get a good quantity for the calories. I hardly ever counted the number of calories, I counted portions. I did that for 1 year and 2 months approximately. Once I got pregnant I decided to relax about all the calorie counting. The only thing I counted were the calories I was burning. I wanted to be sure to burn at least 2,000 calories per week. Now I’m not counting anything. I’m still eating much similar to the way I did before, I just allow myself to eat extra if I want. I eat when hungry, exercise often and still set goals to get to the gym and do cardio and weights. I’m being very attentive to what my body wants instead of dictating a certain number of calories I need to put in and out. Total control and writing everything down would drive me nuts. I keep up with all the labs they are doing at the doctor’s office so I’ll know if I’m lacking any nutrients – which thank God I’m not.

I heard that it takes a year for you to see the total health effects that good, consistent nutrition brings to your body. When it comes to exercise, you can see the results much quicker (compared to a year). I believe I’m seeing now the harvest of health I started planting over a year ago. God is good.

This previous year was a key year to forming new healthy habits and eating a variety of healthy foods. I’m benefiting from it and as soon as I have the baby I’ll keep working but a little harder on getting back to get back into 5K race running shape.

Another thing that I’m fighting against is the thought that I’m just fat. I have learned that this is not the way God sees me. This season of life is a season where I’m nurturing a human being who has needs I fulfill by eating well, exercising, resting and enjoying life. I am saddened when I hear pregnant women saying with hate in their voices that they are fat. I don’t want to get into that mindset. God has created my body to give birth and my body is supposed to change. My body is a wonderful creation of God which will get back to my normal shape and I’m believing God it will be even better after this experience of pregnancy and birth.

As a woman thinks in her heart, so is she (Proverbs 23:7). In my heart I think I am loved by God, I am healthy and I have a strong pregnancy and delivery.