Pregnancy Fitness Question

clarkcj

Hello All,

I've really fallen off the wagon since finding out I was pregnant and while I'm totally fine with gaining baby weight, my percentage body fat is bothering me. I'm sure lots of you have exercised / eaten well through your pregnancies. I want to be as healthy as possible and get back on track losing a little weight. I'd appreciate any discussion you have in general but I specifically wondered about:

Safe abs workouts for pregnant women (as I'm sure you know the belly fat is now WAY out there thanks to my little one taking up more and more room)

Suggestions for tummy support during cardio (am I alone that my belly is uncomfortable during workouts? I've been thinking of wearing spanx when I workout - any other suggestions?)

Suggestions to help curb cravings (I'm trying to replace things with fruits and veggies and limit the amount of bad food I crave while not totally denying myself. Any other suggestions?)

LoriLou67

Babyfit.com has plenty of exercise suggestions, complete with video clips if needed.

I am sure others will respond...no, you are not alone in being uncomfortable during cardio exercise! I don't know what you are doing for cardio...walking, water aerobics are awesome. Make sure you pay attention to your heart rate and drink plenty of water - I am sure your Dr. gave or will give you guidelines.

Regarding carbs - Ummm, you need to eat them. They are important for the development of that precious little one growing inside you. I would really encourage a conversation with your Dr. for some dietary guidelines and maybe a referral to a registered dietician.

Your job is to grow a healthy baby now, and your body knows it. Best wishes to you!!!

clarkcj

Lori,

Thanks for your input. I'm not eliminating carbs, I was meaning more like curbing cravings. For example, I've been really craving things that are horrendous for me (fried chicken, pizza, chocolate, etc). I was just wondering what others did to help ignore those silly pregnancy cravings. I personally don't believe pizza could ever possibly be 'the best thing for me' so I just wanted to inquire what others are doing.

LoriLou67

Lol...I know what you were meaning. I tried to substitute....if I thought I needed pizza, I would have some whole grain crackers or a piece of whole grain toast and some cheese. Chocolate I gave in to, just not a whole bag. The babyfit site has recipes and food ideas too - it's pretty cool.

And in case you are wondering why I weigh so blasted much and what I think I am doing replying to anything....I have PCOS and though I followed my Dr.'s orders regarding a caloric goal and ate much healthier with this pregnancy than with our first son, my body just likes to hold on to weight. I am going to get it off though, no matter how long it takes. I figure I can be just as stubborn as it most days!

kd_0115

First of all - Congratulations!

On the question of ab exercises - I would talk to your doctor. Generally speaking, if you were doing it before you were pregnant, it's ok to continue doing it after becoming pregnant. Of course, there are always caveats to that. I've read that you shouldn't do floor exercises where you on your back (crunches) past the first trimester. The best exercises for pregnant woman are walking & swimming.

Tummy support - Target sells "BeBands" that are great for stretching out the use of your pre-pregnancy jeans, etc. I would bet you could use one of those bands to help support your tummy while doing cardio. I don't have a tummy yet, so can't speak from experience.

Cravings - I am a huge carb eater, always have been. It's my weakness! I just try to stick to whole grains for all my carb cravings - bread, crackers, tortillas, etc. Air popped popcorn is a whole grain, and is a great snack as long as you aren't dousing it in butter.
Try making a "pizza" on a whole wheat tortilla. Just layer some tomato sauce with reduced fat mozzarella and some fresh veggies. Put it in the oven long enough to let the cheese melt.
For the fried chicken cravings, Eating Well has a recipe for baked "fried" chicken. Here is the link:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/oven_fried_chicken.html

My only other suggestion is to try to eat every 2-3 hours. I've found that if I have little snacks throughout the course of the day, I can control my cravings. I just try to alternate between fruits, veggies, whole grains, and dairy so that I'm getting a little taste of different things throughout the course of the day.

Best of luck to you!

lvfunandfit

My first pregnancy I gained 50 lbs. . . the 2nd one I only gained 37 (I say only because it was a lot less than my first pregnancy). I exercised more and had a toddler to take care of plus worked full time. I also made healthier food choices. Food tastes amazing while you are pregnant! I didn't realize until after I had my first how less amazing the food tasted. LOL

You have to be around 24% body fat to produce milk and grow a healthy baby... so let your body do what it needs to do to grow that baby. Keep exercising, drinking a ton of water and eating healty.. If something is uncomfortable change the positions or find a different exercise. I wore a support band (bought it at babies r us) when I exercised. I went running up until I was 4.5 months pregnant. I show quickly and I had to stop running at that point since I was so front heavy. I continued lifting weights, walking out doors and doing spin class up until I was 8.5 months pregnant and by then I decided I was done with the gym and only took walks outside.

Eating every 2-3 hours is the perfect way to eat, pregnant or not!