Wednesday, April 1, 2015

No April Fools - veggies make me sick!! (advice?)

Did a weigh in for the first time in several days - my weight is up to 129. I had hoped not to break 130 in the first three months, but....

Wow. I am struggling. The mere smell of vegetables cooking is enough to make me gag. I barely can choke down my previously beloved roasted beets for lunch every day. I even cannot stand the taste/smell/texture of sweet potatoes. SWEET POTATOES. I live on those. I was bringing snap peas as a snack, and those were one of the first things to disgust me. Raw or cooked, I am having a lot of trouble finding any vegetable appetizing. Chris made a lentil/carrot  soup several days ago and I got so revolted by it, even the thought of lentils make me queasy (even right now, ha).

I'm forcing myself to eat veggies, though - I have broccoli and beets for lunch today and I'm trying to eat salads at dinner. I know how important it is for me to get in several servings of veg every day for nutrition, especially during this time, but it is so, so hard. The other foods I am eating are high calorie/carb/sugar and I know that isn't ideal.

I am literally repelled by them, they can bring me to tears!

So, yeah. Proteins are fine - eating a lot of turkey, chicken, and eggs. Sticking with my lactose cottage cheese in the morning with blueberries. Fruit has been okay (though I nearly got sick eating a banana last night).

I really, REALLY, really wanted to stay on my 95% paleo diet during this time. It's done so much awesome stuff for my body - high energy, low inflammation, easy weight maintenance. But I've been struggling.

I bought some gluten-free bread that I've been using with either sunflower seed butter, butter or strawberry preserves. And yesterday, I broke down and bought some pretzels. I would almost have killed someone for a pretzel, I wanted them so bad.

Someone commented (Vickie?) that morning sickness was exacerbated by grains and sugars, like fruit juice, even though that is what most pregnant women seem to crave/rely on. The sugars in those foods spike the blood sugar, and the crash causes more severe nausea. I tried to keep that advice in mind, tried to stick it out with my normal food template, but I was weak and so tired of feeling nauseous and disgusted by my food. The pretzels and bread made me feel normal for a while and it was just plain old nice to eat something without gagging, haha.

So I am at a bit of a loss what to do. I want to give my body all the nutrition I WAS getting previously, but it's been harder than I thought (the nausea can land me in bed for hours at a time in a dark room).

But this won't last forever. If things go well, by month 4 I might be past this stage and can resume normal eating?

Any advice would be welcome - any suggestions how to maintain a more paleo and whole food template during this time? And no, I am not going to eat only proteins :) I want to try and get in a well-rounded nutritional profile and find some food that is edible to me and ditch the bread!

Thanks for any help. Have a great day <3

10 comments:

  1. Maybe you could juice your own vegetables? I know it's ideal to actually eat the vegetable so you get all the fiber, but at least if you juice them you'll get the nutrients and it will be healthier than drinking a V8 or commercial juice. Hang in there!

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  2. I was going to suggest juicing as well. What about also pureeing them into a mash of some kind? xoxo

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  3. I too was going to say smoothies or juices. And it (hopefully) won't last forever!

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  4. Yeah, this stage of the game can be tricky - your body is figuring out how to handle the little invader:) I would go through salty cravings, and I'm more of a sweet tooth normally. Just being mindful, as you are, will benefit you and the little one. But it's tough! Don't be too hard on yourself...the weird food stuff will diminish. At this point you've just got to get through the days. I work full time, and my girls are 4.5 and 2.5 years old - I did what I could to get through the days. Are there any bland, non-starchy veggies that appeal to you? Hang in there - this is an exciting, nerve-wracking time!

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  5. Don't eat foods that make you sick. That's your bodies way of telling you NO. It will likely only last until 2nd trimester. Have non veggies- meat, fruits, avocados, tomatoes - look at fruit that is fruit, but falls into veggie land. etc.

    There's no way I could touch a bell pepper when pregnant. Body said NO.12 hours after delivery, okay again.

    You'll be okay without veggies for a while. As long as you aren't headed for the processed cakes, cookies and muffins- or back to binge eating, you'll be okay- IMO. See what happens after 12-16 weeks. I would have one bad day, the next day better, the next day fabulous, then another super bad day. Until 16 weeks.

    Just go with it. Keep hydrated. Keep fueled. Pray you don't spend a lot of time puking. And if you puke too much, you get a pik line. Just saying. You will live. So will the baby. I hope it doesn't get that bad. My friend who had twins puked mightily for 10 months straight. 2 hospitalizations, pic lines twice. Her girls are fine, strong, healthy and smart.

    Your body is not your own right now.

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  6. PS- google Melissa Hartwig pregnancy. If I remember correctly, she wrote several posts about being really sick during pregnancy. The Whole9 site and check for pregnancy threads at MDA or your favorite info source. Good luck!

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  7. Honestly, I couldn't have gotten through pregnancy without saltines. I was nauseated through about month six and again for the last month. Totally healthy babies, but I really struggled to find foods I could manage to keep down. Once I'd thrown up a food, it didn't appeal for the rest of the pregnancy. I really think it's okay to get your nutrients from fruit if that's what you can manage. Just be kind to your body and cut yourself some slack. -- Alice

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  8. Hmmm, I'm no expert, but I'd say listen to your body - it knows what you need, both for you and for your new internal friend and I guess it's trying to figure out ways to tell you.
    If it says no sweet potatoes it probably isn't joking. Just cast around for the veggies it does seem to accept without a qualm and worry about adding your 'usual' favourites back later.
    Just a thought, my niece found a weak ginger infusion (tea, if you like) helped her a lot with the nausea. She sweetened it with local honey, but you might be happier without sugars or with something like stevia.

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  9. I agree listen to your body, but what a bummer, I love my veggies! Hope it passes soon for you.

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  10. I'm sure over the coming months you may well go off food / on food / and any where and everywhere in between ... as Karen said " Your body is not your own right now." and we are all sending you positive thoughts.

    Take Care

    All the best Jan

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