Pregnancy and the 21 Day Fix

Let me just stop and take a moment to reflect on how HORRIBLE my eating habits have been for the past month. 

It all started when I went to Florida to visit Mike's dad. Talk about amazing food! I let everything slide and ate whatever I wanted. Returning to Indiana meant coming back to reality, but now I had tasted the sweet, sweet temptations… and all hell was about to break loose!

Huge Ice Cream Sunday in Florida

So after we got home, Mike went right back to his healthy eating of loads of veggies, fruit, and protein. I, on the other hand, kept wanting all of the yummy splurge meals we had while away. Sure, I'd snack on fruits and carrots while eating a turkey sandwich. Those healthy meals weren't as frequent as they should have been, though! Indulging in pancakes, ice cream, pizza, and french fries got pretty common!

Healthy vs. Unhealthy Dinner

Realistically, I'm pregnant. Who cares if I gain weight?

Umm… me?!!!

I had been on a gradual incline at all of my previous OB appointments. I felt ok but large in the belly. Go figure! Now I am getting to the point where my face looks fuller, my arms aren't as tone, my pants are tighter in my thighs, and I'm getting my saddlebags back. Oh hell no! This has to STOP before it gets any worse!

This ridiculous weight gain is what lead me to do the 21 Day Fix while pregnant. While the program is a diet and exercise plan, it's main focus is helping folks deal with portion control. Basically, it's screaming my name! I have been doing some of the workouts on my own (pretty much when I'm not exhausted) but thought the nutrition portion should best be left until post-baby. I mean heck, this is my time to let loose. 

21 Day Fix Program

Except I let loose a little too much.

Therefore, tomorrow I will be diving in to this awesome program! 

So how does it work, especially considering I'm pregnant? When you purchase the program, you are given an exercise schedule to match up with the dvds that you received. You're also given an eating plan that tells you how many containers you can eat per day based on your caloric needs. The containers are color-coded which makes meal planning super easy. 

21 Day Fix Containers

After calculating how many calories I should be eating a day, I figured out how many containers I get. It really is WAY less intense than it sounds.  For the program, I get to eat between 1800-2099 calories a day. That's right, loads of HEALTHY calories to help this tiny human grow! 

This means:

5 Green containers

3 Purple containers

5 Red containers

4 Yellow containers

1 Blue container

1 Orange container

5 Teaspoons (for oils, peanut butter, etc)

That is a LOT of food folks!! Plus, it's all nutritious… something the tiny human will thank me for!

I made my weekly meal plan to help break it down even more.

21 Day Fix Meal Plan

You might notice this doesn't follow the allotment to a T. While I do get 3 Yellow containers a day, one is to limit their milk intake to three times a week. The tiny human has me going through about a gallon a week, so I had to be realistic. I am knocking it down and replacing some with water, but I want that daily milk intake. If my body says I need it, I'm going to listen! That's why I'm mixing it with my Shakeology every day.  The orange containers are dressings, nuts, etc. Three times a week, you are allowed to replace them with something small and sweet, like chocolate covered raisins. Since the tiny human has intensified my sweet tooth, I'm allowing a small daily snack to keep myself at bay. I would much rather allow myself a small splurge than go nuts and eat a pint of ice cream. Which has been my usual routine. I am also not eating all of my teaspoons, as I usually never cook in oil. (Mike hates it, but I throw that stuff in a dry skillet and pray for a small amount of smoke!) 

So there you have it. That's how a pregnant lady plans on doing the 21 Day Fix! I will also add that most of the exercises will have to be modified, as I cannot do any ab work. If it calls for me to lay on my belly, I'll do some yoga stretching instead. That should help me in a few more months!

I will definitely be sure to keep my progress updated. And just to avoid confusing/criticism, I am NOT doing this program to lose weight! I am doing this program to get myself back on track, watch my portions, limit my sweets, and eat more veggies! What I've put on is what I will have to deal with until post-tiny human. However, if I can keep it from piling on, I am sure as hell going to try!

20 Weeks and Counting!

A lot has changed since my last post! First off, I'm getting bigger! The tiny human can officially be felt externally when it kicks. It also REALLY likes to punch/kick my bladder. We've had some serious discussions about how Mommy doesn't appreciate those particular movements. Secondly, I visited a neurologist who said I no longer need to do heparin injections. The neurologist did a complete exam (along with some bloodwork), stating that if he didn't know my history, he never would have guessed that I had a stroke 3 years ago. Score! He also noted that I do not need a scheduled c-section due to increased risk for having another stroke. This little lady is super pumped! 

20 Week Belly

So now I get to "enjoy" the rest of my pregnancy. Today was my 20 week appointment, which means I had my anatomy scan ultrasound. Mike and I decided to wait until d-day to learn the gender of the baby, but it was still fun seeing it on the screen! My tiny human is already pretty stubborn. It refused to slip over so the ultrasound tech could get a good view of the spine. At one point, the tech pushed the probe on my belly to get it to move… and we watched the little stinker use both legs to forcefully kick where she was poking. "Bug off, lady!" is totally what it was saying! I can already see our stubborn personalities colliding one day… 

The doctor did mention that everything looks great. The tiny human is weighing in at 11oz, and is in the 61% grouping for size. Average is 50%, so it's a little bigger than average. With parents like Mike and me, I wouldn't expect any less! There's no way this kid is going to be small! Since everything with the tiny human (and me) looks so good, along with the neurologist taking me off heparin/stating I don't need a scheduled c-section, I officially got moved from a high-risk pregnancy status to low-risk! I even watched him mark it on the paper!! Super fabulous news :)

Tiny Human

My growing belly is still leading to some body image issues. I know, I know… it's suppose to be growing (especially with it being 11 oz!!). Now that I'm starting to look a little more pregnant it's getting better, but I still hate wearing anything other than my scrubs or sweatpants. Plus, maternity pants just aren't that comfortable! 

I've also started discovering how difficult it's getting to move around while working. Bending and twisting in to weird positions to restrain animals isn't as fun as it was a few months ago! I also get out of breath walking from one side of the clinic to the other. It's nuts!

Toes!

Since I've noticed some problems with my breathing, I've started exercising more. While I do have to modify some, I'm amazed at how well I can usually keep up! Thirty minutes a day is totally doable, especially when my cravings tend to get the best of me regarding my diet. I'm also trying to encourage others to join in with me. As a Beachbody coach, I'm always trying to get others on track with their health and fitness, but this month is a little different.

One of my fellow coaches was recently diagnosed with stage four Hodgkins Lymphoma. She is an awesome coach, mom, teacher, and overall person, so I'm going to do anything I can to help. That's why, for the month of March, I am helping raise money to help contribute to her charity of choice (the Mario Lemieux Foundation). Whenever someone signs up with to participate in one of my challenge groups with the purchase of a challenge pack (an exercise program + 30days worth of Shakeology), I am donating some of my commission in her honor. 

A couple other coaches and myself are hosting a challenge group that starts March 24th. I'm really excited about this group, as I want to get TONS of people involved so I have more to donate in her honor! So you might be wondering what exactly a challenge group entails. Well, it's a 60 day group that takes place from the comfort of your own home. You will be added to a closed Facebook group (meaning only the folks in the group can see what you post) where you are given daily assignments that will keep you motivated and on track during the challenge. We focus on balancing daily life, fitness, nutrition… all while making it as fun as possible! I love these groups because they give you a place to go for support, motivation, and accountability.  If you're interested in learning more about joining the March 24th group, please e-mail me at k.pivowar@gmail.com  

Great cause for a great gal!