18 weeks and still pursuing a fit pregnancy, doctor visit, etc.

Good morning!  Yesterday I went to my monthly check up. I was 18 weeks yesterday. I was really anxious to hear the reassurance of the heartbeat since I haven't heard it since I had the amnio two weeks ago.  I was pretty sure everything was fine, but it's nice to have the peace of mind.

As usual, I do my weird rituals the morning before going to the doctor, which includes not eating prior to the visit, because I get anxious and can't seem to keep food down.  I also pee about a million times so I won't be sitting in the exam room with a full bladder. LOL I did make myself a protein drink and took it with so I could drink it after I relaxed.

Before seeing the doctor, the assistant took my blood pressure (98/58) and weight. I have only gained 4.4 pounds! I am sure some of you are gasping, but as you will find out later, my doctor is not concerned. Then there was the customary "pee in the cup" and into the exam room to wait for the doctor.  I need to bring more things to do for this part of the visit because I always end up waiting for a good chunk of time. Luckily, there were some magazines to flip through and Mike and I were texting back and forth. The doc came in about 25 mins later and we chatted a bit.  I asked her if she thought my weight gain was ok, and she said it was totally fine.  She was also my doctor throughout my pregnancy with Macy, and knows all about my commitment to running, fitness and healthy eating. She herself runs marathons and other races and is very fit.  She went on to say, "I just know your habits are very healthy...I am not concerned."  She went on to say, "you will probably end up gaining a total of about 15 pounds."

My jaw almost dropped to the floor. WAIT! Everyone else has been telling me I need to gain about 150. Haha. And asking why I am not showing, and where the baby is. I felt almost giddy. Finally, a medical professional who was not using the same, tired AMA guidelines that are applied to every woman on the planet regardless of body composition, height, genetics, lifestyle and so forth. It has always infuriated me that there's this blanket guideline "all pregnant women should gain 25-35 pounds throughout the course of their pregnancy."  So, you need to gain that much whether you are petite, 5 feet tall and 90 pounds (which I'm not, I'm just giving an example, lol) or if you're 5'9, 160 with a large frame??? It just seems so stupid to me.  I think it should be more individualized to the patient and take other factors into account. I have also heard stories of some doctors telling women, "You need to gain more weight. Try adding a dish of ice cream after dinner." WTF??? Sure, an occasional treat is just fine, but gaining weight on fat and sugar? How is that good for the baby?

Let me once again reiterate - I am NOT trying to "not" gain weight. I want to gain what the baby requires and needs, and no more. I am 18 weeks and the baby currently weighs about 7 ounces, so I should not be putting on tons of pounds yet, it just doesn't make sense. I know I have additional blood volume and all that, but still. It's too early. Plus, I have gone through two other pregnancies and I know my body will do what it needs to.  With Hailey, my oldest, I was young, (21) and didn't know much about eating right or exercise. I pretty much ate what I wanted and didn't exercise at all. I gained around 30 pounds. It didn't need to be that much.  I was totally using the "pregnancy excuse" to eat peanut butter cups, ravioli and meals from Denny's on a practically daily basis! I am surprised I didn't gain a lot more than that!

With this pregnancy, of course I know tons more about diet and nutrition. I have been carefully selecting my foods and trying to eat out only rarely.  I am choosy about what I eat and do not waste calories on garbage. My diet consists mainly of leafy greens, vegetables, eggs, cottage cheese, berries, meat, fish, seeds, soy milk, cheese, Greek yogurt and a few treats here and there like sugar free pudding or Jello with Reddi-Whip. I avoid sugar, processed foods, refined carbohydrates, starch, bread, potatoes, etc. I eat the sugar free pudding sparingly because I know it's full of chemicals. Also, I do not drink caffeine (I know you are allowed some during pregnancy, but I'm choosing to avoid it) and I don't drink soda (only mineral water and regular water). I probably consume around 1800 calories per day.

As for the exercise, my routine has not changed much since I became pregnant, except that I've had to slow down the running A LITTLE. I just get tired more easily, which is normal. For example, say I used to run on the treadmill at 7.5 miles per hour (about an 8 minute mile on average), I am now running around 6.8 mph (about an 8:40 mile). Not bad... I am okay with it and I know it will come back after the baby, it did last time. I run four days per week.  Three days of the week I do around 3 miles, and on the fourth day I do a longer run, usually 6-8 miles.

I mix up the running with Turbo Jam and my favorite P90X workouts which are plyometrics, chest and back and KenpoX.  I also have a Biggest Loser Cardio Max DVD I like. The chest and back workout (the one with all the push ups and pullups) is great because I always feel like I've had an awesome ab workout the following day! Whenever I do a lot of push ups, my abs are very sore.  This is good for pregnancy because you aren't laying on your back doing crunches. I can keep my abs tight even during pregnancy! Makes for easier childbirth, too!
The Beachbody coaching has been going great lately as well! I have an awesome new coach in Hawaii who just signed up and is already doing great! He is getting his whole family involved in fitness and inspiring them, which is awesome.  I am also talking to another girl who wants to become a coach and plans to sign up this week. She just ordered P90X and is super excited to start. The momentum is building!  I cannot wait to have the baby so I can have my Shakeology again! (OK- that's not the most important reason, OF COURSE, but it's one of those little things I am looking forward to. Some people will look forward to having a beer after giving birth, I look forward to downing a Greenberry Shakeology. LOL!!)

Well, time to start my day.  Thanks for reading, please leave comments and visit my Beachbody site if you're interested!