Are you in there?

Week 17, ahhh, what a great feeling to be 17 weeks into pregnancy. I'm well through the first trimester, and as promised, I feel 100% better! I'm almost feeling so good that I have moments I worry that the baby is still alive and well! It had been 4 weeks since my last doctors appointment and I was chomping at the bit to get to my appointment this week. As always, it was absolutely amazing to hear little Roo's heartbeat (my father-in-law affectionately calls the baby Roo, like a baby kangaroo nestled in its mother's pouch, ha!) and it was thumping strongly at 147 bpm. I walked back to my car with a permanent grin and once again feeling relaxed and confident in this miraculous journey!

My belly seems to grow a little more every week and I finally broke down and started wearing maternity clothes. Mom was in town last week and we met up with my sister to complete a full 8 hours of shopping. Let me tell you that my feet were ready to fall off! I've noticed my feet aching a lot sooner and more intense than I've ever experienced... I'm guessing this is normal?



I think it took me awhile to get into maternity clothes because I didn't know my maternity style. Finally my mom and sister threw me in a dressing room and just brought back a ton of clothes (clothes they thought I would like, others I would never have grabbed) and it was interesting what I ended up choosing. I discovered that the fitted tops helped my figure more so than the bloused out look. Any shirt that emphasized the chest area looked obnoxious (my boobs are out of control)and new bra's are a MUST when your breasts start to grow! My sister noticed I was popping out the bottom of my bra and wouldn't let me leave the mall without purchasing a new maternity bra. If you are going to breast feed, I recommend a nursing bra. They are not cheap and you might as well get multiple uses and months out of it! When we finally bought a bra, the attendant let me wear it out of the store and I felt like a whole new women!

This is off topic, but I feel like I need to mention that my motivation in my career has finally re-appeared! For the last couple months, everything from house work to jobs has seemed like a chore. I had no motivation and it was concerning because I am usually a person who's constantly working on ways to build clientele or start new projects. I was almost worrying that I was becoming slightly depressed. However, looking back on the previous months, it is quite apparent that I was just exhausted and sleep took precedence. Now that my energy is back, I'm taking opportunities during lunch breaks or in between clients to work on www.real-moms-real-fit.com, blog, contact clients, work on continuing education credits... I AM BACK!!

My next ultra sound is in three weeks, and my husband and I have decided to find out the sex of the baby. Stay tuned and let me know if you're feeling PINK or BLUE!

Official Journey Has Begun

The official journey has begun! I am currently pregnant and due to meet the little miracle September 23rd. It took my husband and I about three months to get pregnant (which I hear is extremely quick, most doctors say anywhere from 6 months to a year)and are incredibly thankful that we have not had any true concerns or scares of miscarriage. I have felt continuously tired and extremely burpy! It feels better just to let out the burps, so my poor husband just looks at me in disbelief and tells me I'm sexy. Ha.


The first trimester is an incredibly important time during pregnancy because it is when most of the developing takes place. I think this reality finally sunk in for me when I was reading through my pregnancy books and looking at the pictures of the baby week-by-week. This reality has been my motivation to follow my pregnancy diet and be a good girl. I will be honest, I was worried about giving up the caffeine and alcohol, however this makes me laugh now because they sound disgusting. I think it is amazing how our bodies tell us what we need.

It's funny to listen to everyone's advise going through this new experience... give into cravings, you can eat for two, watch your weight now because it's impossible to get it off later, NO CAFFEINE, some caffeine, NO ALCOHOL, some alcohol... what's a girl to do? I personally love hearing advice because I feel like I can absorb everything and weed out what works for me. I would not say I'm the most strict pregnant women (I know strange since I'm a Dietitian), but I definitely care that I'm trying to be healthy for myself and baby. I thought I would update you on my nutrition and exercise ventures to this point:

Nutrition: Taking a prenatal daily (my prenatal contains DHA, ask your doctor if this is important for you), I stare at that pill every day and tell myself "you can do this". I have a friend who takes shots in her butt everyday and 5 different medications and here I am staring at a simple prenatal and loathing the moment it has to go down. I will recommend taking your vitamin right before bed, I have had no adverse reactions this way.

I've completely eliminated caffeine and soda, purely because it sounds disgusting (you are allowed to have ~250mg of caffeine per day). I've been craving carbohydrates and sucumbing to the cravings of more breads, bagels, and cereals. However, I'm still trying to follow a food schedule of eating every 2-3 hours, so my snacks and meals are planned. The closer I keep my feeding schedule, the better I typically feel throughout the day. I'm struggling with fruits and vegetables and I kept telling myself that I would do better in my second trimester. Well, now that I'm in my second trimester food choices have improved, however it's still a constant struggle to balance my plate at meals. I believe my calories have remained between 1800-2200, this is normally weight maintenance for me and it seems to be working.

Exercise: Ok, call me crazy, but I was training for a half marathon in Seattle. I had planned a trip with 4 other highschool girlfriends prior to finding out that I was pregnant. I asked my doctor how he felt about my training and he encouraged me to listen to my body and take all of the proper precautions (i.e. watch heart rate, breathing, adverse signs or symptoms). I trained up to 7 miles,and felt like 13 might be attainable, however after my long run I experienced some spotting and decided to back down on my mileage. I ended up running 3 miles with my girlfriends and walking the next 10. I'm still excited to say that I completed a half marathon during my pregnancy!

I think exercise has been my savour for a mood enhancer as well as feeling better. Some of my best hours in the day are when I'm active and worst urpy times are on the couch... again, do you think our bodies try to tell us anything??

Walking feels wonderful, however lifting feels like a task. I have still not hired a personal trainer, I might use this as a motivator if my own motivation dwendles at any point. I laugh, but my Wii system has created a lot of movement for me... and no I don't have wii fit. I actually love Dance Dance Revolution and will jump on by myself and bounce around for an hour or so... this can be so much more motivating than going to the gym!

So here we are 16 weeks into prenancy and I'm finally feeling better and truly enjoying the process. The pants definitely don't fit and I'm obessed with the "belly band" (that little piece of stretchy wonder that keeps me in my regular pants). If you are wondering what I'm talking about check out a maternity store, they are a fabulous little creation.

Stay tuned for more advice and motivation and always feel free to ask questions!

Preparing for Pregnancy: Part I

Hi! I'm Lindsey and this is my husband Nick. Welcome to my journey of trying to become a mom. So, the truth is I have my moments where I'm freaking out! Don't get me wrong, I'm mostly excited, however there is always the fear of... what if I can't get pregnant... what if I haven't prepared my body... what foods should I be eating or avoiding... oh gosh, my list goes on.

I am a dietitian and personal trainer and I'm doing research on my questions. I thought it would be interesting to blog my experience with getting pregnant (hopefully) and share my knowledge throughout the pregnancy. I recently had a good friend ask me to partner with her website http://www.real-moms-real-fit.com/. I've learned that "real moms" lean on each other for support and questions because they understand eachothers trials and tribulations. I'm hoping to be that support system for nervous mom's who are needing more information on exercise and nutrition during pregnancy.

Thinking like a dietitian, I want to make sure that my body is ready for pregnancy. I know that I need to be taking a vitamin that provides me with at least 400mcg of folate and I'm also watching my calcium intake, aiming for 1000mg (Note that teenagers should aim for 1300mg). When my husband and I were a couple months away from trying, I started taking just a normal women's one-a-day. The last time I saw my OBGYN he said the multi was fine, however, recommended a prescription prenatal.

Ok, time for confession, both the multi and the prenatal completely made me nauseas. I had to take them right before I went to bed or else I was dry heaving. Taking them right before bed often meant forgetting to take them. I decided the most important detail at this time was making sure my folate was met, so I found some children's gummies and doubled the dose. Definitely not the best vitamin, but I never forgot to take them and they didn't make me nauseas. Now that I'm literally weeks away from trying to get pregant, I'm switching back to the prenatal vitamin. I've started taping the vitamin to my bathroom mirror and putting a bottle of water upstairs (this is my "no-excuse" plan).

Thinking like a personal trainer, I want to make sure I'm doing all of the exercises that I'd like to continue while pregnant. Most doctors recommend to continue with your current routine, so it is important to develop that routine prior to conception. Personally, I'd like to be able to lightly jog and lift weights. I plan on hiring a personal trainer for at least one day a week to keep me motivated. I'm part narcoleptic (not really, but I feel like it), so I feel like pregnancy is going to completely wear me out! I'm going to need all the motivation I can get to stick to a workout routine!

Wish me luck and safe travels on my journey! I will have my professional cap on for the ride, so please feel free to ask questions. Just starting to journal is making everything feel so real, I can't wait for what's to come!

If you are thinking about becoming a mom, you are pregnant, a new mom, a middle-aged mom, or even a grandma, you have to check out "Real Moms Real Fit". This website has all the information you ever wanted to know about fitness and nutrition... just click below!
http://www.real-moms-real-fit.com/

If you are visiting my site from "Real Moms Real Fit" welcome and please feel free to ask nutrition or fitness questions that you would like answered. I am a Registered Dietitian and Certified Personal Trainer and I am excited to share what has been working for my clients!

Ask the Dietitian/Personal Trainer

Do you find nutrition confusing? Here's your opportunity to ask a registered and licensed dietitian all of your burning nutrition questions! Anything you want to know?

Establishing Goals

Welcome to your first week of "Lightening the Weigh". First and foremost, we need to establish your personal health goals. You might want to start a journal and get all of your goals down on paper! I will try to provide worksheets along the way, but I have a lot of people who prefer a small memo pad that will fit easily into a purse or breifcase.

I want everyone to list three goals:
1). Food Goal: (ex. I will track my food intake for the next 7 days)
2). Fitness Goal: (ex. I will walk three days this week for 10-20 minutes)
3). Behavior Goal: (ex. I will slow down and make my meals take at least 15 minutes to eat)

*Remember, goals need to be timely and specific! You should be able to look back at your goals next Monday and say "yes, I met my goals" or "no, I did not meet my goals". Try to make your efforts attainable. I would much rather you meet your goals too easily than struggle to fullfill even one! For example, if you never workout, don't make your workout goal 7 days a week for 60 minutes... get the point?

Ok, so you're off! Get pumped and get goals written down. I think it would be helpful if individuals posted their own goals to help others with ideas and a better understanding of the diverse needs. I expect a full report next Monday and I would love midweek updates. Ta Ta!