How many treats are too many?!

[musicmummytobe]

Hi everyone!
This is my first post on mumsnet :) I am 15 weeks pregnant with my first child. I just wondered if it is wrong to have the occasional tub of Ben & Jerry's or how many treats you all allow yourself at weekends/on days where you are struggling a little?! I was a big red wine drinker before I found out I was expecting and sometimes I feel like I need something naughty to look forward to to take its place! I have been trying so hard to eat well during the week - well over 8 fruit and veg a day, lots of protein and good carbs like quinoa, rye toast etc and I power walk at the gym a few times a week but at the weekend I really miss my wine and can't stop thinking about inhaling a whole tub of B&J or eating a family sized dairy milk whilst my husband has a few drinks! I suppose I just want to get an idea how much leeway other pregnant women allow themselves as I would hate to cause any problems for my little one like an over average weight or insulin problems. I had a BMI of 22 when I got pregnant and was pretty healthy (except for the wine ;) ) so not overweight but I read all these things about gestational diabetes and eating for two and how harmful this can be. I am not one for 'having a little of what you fancy' either, more eating a family sized chocolate bar in one sitting so just want to get an idea of how many treats are ok and what is too much at weekends! Any advice or experience of this would be really helpful! It is just a whole new world for me not having a glass of wine on a Friday or Saturday to wind down with but I don't want to get into equally as harmful habits! Thanks so much in advance :)

[pod100]

I will really miss my wine too! I can take or leave sweet stuff, that's my real treat. I bought an alcohol free wine from Sainsburys and also a bottle of Fre from asda when we had friends round at the weekend (trying to disguise my non-drinking!) The sainsburys one was just like a sweet cordial but the Fre Chardonnay tasted like I was having a drink. I almost felt like checking I hadn't accidentally poured a proper wine for myself.

I often have alcohol free lagers when driving though and find Becks Blue and the Erdinger bottles don't taste too dissimilar to lagers if you wanted to try that route X

[sepa]

Eat the food. Pregnancy feels like it last forever to not treat yourself

[IamChipmunk]

I put on 4 stone in my first pregnancy ( not that I'd reccomend it really) I just found I was starving all the time.
It didn't lead to any issues with ds and he was teeny at 6lb 11.
He does hav a sweet tooth tho!

I wouldn't worry too much about a bit of choc at the weekends.

[seven201]

I'm quite naughty. I eat far too much chocolate, not enough fruit and I have the occasional small glass of wine. I think you maybe should be naughty at the weekends as it sounds like that's most when you miss it.

[sjch]

I don't think you are alone. I've found myself eating more 'naughty stuff' but then I didn't really eat that much of it before so my 'fuzzy' logic is I'm not eating loads just more than before. I make sure my diet is balanced otherwise. I have cut out alcohol, mainly as I don't actually fancy it which is shocking! I'm in my third trimester and haven't put on a stupid amount of weight.

[musicmummytobe]

Thanks so much for the replies everyone, great to get some reassurance and advice (thanks for the tips pod100 - will give it a go!) I think I worry about it because I am thinking about food a lot! Just not sure if that is normal but sounds like it is! It's just so difficult when your body wants to stuff comforting carbs in when before I loved my salad and fresh fruit! thanks so much for taking the time to reply, it's lovely to have a place to get answers from real people and not Google doctors! X

[Impatientwino]

I'm 38 weeks with dc2 and have put on less than 2 stone so far. With my son I only put on about the same and lost it fairly quickly.

I'm quite good with fruit and general diet same as you but similar to previous poster I have eaten copious amounts of ice cream, chocolate, the odd glass of wine, fizzy haribo sweets, more chocolate, ice pops, more ice cream and don't even get me started on the chocolate biscuits

I did find my need to snack subsided around 26 weeks but before that I was snuffling like a loon all day! Cashews and babybel are good for snacking on. Now I'm just naughty in the evenings after dinner!

I find lime cordial and soda water in a wine glass is good as fake wine. I'm a dry Sauvignon girl so the the alcohol free wines just taste sweet and sickly to me. Infact drinking anything in a wine glass just makes it feel a bit more grown up

Waitrose stock an alcohol free red wine by Torres that isn't too terrible if red wine is your thing.

[BananaPie]

A whole big tub of Ben and jerry's? That is a lot. Maybe just have a couple of scoops!

[musicmummytobe]

Thanks impatientwino (great username!), I am a Rioja girl normally - funnily enough, the thought of actually drinking wine makes me feel sick now I'm pregnant (as many things seem to!) but I just miss the occasion! Good to know all was ok and you had times of indulgence alongside the balanced diet too :)

Oh I know a big tub is way too much but I know I would get through it if I had one in at the moment! That is why I don't keep stuff like that in my house! I manage to stay super healthy for about two weeks but then when I have a day when I fancy something, it seems to go very wrong!

[northdownmummy]

M&S do a range of posh non-alcoholic drinks in champagne style bottles. Normandy pear and Apple was my fav when pregnant. Drinking it out of fancy glass was a weekend treat.

[NoCapes]

Ha!
All 3 of my children were grown on a diet of carbs(carbs and more carbs!) chocolate, cheesecake and crisps
Oh and pasties, love a good pasty when I'm preggers

If I fancied it, I ate it
All children happy, fit and healthy

Seriously, relax!
It's great that you want to be healthy but for goodness sake just eat a bar of chocolate of you want one

Oh and - never in my life met anyone that could eat 'just a couple of scoops' of Ben & Jerrys

[musicmummytobe]

Thanks northdownmummy :)

And NoCapes - haha your reply cracked me up, thank you, I probably do need to chill out a bit with the worrying! And glad I'm not the only one with the B&J!