Can someone who knows about healthy eating please please come and help me here

[ABitAshamedActually]

I have name changed for this as I do really feel a bit ashamed of myself

Background: I am 6 months pg with DC2. I have a history of eating disorders, mostly anorexia, so my idea of healthy eating is rubbish but I generally try my best. This pregnancy has been very tough - I have had zero energy and a back problem that is making doing almost anything very painful, which I hate as I am usually pretty active.

Now this is the bit I am ashamed of. My diet is AWFUL. I mean, it would be bad enough if I wasn't pregnant but I am subjecting my baby to it and I feel terrible in every way. The thing is, I don't how to change it because if I don't eat like this my blood dugar levels and pressure drop through the floor and I am shaky and sick feeling. I was the same with my last pregnancy but because I was so active I didn't put on too much weight - this time I am porking out in a big way because I can't do much.

A typical day is:
2 weetabix or porridge with soya milk
A glass of fruit juice
2 or 3 bars of chocolate
A cake
A vegetable samosa
A cheese salad sandwich or beans on toast
A piece of fruit
A piece of toast with maybe peaneut butter
A healthy dinner such as last night potato, courgette and tofu stew with macaroni
A piece of fruit or some sort of pudding

It's terrible. But if I don't eat everything up to the sandwich by about 11am I am ready to faint. I tried making my breakfast huge but it made no difference. I tried eating loads of fruit and nuts etc in the morning but it made no difference. I DON'T WANT TO EAT LIKE THIS but I don't know what else to do. Please please give me any advice you can.

other ideas for snacks

oatcakes with philly/peanut butter
crumpets/muffins with butter and marmite (hgh carb tho)
hummous with pitta/breadsticks
cheese and apple - I like toasted bread and cheese with sliced apple on top

I need to snack too or feel shaky (also 6 mo pg). Some snacks are easier to manage at work than others

can you dilute your fruit juice with fizzy water or soda water? Helps with getting the fluids down I find. Also lime and soda (tho a bit sugary)

the diet coke plus the choc would mean a fair bit of caffeine in teh day, so maybe cutting down would be a good idea.

You'll probably find you feel better if you eat better and get fluids into you. Get a juicer.

Oh, it's hard with morning sickness and even later on, with general pregnancy finicky-ness. I am the same! I had vile morning sickness for the first 4 months this time around. I survived on white toast, frosted cereal and the odd bar of choc / can of coke for weeks and weeks. Don't be too hard on yourself. You should be eating plenty, just fill up on healthy-ish stuff before you reach for the chocolate and cakes. You could eat a bigger breakfast, lunch and dinner than you're currently eating, definitely. Then see how you feel. Also, have you had your blood sugar checked recently?
Definitely force that water down. it might play havoc on your bladder (I am in the loo every 20 mins ), but it will definitely improve your energy levels if you keep it up. I treat it like medicine, to be honest! i force down a pint mid morning and a pint mid afternoon, and then sip it during the evening.

also could you try balancing out your snacks? So instead of 3 choc bars have one choc bar, some fruit and a flapjack or something?

as anna says you definitely need to up the protein. you are growing a baby!!!! you need enough protein for you and for baby!

cheese is good. eggs.baked beans. pulses of all kinds.

but MORE. more than you are having now.

OK will try and eat bigger meals with more protein. Tonight I am having butter beans (yet another stew) I am drinking more water. AND I am going to give up chocolate. So when tomorrow's active convs brings up a load of bad tempered rants by one poster, I will be rumbled.

Your diet is fine except for the bit everyone else has pointed out.

You can substitute: bananas/avocados - brilliant food both, and if you were stuck on a desert island with nothing but one of those to eat you'd be fine. I understand your need for instant energy and hence the sugar. Eat the banana earlier and cut down gradually on the chocolate.

Thanks everybody

your diet does sound fine, but perhaps you should get into the mindset of having a mine meal (something savoury) rather than a treat (chocolate or cake) to keep your blood sugar up between meals.

you could also try making your own sweet snacks (try dipping crylized ginger, candied orange peel or fresh fruit) into melted dark good quality chocolate. Home made fairy cakes or ginger biscuits. These are not much better for you than the shop bought ones but portion sizes will be smaller and they will be tastier and more satisfying

Weetabix makes me starving! Porridge better but with me it never fills me up for as long as it seems to with other people. But if you have nuts and seeds and berries with the porridge it may fill you for longer. I think you definitely need protein with breakfast.