22 weeks & eating SO badly?

[BurbGirl2013]

Ladies please let me know honest opinions as getting worried I'm just not eating nutritionally healthy enough meals often enough. I'm coming up for 23 weeks tomorrow... So far healthy pregnancy, bar a tiny dost of blood few weeks ago but hospital found no obvious reason for that. Scans all great, baby looks to be growing well & listen to heartbeat at home with Doppler.

I'm taking my PregnaCare vitamins so that?s something & prob eating 1/2 pieces fruit and some fresh fruit juice every day.
BUT: each day my breakie is toast with peanut butter or a pastry?lunch is my only main craving: Starbucks Cheese & Marmite toasted Panini with a Mocha Frappuccino. I get this every day. Nutrition value apart from few vitamins in marmite (thank god) is probs zero?

I?ve also been getting Maccy D?s fries & McFlyrrys & Sundaes & getting through a lot of ice-cream generally. So the main core of my diet is bread, chips, pasta and ice cream!

I'm usually size 10 and as 5?7 despite being pear shape managed to look vaguely slim as have quite slim/deified arms, flat tummy (not now!) and quite a thin face. So I was very shocked the other day to see Ive put on coming up for 1 ½ stone- ahhhhh!!! I'm walking to and from work so probs 40misn fast walking day and trying to go to gym a few times a week so luckily I don?t look massive as of yet.

I'm really more concerned about affects its having on the baby?

Is this really bad?? I?ve cut down portion sizes and trying to get more fruit in but I don't honestly think I can give that all up its all I feel I can stomach (literally)?

Sorry for typos I wrote in a hurry!!

This sounds pretty similar to my diet! Also taking pregnacare. I'm 33 weeks now and just had my bloods checked and my iron is low, not enough for tablets yet but midwife strongly advised I increase my green leafy Veg. I would say try and get some of that in. My baby is growing fine. And I've eaten a lot of McDonalds seems that chips were one of the few things I could stomach at the start. And ice cream in this heat has become daily. Pregnacare should cover most nutrients, after all, baby will take what they need and you'll be the one missing out on nutrients so if u start to feel ill then you might need more fruit/veg.

It does sound pretty bad to me but we are in the UK and no doubt, plenty of people will tell you that it's fine as long as you take vitamins.

Would you eat like this when not pregnant? Is it that normal food makes you vomit or are you just giving into cravings? If it's sickness related, there's not much you can do until you feel better.

It's also not sooo much about how much weight you put on but about what nutrients you put in your body. Same as there are plenty of skinny, slim women who are actually really unhealthy due to their diet.

Tbh, I'm shocked someone would eat this way pregnant or not! It's not even about weight but the amount of salt, sugar etc you're feeding your baby?!

You should record what you eat on myfitnesspal as that measures what nutrients you need and what's outstanding including some vitamins and sodium.

I am the opposite and since finding out I'm pregnant I've become paranoid and have only drank water and homemade juices, no junk food or chocolate etc and healthy meals so I'm probably not giving a balanced view but I think you really need to make changes which you obviously are aware of.

Really really don't worry too much about your diet - the biggies (calcium, phosphorus, iron, proteins and fats) your baby will (to put it bluntly) rip right out of you (so you may find your teeth and bones suffer, and your risk of anaemia goes up), but the more important stuff to keep covered are the vits and mins that are water soluable, so are not retained by the body (think vit C etc). These water soluable nutrients are flushed through with your pee, and some fat soluable ones will be lost in your poo. Things like vit D (made in your skin under UV light/available as a supplement) also help with absorption and retention of other things (in this case calcium). Do bear in mind that the uptake of iron from green leafy veg is reduced by chlorophyl (the photosynthesis unit that makes plants green). If you want to ramp up your vit and min consumption without having to eat loads of veg you don't like/enjoy/gives you the boak then wash it thoroughly and eat it raw, as cooking significantly reduces the content of veg. Also don't put bicarb of soda in with your green veg when cooking, it knackers all the vits, even if it keeps your veg looking supergreen once cooked.
Sorry, that's turned into a bit of an essay!

I have been up and down with nutritional quality. At first I went off veg and protein completely. Then in the middle I was really careful, but in the last trimester I am now feeling like vegetables and proteins are disgusting and I could happily eat dairy and bread only.

I have tried to make it a bit more balanced by eating fruit - which I tend not to think of as healthy as veg (because of blood sugar), but at least it is some plants with vitamins! I think the dairy cravings I've had are probably worth listening to as well - though I've been trying to get it more from milk on cereal (muesli) than milkshakes (not a battle I always win tbh).

Also I do not weigh myself because I've been a yoyo dieter in the past and I don't want to unlock all sorts of crazy. I'm trying to eat intuitively, not impulsively. If you are struggling to find energy to eat right, top up with plants where you can and keep taking supplements I say.

I keep worrying about my diet during pregnancy too and the effect its having on my body and baby, I am going to aim for a more balanced diet but when you see on here people talking about still smoking or drinking alcohol during pregnancy I dont feel as bad as I think those are much worse and something I would never do being pregnant, so dont beat yourself up about what you already have eaten just try to be abit better at deciding what you eat from now on.

I vomited for the first 16 weeks and pretty much the only thing I could keep down was brioche. That bland, fatty carb thing seems pretty common.
The cheese, frappacino and ice cream cravings you have are probably your body wanting calcium. Cheese is fine, but if you could swop Maccy d ice cream and frappe for home made milkshake with fruit in or frozen yoghurt etc that would be good.
You may find you suddenly switch - I saw a roast chicken with veggies on a cookery show on tv, told dh I really fancied one, he made it, I literally ate 3/4 of a large roast chicken in one sitting!
Be aware of it, but you cant make yourself eat what you can't stomach - if someone had given me a plate of fish and veg for the first four months I'd have hurled.

Thanks ladies glad its not it me!! Felt little kicks for first time yesterday (have anterior placenta) so was v emotional but also made me think I've to to eat better... Looked up some healthier pasta/veg recipes to cook next week & will stock up on berries to make smoothies when I crave cold & creamy things as a lot of you say to do... that has to be better than fries surely?!

Cheesefonduerocks (ooh what a great name!) not eat as badly when not preg no, as in hadn't been to a Maccy Ds for about 6 months at least... But do love my cheese & carbs generally but manage to keep vaguely slim by walking where I can and goimg to gym. So only now I cant go fot it in gym as much im realising weight is creepining on & whats this doing to baby??

I've only thrown up once pregnant but it's that nausea that rises and stays with you-often at work and the only think I can face eating or calms it down is salt & vin crisps or the marmite panini/frapacinno.Yesterday I tried to swap my toast breakfast for Greek yogurt with banana and honey but it made me really queasy?!

Pink peonies... Your words were quite hard to hear tbh but I asked for it and thanks for your honesty. I'm going to sneak more fruit in my diet for sure.

Izchaz wow thanks you really clearly know your stuff!! Didnt know or realise half of that..so interesting?? We Have guinea pigs so will steal some of their spinach leaves and just take a(raw) mouthful of greens. Are pure fruit smoothies good or do you loose essential fibre so not as beneficial for baby?

There is a really good documentary called "The Nine Months That Made You". It's a BBC Horizon one and was aired when I was pregnant with DD1 if I remember correctly.

It was ripped to pieces on the pregnancy board on here because essentially, it explains how big an impact our diet during pregnancy makes to the future health of our children and even grandchildren (as our DD's eggs are already formed in utero). Most pregnant ladies on here didn't want to hear this as it's pretty common to eat crap when pregnant due to sickness, cravings etc. and saw it as a additional thing that we as women are made to feel guilty about.

I think it's worth watching in any case, just for a bit of motivation if you are interested in stuff like that. Should be easy enough to find online.

I think a smoothie would be a good alternative to the Frapps and things. You could even add in a small handful or two of baby spinach - it makes the colour gross but you can't taste it i promise!I quite like a homemade smoothie for breakfast, sometimes add a bit of natural peanut butter (great with banana) for protein and it really fills me up.

Don't worry too much about your diet, as others have said. I had bad sickness for the first 16 weeks and could only face a very limited variety of foods. It did get better though and i've found in the third trimester i am enjoying healthier foods again.

I really would try not to worry too much. I have had severe MS all the way through pretty much (no I can't quite believe it either!) and now at 38 weeks it is still there - I have put on just over a stone with a starting BMI of 23. I can only manage bland food - think what a toddler eats - and certainly no meat which has lead me to having to take iron supplements. Prior to being preg I followed high protein, high green leafy veg and low complex carbs etc. I live off special K, pasta and tom sauce, bananas, apples, cheese and tom sandwiches, carrot sticks - stuff like this really. I do try to eat other stuff, but I can't hold it down - it is - believe me - awful.

In relation to what you eat while pg - it should not be a free for all and excuse to stuff what you like down your throat all day, putting on loads of weight IMO - like I have relatives who are already obese and put on easily 6 stone with each preg - eating stuff like 10 donuts in one go and going back for seconds, I have never heard of anything like it. Their children also struggle with weight in adulthood, and did as children - is this to do with what they were/are being fed, or their genetic code? How will we ever really know. That said, i think most women really do all they can to protect their babies and children - I am quite sure that nurture in the real world plays a bigger role.

Personally I have found bananas a pretty good fruit, apples, and carrots easy to eat too. Some veg are pointless due to low nutritional value so figure out which ones are good, which you can stomach and attempt them when you can. And stress (cortisol) plays a role too - so worrying is also not good! I think you will be just fine!!

(p.s. Oven chips are great for those chip cravings!!)

With ds I spent months 4-7 living on sprinkled donuts and smoked sausage suppers, mixed with micro noodles and doritos.. he came out a massive, healthy, 8lb 12 lump of loveliness with a placenta 3x the normal size

I was worried my junk food binges 'did it' to him but it was actually the healthy eating in the early and latter months that led to his size and pretty awesome placenta - that thing was like a flat fish

I'm due dc3 in 9 days and she is humongous - growth scans and inductions humongous - I've ate what I fancied and could keep down this whole pregnancy which has been mainly salads, pizza and pears.

Do not worry :)

The easiest way would be to think to yourself that you need some colour ( ie fruit/ veg ) at every meal

Things like blueberries/ raspberries are great and spinach as you don't have to do any prep so can literally have say the toast you have anyway and pick a handful of berries at the same time. If you make a sandwich/ pasta eyc just add a handful of spinach

sorry OP my post wasn't clear - i meant to say I have worried about not putting on enough weight all the way along due to the sickness, all this advice about this and that and you get caught up in knots - extremes should be avoided as much as poss - but honestly your weight & food sounds completely fine to me!

Teandflapjacks (yes please!!) thanks for the reassurance and sharing..todler diet soudns pretty accurate for mine too! Just really simple stuff, antyhing too fussy turns my stomach.

SupermansBigRedPants -thanks!! What healthy beauties you have had by the sounds of things & v reassuring to hear that, thankyou!!

Forevergreek- thankyou what a lovely way of looking at it! Thinking about it msot of my meals are beige and yellow...ie. carbs so will def try to rainbow my plate up!
I had a banana/icecube/milk smoothie repalcing icecream last night & had a Green Goddess smoothi from Crussh at lunch today...so getting there! Although all I keep fantasising about for dinnner is a pizza, but a fairly healthy waitrose 1 so maybe not rtoo bad?!