Changing mindset - watching weight for years to not feeling guilty about gaining weight

jaqtrav

Is anyone else having issues with re-training their brains from years of worring about what to eat and weight gain to still eating healthy but gaining baby weight?  I've always had yo-yo weight, and I'm having the worst time with not tying weight to self esteem.  I'm eating healthy, but give into the occasional pregnancy craving.  Any tricks to stop the obession and just enjoy the extra bumps that come with pregnancy?

BlondeBeachBride08

I'll admit that it was easier for me before I became heavier than I've ever been in my life. I had zero problem eating whatever I pleased for the first 20 weeks. Now I'm paying more attention to what is going in and trying to avoid empty calories.

My solution has been to stop weighing myself at home and to just remind myself that it's all worth it. Also, it helps when I recognize my feelings when I'm feeling huge or unattractive instead of trying to suppress them.

My husband has needed some training on what to say to me when I want to talk about feeling gross. He used to just say "You're not gross" and I had to keep telling him that he needs to tell me what I AM not what I'm not. So he's started responding with more uplifting things like "You're beautiful" or "you're glowing".

It's a rough road and I know I have a ways to go, the serious weight gain is still on the horizon! But these things have helped so far.

Good luck! 

juliedooley

I've been lucky enough not to yo-yo but I understand this concern! I always try to eat very healthy and be really conscious of maintaining my weight and it's hard for me to grasp that I'll be gaining about 30 lbs in the next few months and that it's OKAY.

What's worked so far (and keep in mind I was told you really don't need to gain any weight in the 1st tri, maybe 5 lbs) is that if I add mayo or cream cheese (2 things I don't normally eat but now am totally craving) to a sandwich or whatever, I tell myself it's a treat for the baby. You NEED to gain some weight for a healthy baby no matter how much you weigh to start with! Feels good to spoil my peanut a bit and I think about how extra calories/fat are going to help me make a good environment for him/her to grow in.

It helps that my DH is supportive too...even with the bloating I'm getting so far he tells me he thinks it's cute and he's excited about it b/c he knows it's another sign he's going to be a daddy. So try to stay focused on the positive side and the purpose of this weight gain. If you feel like eating a pan of brownies at some point, let yourself! This is probably the only time in our lives we can really get away with it! Just don't do it every night. My dr told me that you really only need to eat like an extra half a sandwich and glass of milk a day. 

Hope this helps!