Making healthy choices when you fee like crap.

bearkatjen

I struggle with making healthy choices even when I feel good, so dealing with the headaches, fatigue, and now the nausea of pregnancy, it feels impossible to make good food choices.

I'm overweight and high risk for developing pre-e later in pregnancy, and my best bet for avoiding pre-e this time around is to exercise regularly (the easy part), and to eat healthy foods. I have a menu planned, so there's no guesswork in what I should eat, but I still have managed to cheat for the past three days. I'm reminding myself that I need to make good choices for both mine and the baby's health, but when it comes down to it, it's just not enough to prevent me from eating foods I shouldn't.

I think part of my problem is waiting too long between meals. I wait till I feel hungry, but by then I have a headache or I'm feeling unwell. I'm going to add in more snacks to my menu and add in times of when to eat, and perhaps that will help.

 I'm really interested in knowing what others do to persevere and eat well when your brain is telling you to ditch your plans and go for the cheeseburger.

 

NativeNyer

Maybe you should ask your doctor about how many times a day and what you should be eating. 

You're pregnant to I'm sure 2 or 3 SMALL healthy snacks in between your 3 meals a day would be good. 

Can you give us an example of what you're eating on a daily basis?  How much water are you drinking also?

maiastar

Eat something every two hours. That way you are not feeling starved. Eat your breakfast and then two hours later eat a snack (between 100 and 200 calories), then eat lunch two hours later.  Then another 100-200 calorie snack two hours later etc.  Try to eat at the same time each day. Your body will get used to knowing that food is coming and wont feel so hungry. Try to make sure your meals are healthy, and well balanced, and try to make sure that your snacks are healthy as well. Some ideas that are filling and tasty for snacks are greek yogurt with a tablespoon of nutbutter mixed in and an apple.  You can drizzle a tsp of honey on the yogurt and a dash of cinnamon. A smoothie is also tasty and filling, and quick! One of my favorites - 1 cup of milk (i used vanilla soy milk), 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, 3/4 cup of frozen strawberries, 1 or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

NativeNyer

What OP said - don't stock your pantry/fridge with junkfood.  If you don't see it, you won't eat it.  Get rid of the processed food (pre made food/frozen dinners, etc..).  Eat fresh food,  brown rice,  veggies,  fruits, multigrain pasta, low fat or reduced milk, etc.  drink TONS of water.

APendola

It's great that you are planning your meals in advance.

Also, it's a good idea to have more snacks.  In early pregnancy, I didn't bring enough snacks to the office with me and I would end up buying chips because I would get nausea if I went too long without eating.  Now I keep lots of healthy snacks in the fridge at work and at my desk.  I usually bring more than what I will need for the day - and I keep the leftovers for the next day.

Try to have something with protein with your snacks/meals as that will help keep you full for longer.  Also, drink lots of water.

If you are craving something like a cheeseburger, there is usually a healthier version of it that you can make yourself.  If you are making food at home, you have more control over the size and the calories then if you buy it from a fast food place.  Ie. you could try something like a veggie or turkey burger on a whole wheat bun, with just a small amount of cheese and have some veggies on the side instead of fries.

WifeofMrA

I try to do a couple things

- I do the grocery shopping and control what comes into our house. If I buy junk food and it's there for me, I'll eat it. So, I try not to buy any processed, packaged foods.

- i always try to be prepared. I'm snacking way more than I ever have before. Since I know I am, I try and be prepared with healthy snacks so I'm not running to a vending machine or convenience store during the day...I always have 1-2 pieces of fruit a day..whether it's an apple, orange, kiwi, or cut up pineapple. 100 calorie packs of almonds save my life..they're always in my purse. I like the 100 calorie packs because they're portion controlled. I'll pack snacks from home and have them sort of scheduled out for the day. For example, today once I drove the 45 minutes to work, I had a banana before I started. At 10am I snacked on some carrots and hummus. I ate lunch at noon. I have my snack for this afternoon.

good luck!