Bradley Method Diet - Feeling Like a Failure

davenh76

I am following the Bradley Method, and each week we are asked to track our daily protein intake.  For the last two weeks though, I CANNOT seem to get to the 85+ per day.  I am just not hungry enough to force down that much of any type of food.  All of my foods and snacks have high protein counts (nuts, lean meats, low fat cheeses, etc) but I can't help but feel like a total failure for not being able to meet the daily goal.

tokenhoser

The vast, vast, vast majority of women have no such goal and produce wonderfully healthy babies. I wouldn't stick to something that made me feel like I either had to force-feed myself or be a failure.

aylafsu88

tokenhoser:

The vast, vast, vast majority of women have no such goal and produce wonderfully healthy babies. I wouldn't stick to something that made me feel like I either had to force-feed myself or be a failure.

 

This exactly!  I follow the Bradley diet loosely, meaning I eat when I am hungry and select high protein foods that are healthy.  When I tracked my protein intake I get about 50-65g  a day.  For me that is enough, it isn't worth force feeding myself to get to 85-100g.  Eat what you can and as long as you are making smart eating choices your baby will be just fine!!

pepomntpat

I am a protein fiend.  I never felt like I was force feeding myself, but I know a lot of the other women felt the same as you did.   If it makes you feel any better I was the only woman in my Bradley class the regularly exceeded the recommended protein amounts. I also gained more than 50 pounds, so take that for what it is worth. 

If you want to keep trying, I'd suggest maybe just trying to increase your protein intake by an average of 5 rather than going for the grand total.  

wannabigfam

I can't get to it either, couldn't last pregnancy.  last pregnancy in an attempt, I drank MASSIVE amounts of milk.  As in 4+ gallons a WEEK.

 Well, my kid has a major, major milk allergy and I believe that it was caused by me drinking so much milk for protein :-(  He can't even touch cow's meat of any type let alone drink milk without hives all over his body.

 This pregnancy I'm limiting my cow's milk and just doing the best I can w/ protein.  Most days I get about 30-35 and that's the best I can do unless we happen to eat beef, which we only eat about 1 time a month b/c we're not huge meat eaters.

My baby is measuring a little big anyway so I figure it's fine, and I"m a huge "rule-follower" and very paranoid about doing the right thing in pregnancy.   This is just one of those things I have to just do the best I can do.

RockyMtnMama

I don't remember if I hit it much or not.  I do know that increasing my protien intake did make me feel better with both my previous pregnancies.  I also drank tons of milk to try and reach that and so far no milk allergies in our family, but I also didn't beat myself up if I didn't reach the goal and if I wasn't hungry, I didn't worry about it.  I think the big thing is limiting refined carbs and sugars and focusing on good nutrients from fruits/veggies and protien. 

 

mccrazy

Don't stress. I know Brewer recommends more protein than normal, but the general rec is 1.1g/kg for pg (from my profession field anyway- dietitian/nutritionist). So, unless you're 175+ lbs, 85g is high. And even if you are that weight, I still wouldn't stress about not getting that much. If you told me you weren't meeting your protein needs because you were eating too many twinkies and oreos I'd say shape up, but you're not! Focus on what you're doing right. You're eating healthy foods that are good for your baby like lean meats, nuts, low fat dairy, and I'm assuming fruits and veggies too  

As a side note, are you sure you're calculating correctly? I've been tracking my intake and getting 65-70g pretty easily (without much meat). How close are you? If it's really important to you, just change one or two things. Like try Greek yogurt instead of regular or maybe replace one beverage with milk/soy milk.

theladyjess

When I was pg I wasn't hungry.  If I tried to force myself to eat more I'd get extremely sick to my stomach.  I knew there was no way I would be able to follow the Bradley diet and the weekly food log stressed me out too much (we had to fill it out and turn it into our instructor each week).  I pulled my instructor aside after the second class and explained to her that I have issues with food (allergies/sensitivities, lacotse intolerance, IBS) and that the food log was too stressful to me and that I wouldn't be doing it.  She was very understanding and was fine with it.

If you find the food log too stressful don't do it.  Eat healthy foods and drink plenty of water and you and your LO will be just fine.

rels09

I wouldn't stress about it. I took Bradley, too, but my midwives are very interested in protein intake and their guidelines only call for 60-80 grams per day. If you are hitting that, I think you are just fine.

StefandTodd

I am having a harder time this pregnancy than last.  And by contrast, I had gained probably 15 lb by now, and this pregnancy have lost 7.  My MW actually wants me to also have a MINIMUM of 80, with a goal of 100.  I don't even track anymore, but one thing I started doing was adding protein powder to a smoothie as often as possible, snacking on almonds, and drinking a glass of milk when I think of it.  GL!

alitria

I'm not doing it for Bradley reasons but I have to follow a high protein diet (80-100 gram of protein a day) and I supplement with protein shakes.  Just drinking one a day makes my life much, much easier and I feel better. 

If I'm drinking prepared ones, Costco carries a type I like that comes in square containers and has 30 grams of protein each and are chocolate flavored.  I like to keep one stashed in the fridge at home and at work, just in case I need something extra or I can't get to a healthy meal. 

As for making my own, I have two recipes I've been using since it got warmer and I've used them for years.

For a smoothie type drink, I do plain yogurt (Nancy's, Fage, etc.) and put a big scoop of that in my blender with some chunks of frozen fruit.  Lately it's been frozen tropical, but other times I've been stuck on berries.  Add in a scoop of protein powder and some sort of milk and blend.  The frozen fruit makes it a cold and frosty consistency and you can add is whatever you like if you want sweetener or just use a sweetened yogurt.  It takes about 30 seconds to make.  It's also flexible enough that it works just as well with non-dairy yogurts like soy or coconut and non-dairy milks.

For a "treat" I often will make myself a homemade frappucino type drink.  I mix ice, cold decaf coffee (or some real coffee, if I'm getting a migraine), some form of milk, and a scoop of protein powder.  I have a collection of coffee syrups I use, so I can add in vanilla, irish cream, caramel, etc if I want some flavor. 

I have tried pretty much every protein powder on the market and my favorite is Champion Nutrition New Whey in chocolate or vanilla, but different people like different things.  My husband usually can't stand the stuff, but he does like Spiriutein in the fruit flavors.  The Champion powder has 22 grams of protein per scoop and when combined with milk, creates a 30 gram shake.  The average person isn't really capable of absorbing more protein than this at a time, so skip the ultra-high shakes and bars, it's just a waste and hard on your body.