I plan on getting back into a weight loss routine very soon after this baby is born. I know Ill still need to eat good foods but I plan on eating fairly low fat. I dont plan on being strict- 25% give or take calories from fat should be sufficient. Ill discuss it with my midwife at my next appointment. With my last child I did not lose any weight while breastfeeding. He was completely breastfed- no formula at all so one would expect to shed the baby fat very quickly but there was a problem- I couldnt control my eating. I would start each day by trying to eat light, Id maybe eat a banana or a packet of oatmeal and by 10:30am I would be literally starving. So almost every single day I would eat several large pancakes with butter and boysenberry syrup, then at noon Id eat lunch, have snack around 3, dinner around 6, snack around 8, snack around 10 and finally to bed. God only knows how many calories I was consuming but it was a ridiculous amount Im sure! I was really low on fruits and veggies and high on fat and carbs. I slowly packed on the pounds even though I was nursing. This time I am armed with knowledge. Knowledge that I need to eat a big hearty low fat breakfast and have a nutritious low fat snack waiting when that hunger hits. If I can get to lunch time eating well then the rest of the day generally goes very well. Lactating burns about 500 calories a day! But that doesn’t mean you can eat anything you want in whatever amount you want. Still watch that fat and those calories. Make sure you are eating healthy food but in a smart amount, don’t let yourself get so hungry you over eat. I got into that habit everyday and it really took a tole on my health and it took a lot of miles of running and months (years!) of watching what I ate to lose that fat I put on during the pregnancy and postpartum period.
I spotted a soup mix in the grocerie store the other day, it was on sale so it caught my eye. It was BearCreek Country Kitchens Clam Chowder. I love Clam Chowder so I stuck it in my cart. All you need to add in is water and a can of clams. I made it for lunch today and I was impressed. It wasnt restaurant quality or homemade quality but it was a nice quick low fat meal. I recommend doubling up on the clams and using two 6.5ounce cans for added flavour. But it was super simple, just bring 7.5 cups of water to a boil along with the clams (juice included) and then whisk in the contents of the package and stir it pretty often and reduce the heat to low. I went off to work in my office thinking I had 15 minutes and would run back and stir once or twice, thats not enough, you need to stay on top of it better than I did. Some of the soup had stuck to the bottom. We didnt need crackers or any salt or pepper with it. my kids and husband really enjoyed it! Pick up a package of this mix and give it a shot:
With the two cans of clams its about 172 calories per serving and 3.5 grams of fat- which is only about 18% calories from fat. Yum!
I was in the dairy isle at my local Safeway and found a light smoothie. Its by Lucerne called simpley ‘Light Smoothie’ I tried it in Peach. It has 190 calories and no fat. Its a nonfat dairy beverage. It was on sale 10 for $10, for a dollar I figured it would make a quick snack. My kids and myself were all starving so I knew Id never hear the end of the complaining if I didnt get something for them for in the car. At first sip I was surprised at how thick it was, basically it was just prestirred yogurt, it was very very sweet. The kids enjoyed it and finished it up. Afterwards I looked at the ingredient list and noticed Chicory Root Extract which is not recommended in pregnancy so I wont be buying this again until after this baby is born.
This ‘light smoothie’ contains 500mg potassium which is 14% daily value, 7 grams of fiber (from the chicory root) which is a whopping 28% of daily value! and 12 grams of protien which is 24% of daily value.
I had a craving for my moms Date Bran Muffins, pregnancy has played some mean tricks on me. Ive been craving some really bad stuff (poutine for one- if you arent Canadian that is french fries topped with fresh cheese curds smothered in super hot gravy) so Ive been trying to find lower fat versions of my cravings. Im still dying for some Brie cheese, but thats just a no no in pregnancy. Itll have to wait till this baby is born.
Anyhow onto the awesome recipe!!
- 1 1/2 cups wheat bran
- 1 cup skim milk+ 1tbs of lemon juice
- 1/3 cup apple sauce
- 1 egg (or two egg whites)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup chopped dates or raisins
Preheat oven to 375F
Mix up your skim milk and lemon juice and then add the bran. Let this sit for about ten minutes to get the bran softened. Beat together apple sauce,eggs, sugar and vanilla into your skim milk/lemon juice/bran mixture. Sift together your dry ingredients and then stir your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just blended and fold in your raisens or dates.
Bake in prepared muffin tin for about 15 minutes. This will make about a dozen. Check their doneness with a toothpick before pulling out of the oven.