having trouble eating well « Back to Group Discussions

[LHcj2008]

I'm 12.5 weeks along with my 2nd and I am having SO much trouble this time around eating healthily.  Not at all because of junk cravings or food aversions, but because of lack of time and healthy options around me that I can get to within a pinch. I am so hungry lately and it's difficult to have enough packed to take to work for the full day (I work FTOH)...I swear, I need a cooler or something to hold everything I would ultimately eat. I just don't have the time and energy to keep up with the meal-planning, shopping, and cooking that will cover dinners, lunches for DS and me, and other grab-and-go homemade foods to get through the entire week. I babysat my neighbor's daughter all evening yesterday and made myself a quick sandwhich for dinner, so today I found myself without lunch and just wolfed down a take-out Italian sub and fries after feeling like I could eat my arm for hours. And now I feel guilty.

When I was pregnant with #1 my diet was pristine and I counted every gram of protein I ate

Anyone having this same issue or have any tips? I would love to be eating pounds of organic broccoli or quinoa lol. Instead I'm shoveling in burgers and fries out of desperation. I'm also still nursing DS about 2-3 x a day so I'm sure that factors into things.

[firespiritmelody]

Hang in there mama, I'm in a similar boat but add to it major food aversions on top of it. My mom and I own our own business and I work more then full time and am often pressed for time to make food and thus eat "fast food" for at least one meal every week day and usually snacks too. It's even harder to bring lunch and what not because we eat together everyday so I would need to bring food for her too lol. I do bring lunch sometimes and other then that I just try to make the best decision about the fast food that I can and then eat as healthy as I can at home and take a good combo of vitamins etc.

[Virginia884]

I have the same problem. Do you have storage options where you work? Could you buy big packs of vegetables or hummus or cheese and put it in a fridge at work? What about healthy snacks like nuts kept in a drawer? I do better then things are EASY! 

[IronMam]

Being tired, plus craving junk = diet disaster for me too. DP is doing his best to be supportive though. He's been taking over a lot of cooking, and trying to help make it easy for me to eat healthy stuff. He'll pre-chop and wash veggies to snack on, and one day he brought home a half-price fruit tray. That was a special treat! I love fruits and most veggies, so I'll gladly eat them when presented. I just get too worn out/overwhelmed to shop for and prepare them.

That said, don't be too hard on yourself. I truly believe that the fetus is a lot more resilient than some people give it credit for. The real issue with healthy eating is mum's wellfare IMO. Our precious little parasites will leech what they need from our bodies, leaving US to deal with vitamin/mineral deficiencies if we're not eating well enough. My dentist said pregnancy is probably why I went from one cavity in my first 23 years of life to suddenly having a bunch in the 3 years following DD's birth even though I had started taking BETTER care of my teeth. 

If your budget can handle it, go ahead and buy the convenience veggies/fruits for a while and that way you'll always have healthy options on hand. If you can't afford that, maybe you can enlist help from your partner or friends/family in keeping things prepped and ready.

As for dinners...the crock pot is your best friend. I hate to cook, so I pretty much use it every day even when I'm not pregnant. Easiest recipes in the world.

[at_the_hip]

Aww mama don't be so hard on yourself.  It is really tough to work ft like that with morning sickness and manage food.  I am home all the time and I am struggling a lot.  The fact that I order most of my groceries online to be delivered every week is my only sanity.  The rest of the time I try to have hubby pick up after work because teh grocery store makes me so sick (smells etc).

That being said, I am paying attention to everything but struggling to drink anything.  I can NOT get water down...and I've tried other things and can't manage more than a cup of something before feeling awful.  Even hubby is desperate to get me to drink something...I am trying but it is really hard.  I'm a huge water person normally so it is really weird for me.  So I am drinking at most 2 cups of liquid a day which obviously isn't near enough.  I am trying to make about 1800ish calories a day but a lot of days are more like 1600.  I started out at a normal weight/bmi and have lost 5-6 lbs.  Honestly if we could afford it I'd order in a whole lot!  LOL  I feel for you mama but you are doing good to eat when you are hungry...everything will balance out in time!!!

[LHcj2008]

Thanks everyone for your replies. Things have gotten a bit better in this area, I think because my hunger decreased a ton and I don't feel this desperation anymore to just wolf down whatever I can find. I found that making egg muffins on Sunday has helped for the week- just chopping up some leftover veggies like broccoli and cauliflower really finely, mixing up about 14 eggs with some spices and grated cheese, and pouring it into muffin tins and baking them...then I have at least 2 muffins I can grab in the morning to take to work which gives me a nutritious breakfast. Thought I'd throw it out there in case you all wanted to try. DS likes them too which is great, since he won't eat too many veggies willingly.

I only have food storage at one place where I work (I split my time between 2 schools). In the other school I don't even have an office! So, what I pack is what I eat, unless I do take-out which I did a lot last month unfortunately.

Food aversions I haven't had too much of but even at 14 weeks, this weekend I started taking a bite of my falafel sandwhich and decided I didn't feel well enough to continue eating it. It is so frustrating to cook a full meal, take 2 bites, and then find it disgusting!  I do fear I've lost weight instead of gained. Not sure again if it's the nursing that is contributing to that as well.

I think with my hunger at a more manageable level (probably due to having entered the 2nd trim), I can avoid eating the crap as much. It is easier to pack enough food from home for work when I'm not so starving. I still am not counting protein grams and am likely not getting enough, but I can only do so much.

Now if only I could sleep!  DS is going through a very difficult stage right now and I'm lucky if I get more than 6 hours a night! It's always something.