This is (obviously) me & Jon on our wedding day. At this point in my life I weighed a whopping 103 pounds. I contribute this to two factors:
1--the college lifestyle, which includes not eating enough and then walking 3-5 miles every day to classes and work.
2--an appetite which completely disappears under stress, particularly during finals week.
Luckily, Jon & I both gained 20 pounds within two months of getting married so no one could accuse us of being anorexic anymore (Jon was a skinny guy himself). I felt pretty comfortable with my weight, although a 5 month stint as a cake decorator in a local bakery added a few extra pounds I didn't appreciate. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I never, ever wanted to be that skinny again. It's just not an entirely healthy state for a girl of my height.
So guess how much I weighed when I stepped on the scale yesterday? 103 pounds. I contribute this to two factors:
1--having a baby. Sounds counter intuitive, considering I gained 25 pounds while pregnant, but it's the post-delivery stage that's really gotten to me. As in the "nursing burns around 500 calories a day" stage. Combine that with the fact that I suddenly have a lot less time to prepare and eat meals, and ta-da! I'm back to being unhealthily skinny.
2--getting the flu. There's no better way to lose 7 pounds in 2 days than to not keep anything down (I'll spare you the details). I have never felt so rotten in my life.
So I guess I'm asking for advice. What do you eat that's substantial, healthy, and yummy when you don't really have time to eat? I'm getting pretty desperate--I can't even wear my skinny jeans without a belt now. There's a big difference between slim and wraith-like skinny (for lack of a better adjective).
Yes, I am feeling much better. Thank you, Jon, for staying home with me for two days. I have NO idea what I would have done without you. And, in case anyone is wondering, being sick while nursing is just rotten. Doesn't matter how awful you feel--your little monster still wants to eat every 3 hours. However, in what is nothing short of a miracle, Seth slept from 9 to 5:30 one night. Absolutely amazing. Now we're just praying that neither Jon nor Seth picks up the germ. And may the flu skip over all your homes, as well!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Worst Diet Ever
at 11:17 AM
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Same thing happened to me after Max, I dropped lower than my pre-pregnancy weight thanks to nursing and never having time to cook a real meal. I say just keep taking your vitamins, drink lots of milk and that's all you can do. Eat while he naps so you actually have to stop and focus on eating something real. Brian would make me eat something while I was nursing as well and that helped compensate for the calories lost while nursing. Sadly I stopped nursing around Christmas and I learned that when you stop nursing, your weight freezes where it is. So of course I was way more than I wanted to be thanks to holiday goodies. Don't know if this helps but good luck!
I'd rather have your problem, honestly. Having your pants uncomfortably tight is an awful feeling. However, your problem is not my problem, and vice versa, so I'm sure we're jealous of each other. :D
Anyhow.... oatmeal with meal is a great one. Very filling and very substantial. It will help you put on healthy weight. Try any kind of complex carbs: brown rice, whole wheat (or ezekiel) bread, whole wheat pasta (there are some out there that taste good, I promise). These are carbs so they're chock full of calorie goodness. Plus, they're healthy! Also, try potatoes.
Oh my gosh woman
GIVE ME YOUR PROBLEM. I will TAKE it from you. Sheeesh.
I know you don't want to "lose" weight, but I drink the Costco version of slim fast. Sure, slimming down would be nice, but it's also a quick meal for me that keeps me full and has a lot of nutrients, etc.
For you... I'd recommend something like Ensure... or with a lot of protein - a shake in a can type thing. I don't know. Maybe you need something more than liquid. Good luck.
thank you for having the same problem as me. i too am skinnier than i was pre pregnancy and it's so annoying when people tell me i look emaciated or too skinny as if im TRYING to look that way. Believe me people i would LOVE to still have lots of pants and skirts that fit. if you find out the answer on what to eat to actually gain weight that doesnt take time to prepare, please let me know. lol and im so sorry you had the flu. eric just had it too and im so glad i didnt get it (YET)
Glad you are feeling better, the flu is not fun at all!
I keep losing weight too from the same thing...nursing and no time to eat. I worked at an eating disorder treatment center for a couple of years and we would add Boost drinks to the girl's meal plans, it's like Ensure, but neither one of those taste very good. A yummier option would be those breakfast Carnation drink packets you mix with milk. Also on each individual drink mix pouch they put simple little recipes to change up the taste a bit. I really like the Carnations but the Boost or Ensure has more calories and you'd probably get faster results! Hope you continue to get better! Call if you need anything!
Ronald, Isabella, and myself all caught the nasty vomiting/diareha virus that's going around. It's MIERABLE!! And it doesn't help that we have to nurse....because that's draining too. The good thing is that breastfed babies usually don't get that stuff because of the mother's anitbodies...they protect the babies!!!!! As for the whole weight thing, you have to make sure you are eating at least 500 more calories a day than you are supposed to in order for you to stay healthy too. (since they suck so much from their mommy) Make sure that you make yourself a priority. Just like Seth has to eat, so do you. Take care of yourself so you can take care of the little man, too. Just think about when you have more than one child....then you'll really have a lot of mouths to feed. :) As for the Ensure suggestions...that's what they used to "fatten" me up when I was pregnant with Isabella. But they are costly....I'm glad you are feeling better. (I'm sure your men are too)
Oh Megan--I'm so sorry you have been sick! That sounds terrible! I always wondered what happens when you're sick and still nursing...guess nothing changes. I hope you're past the worst of it, and I'm glad Seth slept so long for you! Sorry--no advice for the weight thing; I'm struggling with the same thing, except I don't mind losing those extra pounds! I would like to know how to eat a healthy diet, though, because I don't have time to eat anything substantial--I just eat whatever is quickest and easiest while Tucker is sleeping! Looks like everyone else gave you some good advice, though.
Fast, complex carbs - like the ones you ate in College! Potatoes, Pasta, Rice. And there's always the occasional Costco Sheet Cake.
For added calorie intake, sauce it up - sauces are loaded in calories - try cream based ones like Alfredo.
Fruit Smoothies are a good way to pack in some fruit and dairy (try frozen fruit with a bit of milk or yogurt and some sugar or honey).
Oh, and not that he needed the calories - but my Dad was totally on to something that may be helpful to you: He ate his cereal with half and half instead of milk. It's killer on Rice Krispies and in hot cereals like seven grain/oatmeal/cream of wheat.
I've had the same problem and dropped way too much so my clothes are really baggy and my rings slip off. I talked to the doctor about it and she recommended the Ensure stuff. A girl in the ward who had the same problem told me that she was told to drink whole milk and that helped. Good luck. I'll let you know if anything I try helps. I've just been eating more ice cream lately and that seems to help a little :)
Poor you, being sick is no fun! Our sure recipe for weight gain has always been fast food and frozen dinners. :) I'm glad you're feeling better- hope that one eight-hour night becomes habitual for that baby of yours.
Hey, I need your friggin address! You like to ignore me on facebook. :( You, my friend, are a trash whore.
You should feel special because I am leaving a comment from the airport in Paris! Anyway exact same story with me when I was nursing. I quickly realized that no amount of food would make me gain weight while nursing. So my next idea was going to the gym at least once a day, sometimes twice, to try to get more toned. I figured if I had more muscle I wouldn't look so scraggly. I did that for over a year to no avail. Sure I was toned but still couldn't ever wear jeans that didn't hang off my butt. Then I discovered Hollister jeans. Their size zeroes are smaller than any other size zeroes I ever found.(Unfortunately yhey don't come in tall for sizes 1 and 0)Basically my only advice is to forget about the weight and just buy clothes that fit differently than what you have now. At least that was my best solution. Good luck skinny thing!
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