Boy, you don’t hear that every day! But that is truly how I felt about my first pregnancy. At 24 years old, I became pregnant with my first son, and I was now “eating for two,” and had more to be concerned about than my weight. I also had to nourish my baby with a variety of fruits, veggies, fats, proteins and vitamins and minerals. No more counting calories or carbs for me. Instead of restricting my food choices, I expanded my food choices…as well as my intake.
In fact, I gained 70 pounds throughout my first pregnancy. Yikes! I ate a very healthy diet of spinach, blueberries, walnuts, salmon, yogurt, etc. But I also ate a lot of tortilla chips with guacamole, margherita pizza, steak and potatoes, bagels and cream cheese, etc. Much like when I was IF’ing in error, I felt free from the worry of what and when to eat. I ate simply when I felt like eating. Perhaps I wasn’t always eating because I was truly “hungry,” but I ate what I wanted when I wanted and did not feel guilty about it, which felt great!
Despite my massive weight gain, my first pregnancy was a dream. I had lots of energy and was always in a good mood. My skin was clear and glowing, and my hair was thick and shiny. It’s a good thing too, because I ended up carrying my son past full-term and finally gave birth to him at 42 weeks on the dot. I was in labor for almost 24 hours, but bounced back pretty quick after giving birth. I also produced plenty of breast milk and was fortunate to breastfeed exclusively for six months. I felt like much of this was due to having a varied, well-balanced diet and letting go of worry I always had about food.
