Oh, those cravings!!!

[FiddleFit]

Hi all! I'm approaching the end of week 6, and have been feeling quite fine. I've been very impressed with how gosh-awfully well I've been feeling, and especially pleased with the lack of food aversions this time around.

WEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLL!!!!!! Today I have felt especially fatigued, my blood sugar has been unstable, and I had nausea for most of the morning. And I suddenly have a massive craving for chicken wings and curly fries, courtesy of Pizza 73. In both my previous pregnancies I hit a stage early in the first trimester where I only wanted to eat high-protein, high-fat, high-cal foods. I think I've hit it again. In my first pregnancy I gave in to all my "cravings", and ended up rather unhealthy by the end of it all. The second time around I forced myself to eat healthy, even though those vegetables were utterly repelling. But then I miscarried at 11 weeks, my tastes went back to normal, and I went back to my regular weight in a few weeks of regular eating (geez, can I blame the vegetables? . So, I'm feeling a bit quandried.

Are these cravings I get a result of my body simply wanting more calories? I have read numerous places that your body isn't supposed to require extra calories until the 2nd trimester. But seeing as I'm a lean person, it's probable that my body might want to gain more weight to support the pregnancy, right? Hey, I'm happy to oblige

I should say that normally I eat very clean, and am actually repulsed by fried junk food. I haven't had chicken wings and fries in 3 years (but damn they sound good right about now!). I learned over the years that when I begin to crave the fast food, I'm actually needing more carbs. So I went back to my typical solution of eating a whole bunch of fresh pineapple, until I couldn't eat another bite. I'm still wanting the chicken wings. And I may end up with a mouthful of canker sores to boot. :-(

As many of you know by now, I fully embrace pregnancy weight gain - but I really don't support eating crap. I think it's self-abuse. So, here's my question: DO I ORDER CHICKEN WINGS AND FRIES FOR SUPPER OR COOK THE HEALTHY DINNER THAT'S ALREADY PLANNED?? What would you do?

Neurotic in Edmonton (where it's cold, dark, windy and snowy),
Sandra

 

[wendymin72]

Sandra...I would eat the crap!
You have plenty of time to eat healthy! lol


I don't condone eating crap constantly using pregnancy as an excuse, but I see nothing wrong with giving in to a craving once in a while!:9

I think there is a balance to be had here and if you watch yourself I'm sure you can maintain it.

Have a great work out!

~Wendy~
Due Date: 5/19/05

http://www.bullmarketer.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/Sports/exercise/thumb_exercise15.gif

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?WENDYMIN

 

[EricaH]

I would go with the craving. I always craved really weird things while I was pregnant - stuff that I normally wouldn't eat and figured that my body needed the extra calories or whatever it was that I was craving. With my last pregnancy, I would eat hamburgers and mashed potatoes at 10pm at night - things I would never, ever eat, but they were soooo satisfying.

I also craved a lot of refined foods and I found that was common among pregnant women. I read somewhere that women tend to crave higher calorie foods during pregnancy.

When Gwyneth Paltrow was pregnant, she said that she went from her normal, macrobiotic diet to eating a lot of junk. The pregnant body is really amazing and makes us feel so differently!

Take care.

Erica

 

[FiddleFit]

Wendy and Erica, thank you for your advice. I agree! It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing does it, Wendy? I decided to order the wings and fries, but while waiting for the delivery, I steamed some baby carrots, made a spinach & tomato salad, and poured a cup of vegetable juice. So I did have the wings and fries, but also got lots of healthy stuff in with the meal, and probably didn't eat as much of the unhealthy stuff because I had other food to eat with it.

I am definitely wanting richer foods, so I guess I'll accommodate that need, but do it in a way that also delivers nutrition as well as calories. It certainly makes sense that the body will want more calories at this particular time.

I remember Gwyneth mentioning that, Erica, but had forgotten all about it. Thanks for reminding me! The pregnant tastebuds are a true mystery. I'm just so glad that I'm not feeling averse to things (yet?). I can still get my morning coffee in, and that's so critical to keeping me exercising every day.

Take care,
Sandra

 

[jgoycoolea]

I too have craved horrible junk food, particularly Big Macs. And every time I ate one I felt sick afterwards (indigestion like) so that it became easier to realize that it was't worth it. Funny though, in non-pregnant times I crave sweets. But not while pregnant. Cravings I give into without guilt include Italian food and cheese sandwiches.

I too need my coffee to exercise and for abot a month and a half coffee was very repulsive. I made my husband throw away the grinds and leftovers before leaving for work! But now I can drink it again and am working out more. Previously only did some weights. Now I can do some cardio. But boy, my cardio is nowhere where it was just at the beginning of November.

 

[kristi]

Sandra I am right there with you on those cravings. I've been eating crap for almost a week now. I just can't seem to help myself and even my preplanned meals are going out the window when those cravings hit. With my first pregnancy I ate decent with some junk food and still gained 40 pounds. I'm going to try to keep my junk food consumption down, but I know I'll still have some junk here and there. I guess I'll have to deal with it after the baby comes. Good luck! You are not alone!

 

[LHK]

This is an amusing post because I feel the same way! With this pregnancy I, too, crave fast food, but I only ever want or get a Happy Meal or a BK Kids Meal, which is sort of small, and only once every week or two. And boy do they taste good when I get them!

OK here is my ONE confession- around the holidays when I was 16-17 weeks along, once I was running errands and I stopped for a drive-thru lunch and got a Happy Meal. It was great. I continued my errands and about 30 minutes later, guess what I did? I went to aNOTHER drive thru and got another one! I'm laughing even as I admit it! Other than that, I am definitely craving refined carbs. It's horrible! My DH will ask what I want for dinner and I think about it and say "toast, bagels, popcorn, french fries, and ummm, more toast."

Thankfully my weight gain is fine- I'm up 10 lbs at 20 weeks...but I do need to keep tabs on this diet of mine.

But I eat "normal" and healthy meals instead of my cravings most of the time. And lots of chocolate, of course.

Enjoy your pregnancies!

 

[FiddleFit]

Oh my gosh you guys are terrific! You're all making me feel so much better! Loved the double happy-meal story, LHK! Gave me a good chuckle.

I also like all of your approaches to the situation. I gave in to my craving on Saturday night, as I already mentioned. On Sunday morning I was still craving some high-carb, high-protein food, so for breakfast we had blueberry buttermilk (with ground flaxseed) pancakes and turkey sausage. I was still craving something rich, so I drank a cup of cold, creamy whole milk. Ahhhhhhh, that hit the spot. And that seems to have ended that cycle of cravings.

My blood sugar has been really dropping fast and frequently, and this is accompanied by huge fatigue, sleepiness, confusion, irritability, and nausea. I'm now making an effort to eat something like a piece of fruit every 2 hours. It seems to be helping so far. I had a smoothie before my workout this morning, and noticed a qualitative difference in my energy levels and my stamina. And the nausea seems to have been kept at bay.

You know, now that I've seen that I can give in to a craving, and that things won't spiral out of control, I'm looking forward to the next one!! What will it be? Maybe a peanut buster parfait from Dairy Queen? Ooooooohhhhhh myyyyyyyy.........

Sandra

 

[sunnydelite]

ohhhhhhhh, no i am craving chicken wings and fries...LOL
these cravings certainly are something. i was doing so well with my eating before becoming pregnant. now it seems like i can't eat anything other than what i am craving or i will become sick to my stomach.....i do agree with everyone else in that we must give into our cravings within moderation!! makes pregnancy more fun..don't you think