Nutrition

HCG Diet

HCG Diet

There has been quite the buzz about this “HCG Diet”.  Such a buzz, in fact, that I had to try it for myself.  Even though I’m quite active, I had about 15 pounds I wanted to lose.  You see, sometimes life sneaks up on us so well that one day we wake up and shockingly, we have gained 20 pounds!  How did that happen?  Well, however it happens, it does happen.  I’m no exception.

I retired from the military in January of 2010.  At the time, my son was 4 and my daughter was 2.  My husband is also retiring from the military and was very busy with that.  I decided to make our retirement transition from North Carolina to New Mexico a little early…and without my husband.  We thought the best idea was for me to come to New Mexico and start our new life while he still had a stable income.  Well, along with this transition came more stress than I’ve ever dealt with.  Working out or running was the last thing I thought about doing.

I had to transition to a new job, move myself and my kids into a new house, establish them in a new day care, and try to maintain some semblance of normalcy.  Oh yeah, and continue my Master’s Degree studies.  I know many people say, “If fitness is important to you, you will find time to do it.” Well, simply, the time for it did not exist.  I tried to eat right but honestly, I barely paid attention to what I ate.  I was desperate.

One day, I was surfing the net for a diet.  Any of my friends who know me well will tell you that if there’s a pill or a diet out there, I have tried it.  Well, I came across an ad for the “Official HCG Diet”.  I began talking to people at work about it and stumbled across a co-worker whose best friend did the HCG diet and lost 130 pounds!  “WOW!” I thought!  This might be something I could do.  So I looked into it a little more.

I came across a company that was backed by the Better Business Bureau and had a money back guarantee.  It was the sublingual drops they were advertising which seemed easy enough to me.  Well, let me tell you, friends, it worked.

In two weeks time I lost 15 pounds.  And 5% body fat.  This diet WORKS.  The best thing about it is that it works best if you are sedentary for the time you’re on the diet.  So it’s perfect for the non-nursing mother who is running around like a chicken with her head cut off like I was. 

The basic principle is this…HCG is a hormone that your body makes when you’re PREGNANT.  It’s the hormone that metabolizes your fat into food for the baby.  If there’s no baby, it just gets disposed as waste from your body.

There have been men and women who have been successful with this program.  If you’re interested in it and want to know more,  contact me.  I’d be happy to help you.

General Nutrition

When you’re pregnant, you absolutely cannot be concerned about gaining weight.  Most of us during our lives struggle with weight and when we see that scale climbing rapidly, and it inevitably will, it’s a shocker.  But don’t panic!  Gaining weight while you’re pregnant is a good thing.  It may be hard to wrap your brain around that at first.  If you eat right and exercise sensibly you will gain a healthy amount for you and your baby and be able to get it off easier later on. 

While I’m discussing nutrition during pregnancy, remember that the exact same rules apply while you’re breastfeeding.  Did you know that you’ll also have cravings while you’re nursing?  It’s true!  Your nutritional plan doesn’t need to change at all once baby is born.  The only thing that may need to change is the supplements you take.  I’ll cover this in the supplements section of this site.  So, let’s talk about some nutrition basics.

First and foremost, don’t fall under that old belief that you need to “eat for two”.  In reality, you only need to add about 200 calories to your diet while you’re pregnant to ensure you get enough calories to maintain your energy level (which is very important during this time).  Absolutely do not skip meals!  Your baby will get what it needs from your body but if you don’t get enough calories, your health could deteriorate and I want you to be healthy for yourself as well as your baby.

So what should you eat as a pregnant mom?  I realize you’re going to have cravings.  Just remember, everything in moderation.  Don’t overeat because it will just be harder to lose that pregnancy weight once baby is born.  You’re going to have less time to think about yourself so take care of you now!  A simple rule about food intake is to eat five to six small meals a day, ideally eating every two or three hours.  This applies whether you’re pregnant or not but it’s especially important to maintain a good eating schedule while you’re pregnant.  Even if you’re not hungry, your developing baby needs regular sustenance, and high frequency eating ensures proper blood glucose levels inhibiting the dreaded insulin spike, which causes that afternoon energy crash.

Your meals should consist of equal parts of healthy proteins, veggies, and fruit.  The more natural your food is, the better for you and baby.   Serving size recommendations for the average, healthy pregnant woman include 6-11 servings of breads and grains, two-four servings of fruit, four or more servings of vegetables, four servings of dairy products, and three servings of protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs or nuts).  Your body is busy making a new life so give it the tools it needs to make your baby the most beautiful and healthy baby it can! 

What’s a serving size?

There are many different thoughts on this and you could always look on the package of the food products you buy but here’s a simpler way to understand what a serving size is.

Grains: 1 slice of bread, 1 ounce of ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice or pasta (about the size of a 1/2 baseball).

Vegetables: 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables (about the size of a small fist), 1/2 cup of other vegetables or 1/2 cup of vegetable juice.

Fruits: 1 medium fruit (medium is defined as the size of a baseball); 1/2 cup chopped, cooked or canned fruit; or 1/2 cup juice.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans and Nuts: 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish; 1/2 cup cooked dry beans; or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

Milk, Yogurt and Cheese: 1 cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt, 1 1/2 ounces fat-free or low-fat cheese.

Think small fist, baseball, hockey puck and a computer mouse. These are all things that describe a “serving size.” The comparisons will help you eat more of the things you need and less of the things you don’t.

• One serving of raw leafy vegetables or a baked potato should be about the size of a small fist. A serving is a lot smaller than most people think.
• A cup of fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt, or a medium fruit should equal about the size of a baseball.
• A half a bagel is about the size of a hockey puck and represents a serving from the grains group.
• Three ounces of cooked lean meat or poultry is about the size of a computer mouse. Three ounces of grilled fish is about the size of a checkbook.
• A teaspoon of soft margarine is about the size of one die.
• An ounce of fat-free or low-fat cheese is about the size of six stacked dice.

Eating Organic

Before I became pregnant, I was fairly concerned about the foods I put in my body.  When I found out I had a baby on board, I became a lunatic and just about drove myself crazy trying to eat everything organic.  By the time I was pregnant with my second child, I had more of a handle on it.  Here’s some info I discovered that will help you out if you’re like me and try to do “everything right” for your baby. 

Eating organic doesn’t have to be extremely expensive or confusing.  Always try to buy organic dairy products and meat due to the excessive amount of antibiotics and growth hormones used in raising animals for food.   As far as produce goes, you can pick and choose what you buy from the organic section of your grocery store to keep your bill down.  Here are some basics to remember:

What do the labels mean?

100% Organic – All ingredients must be organic

Organic – Guarantees 95% of the ingredients are organic

Made with organic ingredients – At least 70% of the ingredients are organic

 Be cautious

These 12 fruits and vegetables contain the highest levels of pesticides; buy organic to reduce your exposure.

Apples

Bell peppers

Celery

Cherries

Imported grapes

Nectarines

Peaches

Pears

Potatoes

Raspberries

Spinach

Strawberries

Don’t worry about these as much…

The level of pesticides in these 12 fruits and veggies are low to undetectable so it’s okay to buy conventional.

Asparagus

Avacados

Bananas

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Kiwi

Mangoes

Onions

Papaya

Pineapples

Sweet corn

Sweet peas

You can lose your mind (and lots of money!) trying to buy everything organic.  If money is no issue, God bless you and go for it!  Otherwise, just spend wisely and use the list above as a guide.  Please contact me at feedback@onefitmamma.com if you have questions about eating organic.