Hello dear Happy Eaters!
I don’t know whether some of you remember me, but I was active on this forum a few years ago.
It helped me find balance and I was in a really good place with food (no restrictions/ no obsession/ no binges) and exercise (barely any exercise) for years!
Everything was going well, I got marrie in September 2021 and a few weeks later I got pregnant. We were super happy! But then, the pregnancy started messing with my head. I started gaining weight despite eating to my hunger cues as usual and it freaked me out! It was like I could not trust my body anymore. Clothes started feeling tight and my body image went downhill as my belly started growing.
I am currently 7 months in (due at the end of May) and it’s getting harder and harder to accept myself with this huge belly. I also went back to weighing myself every couple of days and the number on the scale keeps going up, up, up (obviously).
I want to be 100% transparent: I have not gained that much weight objectively (5-6kg in 7 months, which I think is like 11-13 lbs). My gynecologist keeps telling me that I could be gaining more and it would still be really healthy. I was also thin (not underweight but slim) to begin with so maybe I’m supposed to gain more. I am not restricting per se, in that I always eat something if I‘m hungry because I don’t want the baby to suffer from my craziness, but I am definitely focusing a lot more on what I eat and also not really allowing myself as many “fun foods“ as I was before.
So I guess I was not as much of a “happy eater” as I thought! Or rather, I was a happy eater because I was still maintaining a figure that I liked.
So this brings me here: is there anyone who experienced something similar during pregnancy? I know I should not be focusing on my body but I can’t help it. I am afraid to look at myself in the mirror and I can seem to find a way to accept this new body
Picture generations of pregnant women all over the globe, for thousands of years, picking fruits and vegetables with unwashed hands and eating them on the spot. Yet somehow humanity survived and thrived. Be gentle with yourself. Restaurant salad is likely a healthier option than guilt.
It’s great that your interests are expanding. My own social media feeds and viewing habits radically transformed when I let go of fear-based food restriction. Lots more humor, animals, nature, spirituality, and inspiration. I feel happy instead of drained or pressured to adhere to some new diet or fashion trend.
It’s so important to get out of survival and stress modes and actually feel happy in your life each day. Career counseling could be really interesting. There are so many possibilities, things to look forward to and be grateful for. Anytime, the guilt and stress start looping, come back to the good things and look forward to more adventures. Worry is a habit. You can notice it and redirect it toward who and how you want to be. You’re doing great!