I am not a dieter. In fact I hate it. Loathe may be a more appropriate word for what
I feel towards strict diets. My idea of dieting consists of skipping the butter on the huge roll I’m about to shove
in my face. Sacrifice, right? I, like many Americans, find a lot of joy in
my food. I love breakfast pastries,
pizza, burgers, and fries. It almost
seems ironically unfair that the only time I’ve ever swelled up like a balloon
and been thankful for the scale going up, is the healthiest I’ve ever eaten. On the other hand, I suppose when you
consider the fact that my son depends on what I eat, it’s not that far fetched.
I do, at times, envy the Jessica
Simpsons of the world who proudly consume butter-covered pop-tarts and gain 70
lbs. during their pregnancies without shame.
But, I’ve been trying to diligently stick to my doctor’s suggestion of eating
leafy greens and proteins at meals and having healthy carbs for snacks (healthy
being the key word). No more pop tarts
and waffles in the morning for me. This
has not been easy. In fact, its
just plain difficult. My poor husband has had to listen to me fuss, complain,
and huff my way through the past couple of weeks. I’m failing at being humble and content.
It’s funny that with all of the
things that pregnancy brings, this is what is getting to me the most. Food:
A four-letter word that has the power to consume you, while you're
consuming it. During this time, I’ve
had to learn how to treat food as being more than a “what I want, when I want
it” and instead as a well-thought-out process of considering what nutrients I
need at the time. Healthy eating, for
me, has taken a lot of time, consideration, and thought. Mornings were the hardest transition. I’m accustomed to waking up, pouring a bowl
of cereal and eating. Now, I have to
wake up, separate egg whites, scramble, put in pan, prepare spinach and
vegetables, wait for eggs to be ready to construct an omelet, make turkey bacon,
assemble omelet, make some oatmeal, and consume. Meals can take 30-40 minutes to cook. This is not easy for someone who is 32 weeks
pregnant, tired, and hungry. What about
instant gratification??? God is
definitely teaching me an important lesson right now: Patience and self-control. An especially important lesson before I have
a baby to care for. What surprises me most (and what I didn’t see
coming) was that it’s coming from my love of food. Good one, God. He definitely knew where it was going to make
the most impact, and it has.
This may seem like small stuff to
some of you. Some of you may be asking,
“what’s the big deal?? Don’t eat fatty foods, breads, or processed sugar,
EASY!” (This is the attitude my husband sometimes has in response to my many complaints). Have you ever seen a pregnant woman with a
pregnancy craving? It’s like a Mack
truck prepared to roll over anyone trying to get in her way. You try to stop a pregnant woman from eating
that cinnamon roll she’s been thinking about for the past hour and she will mow
you down like a lawn mower (we have a lot of power behind our spreading
hips). Our minds are telling us “if I
don’t eat this, and NOW, I will die, literally, and take you down with me.” This is what I’m fighting against, in
myself. Trust me, patience is being
learned!
When I’m not wallowing on the
couch battling a sugar craving, I do take pride in that I am doing the very
best for our baby. I’m proud of myself for knowing that I am not
letting my selfish drives determine what I do for him. Thinking of his health and giving him the
best, keeps me choosing the bag of unsalted almonds instead of the bag of
chips. I already love him so much, and
in retrospect, this all seems like a small sacrifice to make for his well being. I suppose this is what parent-hood (and love)
is all about.
