Managing Weight Gain Through Many Pregnancies


I cringe remembering that day. The last time I got on the scale, pregnant with twins, and saw a number I’m still horrified to admit. I did it. I actually topped 300 pounds. There. Ugh. I said it. Maybe admitting it will help take some of the sting away.

I have been dealing with extra weight since I was 10. When I began my motherhood journey I was holding steady at 60 pounds overweight. The twins were the highest pregnancy weight I ever hit. I was too ashamed to even look at the scale after that one horrible time. The cycle of putting on 50 to 60 extra pounds above my existing extra weight became the norm for pregnancy #3, #4, #5, #6 all the way until #9.  Between pregnancies I get into a good healthy flow, lose the extra pregnancy weight, then BOOM - weight loss goes on hold for a year.

I’m 8 weeks away from baby #11 and for the second time in a row I am staying within 10 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight. Is this really happening? The scale doesn’t lie. So what am I doing that’s working? It’s not like I’m perfect or super strict.  I am being intentional so here are my top 3 tips that I believe are helping me keep a healthy weight through pregnancy.

1 - LOW SUGAR - I’ve shifted into a lower sugar nutritional approach over the last few years. Sugar addiction is real and I have in the past really gone deep. I find when I limit sugar intake by keeping things low carb with tracking or simply being intentional I stay out of the insulin-glucose spiral.

2 -  THREE MEALS A DAY - I’ve had great results with weight loss, mood stabilizing, mental clarity & sleep through intermittent fasting (IF) of various lengths. My go to IF instructor is the wonderful Dr. Jason Fung the renowned Canadian Endocrinologist (kidney & diabetes specialist). His book The Obesity Code  was a game changer for me. He also has an excellent YouTube Channel I have happily binge watched late into the night.

Intermittent Fasting is not recommended during pregnancy so I shifted into simply 3 meals a day with minimal snacking if any between meals to keep with the IF principals of fuel burning between feeding. I also drink 64 ounces of water a day by keeping a cute water bottle full and at reach.

3 -  GENTLE EXERCISE - I do short 7 minute focused exercise routines 3-4 times a week to help me keep limber, climb stairs with ease and recover from c-section surgery well. All 9 of my births have been c sections so I know how important it is to prepare recovery after massive abdominal surgery (oh, with a newborn to take care of too).  Check out my best c sections tips. I follow the Svelte One & Done program. Quick, simple 7 minute exercises that I do easily in my busy big family mom life.

BONUS TIP!

SUPPLEMENTS - In addition to prenatal vitamins and magnesium before bed to stop leg cramping I take a high quality collagen every day to support my body from the inside out. People often tell me I look radiant and years younger than my 43.  Between the 3 tips I shared and collagen I think I’ve found a good flow that works for me.

It's been a journey of grace to deal with the deeper stuff leading me to seek comfort in sugar. Feel free to join me in the big family mom journey.  If this blog blessed you feel free to join my Big Family Moms community where I have lots more resources and encouragement for moms like you overcoming struggles and growing in grace. Here's the LINK if you like.

 

 

 

Popular posts from this blog

Fear of Dying & The Big Family Mom

Image
One of my greatest fears as a big family mom is parental death. If my husband is a little late coming home on icy roads it can take only seconds before I’m already imagining myself at the funeral, trying to comfort devastated children while spending the long years ahead weeping alone in our bed. But, what if it’s me who goes first? I have walked a tender road with ten c-sections under my belt, each one carrying its own very real risks of maternal death.  Then there’s always the things no human could predict or really prepare for.  Rather than stay locked in helplessness and pre-emptive grief, I have found there are steps I can take to ease my mind in the face of the one guarantee in this life (next to taxes). 1 - Make Arrangements  We made our first will and purchased life insurance when I was pregnant with baby number four.  The peace of mind this one action alone gave me was worth many nights’ sleep (which is a precious commodity for any mom of many!).  Plann...
Read more

Feed Your Family for Less: Tips for Saving BIG on Groceries

Image
When the normally cheap chicken hot dogs hit four dollars for a dozen I knew we were going to be feeling it in our big family grocery bill real soon. With 11 children to feed the effects of inflation are felt on every front, especially in the grocery bill. I’ll admit that I’ve had a few moments where I’ve simply stopped to pray these past few months. It takes faith, courage and spending savvy to face inflation like a Provers 31 woman and smile. One thing that’s helped me is knowing that I’ve learned a thing of two over the years from other big families who were just a little further ahead on the road of life than me. I knew my many littles would soon include fast-growing young adults who would need more calories. I’m glad I did some research and began implementing money-saving tips on large family groceries then. It’s helping us go through these tighter times with more calm confidence. Since there appears to be a recession on a rise, I’m sharing a few tips that I’ve learned to help...
Read more

Helping Baby into a Sleep Routine

Image
When we got home from the hospital with our firstborn daughter I quickly realized I had no clue how to take care of a baby.  Sleep became one of my most precious commodities as my whole life turned into a 24 hour series of naps. In between feedings & naps I scoured the few how-to books I had to find some magic formula that would work.  My favorite was found in Tracy Hogg’s bestselling book, The Baby Whisperer . Her simple, common sense no-extremes approach resonated with me and gave me light in the surreal fog of the newborn days.  Here are the highlights I used with all 10 of my babies to help them get into a healthy sleep routine. Babies Give Sleep Signals When babies get tired they give some telltale cues such as rubbing eyes, yawning and mild fussing.  If the window of opportunity is missed it can be harder to get them to sleep once they become overtired. As soon as you see those it’s time to bundle them up to sleep. Babies Like To Be Swaddled All but one of ...
Read more