Neko's journal - During and after pregnancy

[Neko]

Hi everyone,

I already introduced myself in the Newbie's place , but I will make a more detailed introduction within this journal. This journal shall accompany me during my last weeks of pregnancy and of course afterwards, when I hope to lose some pounds soon.

Feel free to stop by, read my story and / or leave comments.

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My name is Neko, I am 29 years old and I live in Germany.
As far as I can remember I was never a thin person. The last picture of me which shows me more slender was taken at the age of 5. From then on I was always somehow chubby and on any kind of diet until I was 26 - without remarkable success. I didn't get to too overweight that was all I achieved.

At the age of 26 I simply gave up.
I persuaded myself of having a genetic predisposition. Since nothing worked for me I thought I won't be able to change anything. From that moment I ate just whatever I wanted and turned from clothing size 14 to 20/22 within two years. I have always felt somehow uncomfortable, but then I really felt disgusted about myself.

I discovered Raw Till 4 in that time and got motivated.
If it works for others, it will work for me - so I thought. It was quite hard to stay on track. Not because I was missing my old way of eating, but because the high costs of buying so many fruits and the poor availability of them here in Germany. I did a lot of sports on my own at home and switched to size 18 in one year. Don't know why, but I really expected more from this lifestyle. So I wanted to achieve more and went to a gym. I thought a moderated training could help me and so I went there 4-5 days a week. Increasing my fitness level was all I achieved there so far, when from one day on another I just felt weak.

When I went to the doctor she told me I am pregnant.
I still went to the gym to do some low cardio training there, but after some complications in the first three months my doctor didn't allow me to go on with my fitness training. She recommended to rest more often and only go for a slow walk if I still wanted to do any sports. Well, I don't need to tell you that I wasn't in the mood of walking slowly around the block when you have to pee 100x a day and feeling sick all the time. So I stayed at home...

Someday I had enough of my fruity lifestyle.
I never felt satisfied on so many fruits and I hated the situation of sitting at the table with my partner for lunch, eating a mono meal of fruits while he had so delicious looking cooked meals. I didn't miss the fat or meat...but I really missed cooked foods for lunch. Waiting for dinner where I was allowed to have a cooked meal as well became a torture to me. The whole day I was waiting for the evening's cooked meal. Maybe it was because of the hormones, but my mood became real bad. I was so fed up spending so much money on food (fruits) I didn't really want to eat. The costs of Raw Till 4 have always been a big issue between us because it was always very expensive.

Last year we watched forks over knives and I looked up some further information in German.
Unfortunately most recommended books, e.g. The Starch Solution, were only available in English. Although my English is not so well, it is sufficient enough to communicate with others. But I was afraid of misunderstanding essential facts of the book and the nutrition. Then this year, when I was fed up with Raw Till 4 and looking for an alternative vegan way of eating, I stumbled upon the German edition of The Starch Solution via Amazon. Unfortunately the German book title is misleading. Translated it would mean "The high carb diet - losing weight with the right carbohydrates". So I guess we agree "The Starch Solution" is a more suitable book title.

Although the German edition appears (because of it's title!) like another silly diet book, I was enthusiastic reading about the Starch Solution and also getting a lot of background information. 'Wow, that's how it's working? It is that easy?' I thought afterwards and I was looking for a quick start. Because I am pregnant losing weight won't be my focus until the baby was born, but I decided to start and in only three days I experienced some little success.

I suffered from edema since the beginning of my pregnancy. I couldn't wear any of my shoes anymore only some open slipper I had to buy in two shoe sizes bigger. I got compression stockings from my doctor but since two months I am not able to get them on on my own anymore. My baby bump is really big and I am happy when I am able to put on my pair of leggins. But back to topic, within only three days my edema are gone. My face, my hands, my thighs and my feet are not full of water after 30 long weeks anymore! Yesterday I was even able to wear some of my shoes. After wearing slipper for the most time of my pregnancy, I felt like a queen again in my shoes.

But of course this was not all I experienced.
Since one year I am used to have a stomach ache after my meals and having diarrhea at least every second or third day. I tried out some reciped of the book and they tasted amazing. In addition to that nothing was aching after eating. I guess that's because cooked starches saturate in another way than fruits. It was great not to check if I eat enough calories but to know if I am still hungry I could take a second serving. Also I have had no diarrhea for three days.

So if these are only the benefits of three days...then I am curious about what will happen after a week, a month or a year.

[rhubarbtriangle]

Hi Neko.
I'm glad to read of your success with this way of eating. It really is a healthy and simple thing to do. Also, it is very cheap. All the good starchy food and vegetables are the cheapest you can get!
For me, the best thing is I never have to be hungry!
Make sure you eat enough, and take good care of yourself in these last few weeks of your pregnancy.
What an exciting time for you!

[Neko]

Thank you for your comment, rhubarbtriangle
I just had a quick look at your journal and for me it is proven that this way of eating works.

Yes, you are right. Compared to the other lifestyle I tried it is cheap, what I really appreciate. To be able to eat if I want to as long as I eat the right things sounds like a great deal as well. At the moment I eat until I am saturated and I am feeling good with it.

[Neko]

The more success stories I read, the more expectations I have. Nonetheless, I try to distinguish between dreams and reality.

It's important for me not to follow the aim of a perfect body, but of getting healthy and achieving some realistic weight loss.
It's important to me not to experience another kind of diet, but being able to eat without a guilty conscience and calorie restriction.
For now the Starch Solution meets my requirements and I'm feeling good, but I am still skeptical as well.
I did a lot to lose some weight in the past and have to admit I felt good with most diets in the very beginning. None of them worked in the longterm sight, but usually I realized this too late.

So yes, I am very excited and I am feeling good at the moment, but I am afraid of meeting just another throwback.

Because of my pregnancy I don't expect a great weight loss at the moment, but I know I will expect it after giving birth.
I won't demand miracles, but I know I will want to see a kind of progress. And I just hope I will be as successful as others here.

[Neko]

First of all, I hope you don't mind when I am writing all my fears and thoughts. It helps me to focus on what I am doing but I don't want to bother anyone



After I looked up some more recipes I would like to try I made a list and went to the grocery. Though the recommended way of eating is easy it seems to be difficult to buy everything you need. For example, I was desperately looking for black or white beans. All I've found were canned vegetables. I asked one of the employees there and he told me he has never heard these beans can be bought fresh or dried and showed me the cans. Sweet potato is also not available everywhere and I had to visit 4 stores before I found one. Furthermore, to me sweet potato quite expensive. So I won't make it very often I guess.

Sometimes it makes me sad that the healthy food seems to be more expensive than the unhealthy. Shouldn't it be the other way? Potatoes and rice are really cheap here, but if you want to buy pasta made of wholegrains it starts to get expensive. Fruits and vegetable are cheap as long as they are in season but this country doesn't offer a great variety of both.

I asked in the Lounge if I can use canned vegetable as well. It would save me a lot of money and bring more varitey to my meals. If not, I think my meals will get somehow monotonous.

[sksamboots]

Welcome!

[Neko]

Thank you, sksamboots.





I am just re-experiencing food. When I look at the recipes none ingredient is really new to me, but mostly I have used it in another form. It's exciting to create something new with all the things you already know. You don't have to reinvent the wheel and that's what I like. For me it would be too difficult to completely change what I have ate before. I have never been a friend of many international dishes either.

Today I cooked something really simple.
Just quinoa, giant white beans and a little bit of chili pepper spread. It is so tasty and so filling. Just in case I get hungry this afternoon, there are some leftovers.

[rhubarbtriangle]

You have to "go with the flow" as far as vegetables are concerned. As you say, when they are in season they are very cheap and that is the time to eat them.
Also, since most bloggers and cookbook writers seem to be based in the US, things like sweetcorn and sweet potatoes are cheaper and more widely available to them because they grow there. I see many people posting about gardens overflowing with courgettes (zucchini), aubergines (eggplants) or squash and feel very envious. These things grow only in greenhouses here. Therefore they are not the cheapest of veg.
But, if you compare the cost of even the more costly veg with even the the cheapest meats, they are still a huge bargain!
Basic white potatoes, rice and grains will be great for you. I find many varieties of dried beans at a health food shop, frozen veggies are fantastic, and canned beans are too.
What I'm saying is, you don't have to worry about getting expensive or hard-to-find food. Just enjoy the good whole plant food that is available to you where you are.
Just keep going!

[Neko]

Yes, you are right. I will try not to stress myself about this so much. Nevertheless it's sad that healthy food, e.g. organic food, is more expensive. I am not that poor person but I can imagine there are a lot of people who cannot afford 'living healthy' the way they want to. Of course there is still enough which they could buy, but who wants to eat the same dishes again and again? As you said you can get a lot of variety in health stores, but it will be more expensive.

Guess I will have to become more creative to create dishes with the available food here. I had the same issues with Raw Till Four, because you don't get all these exotic fruits here and those, you are able to buy, are too expensive. Maybe I'll find some regional alternatives within the recipes corner here.

[Neko]

Tomorrow will be the day!
I have to visit my doctor again and like always she will not only check how the baby is doing but also my blood levels and my weight. Blood Levels and weight are now checked every 2nd week so I will have a nice overview how my new way of eating affects my health. She will be glad I don't suffer from my edema anymore.

I'm feeling good at the moment but I have a feeling I am thinking more about me and myself in general. I realized that maybe not what I ate made me fat, but how I ate it. Guess I really need to change my attitude towards food.

To be honest, food became more to me than breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I realized I became some kind of emotional eater within the last years. When I was bored, I ate something. When I was sad, I ate something. When I was nervous about something...well, you can imagine. Since I moved together with my partner I don't have that many friends anymore. Of course I can call my old friends day and night, but it's simply not the same anymore. So I am alone with 'my stuff' most of the time and found myself another friend food.

Right now I am still eating exactly this way.
Instead of eating junk I eat healthy things, nevertheless my way of eating needs to be changed.
Unfortunately I don't know how to change it...

[Neko]

Today I just woke up with swollen hands, legs and feet. My doctor told me this would be because of the hot weather.
Then my weight was checked... I was really confident and thought I must have lost some small pounds, but actually I gained 5 kg in 2 weeks. Weight loss wasn't my main aim before my pregnancy is over but I am sad anyway. I thought I could stop the big weight gain, but 5 kg in 2 weeks is quite much. The baby gained 400g in the same time, which is totally okay since he will be born in +- 8 weeks. I cannot say how much of these 5 kg is actually only water from my edema, but for now 5 kg are 5 kg to me.

[Neko]

To be honest, after my weight gain I wasn't very motivated to go on - but I did.
I was so disappointed and for three days I just ate whatever I wanted. Then I felt sick and suffered from diarrhea and had to vomit all the time. So I decided to go back to my healthy way of eating and followed the McDougall way very strictly. Nevertheless, I was somehow hungry all day long and so I ate huge quantities.

Two weeks later I had to visit my doctor again.
As usual she also checked my weight. I resigned myself to another 5 kg and told myself I will lose weight after birth. When I saw the scale my mind's eye recalled all the tasty things I ate the last two weeks. I was quite surprised when I heard the doctor's assistant saying 'No weight gain'. While she made a note in my maternity log I stared at the numbers on the scale.

I really really really ate so much that I expected at least 5 more kg, but even more. And then...nothing.
Furthermore the edema is gone again.

[Neko]

To be honest, after my weight gain I wasn't very motivated to go on - but I did.
I was so disappointed and for three days I just ate whatever I wanted. Then I felt sick and suffered from diarrhea and had to vomit all the time. So I decided to go back to my healthy way of eating and followed the McDougall way very strictly. Nevertheless, I was somehow hungry all day long and so I ate huge quantities.

Two weeks later I had to visit my doctor again.
As usual she also checked my weight. I resigned myself to another 5 kg and told myself I will lose weight after birth. When I saw the scale my mind's eye recalled all the tasty things I ate the last two weeks. I was quite surprised when I heard the doctor's assistant saying 'No weight gain'. While she made a note in my maternity log I stared at the numbers on the scale.

I really really really ate so much that I expected at least 5 more kg, but even more. And then...nothing.
Furthermore the edema is gone again.

[VegSeekingFit]

Hi Neko,

Nice to meet you and beautiful graphics in your journal!!!

That's good news that your edema is gone! Hope that you continue to feel well through your pregnancy.

[grid]

Hi Neko,

I really enjoy your journal. You seem to be very creative and it makes your journal very appealing even before reading it

I can't share any experience of weight loss or pregnancy on this plan, because I've never had weight problem and I've never had a child, but I also live in the EU (more precisely in Hungary), so I share your experience regarding to the recipes.

We also have very few veggies in the groceries compared to the US groceries, so it's not easy or cheap to make those recipes you can find in the books or on websites. However, I do the same that Rhubarbtriangle does, go to the groceries and buy whatever is in season. In our case the situation is even a bit worse, because I live very far from groceries, and the ones I can reach are not of high standard regarding to the fresh produce. So I go there when I need something (like rice or some non-food item) and buy everything which is in season and look fresh (and not too expensive). It means I can't plan what I'm going to cook before shopping because I never know what I can get. But I don't care, because I know everything I buy can find it's way onto our plates. You need experience to be sure, though. For example, I know we love steamed broccoli, we can eat it with basically everything, but we don't like it cooked in soups or stews. So I know if I can find fresh broccoli, I can buy no more than 2 big heads because it will be gone in 2-3 days if I steam them, which is not a difficult process. I know we love mushrooms in any form and in almost any dish, so I don't mind buying 1-2 kgs because I know we'll eat it in sandwiches and in cooked dishes. It's a good thing if you know what you like, in what form you like it, how much time you'll have to prepare it, so you can decide right in the grocery how many you want to buy. It needs a bit of routine and experience, but you can start by buying small amount of veggies whatever you get and experiment with them.

Regarding to variety, you don't need much variety, and you definitely don't need to adopt new recipes from the (mostly) oversea bloggers to follow this plan. You can experiment with them when you have time, energy and you can find ingredients on sale, but you can use the traditional recipes you know and are traditionally vegan or can be turned easily into vegan. I know German cuisine is meat centered (at least as much as our cuisine), but you might find family recipes that are not meat based. My mother uses her own recipes "McDougallised", I use my old Indian recipes and my mother's recipes, so we eat mostly the same dishes we ate before starting McDougalling with minimal tweaking. Of course, I do try recipes from this forum and online sources, but it's just fun. I love cooking, love experimenting in the kitchen, but it's really just fun, not a necessity.

The worst thing you can do is let yourself get overwhelmed by the information and recipes on this forum and the compliant websites. Try to find 5-7 recipes you love as a base, rotate them and try new recipes when you feel like cooking something different and you have time to do that. When you find one that you really love, adopt it into your recipe list, if the one you tried is not what you really expected, skip it. It's just food, relax and have a great time

Another way to make variety is how I make my routine when I have a very strict schedule. It also needs some routine in what you like and how you like it, but it's the most flexible way to eat a great variety with minimal effort. Katydid has a very similar method with much less ingredients because of her food allergies, but you can check it, too (unfortunately I couldn't find where she posted it, but you can ask her if you're interested).

Hope it helps, and let us know if you need any help