You gonna eat that? 30 weeks 6 days

As part of my Bradley Method training I have to keep track of what I eat every day. The idea is to make sure I'm getting enough protein, not to count calories or carbs. One reason I like this program is that they basically encourage you to be a fatty. Well, okay, they don't so much encourage it as they don't discourage it. Most doctors and websites out there will say a gain of 25-35 pounds is healthy for most people during pregnancy. The Bradley Method says to eat 80 to 100 grams of protein, plus a quart - that's right, QUART - of milk, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and two eggs every day, and if in doing so you gain 75 pounds then that's okay. Unless you're eating really unhealthy food all the time then there's no need to worry about gaining weight during pregnancy. I mean what are you supposed to do, go on a diet? It's probably never a good idea to purposefully restrict nutrients at any point in pregnancy. Plus everyone gains weight differently, so it's not really fair to expect everyone to gain 25-35 pounds. I've gained about 12 so far (after I lost 10 and then gained that back), and from what I can tell it's all in my belly area. Since about week 20 when the nausea went away I've been doing surprisingly well with eating healthy. Keeping track of what I eat really helps that. When you have to write down everything you consume and then turn it in for someone else to examine it really makes you think twice before pigging out. I never have a problem getting enough protein, but eating five times a day helps that. I don't always eat two eggs a day but I am eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, peanut butter, Greek yogurt (my favorite new food discovery), yogurt, cheese, whole grains and milk. I love that we now always have a big bowl of fruit on the counter, spinach is always on hand and there are no less than six varieties of cheese in the fridge at all times. I love cheese.

Okay, so don't let me fool you into thinking I'm eating perfect all the time. My sweet tooth owns me at this point. I can't resist cookies! And chocolate milk. And brownies. So I usually have a little something sweet almost every day, with some milk of course so I can get my protein quota. I also love fries, always have, so I may have some of those once a week. But hey, fries and cookies have protein and other good things...I guess. I have to give up sashimi, all the good cheeses, real steak and wine for 40 weeks, so if I want a cookie here and there I'm going to have one!

I decided that the first thing I want to eat after I give birth is a medium rare filet marsala from Carrabba's and an Id roll from In the Raw, which I will wash down with a REGULAR triple grande nonfat caramel macchiato from Starbucks. [I would wash it all down with a bottle of Seven Deadly Zins but I will have to breastfeed so the booze will have to wait] The first person to bring me these items gets to hold the baby first (after Jimmy and I, of course). You have your assignment. Now make me proud.