Update: 8 weeks

Well how am I doing? It depends on the day. I have my days when I lay on the couch for hours, and I have my days when I get an awesome workout and I don't feel pregnant at all (wholly depending on what I eat, how my night of sleep was, etc.) But generally I feel best in the mornings, when I do my business and housework, hit some cravings around lunch and eat some cooked food and then start feeling lethargic. By late afternoon I am usually on the couch!

Today I got another great workout (this is not all the time. I took Friday, Saturday, and Sunday off; felt horrible over the weekend). I woke up and just knew it was going to be a good day, so I knew a double workout it is! To practice for my upcoming triathlon, I swam 500 yards in 10 minutes (my usual time); then I did biking for 30 minutes, then some pilates and jogging for 15 minutes. I am doing pilates as long as I can, although I do know some great upright ab exercises for second/third trimester.

Here's my update I posted on the rawpregnancy group:

I am 8 weeks pregnant and finding the exact same things. It's hard to eat just raw, one reason because I know I am looking for a stimulant (salt) and also because my morale is down so I am just more general susceptible to temptation. I am eating about 50% fruit and 50% carb foods. I feel best with fruit - it digests best. But then I get my cravings or whatever, and I eat my cooked meal and just feel exhausted afterward :(

Plain carbs sit best in my stomach - anything oily is yucky to me. And seasonings make me feel nauseas. But *mentally* I get so sick of plain carbs and that's why I start thinking about restaurant food or meat.... it's just been rough, *wanting* foods that will actually make me feel sick. I have tried eating meat a couple times and I am just sick and exhausted the next day. I use my energy level as a measurement. If I eat well, I feel great (I don't feel pregnant at all!!) and I can do a good workout. But if I overeat, or eat too late, or eat junk food, I lay around all the next day and don't get any exercise. So since I love to workout that is motivation for me.

I am trying hard to eat more raw. The temptation is definitely stronger because my morale is down but I feel infinitely better with fruit in my tummy. (and I SHOW LESS!!!!!! no bloating from all the starch!!!!)

My workouts are keeping me motivated. I am very tempted to eat a lot of junk food. Last week I had the most delicious roasted turkey sandwich, I won't lie. But it cost me my workout the next day (I just get so tired... um, I feel pregnant when I don't eat well. Yep trying to avoid that feeling!)

My goal is to do an hour run (10K) every 1-2 weeks so I don't lose conditioning. I don't think I would run longer than that, unless there was a lot of walking breaks. I went out for a run yesterday but didn't feel terrific, and so on days like that I don't force it. I ended up jogging 3 miles at a moderate pace and then walking 1.5 miles of hills. Also, the triathlon is August 27th which I am not really taking too seriously until I get past my first trimester and have more/constant energy. But I was happy to see I could do the swim and bike today, still feeling good.

I also do a kickboxing class 1-2 times a week, which is incredible. It's a great core and upperbody workout without using weights or lying down. Also good for legs, obviously, depending on form. But if I am having trouble keeping up, I do fewer kicks because I am mainly there to work my upper body.

Well time to do laundry and homeschool! And it's not yet 11 a.m.

p.s. Weaning! My milk is pretty much gone. At first this made Elisabeth want to nurse more because she wasn't satisfied. But I think she is coming to acceptance. My husband and I can really tell she isn't getting much because suddenly she is EATING three meals a day!! Holy cow. This girl has never eaten like this. I guess I didn't realize how much milk I was producing.

P.S. Weaning

Elisabeth is 33 months and still nursing strong (In all fairness, breastfeeding hormones may be leveling out my pregnancy hormones, who knows). I have been much more laid-back with her than I was with my son, and I don't have a plan to wean her right now, except that she needs to be out of my bed in the next 6 months. I am expecting my milk to dry up during the pregnancy so that would be the easiest way to wean :)

I wonder how much I am actually producing now, anyway. A lot of times when she nurses, she isn't really getting anything. But I'd say 2-3 times a day she does get a snack, if not a small meal.

Fruit Predominant Diet is a huge success story

Well I am 7 weeks pregnant with #3 and I hardly feel pregnant... Yesterday I ran 6 miles at my normal pace and just felt awesome. I workout a bit less, and less intense, because I don't have as much energy but overall still great. So yesterday was a better day for me; on low days I do a lighter workout.

A couple weeks ago I was pretty tired, but that passed quickly. I am back to my normal sleeping hours, and I am very active during the day with little down time!

I've hardly had any nausea at all, which I call a huge success story for my health lifestyle. In my second pregnancy (where this blog begins) I was eating a higher percentage raw, but more fats and some processed foods; and in that pregnancy I struggled with nausea day after day and spent most of my time resting on the couch (although it was markedly better than my first pregnancy on SAD). In the 80/10/10 world you hear this question a lot:

"Is it better to eat a low-fat cooked diet, or a high-fat raw diet?"

...and the raw gurus never answer. Well here is your answer folks, it is more important to eat low-fat and then you work on the percentage of cooked foods in your diet. That's what the Fruit Predominant Diet is all about, why to a raw foodist it is a more lenient diet, and yet it is more effective!

I consider this pregnancy a testiment to the Fruit Predominant Diet, as well as to being fit (since that is another difference between this pregnancy and previous ones).

Anyhow, I am due Jan. 7th and hoping for another UC. But I will say I had something magical about me in my last pregnancy that I don't feel this time--at least, yet. As time passes I will get more into visualizing and communicating with the baby, but so far I haven't done much to connect with this pregnancy. Actually to be honest I have been having a harder time accepting it and being excited about it. I think last time I wanted to be pregnant so bad, and I wanted that princess so bad, as well as the magic of my first UC, living so much by faith and everything. Now with baby #3 it's more ho-hum, more "business." I would love some comments on this, can you relate? Is that just what it's like to have kids past the first couple?

I need to find that magic again...

April 9 Half-Marathon Re-cap

Sorry I am late with this. I completed my fourth half-marathon last month, and I was so pleased with my results. In general with my runs, I aim for a sub-10-minute pace, but hadn't achieved that on a long race. So finally things worked out with this being an easy course, and with me having enough fitness after a year of running now to run 13 miles without getting tired. I have had to learn a few tricks such as eating as much as I possibly can the few days prior to make sure I am fueled up, and even eating some condiments to make sure I am not detoxing (which causes fatigue).

So I ran the 13.1 miles in 2 hours, 6 minutes. That's a 9:62 average pace, Woohoo!! I was so happy and feeling a sense of closure with that phase of my athletic ambitions, that I felt that was my last race for a while so I could turn my attention toward, ahem, family planning (Stay posted!)

So "Phase 1" of my athletic career, my first year of running, etc. included:

• June 2010 Seattle half marathon in 2:35 (some small hills; minimal training)


• August 2010 Sprint Triathlon 1:50 ish


• September 2010 Sprint Triathlon 1:45 ish


• November 2010 Trail half marathon 2:28 (hills, mud, you name it)


• November 2010 Eugene half marathon 2:16


• April 2011 Eugene half marathon 2:06 (after adding daily x-training)

Michael Arnstein Documentary

Remember Michael Arnstein? Otherwise known as "The Fruitarian" from http://www.thefruitarian.com/. I have shared his videos and interviews a few times as I am just such a huge fan.

I did not stick with the 100% raw fruitarian diet (80/10/10) but I will not deny that it is the most ideal diet for day-to-day, lasting physical health and energy without stimulants.

(the diet I coined the "Fruit Predominat Diet" is a similar diet, although not 100% raw; and that is how my family and I have been eating for 5-1/2 years now)