wallstcutie’s BodyBlog

I posted 20 week belly pics on my progress photos - will post more as time progresses, so that I can use them as my "before" pics post-pregnancy!!   

P.S.  We are moving to Maryland (My husband is getting transferred to a D.C. area office), and so as of August, I won’t be the wallstcutie anymore!!  Hm, I will have to live there awhile before I can think of a great new nickname.  Can we even change our bb.com names?

I uploaded a new picture of myself - I’m 16 weeks pregnant in that picture of me in Mexico.  Now I’m 20 weeks pregnant.  I also updated my stats.  I’m 136 lbs, depending on what scale I use.  But to use the consistent method of weighing myself first thing in the morning, I think I’m about 136, so I’ve gained 8-10 lbs during pregnancy so far, which is in the low-to-mid range for weight gain.  I am still at 20% body fat, so although I weigh more than ever, it is mostly baby, blood volume, amniotic fluid, etc…  I cut and pasted details below that show a breakdown of the what the weight gain in pregnancy typically consists of:

A well-nourished, healthy woman can expect to gain between 25 to 35 pounds during her nine months. An approximate breakdown of pregnancy weight gain is as follows: 

 
• 7 - 9 pounds of baby
• 2 pounds of placenta
• 2 pounds of amniotic fluid
• 4 - 5 pounds of increased blood volume
• 2 pounds uterine enlargement
• 3 - 4 pounds of fluid in maternal tissue
• 1 pound of breast enlargement to prepare for breastfeeding
• Any remaining pounds are a general deposit of fat required by the body for breastfeeding and energy stores

I think I’ve 2 lbs of breast, one lb for each!  HELLO!  Going from the shriveled raisins I had just before competition in October to the bursting canteloupes I have now, it is just too much for my husband to conceptualize.  LOL!!  None of my sports bras fit anymore, so I have to wear tanktops with built-in bras, then throw a t-shirt on over the tank or else I’d get thrown out of the gym for lewd and lascivious gym wear!

I have 4 months to go, and as summer rolls around I think I will be faced with the double - edged sword.  On one hand, it will be easier to get more exercise since I love the outdoors in the summer.  On the other hand, I am just going to get bigger and preggier as the months go on, peaking in the heat of the summer, so it might be more difficult to exercise!

No more sciatica - at least for now.  Doing gluteal and hamstring stretches and doing squats and adductor/abductor really has helped.  Just got back from a lovely trip to Mexico, so I am tanned and rejeuvenated.  I am officially 16 weeks and 2 days along, and all is well!  

Next time you want to sound thmart, while also being a thmart ass, you can tell someone they are a piriformis syndrome (LITERALLY, A PAIN IN THE ASS).

So, the reason I am writing about pains in the ass is because I have a nagging pain in my left buttock.  Not horribly painful, just a little annoying.  Just enough to ask my husband to give me a butt massage a couple of nights in a row (which he gladly obliged). 

Then, on Tuesday, I did some really deep squats on the hack squat machine…See, my rationale is that since I can’t lift HEAVY anymore (any kind of weird heavy strain makes my uterus feel all weird), at least I can increase my range of motion, to keep it challenging.

Anyway, I felt the left buttock kindof stretch and tense up while doing these deep bucket squats, but at the time, I liked the sensation, since I had been having problems with tightness.

A couple of nights later, probably around the time DOMS came into play, the painful buttock spasms began.  Any kind of weight I would put on my left leg put me into yelps of pain and tears. 

OK, some of those tears were pregnancy hormone related, I am sure.  I had come home earlier from work to find that my dog had chewed the corner of my BRAND NEW SOFA I bought at Macy’s.  I cried about that too.  I was crying about everything that day, so crying about buttock pain was no exception. 

I can only describe the pain as something between stabbing pain and the pain you feel when your leg has fallen asleep and is coming back to life.  You know how it hurts when your leg falls asleep and then you try to stand on it?  That kind of pain.  The pain also crept down the inside of my left leg. 

So, the self-diagnoser I am, I typed my symptoms into google.com and got sciatica/piriformis.  VERY typical among pregnant women, but that is usually due to more weight pressing down on the nerve.  I have only gained 2 lbs, but my uterus is expanding, and that expansion could have caused it.  Or the deep squats.  Or a combination.

I talked to my sis-in-law in New Mexico who is a physical therapist.  She recommended I continue with light hip and glute exercises, as well as a lot of stretches.  Also maybe it is time for a pregnancy/body pillow for when I lay on my side. 

Anyway, last weekend we had the year-end curling tournament (bonspiel) and I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to lunge, or sweep, but magically, the pain really subsided (after another butt massage and some stretching) and I was able to play decently.  Our team took 2nd place. 

Speaking of competitions, my mentor who helped me with my first competition, Sheri Newton, told me about a competition in Boise, Idaho, in April (sponsored by bb.com).  My parents live there, so maybe I’ll enter next year, as a goal to lose the baby weight!  With mom and dad in town, hopefully they won’t mind watching the baby while I’m on stage.

So, until the next wonderful pregnant mystery appears, I’ll keep plugging along.  Hopefully will make it to the gym more often, or at least be able to restart my Brooklyn Bridge walks if the weather ever gets better.

Keep me posted on your training, folks! 

I have been reading some of the forum posts on pregnancy on bb.com, and after sifting through a lot of garbage, I have found some really interesting things.  

I’d have to say there is an overwhelming # of women on bb.com who are training now because they did not exactly take care of themselves during pregnancy and let themselves gain too much weight.

How much is a healthy weight gain for a pregnant mom?  Well, if she is a normal weight pre-pregnancy, 25-35 lbs.  Underweight, she should gain 35-45 lbs, and overweight moms should gain no more than 15-25 lbs to maintain a safe, healthy weight for pregnancy and beyond.  

Although I have not really gained that much weight, I feel my body changing and expanding like crazy.  At 3 months along, I am now 20% body fat, which I also read on the bb.com forum is a very healthy pregnancy BF%.  Do you know what happens if you get pregnant with too low of a BF% (or try to maintain a BF% that is too low throughout the pregnancy)?  You are more likely to have a fat, wimpy baby!!!  See, what happens is, the body thinks you are enduring your pregnancy through a famine, and that affects gene expression.  The genes that get turned on are the ones that make it easy to gain fat (good for famine) and lower bone density (am not sure why this happens).  On the flipside, if you are too fat during pregnancy, you put your and the baby’s life in danger (gestational diabetes is one biggie).

So, after reading the forums, it has really motivated me to have a healthy pregnancy with lots of healthy, leafy greens, regular training, and lots of sleep!  I hear coming soon I’ll have a lot more energy, but right now I’ve been going to bed at 8 or 9 p.m. with lots of naps on weekends.  

Training is a bit on the lighter side now that I’m prego.  2-3 times per week (I plan on going more often in the 2nd trimester when the fatigue goes away), with weights and cardio.  I keep my HR under 140 and lift a lot lighter now.  I now it is stupid, but I get a little embarrassed when I pick up 10 lbs to do my walking lunges, or only do 40 to 55 lbs on the lat pull downs.  I just want to tell my buff gym buddies "Hey, I’m pregnant, ok?"   LOL.  

I learned on the many forums that some women snap right back from pregnancy, and some take a couple of years to get into their best shape.  2 years seems like an awfully long time, and I am hoping/thinking it will not take me that long to lose the baby weight, but even if it does, 2 years of a lifetime really is not that much.  I will probably obsess maniacly and lose it in 6 months.  LOL!  Wait, I take that back, don’t want to jinx myself!

I am also encouraged, because in my opinion, some of the best midsections I’ve ever seen are on women who have given birth.  I mean, freaking awesome abs.  Look at Gina Ostarly’s abs - she has 3 kids, I think!!

So, I am encouraged and excited for this very exciting time and thank everyone for their well-wishes and congrats they’ve sent!!  

I have been reading some of the forum posts on pregnancy on bb.com, and after sifting through a lot of garbage, I have found some really interesting things.  

I’d have to say there is an overwhelming # of women on bb.com who are training now because they did not exactly take care of themselves during pregnancy and let themselves gain too much weight.

How much is a healthy weight gain for a pregnant mom?  Well, if she is a normal weight pre-pregnancy, 25-35 lbs.  Underweight, she should gain 35-45 lbs, and overweight moms should gain no more than 15-25 lbs to maintain a safe, healthy weight for pregnancy and beyond.  

Although I have not really gained that much weight, I feel my body changing and expanding like crazy.  At 3 months along, I am now 20% body fat, which I also read on the bb.com forum is a very healthy pregnancy BF%.  Do you know what happens if you get pregnant with too low of a BF% (or try to maintain a BF% that is too low throughout the pregnancy)?  You are more likely to have a fat, wimpy baby!!!  See, what happens is, the body thinks you are enduring your pregnancy through a famine, and that affects gene expression.  The genes that get turned on are the ones that make it easy to gain fat (good for famine) and lower bone density (am not sure why this happens).  On the flipside, if you are too fat during pregnancy, you put your and the baby’s life in danger (gestational diabetes is one biggie).

So, after reading the forums, it has really motivated me to have a healthy pregnancy with lots of healthy, leafy greens, regular training, and lots of sleep!  I hear coming soon I’ll have a lot more energy, but right now I’ve been going to bed at 8 or 9 p.m. with lots of naps on weekends.  

Training is a bit on the lighter side now that I’m prego.  2-3 times per week (I plan on going more often in the 2nd trimester when the fatigue goes away), with weights and cardio.  I keep my HR under 140 and lift a lot lighter now.  I now it is stupid, but I get a little embarrassed when I pick up 10 lbs to do my walking lunges, or only do 40 to 55 lbs on the lat pull downs.  I just want to tell my buff gym buddies "Hey, I’m pregnant, ok?"   LOL.  

I learned on the many forums that some women snap right back from pregnancy, and some take a couple of years to get into their best shape.  2 years seems like an awfully long time, and I am hoping/thinking it will not take me that long to lose the baby weight, but even if it does, 2 years of a lifetime really is not that much.  I will probably obsess maniacly and lose it in 6 months.  LOL!  Wait, I take that back, don’t want to jinx myself!

I am also encouraged, because in my opinion, some of the best midsections I’ve ever seen are on women who have given birth.  I mean, freaking awesome abs.  Look at Gina Ostarly’s abs - she has 3 kids, I think!!

So, I am encouraged and excited for this very exciting time and thank everyone for their well-wishes and congrats they’ve sent!!  

Well, a blog post here is long overdue, so here goes!

My husband and I (after nearly 7 years of marriage) are finally expecting our first baby!

A little known fact…the whole reason I wanted to get really fit in the first place was because I wanted to be in good shape for a healthy pregnancy!  Then things didn’t exactly go as planned - when my periods stopped and I started having health problems - all due to overtraining!!

So, I had to go AWOL for awhile.  I cut back on my workouts (in frequency and intensity), trying to get my BF% levels up so I could be "fertile" again.  But at the same time, trying to do it in a safe manner so I would be a fit mommy.

Well, it worked, and now we are 11 weeks along!  I still hit the gym, still lift (lighter weights), and still remain active, though only 2-3 times a week, since I have been drained of energy (sleeping a TON).  But that will go away in the 2nd trimester.

I have had zero morning sickness, and I read a very interesting article about a Harvard Study.  The study revealed that women who have a diet high in saturated fats (mainly fats from dairy and meat) are 3x more likely to have morning sickness. 

I swear morning sickness must be the body saying "There are toxins in the body that need to go before the baby really starts to grow." 

This is just another reason to lay off the saturated fats!!

But it doesn’t explain why once per week I crave a cheeseburger!  I never crave cheeseburgers!!  I rationalize and say it is my body needing calcium and iron…  lol!

he does piss tests to see if you have been bingeing on sugar, showers are co-ed, and you can’t get into the hot tub room unless you have 15% BF.  the owner will throw cupcakes at you if you are giving a half-assed, lazy workout.  wow, that is motivation.

http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_6088239

www.theantigym.com

Yesterday I went to get a massage.  It was the most painful massage I have ever had in my life.  It was definitely therapeutic, but not just some fluffy, soothing massage, which is kindof what I wanted.  Instead, I got what I needed.

I told him my IT bands are tight, especially around my knees, and of course my neck and upper back have a lot of tension from sitting in front of a computer all day.  So, he proceeded to give me the most high-pressure massage I have ever had.  I didn’t want to be a wuss and tell him to go more gently, but there were times I was in so much torturous pain that I wanted to die. 

An hour later, and he still wasn’t able to work all of the knots out.  What are those knots made of anyway?  Are they muscle?  Fibrous globs of pure stress?  It isn’t like you can see the knots, but you can feel them when he digs his thumbs in and tries to work them out. 

He used a variety of techniques, combining shiatsu, deep tissue, sports massage, and stretching.  He even massaged under my ribs and my liver, even though I didn’t tell him it has been bothering me for months.  I wonder if he could tell it is enlarged…

Well, I am quite pleased to have "truly" met my goal of having glutes of steel.  Evidence of this:   I hit legs so hard today that I could hardly pull my suit pants over my legs post-workout.  Then, I flexed my glutes and tore the butt of my pant lining!  True story!!! lololol.