Pregnancy Q&A: Avoiding Weight Gain, Nutrition, and Body Image Advice (Part 2)
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Welcome back to another episode of the Embrace Your Real podcast, I’m diving into the second part of our three-part series on pregnancy Q&A, where I answer your burning questions about how to navigate the incredible journey pregnancy while maintaining your fitness and nutrition goals.
With so many of you curious about how to manage weight gain, stay on track with your diet, adjust your macros, and find the right time to modify your workouts, I’m here to share my personal experiences and insights. We'll also talk about body image as your body transforms and practical tips for dealing with swelling. Whether you're expecting, planning, or simply curious, join me as we explore how to embrace each stage of pregnancy with confidence and grace.
What I discuss:
How has your pregnancy been so far?
Has pregnancy been harder or easier than you imagined?
How do you avoid gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy?
How can I stay on track with food during pregnancy? The 1st trimester is killing me!
Do my macros need to change during pregnancy? in most cases 300-500 calories
Have you been following your weekly workouts? at what point do you plan to stop?
Do you have any advice for body image wise as your body changes?
Do you have any tips for swelling? i feel so swollen!
If you loved this episode, be sure to tune in to…
Episode 455: Pregnancy Q&A: Working Out During Pregnancy (Part 1)
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human you're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I get you a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it. Let's go. [00:00:28][21.0]
[00:00:30] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embracer podcast. We are continuing with the pregnancy Q&A, so as of now you might or might not know, but I am pregnant. I know many of you guys are interested and just kind of my insight on this pregnancy so far. Navigating the twists and turns with fitness and nutrition mindset. All of the things. I actually did not announce my pregnancy until I was about 2425 weeks, which is crazy. And so I feel like for so many of you guys, you have told me in my DMs, like your pregnancy has flown by and I totally get why you think that. Because I've really, you know, only been pregnant to the public for like 15 weeks. And so for a lot of people, they feel like it's flown by. But for me, I've literally been pregnant since October of last year. And there's people that are announcing, you know, March of 2025 pregnancies. And I'm like, what? I have been pregnant since October 2023, but I am really excited about today's episode. I'm doing a three part series I talked about in part one last week on kind of all things workouts related to pregnancy. And so if you're curious about that, go tune in to that. I will be sure to link that in the show notes below. In today's episode, I'm going to kind of be addressing, you know, things like how to avoid weight gain, how to stay on track with food, whether or not you need to change your macros when pregnant, and kind of at what point do you need to stop working out? And many more. [00:01:52][81.9]
[00:01:53] So that's exactly what we're going to be talking about in today's episode. Before we dive in, though, I want to share this review that comes from figure out table 823. She gave a five star review and said, this podcast is absolutely incredible. I have spent two decades talking negatively to myself, not being my own best friend, and not practicing gratefulness. Listening to Julie each day has saved my life in just a short amount of time and I am so grateful. Thank you Julie for blessing us with your voice. I love you so much! Well, I love you too. I'm so grateful that this podcast is helping you, and thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in this review. And more importantly, thank you for practicing gratefulness and just recognizing that you haven't been, you know, being your own best friend and you haven't been practicing gratitude. Those are that's always my hope and prayer is that, you know, after you listen to this podcast, you either feel empowered, encouraged, educated in some way, shape or form. And so thank you for tuning in and then actually taking the time to apply it. That's exactly what my hope and prayer is every time, you know, I come to this desk and record a podcast. So I appreciate you so much for taking time out of your day to send in that review. Let's get into some of your questions. Part two regarding pregnancy. So number one is how has your pregnancy been so far? That's a great question. My pregnancy honestly has been great. I know that some people feel like they have shame saying that other people are like screaming it from the rooftops. I just feel so thankful that I have had a pretty mild pregnancy. [00:03:23][90.8]
[00:03:24] You know, my first trimester I was definitely tired, I was nauseous, never threw up, and was still able to stay active, you know, now I'm recording this. At the time of this recording, I'm 39 weeks and I am still able to stay active. I'm still working out. I still feel good, you know, other than I just cannot wait to sleep on my stomach. That is like I'm a stomach sleeper and so, oh my goodness, I cannot wait to sleep back on my stomach. But other than that, I just feel so incredibly grateful and thankful that I am literally growing a human inside my body. I just I feel so much immense joy and also just gratitude for this process. And I was talking to a friend the other day and I was like, you know what? Like the more that I learn about pregnancy and just what what a woman's body undergoes during pregnancy to grow this human, I don't know how people don't believe in God like I just there is so much intricate design when it comes to pregnancy that I am like, there has to be an author and a creator and a designer and it's God. And so I just feel, man, just so grateful. So that, I mean, pregnancy thus far has been it's been great. I'm not going to say it's been a walk by any means, like it's hasn't been like a walk in the park and a breeze, but it has been I feel so immense, immense, full amount of joy and gratitude. And number two is has pregnancy been harder or easier than you imagined? That's a great question. I feel like harder in some ways that I didn't expect, easier in other ways that I didn't expect. [00:04:59][94.4]
[00:04:59] I would say, you know, I was just telling this story to someone. I still forget, like my belly sometimes. And I'm literally like, my belly is just it's it's just there's a whole baby in there. Like there, I'm 39 weeks, there's a whole baby in there. And I still like, forget about my belly sometimes. So I obviously all of you pregnant ladies will know you're up multiple times a night. Or if you're not man, you are blessed. But by this point, I'm up multiple times a night just going to the bathroom. And we have a barn door that we put on our bathroom, which shout out to Josh, he has been like the best husband in terms of just getting all the house projects ready. When people say like you're going to nest. I'm like, now I you know, I was always like, no, I'm not a nester. Like, that's not who I am. Oh, I am full on nest mode. And I feel like I've been on full on nest mode since we got back from our babymoon, which is at like 30 weeks. So for the last, you know, 9 or 10 weeks I am, I've been in full on nest mode and Josh has just done so many projects, I, you know, I come home and say, what about this or what about this? And so anyways, our barn door on our bathroom was one of the DIY projects. He crushed it. It's beautiful, I love it, but I'm not used to having a door on the bathroom for, you know, the eight years that we lived in this house, we haven't had a door on our bathroom. And so I was trying to not wake him up. Obviously, sound doesn't wake him up. [00:06:24][84.4]
[00:06:24] If you guys didn't know my husband is 100% deaf, so obviously sound doesn't wake him up, but like he's very light sensitive. And I think it was at like four, 430. And now that it's summertime, the light, you know, shines through a lot brighter and earlier. So I was trying to be courteous of the light. And so I just open the barn door a little bit and I like tried to like sneak past the door. And I just had no body awareness of how large my belly is. And I just completely ran into the door with my belly and I was like, oh my gosh. So in that way I like thought, you know, by this point, which there are definitely I like, I can't, you know, we got this couch that is like it's called the Cove Pit and it's by Albany Park and it's awesome. It's amazing. And it's so comfy and cozy and perfect for movie night. And I just I love it so much. I know that I'm going to enjoy it tenfold when I'm not pregnant, because once I get in there, there is no way I'm getting out. Like it is just so hard to get out. So in some ways it's having that belly is is really hard, but in other ways I'm surprised at just so amazed and surprised at the body that God created. And just the way in the process that, you know, our body just keeps growing out and it's it's incredible. So in ways that it's been harder, I would say surrendering, that's the biggest thing. And I just had this conversation with my midwife, and she was just talking about how important it is for, you know, going into birth and labor and motherhood with just this, this heart and this, this word of surrender. [00:07:57][92.8]
[00:07:57] And I would say that's exactly like it perfectly sums up pregnancy. Like you're surrendering to your body. You're allowing your body to do exactly what God created it to do. And at times it's so freaking hard. Like, that's the last thing that you want to do. You want, at least for me. Like, I want to control things. I love to have things in my control. And there are just so many things regarding pregnancy that are so out of your control. And so in some ways, I feel like it's really allowed me to grow closer to God and just rely on him more. But man, that has been something that I don't think I really fully anticipated. And it's one of those things that I don't know that you could ever really prepare yourself until you're actually going through it. So definitely more difficult, but also just feel this, this sense of like joy and gratitude for being able to go through that so that you can learn that surrender. And, you know, I'm still learning it, like days leading, you know, as I'm in the days leading up to my labor, which I don't know when I'm going to start labor, but I just, you know, going into that with this mind of surrender, trying to remember that the forefront of my mind. But yeah. So all right. Number three, how to avoid gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy. Well, okay. The fact of the matter is I think the what is it the recommended weight gain is like 20 or 25 pounds or in pregnancy if that's what you gain during pregnancy. Amazing. I'm definitely above that and I feel like I have properly fueled my body for this growing body. I have, been very consistent in terms of moving my body. [00:09:25][87.4]
[00:09:25] It hasn't always been, you know, a movement with Julia workout, but I've been very consistent in terms of walking and getting movement in every single day during my pregnancy, and I still have gained above that. So I, I really want you to try to shift your focus if you are pregnant or if you are, you know, wanting to become pregnant, or maybe you're trying to become pregnant and you're going to be in that season of life, in the future, then bookmark this for when you are in that season of life. But just remember that you have to shift your focus. All right? I talked about this a lot in the podcast. We go through seasons of life and that's so, so critical to remember that you have to shift your focus when it comes to you're not in this to lose weight. You're not in this to try to just maintain like your body is going to do what your body needs to do to grow a healthy baby and so allow that to happen. Be mindful of what you can when it comes to just, you know, how you're eating and fueling your body. I really again, I go back to just the amount of gratitude I have and just the mindset of like, there is another human being inside of me. And so just being mindful of that when I'm eating. And when I'm moving my body and just, letting that be my deeper reason why and just move your body. I talked about this on the podcast last week in in part one of this Q&A, but moving my body just feels my best. Like I feel my best when I'm moving my body. And, and so allowing myself to have, you know, time on my walking pad and going outside getting vitamin D has been so important, especially now that we're in the summer and moving my body through lifting weights. [00:10:57][92.0]
[00:10:58] And, you know, I'm in my third trimester. I'm 39 weeks. I'm down to like three straight training sessions a week. And I just feel good. Like I feel just good doing that. And also, in addition to just moving my body on a daily basis through walking and through just getting up, getting on the stability ball and just doing like pelvic, you know, I figure eights and pelvic tilts, Inuits, use U shapes and all those things. So that is my answer to that. And number four is how can I stay on track with food during pregnancy? This first trimester is killing me. Okay. So yes, I get it. And again, this kind of just goes back to surrendering and allowing yourself and giving yourself grace. So there were literally weeks, you guys. I think there was a three week span in my first trimester where the only thing that sounded good, no joke, was mac and cheese from Noodles and Company. And I was like, all right, I'm going to surrender to this, and I'm going to allow myself to have this, and I am going to try to be, you know, try to eat this in moderation. But there were some days where literally nothing else sounded good or something sounded good, and I didn't eat it right away within an hour like I would be. That would sound disgusting and repulsive and so just extending myself, grace trying to sneak in protein whenever I could because that was the biggest thing. And that is the biggest thing, especially, in that first trimester, like the sound of meat literally made me want to vomit. And even the thought of Texas Roadhouse, which if you guys are an OG, you guys know that I have Texas Roadhouse on a weekly basis. [00:12:37][99.1]
[00:12:37] We have it every Friday and have for years, and it's so good and I love it so much. It is my favorite takeout food of all time, to be honest, and the thought of Texas Roadhouse made me want to throw up and that made me so sad. In fact, there was one time Josh, he came to me and he's like, do you think that you'll ever get your taste back for Texas Roadhouse? Because I miss it so much. And I was like, you know what? I was in the he I was in the depth of first trimester. And I said, I don't know, but I really hope so. And lo and behold, I turn the corner around 14, 15 weeks. And, my taste buds for Texas Roadhouse are back. And so I just want to encourage you to extend yourself grace. Try to do the best that you can, like sneak in protein wherever you can. If that's if you can stomach a protein shake, try to sneak in protein. I have a protein shake highlight on my Instagram story that is, I think it's 52g of protein in there and that will sneak in a lot for you. String cheese is great if you can stomach cheese. Just trying to sneak in protein again wherever you can and just extend yourself grace. All right. The next question is do my macros need to change during pregnancy? In most cases, I have not been counting my macros. I've been counting my protein, more so in my second and third trimester, just to make sure that I'm eating enough protein. But in most cases, if you are going to be counting your macros during pregnancy, yes, you need to up them at least 3 to 500 calories, especially in your second and third trimester. [00:14:04][86.9]
[00:14:05] So that is what I would say to that. Again, don't be so hard on yourself if like counting macros is stressing you out that you're already undergoing so much throughout pregnancy, I don't want you to feel like you have to do this. And also remember the season of life that you're in. You are not in a season to try to just maintain. You are not in a season to lose weight. You are in a season to grow a whole freakin human being. And so focus on that. Focus on fueling your body optimally and and also like enjoying the things a few weeks ago, or maybe it was, man, these last few weeks of pregnancy, people say that the last few weeks of pregnancy go by like an eternity. And there's part of me that is, yes, like every day I wake up and I'm like, am I going to be in labor? Or is it going to be another week or two weeks? And then the other part of me feels like it's flying by. Like, I can't even believe that I'm towards the end. So anyways, the other day I was craving a dairy Queen blizzard, which I have literally not had in. I cannot even tell you. The last time I had dairy Queen it had. It has to be like in high school, which is crazy because it was so good. But I was like, I want a dairy Queen blizzard. And Josh was like, yes, I'm so excited. I'm totally down. And so we just had that. And so enjoying things in moderation is so key. And I will tell you that, pregnant or not, that is just the key to a successful sustainable. Ball lifestyle and just enjoying the foods that you love and having things in moderation. [00:15:33][88.1]
[00:15:34] Number six have you been following your weekly workouts? At what point do you plan to stop? So I kind of answered this in part one last week. But yes, I personally have been following my weekly workout plan. Even now I'm following that my weekly workout plan inside the minute with Julie out, simply because we don't have a pregnancy program right now. But I have filmed over 700 pregnancy videos, planning on filming more for postpartum and releasing those programs later this year for all of my active subscribers. Inside the app, you'll just get free access to it. So if you are an active subscriber where we're only going upward from here and building programs, we release the flex workouts, which was something that was highly requested. Kind of one off workouts for you ladies. All those are free to all of the active subscribers in the app, and we just continue and plan to continue to add more value for you there. In terms of modifying, I would say I really started heavily modifying things around 3334 weeks as my belly really started to grow. Slight modifications and second trimester really no modifications. In my first trimester, I would say any modifications really started to come in my second trimester. Just being aware of coning in my abdomen for certain deep core core exercises in those first, first and second trimesters. And then obviously in third trimester, you're really focusing on pelvic floor relaxation and lengthening, especially as you are leading up to your labor. And so yeah, there I would say, you know, like I been following the weekly workouts with my modifications when necessary. A lot of the time I feel better when I'm on an incline versus completely laying flat on the ground. [00:17:12][98.5]
[00:17:13] And so a lot of movements will require me to to use the incline bench, which I found a ton of exercises for the pregnancy program utilizing the incline bench. And so that's been great. But, you know, it's really amazing how many moves you can still do even at 39 weeks. Obviously, a range of motion is going to be a little bit different. And just being aware of your belly and your body changing, but it's pretty incredible what your body can still do with having this big ol baby in your stomach. Number seven do you have any advice for body image wise as your body changes? That's a great question. And I would say the number one thing that I really focused on is just praying and saying, God, you know, I release any sort of body image issue. And as my body grows and changes and it looks so different from pre-pregnancy, I am going to choose to look at my body as a blessing because it is growing a human being. It is growing another soul. And this is a part of your plan, and this is a part of your process. And you designed our bodies to do this. And so I think shifting my focus from myself to really focusing on God and, and what is happening inside my body and looking at it as the biggest blessing, really, in turn, shifted my whole mindset when it comes to body image. And I have just been so surprised in terms of that was honestly one of my biggest fears, like being someone who got pregnant at a later age in life. 33 when I am pregnant, I'll be 34 in a few days and so I will have just turned 34. And having my first kid, I, you know, all these years, I, I always wondered, like, what would it be like when I'm pregnant? Am I going to struggle a lot with body image? And I just feel so thankful that God just allowed me to see my body in a new light. [00:18:58][105.3]
[00:18:59] And I have such a deep appreciation for our bodies, and especially like the female body that God created to be able to grow and birth a human being is absolutely mind blowing to me, and it's the most beautiful, sacred thing. And so at least that's that's kind of where I stand in terms of body image and pregnancy. It's just been one of those things that I've journaled a lot and really just gave to God from the very beginning, and I feel like he has given me so much peace, in my mind and heart about that. And last but not least, do you have any tips for swelling? I feel so swollen. That's a great question. For me, I would say the biggest thing for me when I find my feet swelling towards the end of the day, which, you know, I'm 39 weeks, I'm going to be swollen. I feel like that's just inevitable, especially now that we're in the summer months. Like when it gets hot, if I'm on my feet a lot. Oh my gosh, that is just a recipe for swollen ness. I would say the biggest thing for me that has helped in terms of swelling is just staying active. Like genuinely the walking pad. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will link it in the show notes. It's, you know, I think it was like 250, 280 bucks on Amazon. It has been a total game changer for me. I have utilized that walking pad so much. I've put so many miles on it during my pregnancy, and I can't tell you how grateful I am for it, because I just feel my best when I am staying active and when I'm saying moving. So I would say the biggest thing I know it sounds counterintuitive. [00:20:27][88.3]
[00:20:28] Is staying active and just that low, intense, you know, steady state cardio that you're just you're walking my speed ranges anywhere from a 1.5 to 2.4 while I'm working. And, you know, if I'm watching TV, like, I just I feel so much better moving. So that's been my kind of tip for swelling. I also know people have like foot massage, foot massagers that you can get on Amazon. So I haven't gotten that, but I feel like that has help that could help. And then another thing that helped me in terms of my babymoon for swelling on the airplane was compression. Socks hated them so much because they go all the way up to your ankles. I mean, they go all the way up to your knees, but and I'm definitely like an ankle sock type of girl. But they helped a lot, especially on our 6.5 hour flight, which in part three I'll talk about our babymoon. So I would say that can be very helpful, especially if you're on an airplane or if you're just feeling like you're swelling a lot. Compression socks can be super helpful. And then just maybe, you know, spending five, ten minutes at the end of the day up against a wall with your legs up, that can be helpful as well. So I hope that these questions were helpful for you. I hope that they gave you some good insight. If you are pregnant, or maybe you were pregnant, or you planned to be pregnant in the future. So that is all that I have. For today's episode. Be sure to tune in to part three next week. And also, if you haven't tuned in to part one, I will go ahead and link that in the show notes as well. [00:21:51][82.8]
[00:21:51] But that is all that I have for today. I love you so much. I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next one. [00:22:04][12.6]
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[00:19:29] All right, sister, that's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter. Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace it real because you're worth it. [00:20:36]