https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 08 Apr 2026 21:21:16 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34956 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:28:05 +0000 mrs. wagon 34956@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>wow, Mr. Bee! Very impressive lifestyle change plan! And yes, we eat much healthier now that we have a child. I find that some nights, even just a baked chicken breast, steamed broccoli with a dash of salt, and some whole grain pasta with a sprinkling of olive oil are plenty for me for dinner. Pre-baby I would have turned my nose up at that meal. Now I eat for energy and sustenance. </p> <p>I mourn your mayo loss... I used to absolutely love mayo on sandwiches as well. Now I love honey mustard (I find it creamier than regular mustard) and another good alternative is some fresh avocado-- it's creamy and mushy just like mayo. Just make sure to find some really ripe ones! They're fattening, but it's the good kind of fat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34951 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:19:52 +0000 Maysprout 34951@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really like Michael Pollan's advice - Eat food, not too much, mostly plants. The eat food part seems obvious but he says stuff that can rot (unlike twinkies), free of unidentifiable ingredients.</p> <p>I've always been a relatively healthy eater but once I started running competitively it became more of a skill on how to get plenty of calories without feeling bogged down. Then once I met my husband and we started enjoying cooking together we started getting a lot better. Since having baby I still eat the same the only thing is I exercise a bit less, pooh.</p> <p>We don't use a lot of butter, mainly olive oil.<br /> Lots and lots of herbs and spices.<br /> No soda or sports drink, if we're doing heavy exercise we'll add fruit juice to water with sugar.<br /> Lots of fresh veggies, meat is more of a special occasion thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34940 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 19:05:22 +0000 cupcakemama 34940@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Before having LO I was probably the fittest/healthiest I have ever been! I have always eaten fairly healthy, don't really do junk food at all, cook most meals at home. The year before having LO I ran the Boston Marathon. It made an interesting contrast- marathon one year, 9 months pregnant exactly a year later! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34935 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 18:53:18 +0000 Boogs 34935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We eat overall pretty healthy. But @mrbe no mayo?! That's where I would have to draw a line, I LOVE me some mayo! One trick I do use to not use as much on burgers and sandwiches is throwing some avocado on there so I get the creaminess through a healthy fat. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34891 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:34:18 +0000 HabesBabe 34891@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is by far my biggest regret about being pregnant at this exact moment: I am totally, unacceptably overweight. I have always been "chubby" but after our wedding in 2009 (and starting a job with an ENDLESS pantry of snacks and goodies to munch on throughout the day), I gained about 10-15 lbs on top of my already high weight.</p> <p>So when I went to see my dr. earlier this year, I mentioned I would like to TTC soon-- she advised that I lose about 20-30 lbs before starting for the best results/easiest pregnancy on myself and the baby. That was pre-endless snack pantry. I weighed around 180ish at that time. Fast forward a few months and I now weighed 195. This is not very good for someone who is 5'3".</p> <p>So no, I wasn't/am not healthy before having kids, and I'm totally bummed about it. I am trying to eat better and haven't gained any weight my 1st trimester. I think I should aim to gain around 15 lbs overall, and hope that breastfeeding combined with healthier eating habits and more exercise after the baby is here will get me down to a healthy weight range. Like @mrbee, I just want to play with my kids without getting tired.</p> <p>WAH. Pity party over. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34875 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:10:39 +0000 chopsuey 34875@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was healthy before pregnancy, but after getting pregnant and having a LO I started eating organic and grass fed/free range foods. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34873 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:59:49 +0000 MegWag 34873@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: My husband has always been really passionate about the evils of it, but I was a total diet soda addict. I'd promised that I would quit when I was pregnant because he didn't want our baby exposed to the sweeteners. I wrote a few posts about weaning off it on my blog.<br /> I think the biggest difference is that I hadn't realized how often I was dehydrated. I was drinking so much soda, that I wasn't hydrated enough because the soda gives you a false sense of not being thirsty without really hydrating you. The other problem is that sweeteners confuse your body. The sugars aren't real, but your body thinks that they are so it doesn't know how to process it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34869 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:54:17 +0000 Andrea 34869@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been a healthy eater for a while so I didn't need to make any changes. Still working on the hubby, but I know he won't eat junk food in front of our daughter at least so he won't rub off on her I hope. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34866 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:49:44 +0000 mrbee 34866@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MegWag: Would love to hear more about your soda cessation and the difference it made! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34861 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:46:18 +0000 MegWag 34861@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Getting married changed my diet more than anything else. My husband is a very healthy eater (he's a pescatarian), so I end up eating better just by association! The only thing I've done since getting pregnant is that I stopped drinking soda when we were TTC. I'm surprised what a difference it's made. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34847 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:27:21 +0000 heffalump 34847@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I was not healthy before kids, nor am I that healthy now. I'm eating better because I want to lose the baby weight... but I still splurge. I see myself eating healthier when my LO is a little older because I'll want her to eat healthy, and its' kind of hard to tell your kid, "no, you can't have a cookie" if you're eating one. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/were-you-healthy-before-you-had-kids-have-you-gotten-healthier-since-starting-a-family#post-34842 Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:22:42 +0000 mrbee 34842@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really want to get fit so that I can play with Charlie and Olive without getting tired. Plus I need to lower my cholesterol and to lose some weight.</p> <p>So a few weeks ago, I decided to do a total lifestyle change. After seeing my doctor, I started eating a high-fiber diet with lots of fruit and veggies... and stopped eating red meat and also cut back on (polyunsaturated) fat. I also got serious about cutting out sugar and simple carbs.</p> <p>Translation: no hamburgers, no fries, no bagels, basically none of my favorite foods. I've done low-carb before, but never upped the fiber and controlled my meat intake before. I even use skim milk when I can bear it (which isn't that often).</p> <p>Overall, I feel much healthier and I've lost five pounds. It's the first time that I've ever done a true lifestyle change. I'm eating better, walking more and even drinking a glass of red wine every night (doctor's orders!).</p> <p>The surprise has been that as my diet changed, so has my palette. I find myself looking forward to my daily dose of Fiber One breakfast cereal combined with strawberry and raspberry. The hardest part of all this has been that I stopped eating mayo. Before I thought I was eating sandwiches with mayo. Now I realize that I was really just eating the mayo, with the sandwich on the side. I LOVE YOU MAYO!!</p> <p>Anyway, we'll see how it goes. I want to set a good example for Charlie and Olive, so this lifestyle change has come at a good time.</p> <p>Were you healthy before you had kids? Have you gotten healthier since starting a family? </p>