Everyday Systems

Hi all, it's my first post please be nice.

After giving birth to my first daughter 11 years ago I had gained around half of my original body weight, from averaging 12 and a half stone (175lb) to 18 stone 4 (256lb). I lost in again naturally within 18 months. There are a proportion of women who find ourselves ravenous during pregnancy but who also burn it off well afterwards with minimal effort (google Milla Jovovich's pregnancy weight gain for a Hollywood example).

Five months ago I had my second daughter. This time I started a little heavier at 13 stone 6 (188lb) and finished up at an incredible 19 stone something, but not as much as 19 and a half (266 to 273lb). It's been coming off, thankfully. This morning (21 weeks after the birth) I am 16 stone 10 (234lb).

If even my slim figures sound big please put into perspective that I am an Amazon of a woman, well over 6ft. At 12 and a half stone my BMI is 21.8, which is about perfect and at 13 stone 6 my BMI is still only 23.6, which is healthy too. My current 16 stone 10 is not though, that's a BMI of 29.1- at least I'm not technically obese anymore, but there's only 5lb in it.

Being obese or even overweight is a problem with clothing too. Britain is a small island with a far lower population that the US and so a lot less very tall women. Which means a lot less clothing on sale for tall women. In fact the only 2 major retaillers who make clothes long enough for me personally stop at a British size 22. I happen to be a British size 22 (American size 18-10). If I put on any more weight I am going to be living in shorts and t-shirts for the rest of my life, we just do not have the climate for that (similar to Oregon)!

Someone on a forum discussion mentioned the No-S diet so I read the website and decided that Reinhard had a very good point. No-S effectively mimics the way my generation were brough up in the 70's and 80's. It all started going wrong here in the 90's and now many kids I know barely eat real meals at all. I include my own 11 year old in that to a lesser degree. No-S struck me as possibly the simplest useful dietry advice ever given and utterly appealling to human psychology. I ordered the book and my partner and I resolved to both read it properly and then if in agreement implement it as a family lifestyle. So far so good. While my partner was taking his time reading I sent another copy to my best friend too, who is intending the same.

Perhaps I didn't strictly need No-S as my pregnancy weight would come off anyway I thought, but my partner is fatter than me even when I was due to have the baby so we, as a family, probably do! Besides, this was pretty much how we grew up, we know it's basically the right way to live.

By the time my partner had read the book though we had found out we were expecting a baby. I am now 9 weeks pregnant. We would never have planned it this close and this pregnancy comes in spite of the contraception so to say we are surprised is probably an understatement. We will be honored to have 2 little ones just 52 weeks apart as this new one is due 5 days after our current littlest will have her first birthday.

Of course at this point all the recieved wisdom is that one does not start a weight loss plan while pregnant. But it's not so straightforward for me for many reasons...

1. At a starting weight of 16 stone 10 or 234lb (what I am today) I can expect to be 22 stone 2 to 22 stone 12 (310-320lb) after this baby based on past performance. This would give a BMI of 38.6 to 39.8 - the increased miscarriage risk as an obese expectant mother is terrifying. I lost two children before, I should have a 13 year old son and a 4 year old daughter now and I don't. Getting that big is a life and death risk to the baby.
2. I have a connective tissue condition. It is called Marfans Syndrome. Being big is just plain not a good idea. Marfans affects the heart, lungs and joints mainly. Walking is hard at a BMI of over 30, a BMI heading for 40 would almost certainly disable me.
3. I'm the largest size I can buy maternity clothing in already! Ok so I can still wear shorts and t-shirts, but seriously I will make myself ill wearing that in October. I wont be able to leave the house! I suppose I could learn to sew, but not being fat seems an all round better idea.

So it seems to me that I have little real choice but to take control of my food intake starting NOW. If not I could end up housebound, immobile or even dead by October, and my precious child could die too. These aren't outcomes to mess with. I've not seen my Dr yet but I don't expect he will see it any differently going by conversations we have had before, it's my heart failling they worry about, closely followed by my lungs collapsing (it's happened before).

No-S strikes me as likely to be pregnancy safe. It is afterall how everyone ate when I was a child. It is how I want my little one to start eating when she starts solids in 6 weeks and it is possibly the best simple food rule ever for teaching my over sensitive 11 year old. My best friend is doing it with her husband and kids too, her kids are aged from 10 to 22.

I've periodically used the Five A Day rule too, so as of tomorrow morning we're all going to be officially doing No-S plus Five A Day and a bit more excercise. The last couple of days we have been sort of practicing No-S but not very dilligently, to soften the impact. On Monday morning it starts for real.

I don't know what replies I'm hoping for really, maybe to hear someone else has been pregnant and on the No-S before me and it was alright. I am scared of doing it but more scared of doing nothing. Thoughts anyone?

You probably want to discuss at least part of this with your doctor. Common wisdom is that losing weight while pregnant is not ideal, but certainly you have special circumstances. I doubt eating three meals a day will be any real harm to your baby, but get a professional's opinion on that. (I expect he'll laugh and say, "Way to go out on that limb, there, with three meals a day!)

There are women who've done NO-S while pregnant on this board and they've done quite well with healthy babies. Not scientific proof, but anecdotally, there's positive facts available.

What's the Five a Day rule? (Is this about eating five servings of fruits/veggies)

Congrats on the new baby. Hope everything goes well.

http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/5aday/pages/5adayhome.aspx/

Thats about the 5 a day rule. Basically yes, it means making sure you get a lot of fruit and veg, but although it sounds easy it's actually not when you try it. You may think you eat enough of them now but actually you can only manage 5 a day if the major proportion of your diet is fruit&veg. Three is pretty normal, four is fairly easy to achieve, but that fifth one every day is a lot harder. Not everything you eat counts as a whole portion and although one orange is one, two oranges is still only one. It's not a great system because you are thinking about what you eat and counting your food all day (which isn't an issue with No-S) but as I said, it's familliar.[/url]

Welcome, Lightning! Don't worry, this board isn't about judging anyone for their weight, just about helping each other win the fight against overeating.

Congratulations on your coming baby! My brother is 359 days younger than I am; we were exceptionlly close all through childhood.

Of course, you want to discuss this with your doctor, but I do know pregnant women have successfully followed No S, or a modified version thereof. One of our current posters, Nichole, had a beautiful baby last year. Here is her check-in thread:

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... &start=500

There is a poster named Nicole who posted throughout her pregnancy, gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby girl and came out of the pregnancy thinner than she started and has lost weight since. Look for her daily check in thread and you will see her beautiful baby girl and read how well she has done.

Hi Light,
I wish you the very best.
I have a friend who went through pregnancy on a program like NoS (stricter and without S days), who ate tons of beautiful veggies and lean proteins, and included milk and fruit in every meal. She has a beautiful 1 year old now.
Please, please don't fall into all or nothing thinking. It doesn't have to be either "wt loss" or that you go up to 310#. I think it would be reasonable to gain 5-10# while following NoS and the fruit/ veg thing. That would be the actual wt of the baby plus a little for the tissues your body must develop to support him/her.
I really think you can do this. Also maybe think of buying one really comfortable dress on line to make you feel nice when you get to the later stages of pregnancy.
Sonya

Welcome! I think you can certainly do No S diet while pregnant. I wish I had stuck to it, as it seems that the weight did not come off easily. I have heard many ladies that were heavier and had weight to lose, to actually go down in weight during pregnancy. I think if you eat well and try to stay active (walking at least), you will feel good and see the benefits. You are on the right path it seems.

I had gestational diabetes during my pregnancy, and I had to adjust my diet accordingly, especially when I was on insulin. I was able to have snacks and even sweets, but they were in small amounts. I would not go hungry just because you are only having 3 meals a day. Actually, you can do No S with 4 meals. Good luck!

Congratulations! I'm pregnant myself right now (16 weeks), and I'm easing back towards the No S approach, because I had a little too much fun my first trimester. Oh well. Live and learn. Anyway, I would check with your doctor, but I do think No S could be VERY doable during pregnancy. As long as your doctor says it's okay, just listen to your body as to how many meals you need. I seem to be needing 4 meals right now (3 normal-sized meals and 1 smaller meal).

Lightning wrote:Thats about the 5 a day rule. Basically yes, it means making sure you get a lot of fruit and veg, but although it sounds easy it's actually not when you try it. You may think you eat enough of them now but actually you can only manage 5 a day if the major proportion of your diet is fruit&veg. Three is pretty normal, four is fairly easy to achieve, but that fifth one every day is a lot harder.

Well, OK: I probably get four servings, most days: a piece of fruit with each meal, and also a serving of veggies with dinner. Some days I might get more, but y'know, I'm not going to go crazy making sure I get that last serving, and I wouldn't recommend that you need to, either. I doubt that there's anything specifically magical about the number five, and I'm almost sure that close-to-five is better than close-to-zero.

Sometimes it's helpful to think of these things as if you were being marked on them, like taking a test at school: if I'm getting four out of five, that's 80%. That's an "A", where I come from, so that's not so bad! It's a lot better than zero (an "F") -- thinking of things this way can help get over that all-or-nothing mentality, I find.

In Australia, our current recommendation is 'Go for 2 and 5'. That is 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of veg. The 'Go for...' makes it feel slightly less prescriptive. I find the 5th serve of vegetables tricky. I'm more likely to do 1 and 4 on an average day.

Hi there, I enjoyed reading your post
I would say go for it. If all that NoS does for you is keeps you from gaining a lot of extra weight during your pregnancy, it will be worth it.
I wish I had found NoS before I became pregnant, as once you gain so much extra weight, your body really does struggle to get and stay thin again, afterwards.
NoS when not done in any extreme way, seems to result in slow and healthy weight loss, ranging from 10 to 40 lbs or so per year.. i am basing these figures on various peoples personal testimonies here.
And yes, it's really just healthy eating, so I totally wouldn't worry about it.
I would see if you need to adjust the amount of meals you have, and possibly allow yourself a fourth healthy small meal..
As far as 5 per day, well I usually have one fruit a day, but every day I have a very large salad with lots of different veggies on it. I am sure that must count for at least 3 servings of veg just for that one salad.
Another way to fit them in, is to make delicious smoothies from fresh fruit and yogurt or kefir... a cup of strawberries and a banana or some blueberries etc, is nice. Also, you can make a "green" smoothie, with spinach, apples, some kind of juice and just blend it well.
Good luck with all and welcome to NoS.
Debs

No-S is compatible with pregnancy. The only thing you're restricting is sugar.

I don't think 5 servings of vegetables and fruits is particularly hard -- even the 2 and 5 isn't that hard. Especially with the examples given in the link you provided. Those servings are smaller than what is suggested in the US.

I usually have a whole grapefruit for breakfast. A cup of grapefruit chunks is a serving. A whole grapefruit is usually >1 serving. If I have a smoothie, I usually use a cup of frozen berries and a banana. 2 servings.

My lunch is most often a broth-based vegetable and bean soup. Including the beans, there's at least 3 servings of vegetables.. In addition I often have some cut up vegetables on the side -- red bell pepper strips and cucumbers are favorites, but others appear, too. I might have a handful of grapes.

At dinner there's often a salad with 2 cups of salad greens plus whatever vegetables I put in it. I try for at least one serving of a cooked vegetables, too.

Sometimes I have a green smoothie for a meal replacement. That will have a cup of liquid, often juice, a banana, a cup of berries, yogurt and a handful or two of leafy green vegetables, often spinach. Blend it all up and drink. You don't see or taste the spinach.

I'm hoping for a repeat of my vegetable-based diet from last summer. There was a period of time when my diet was based on tomatoes, leafy greens, green beans, corn, melon and peaches. It was so good! It's amazing how many things can be done with those foods.

Wos- Your summer shopping list sounds delicious! My mouth is watering.

Congratulations on your pregnancy! Two of mine are 13 months apart and while they are not the best of friends they are most certainly each others accomplices
I think this would be an excellent way of eating if you are pregnant, you are not restricting any major food groups and are only cutting out the sugar.
Good Luck!!

Hey girl, I'm preggies and doing the no S. I have had three healthy babies and I usually followed a plan because I did not want to gain tons of weight. With the first I followed Weight Watchers, but added about 10 or so points a day. Usually at the end of my pregnancies though I was giving into whatever.
You need to remember that we are feeding a tiny tiny little person, so we don't need many extra calories. We really do need those calories to be good and healthy though. I am changing my plates to add more fruit and veggies. I am also drinking some milk and orange juice b/n meals and not to much of it. So far it is working, but I do notice I am getting queasy if I go to long without eating so dinner is earlier and I go to bed earlier.
Good luck!

I like that - siblings and accomplices. :)

Melamin wrote:Congratulations on your pregnancy! Two of mine are 13 months apart and while they are not the best of friends they are most certainly each others accomplices ;)
I think this would be an excellent way of eating if you are pregnant, you are not restricting any major food groups and are only cutting out the sugar.
Good Luck!!

I'm still finding I need that 4th meal (and occasionally another one! There are days when this baby is really hungry). Like Jellybeans, I've been trying to have a fruit and/or veggie with each meal. It seems to help me feel better, and I know it's good for baby.

I usually have 5 servings of veggies and 2-3 of fruits on N days. About a cup of cooked veg and 1/2 cup raw (like a carrot) at lunch and a cup at dinner, varyingly raw and cooked. Many of my cooked veggies are frozen-- so easy. Fruit at at least 2 meals. This means only about half my plate can be starches, protein and fat, but it's plenty of food and very satisfying. Sometimes I have a vegetable omelet for breakfast.

Oolala, I'll have to try that, too! I've been better with the fruit than the veggies, so I'm definitely looking for ways to add more veggies to my diet.

clarinetgal wrote:Oolala, I'll have to try that, too! I've been better with the fruit than the veggies, so I'm definitely looking for ways to add more veggies to my diet.

I think one of the easiest ways is with one-dish meals, soups and so on. If you like sandwiches or wraps, make sure there's lots of leafy greens on/in them (plus others). Then there's frittatas, omelets or just added to scrambled eggs.

Veggie egg scrambles are delicious. Definitely a good way to get those vegetables in!

Good ideas! Thanks!

How to Eat More Vegetables

I don't like all of her ideas, but there are some good ones. I think I'd add to find ways to cook and/or season them so that they taste good. If butter makes 'em taste good -- add some butter.

I thought that was a great article! It gave me some good ideas about how to incorporate more veggies into my diet. The main reasons I'm trying to eat more veggies are 1) I want to be healthier, 2) I want my baby to be healthy, and 3) I really, really want this baby to actually like veggies (unlike my 3 year old, who only eats veggies when I sneak them into his food).

Hi guys,

I am new to the forum one of my friend suggested me to join this forum.

I am 3 months pregnant and I am leaving away from my family due to my work.

So, I want to ask you what kind of precautions should I take during these days?

What type of food is healthy for me and my baby?

Please give some suggestions on it.

Thanks in advance.

Maternity dresses online

My doctor gave me these government guidelines: https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/d ... gnancy.pdf

I note that it only mentions needing extra serves for particularly active or tall women.

No S is a system for eating moderately, but it is not specific to pregnancy and advice here can not replace the expertise of your midwife or doctor.

Congrats, ammy1993. When is your baby due?

The things about the doctor's link are the comments on fat consumption, recommending oils and spreads, whose greater consumption has correlated almost exactly with the rise in obesity, and using bread as the first source of supposedly whole grains. Bread is most likely going to be made from wheat, and although I'm not completely anti-wheat, it does seem our population relies on it almost exclusively, and just about never in its true whole form.

This might not be the right place for this, but I have been influenced by these charts. Most of them I knew, but the chart on fat was an eye-opener.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/11 ... #section11

Interesting chart, Oolala!

Like I say, not my rec, and not how I eat, but what I was given when pregnant in Australia. I imagine they are trying to stick with basics that most Australians already eat and recognise - taking the standard food that everyone eats and can afford and tweaking it a bit. Bread is the first source of grain here, whether that’s a good thing or not. For the majority of people in the city where I live, replacing some of their white bread with whole meal and replacing some of their margarine with avocado as per these guidelines would be a big step forward.

The list of things to avoid I’m told varies by country (eg cold sushi, soft cheeses).

To be honest, in my first trimester my diet was essentially “things I can keep downâ€. 😀

ironchef wrote: To be honest, in my first trimester my diet was essentially “things I can keep downâ€. 😀

Yes!

Hi Lightening! I have two baby girls, 3 yrs and 17 months. My first pregnancy was a total surprise, and although I wouldn't have it any other way now at the time I did not want to be pregnant because of my weight. It's all been put into perspective now, but I was 165 lbs with a BMI of 26.5 and I wanted to lose weight, not gain!!!! I'm still 165 and it doesn't bother me near as much now that I have two beautiful girls. But I expressed my concerns to my doctor and he said that I didn't need to gain much, since I had extra weight already I could gain around 10 lbs and that would be healthy. And that gain would most likely be in the last trimester. So I think No S would be wholly compatible with a healthy pregnancy!

BTW I did not gain just 10 lbs lol. I gained 35, but I wish I would've been practicing No S as weight does not come off easy for me. I unfortunately am one of those women whose weight stays on until I'm finished breastfeeding. But I've known many women who've not gained much weight during pregnancy and have completely healthy pregnancies.

I wonder how you're doing, Ammy?