hungry girl

Meethg_imgI’m a hungry girl.  A friend even got me a shirt (in two colors) reading, "ALWAYS HUNGRY."  Then later, when she discovered I was pregnant with twins, she sent along bibs and mini shirts for the guppies with the same mighty slogan, far better than, "GOT MILK?"   I subscribe to Weight Watcher’s email, but in truth, I usually see it there in the inbox with a subject line about exercise with a buddy, and I hit delete before opening it.  However, I also subscribe to the free daily email over at hungry-girl.com, and I open those.  Recently I received one of their "Girls Bite Out" emails designed to provide survival strategies for the weekend where it gave a Chew & Tell Review of none other than my nemesis: Mac ‘N’ Cheese. 

Lately I haven’t been able to gain weight; food has no appeal to me.  And it’s strange to even say those words "able to gain," but in carrying twins, I feel like I should be eating more, not much more, but a few extra calories at least.  I remember back in the day when Weight Watcher’s had a nursing/pregnancy program, where you had extra fruit and milk and maybe 300 more calories.  I thought I’d be one of those women to use pregnancy as an excuse to gorge, but I’ve lost all desire to eat.  Though I still haven’t lost any weight, even with all the vomiting.  I still weigh what I weighed when I contemplated joining Weight Watcher’s, 140 lbs., naked, without jewelry or a hair band.  I’m still throwing up, but at least recently, I’ve been craving things.  Vinegar mostly.  But after seeing the Hungry Girl email about Mac ‘N’ Cheese, I know what I’ll be having (and hopefully keeping down) for dinner.  14 weeks prego today, kids (and the First Screen test results were negative, which I’m told is a real positive).

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COMMENTS:

  1. WOW! I checked out that Hungry Girl site and it's AWESOME. I signed up. Thanks for the tip, Stephanie. YOU ROCK! Love your book, by the way…

    –SA

  2. Thanks for the Hungry Girl Website, I am passing it on to all my friends, the recipes sound great, have you tried any?

  3. First Screen Test:
    The purpose of this screening is to evaluate the risk for Down syndrome and trisomy 18, in the first trimester, by using maternal age, nuchal thickness and maternal blood protein markers.

  4. Does it make you feel better to know that nausea IS the worst part of pregnancy? That once this is over, it will be better? Assuming, of course, that it ends with the first trimester (mine, unfortunately, ended with delivery).

  5. I'm with you, Steph. Gotta have me my mac 'n cheese. I checked out hungry girl's reviews and now I'm hungry. great site-thanks for the tip. be well. xoxo

  6. Amy's organic Mac & Cheese is a must-try. Better than all of the other ones out there (and I've tried them all). Amy's cheese enchiladas are also amazing (restaurant-quality, actually), but they've got something like 22 grams of fat per serving.

  7. Thank you for the hungry girl website. I really like it. I've signed up and sent it on to my friends. Awesome!

  8. Oh you're not hungry now but I bet you'll be posting about how hungry you are in the next 6-7 months. :)

  9. congrats on everything with the pregnancy and enjoy your mac & cheese dinner tonight (i just had it this weekend). :) i just had to ask – where did your friend get those t-shirts for you? i want one (my friends make fun of me because i eat ALL day long)!!!

  10. NOT for publication – just for info.

    http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/diet-not-hormones-makes-pregnant-women-sick-study/2006/07/12/1152637740428.html

    Diet, not hormones, makes pregnant women sick: study
    July 13, 2006

    NAUSEA and sickness during pregnancy are the body's way of protecting mother
    and baby against poisons and bugs in food, research which brought together
    data from 21 countries suggests.

    The study shows a link between nausea and diet, undermining old ideas that
    sickness is due to the mother's ambivalence towards her baby, or simply her
    messed-up hormones.

    Nearly 90 per cent of mothers experience nausea during pregnancy. In the
    most serious cases it can become hyperemesis gravidarum, or excess vomiting,
    which can be fatal.

    Gillian Pepper and Craig Roberts, at the University of Liverpool, put
    together 56 studies from 21 countries that looked at the prevalence of
    sickness in pregnant women. They linked these figures to the typical diet in
    each country.

    They found that countries with a high intake of sugars, sweeteners,
    stimulants such as caffeine, vegetables, meats, milk and eggs had more sick
    pregnant women and those with high intake of cereals and pulses had lower
    levels.

    "Taken together, our results add to a growing body of evidence suggesting
    links between nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and diet," they write in
    today's issue of Proceedings of the Royal Society Biology.

    The mother is also vulnerable because her immune system is suppressed during
    pregnancy.

  11. Okay, how timely is this post. I JUST sat down to the computer after eating, you guessed it, Kraft Mac 'N' Cheese, or what I call it Smack 'N' Sneeze. Too funny! I never eat it because when I start, I don't stop until the pot is empty. I CRAVED, CRAVED, CRAVED, couldn't get enough of Kraft Mac when I was pregnant with my first. I would eat a whole box, but I also would make it, and then put bacon bits in it.

    Now I'm sick…

  12. Mmmm…mac n cheese…I also was a vinegar cravin' mama-anything pickled. My new favorite drink (that I wished I had discovered during my pregnancy) is Izze sparkling blackberry. It's more refreshing than coke and is equal to a serving of fruit since it's all natural.
    I was glad to hear the good test results. When you're in the mood todo some baby shopping you should check out Picket Fences (on either Lamar or Burnet-can't remember) they have really different baby bedding.
    Take care and EAT UP!!

  13. You are the bearer of all the cool knowledge! I now have Limoscene nails, only drink unoaked Chardonnay, and am totally signing up at hungry-girl.com. I mean all of this in the most complimentary, non-stalker way! Your kids are so lucky!

  14. So happy that the FST went ok. I have to sign up at hungry-girl.com too, I love to get tips and recipes

  15. I just had mac and cheese last night!

    I also agree with Laura- if you're not willing to make home-made, Annie's mac and cheese is the best.

  16. I think perhaps I've stolen all your food cravings, in some crazy weird science sort of way. They are in Baltimore if you would like them back. Thanks.

    ;)

  17. Just give yourself sometime and you'll discover your appetite will come back.

    Oh and I had mac and cheese at the request of my kids the other night and it was YUMMY!

  18. This must be a mac & cheese kind of ESP today. Was grocery shopping this afternoon and headed to the mac & cheese (I never buy this stuff in the box)aisle, gave a look and put it back. Weird. Congrats on the test results!

  19. Congrats on the First Screen test results! I know exactly how you feel, I got my results back today and the risk of my baby having birth defects is low, I'm told. I'm 36 and I rejected an amnio. Now, depending on the results of the Sequential Screen I take in two weeks, it seems unlikely that I will need to get one. It's a great feeling to know that your baby (or babies in your case) are developing normally.

  20. Now I officially know what I'm having for dinner (M & C)!!! Has anybody ever heard of that old wives tale about if you're past your due date, to eat Kraft Mac & Cheese with A1 Steak Sauce?? Supposedly you go into labor within 24 hours after eating it. The babies are probably going "get me the hell out of here! What in the hell did you just feed me??!" Something to keep in mind, Steph ;)

  21. Macaroni and Cheese tastes good. I like it very much. I like to use a fork to eat it. Then when I am finished I like to lick the plate. I also like babies. I don't eat babies with a fork though, they are way too cute for that. I like to kiss their bellies and feed them puree pear. I also like to warm my socks in the microwave during the winter.

  22. I'm loving this hungry girl site. Great tips on how to eat good on a budget which here in nyc for me is a must. <3

  23. My dear husband always asks me if I need anything when he goes to the quickie mart to buy beer and cigarettes. There's nothing I ever want from there so I always say no but appreciate his asking. Except one day when I was pregnant. He gave me a startled and confused look when I replied, "Yes, bean dip in a can and Fritos." He knew better than to say anything and dutifully brought back the disgusting treat. Glad that was a one-time craving!

  24. I am 14 1/2 pregnant with our first baby and I haven't gained any wieght yet ( still hovering around 75kgs). Although I have felt nauseous I haven't actually been sick. My theory is that if you are a little over weight your body calls on those reserves first before asking for more food for the baby. I talked to my midwife about not gaining weight and she was compeletly ok with it. I have also had cravings for vinegar and tangy things – esp if there's a little salt in there too. I have been eating salt and vinegar chips like they are going out of fashion. Also hot chips ( with vinegar sprinkled on top) are a top craving. But I am also craving citrus fruit like mad so I guess having a 'good' craving outweighs a coupe of 'bad' ones right? Our first scan was a.o.k too. Isn't amazing to see them just hanging out in there?

  25. MACnCHEESE is like crack to me…..made with breadcrumbs and spinach…mascarpone and gorgonzola…..I have to avoid it at all costs. Otherwise I just keep eating it and eating it and eating it. I can gain five pounds like THAT on Mac.

  26. Hmmm… I'm five months pregnant and to my friends big regret I haven't had any cravings yet (they had a field day imagining what I'd be stuffing myself with…) I've had anti-cravings, though. For the first three months I had a big problem with all kinds of vegetables. I found them slimy! The mere thought of broccoli made my intestines turn – so sometimes my trips to the supermarket took a sudden end: passing by the vegetables made me crave fresh air immediately! Best of luck with your pregnancy! ps. And you were so right in your previous post: taking off a bra… The pain!!

  27. Oh Stephanie!…I have just been away for four weeks on tour and only just heard about your fantastic news…Mazel Tov! Gosh, Im so happy for you..Good luck with everything, your babies AND the dress..ahhh!..
    :-)

  28. check out the link. more on the why we get morning sickness thing. has to do with our ancestors. interesting…

    on the wedding gown thing… i couldn't find one i liked either, so i found a pattern and had one made. it cost me $170 total. the fabric cost more than the seamstress, she was a family friend. i wanted basic. it was straight, off the shoulder with long sleeves. it had a slit up the back so i could walk and buttons down the back and up the sleeves part way. i didn't want to cover them, so i had silver buttons. there was a bit of small lace at the neck. i wore a crown of baby's breath and baby carnations instead of a veil and got white flat strappy sandles at payless shoes for $8.
    keep up the good work of pregnancy…

  29. Vinegar. That's interesting. All I wanted was peanut butter and ice cream. Not necessarily together or in that order. But when Bastard & Robbins made peanut butter ice cream I was in heaven. All 187 lbs of me. And that was on a 5'4" frame. Holy crap. I was 125 when I got pregnant. Yes I did loose all the weight, but I had a long and miserable labor from being soooo fat. Pukeing may be a blessing in disguise. By the way, loved the book. Couldn't put it down. When I wasn't reading it I was wondering what would happen next and thinking about what I had read. Great job Stephanie. I can't wait for your next endeavour. Be happy. You deserve all the good things in life and then some…

  30. Hey Steph!

    Now, you do know that vinegar eats up fat? My friend went on this vinegar diet, where she lost a ton of weight. So if you are trying to eat more or put on some more weight, lay off the vinegar. It literally dissolves fat. I hope you're feeling better.

    Oh, I bought your book two days ago- and received it yesterday! It took ONE day to get here! I am in the middle so far, and LOVE it! What an interesting journey. Don't take this the wrong way, but you know I love your blog and read it often, but this book has a little extra something to it——it's excellent! I'm not even finished with it yet!!! I would love for you to sign it one day when you come back to New York.

    Best wishes for you…your family…and your career!

  31. You'll get hungry again at about 16 – 18 weeks. Food will taste so good! Then you'll lose your appetite again around 32 weeks — when you're stomach is smooshed and food just won't go down the same.

    Save WW for after the babies come… when/if you are nursing you will be STARVING all the time and finding yourself eating ten times a day.

  32. Man, I weigh 148 pounds and I'm not even pregnant. Damn!

    I'm sure things will stabilize in a month or two, Stephanie, and in the meantime, congrats on everything! Great post.

  33. I thankfully managed to only gain 12 pounds during my pregnancy with twins. Granted I delivered 10 weeks early and I lost all the extra weight because of all the stress of them being in the NICU, but I don't have to add to my worries, How to Lose All the Pregnancy weight. Do you want to find out what they are?

  34. I gained 65+ lbs. with my twins, who were about the biggest twins my hospital ever saw (6#3oz, and 7#9oz) at birth, and lost the weight within 8 months. I followed the guidelines in Dr. Luke's book. 3,000 cals a day isn't easy but then again, no NICU time and born at 38 weeks? worth it.

    congrats on your twins!

  35. Hi Steph,

    I also craved vinegar during my pregnancy (my son is 6 months old), especially on french fries. Some good news too, since you are 14 weeks, your nausea should be tapering off anyday as you enter the second trimester. I loved the second trimester, it's like the fun part where you can still walk but nobody mistakes you for being poorly distributed. Love your blog.

    Having a baby is beyond anything, and twins will be twice as amazing.

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