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Bookswithtea
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I don't know what to make of the high protein requirements. I don't think I've ever fully met them. I noticed that moms on the nursing through pregnancy thread who mentioned the Brewer diet gained more than the norm. That happened to a friend of mine who was instructed by her midwife to eat the Brewer way to try to avoid high blood pressure during the last trimester (it didn't work and she gained a lot of weight).
I havesuffered with lack of energy. I never thought about it, but perhaps it is related to constantly being pregnant, nursing, or both.
Anyway, do a lot of you think the Brewer diet is the way to go? Do you have another pregnancy/nursing diet you prefer? I'd be so grateful to hear your thoughts on this.
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mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and  due 9/10
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Taffy
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I'd really be interested in this too as I might have need of it pretty quickly...
Plus, I'm already significantly overweight and really can't afford to put on any more weight than absolutely necessary. 
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Susan
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Lisbet
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Books,
I am personally a firm believer in the Brewer diet, and I am one that gains alot of weight while pregnant. A few things on that though, that may be unique in my situation. I have big babies, even my first, when I ate horribly, never heard of Brewer, he was 9lbs. Some have been bigger, but all hover between 9 and 10lbs. Also, I am a very small person. I'm 5'2", in between pregnancies I've been known to get down to 120-125lbs. - Slightly underweight. AND, I nurse 2-3 kids most of the time, even while pregnant. I usually gain between 40 and 50 lbs. during pregnancy, but I start out in a deficit.
But, all that said, I do believe protien to be key. Even those who follow the high protien diet and still have issues, I belive those issues are most likely lighter than if they had not strived for good quality high protien diets.
I don't find it difficult at all to get the 75+ grams of protien needed, 2 eggs and cheese for breakfast, 2 glasses of milk, a smoothie, strive for all whole grains (even pasta, that can really tac on the grams here and there!) For a snack have some cottage cheese and pineapple, or a handful or raisens and nuts, some cheese cubes. A few portions of meat, brown rice instead of white, beans. etc...
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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Angel
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I learned about the Brewer diet with my last pregnancy -- my twins. I was trying to avoid premature labor, and a book I was reading specifically about multiples recommended it. The protein recommendation for a twin pregnancy was very hard for me to meet -- about 130 g. But I think it had a lot to do with the health of my babies at birth. They were born a month early, but weighed 5lb 8 oz and 5 lb 4 oz, no breathing problems, etc. Considering that 2 of my full term babies were only around 6 lb 14 oz, I think that's pretty good!
I am trying to follow the diet again with this pregnancy, but in my first trimester it's hard for me to follow *any* diet.  I do tend to gain more weight than "recommended", but I do that no matter how I eat. I'm usually up around 40 lb with a single, and it was 60+ with the babies. I'm not sure that *I* felt any better with the added protein, but I do think it made a difference in the babies. (It may, however, be making a difference in how sick I'm feeling now with this latest one, but I'm only about 8 weeks right now, so we'll see.)
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Lisbet
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Angela,
I didn't realize we were due around the same time. Your about a week ahead of me though! I'm striving to follow the pregnancy diet very closely. My placenta w/Molly was all wonkey, and I bled early on with her, and she was a tad early (36 weeks and 6 days! ) My midwife stresses to me that now is the time to get things right, for that placenta to grow and attach healthily to sustain baby for the long haul. It's hard, I get waves of yucky, but when I do feel good, I pack the protien in.
I hope you get to feeling better soon. When is your due date? Mine is Sept. 16th, and I'm aiming hard for it! 
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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Martha
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completely off topic....
Dh saw the thread title over my shoulder and exclaimed, "Brewers diet?! A thread about beer?! Click it! Click it! Oh. Woman stuff."
Just thought I'd share...
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Martha
mama to 7 boys & 4 girls
Yes, they're all ours!
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eschuetter
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I'm listening attentively - for future reference 
I'll also add my "data points" - better known as ds1 and ds2
I did follow a similar diet (or at least tried to) that was recommended by my Bradley Childbirth instructor with both pregnancies - and i did gain more than the "recommended" 35 lbs. I gained 50 with ds1 and 48 lbs. with ds2. That being said, both boys were born on time (actually 3 days "late" and a day or two "early" if you want to be technical).
I'll be reading to see what other folks' experience was.
Thanks for starting a thread about a topic that's been on my mind, Books.
Erica
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Elizabeth
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Kelly had a great link in this thread.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Bookswithtea
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That is an interesting link! I also followed up on Erica's similar diet. Do y'all think these diets are similar to the What to Eat When You are Expecting book? Are there any pregnancy diets that don't recommend the full 100 grams? All my midwives have always just told me to eat healthy and not to allow myself to get hungry. I've never had an unhealthy or underweight baby, but I've *always* gained 50 lbs a pregnancy and it takes forever to get it all off. 
Is it possible to eat the 100 gram diet and not gain more than 35 lbs? Do you think the current 35 lb recommendation is reasonable...or perhaps its low since so few women manage to stick to it? I haven't been able to find a daily calorie recommendation anywhere that would help to aim for a 35 lb weight gain.
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Angel
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Bookswithtea wrote:
Is it possible to eat the 100 gram diet and not gain more than 35 lbs? Do you think the current 35 lb recommendation is reasonable...or perhaps its low since so few women manage to stick to it? I haven't been able to find a daily calorie recommendation anywhere that would help to aim for a 35 lb weight gain.
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I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes with the twins, and I believe the diet they recommend for gestational diabetes would aim for a 35 lb. weight gain (or less). It is a ridiculously small amount of food, though. They were recommending 2200 total calories for me with *twins*. I tried to explain that I felt hungry all the time, and was told, "You're just adjusting to a new diet." When I came in for my next visit, I had ketones in my urine and the nurse said, "Well, it looks like you need more food."
<sigh>
The food restriction *did* cause a documented lag in the baby's growth as well. I had an ultrasound after I had been on the diet for a while and the ultrasound tech, who had been following the babies' progress monthly, said, "What happened? Did you get sick or something? They've slowed down!"
(In my case, I also think the diagnosis was a little screwy because they didn't explain the fasting rules for the 3 hr. glucose test properly and I ate when I shouldn't have.)
I also think the diets advocated in most mainstream pregnancy magazines aim for the 25-35 lb. weight gain. They're not quite as bad as the ones for gestational diabetes, but I gained a lot of weight when I tried to follow them, too. I think the higher protein diets actually help me feel fuller so that I am not eating constantly. My problem is that I'm too fond of ice cream. 
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Elizabeth
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Bookswithtea wrote:
Is it possible to eat the 100 gram diet and not gain more than 35 lbs? Do you think the current 35 lb recommendation is reasonable...or perhaps its low since so few women manage to stick to it? I haven't been able to find a daily calorie recommendation anywhere that would help to aim for a 35 lb weight gain.
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Absolutely. I've always followed the 100 gram recommendation (but I don't do the milk) and I've never gained more than 30 pounds. This last pregnancy I gained 17 pounds. I'm built like Lisa and until number 7 I always got back down to under 125. With number 7 (a 3o pound weight gain) I kept ten pounds into the next pregnancy. I've lost all my pg weight from number 8, but those ten pounds still persist. 
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Angel
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Lisbet wrote:
Angela,
I didn't realize we were due around the same time. Your about a week ahead of me though! I'm striving to follow the pregnancy diet very closely. My placenta w/Molly was all wonkey, and I bled early on with her, and she was a tad early (36 weeks and 6 days! ) My midwife stresses to me that now is the time to get things right, for that placenta to grow and attach healthily to sustain baby for the long haul. It's hard, I get waves of yucky, but when I do feel good, I pack the protien in.
I hope you get to feeling better soon. When is your due date? Mine is Sept. 16th, and I'm aiming hard for it! |
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Technically my due date is Sept. 4th... does that make me 9 weeks? I think I lost track somewhere in there. (Actually, I do think the date should be a little later.)
I'm not doing *too* badly on my protein right now... really terrible on the veggies, though. And the milk -- ugh. I think I'm going to have to switch to soy again, or goat's milk. Pregnancy always makes me realize that I probably have dairy sensitivies.
I think I would be living on white rice cooked in chicken broth, though, if I didn't make myself eat more. Just trying to be really faithful to my prenatal vitamin!
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Elizabeth
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The other thing is the 80-100 is a goal. I shoot for it every day but some days, I don't make it. Overall though, I think protein is key.
I also don't get the grain servings in the Brewer diet. I can't eat wheat, so getting that many grains is a pain. I tend towards more fruit and a big salad very day.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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eschuetter
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Elizabeth wrote:
| Absolutely. I've always followed the 100 gram recommendation (but I don't do the milk) and I've never gained more than 30 pounds. This last pregnancy I gained 17 pounds. I'm built like Lisa and until number 7 I always got back down to under 125. With number 7 (a 3o pound weight gain) I kept ten pounds into the next pregnancy. I've lost all my pg weight from number 8, but those ten pounds still persist. |
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Elizabeth, can I ask how you got the 100g - especially without milk? I think in the thread you linked to above you mentioned eggs? And did you really restrict foods "outside" the diet - sweets, etc.?
I've told myself I don't want to gain 50lb next time around - but I'm guessing that ice cream is _out_ if I want to do that. 
As far as reaching 80-100g a day, I used soy powder in smoothies in my previous pregnancies -- now some people tell me soy is to be avoided (hormones?) and whey powder is better?? I'm a bit confused and have more reading to do. Anyone know anything about this?
Thanks,
Erica
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Bookswithtea
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Elizabeth wrote:
Absolutely. I've always followed the 100 gram recommendation (but I don't do the milk) and I've never gained more than 30 pounds. This last pregnancy I gained 17 pounds. I'm built like Lisa and until number 7 I always got back down to under 125. With number 7 (a 3o pound weight gain) I kept ten pounds into the next pregnancy. I've lost all my pg weight from number 8, but those ten pounds still persist. |
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It sounds like you eat protein and large amounts of fruits and vegetables and very few grains, then??? Actually, that would significantly decrease caloric intake, I would think. A nice sized chicken breast (4oz) is 25 grams of protein but only 100 calories. About all those eggs, though...are you at all worried about cholesterol? Are you tossing some of the yolks, since the bulk of the protein is in the whites? And what about fat? Do you restrict this? I am getting better at staying away from desserts, but salad dressing is another thing altogether...
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Blessings,
~Books
mothering ds'93 dd'97 dd'99 dd'02 ds'05 ds'07 and due 9/10
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Elizabeth
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I used protein powder. Soy in the first few and egg protein later. Eggs, eggs, eggs. Absolutely no sweets. I couldn't tolerate even the slightest amount of sugar or even sweet fruits. It's not a bad aversion, really.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Nina Murphy
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I find it easy to meet the protein requirement, as well, if I drink enough milk. I know some of you can't tolerate it (and I worry about the allergies in the babies...we have terrible eczema--all of us). Also, cottage cheese is very high in protein. And I eat tons of yogurt, and EGGS. (Which gag me.) I think the What to Eat When You're Expecting Diet is too harsh and could make you paranoid about weight gain...making every little calorie count. For heaven's sake, as the Brewer's say: don't get obsessed about your weight at this time. It's not in your best interest.
I personally find many doctors/magazines/books today are making women a little OVER-conscious of weight gain, and making you feel bad if you eat that ice cream and nachos. I have found if I try to "be good" and watch my portions or calories, I crash fast and just can't function well. I am very sensitive to becoming low blood-sugar numb.
I don't have a big appetite when I'm pregnant but unfortunately, wake up all night and need to EAT to get back to sleep. It's a major pain---but nothing I have tried solves the problem. There is no magic food that helps me sleep through the night. I've tried everything. Meat. Fiber. Fat. And I avoid caffeine like the plague when pregnant, and take all of the vitamins/herbs.
Like Elizabeth, I stay away from sugar. Even fruit sugars. That gives you room for the good stuff, if you eliminate the sweets. (And when I'm not pregnant the only sugar I consume is in wine and fruit.)
I have gained more and more weight as I've gotten older but the babies haven't gotten bigger, per se. I think *I* just need it for energy. (But then as soon as I significantly cut back on nursing, I lose it. Nursing just "holds" weight on me.) I'm a big woman...with a large frame. Perhaps I just need more than the average woman, and don't realize it. But I have severe varicosities and an inguinal hernia...so I never WANT to gain too much. It's just a dilemma! Blaaaaaa.
I am also interested in this thread! Please, people, do share about what (you think) really has benefited you diet-wise during pregnancy! With the next one, I'm going to need to really try something totally RADICAL!
--N.
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~~Nina
mother of 9 on earth,
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ALmom
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I followed Brewers/Bradley diet and aimed for 100 g of protein. (This is higher than recommended but my mom had undiagnosed twins so I felt like this covered the bases). My midwife recommended that I go for lower fat protein as much as possible and pay attention to getting in all the food groups in appropriate servings.
My biggest difficulty was getting in enough leafy greens as these have to be washed, dried, etc. and take more effort and cannot just be prepared ahead and stored for a week and still seem fresh. By keeping a food diary, I kept myself conscious of it. I noticed that my hematocrit levels fell when I was bad about leafy greens.
I never really worried about weight gain. I gained 50 pounds with my 6 .b 12 oz baby and with my 11 pound baby. Until my last pregnancy, I lost all but 5 pounds without effort and eating like a pig after birth too. I think the biggest difference last time around was all the sugar cravings that I gave into. That is probably why I still have all 50 lbs. With some of my last preg., I did have a tendency to spill some sugar and could not drink OJ. When talking to Dr. (I think it was Bradley but it was someone with them anyways), I did ask about the diet for gestational diabetes. The comment I got was that it was good except add more protein.
I don't know if it helped our babies go to term or not. All of ours were early, but not considered premies (ie all after 36 weeks) but then they all (except #1 weighed in at 8 1/2 pounds or greater). I don't have any BP problems normally and always feel best when I am pregnant - even though nursing.
There was a mom in our Bradley classes who was expecting twins. The docs all expected her to come a month early - she even took the classes really early so she'd have time to finish them. The instructor really pushed the Bradley/Brewer diet and she felt like she was late when her babies went to term. The smallest baby was a little over 8 lb. Don't know if the diet contributed to this but obviously the instructor thought so.
I don't think the amount of protein had anything to do with my weight gain. I really think how easy it came off after, had to do with sugar issues, not amount of protein. It made a whole lot more sense to worry about how healthy the foods were that I was eating than how much weight I gained.
Janet
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Nina Murphy
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AMEN.
Sigh....we women are living in times that do not support eating for two, and it has had major trickle down effects everywhere, even with the most "other-worldly", prayerful of women (I hope you know what I mean here. How many women just don't talk about their weight at all...don't make self-deprecating comments about their bodies?). How many families are really immune?
Let us show our daughters (and other women)that they don't have to fear pregnancy for body changes/image/issues reasons....there are enough valid concerns. !!! But that we embrace that particular inevitable cross, along with the varicosities, and other crosses that we don't blame ourselves for.
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~~Nina
mother of 9 on earth,
and 2 yet-to-be-met
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Leonie
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I followed the Brewer Diet with number 5 - I gained a lot of weight and he was another big baby but, four weeks after his birth, I weighed about 10 lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight.
I had been overweight at the start of pregnancy and I think the haelthy eating and high protein helped me gain weight - just for the growth of anothe big baby - but actually was good nutrition for me - hence the weight loss.
I followed What To Eat When You Are Expecting with the next few and they were all big babies but my personal weight skyrocketed. I had problems with insulin...
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Leonie in Sydney
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4Real Forums : Our Lady of Good Remedy and Care
Topic: Can we talk about the Brewer Diet?
