Hello, Friend! Happy Tuesday!

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Lots going on lately! Here’s some updates on Christmas, preparing for New Years, and a “bumpdate.”

We’re just about 27 weeks along now… baby is the size of a spaghetti squash!

And, maybe most importantly, IT’S A GIRL!

I’m very excited about having a girl! To be honest, I wanted it to be a girl, but also didn’t want to say that out loud very much because what if it was a boy?! haha, I’m sure many parents know that feeling… wrestling with what you want and realities. Anyway, we’re very excited about a baby girl—and so are our families!

Generally speaking, I’m feeling bigger, but also doing pretty well. Except for some nagging pregnancy-induced sciatica. The shooting nerve pains are actually quite intense at times and makes it difficult to move/walk easily. NOT fun. I’m still trying to get my movement in when I can and within reason, but it’s definitely annoying to have shooting pain across my back/butt a lot of the time. It’s gotten worse over the past week, too, which makes me nervous about the next 13-14 weeks. The thing that’s tricky about it is that it acts up at different times and I can’t quite pinpoint what causes it or when it flares up. Like, if it always got bad after squatting, for example, then I could limit that, but that’s not the case. Sometimes moving makes it feel better and sometimes I literally cannot move and just have to wait for it to calm down. Needless to say, this is the biggest issue right now!

(I’m pretty sure this sciatica is something I’ll just have to deal with, like so many other pregnancy symptoms, but if anyone out there has any suggestions to help aside from stretching and heat, please let me know in the comments or send me a message!)

Specifically speaking, I’m super tired and feeling lethargic today. There’s some post-holiday exhaustion happening to be sure. I’m wrestling with having lots of things to do and work on and also just wanting to take a nap. Maybe both will happen today; we’ll see ; )

Despite the post-holiday exhaustion happening now, I do LOVE me some Christmas! I enjoy spending time with family, going to Maine, watching people open presents, playing family Jeopardy, and celebrating my birthday!

Next Christmas we’ll sub the bump for an actual babe in this photo!!

I also ate a LOT of cookies over the past few days! At some times, I didn’t feel excellent because of it… whoops! I even had the “Whatever, I’m pregnant, eat the cookies” thoughts creep in, which aren’t super constructive, and I’ve been trying to manage to avoid completely indulging beyond reason simply because I’m pregnant.

The combination of trying to prioritize healthy food choices and not feeling great due to cookie intake is making me want to be extra mindful of potential New Years indulgences. I’m actually thankful we don’t really have big plans for New Years, as that will make it easier to manage intake. I also feel like New Years is a slightly different celebration than Thanksgiving and Christmas anyway. Like, those holidays are very much based around big meals, pies, Christmas cookies, gingerbread, etc. where New Years has more of a drinks and party vibe?? Certainly we can still overdo it on partying, but maybe it’s easier to manage in comparison.

This holiday reflection led me to reflect on my own posts and advice. On the one hand, I made a blog post the other week about holiday weight gain and how most of our annual weight changes occur during these weeks. On the other hand, I reposted this IG post on my story the other day about just how many extra calories you’d have to eat to actually gain a pound of fat in a day (it’s like 7000+ calories!).

Am I contradicting myself by sharing both of these thoughts??

Like, I’m saying both to be careful because we tend to gain weight around the holidays, AND also don’t panic if your weight is up after the holidays because it’s likely not actual body fat changes!

After some thinking about it, I don’t think it is a contradiction.

I think being mindful about intake AND also have a realistic perspective about weight changes is huge.

We don’t want to write off all food focuses just because “it’s the holidays”, and at the same time, we should enjoy time with our friends and family or whatever you’re doing without panicking about small changes on the scale that are likely due to water weight, different movement and bathroom schedules, etc.

So, yeah, both mindfulness and big-picture perspectives.

And this brings me to my last point for today.

I’m hosting a 23 Day Jumpstart to 2023 challenge starting January 1!

Here’s another contradiction/non-contradiction for ya: On the one hand, I don’t believe in having to “make up for” any food choices that we may have made over the holidays, and on the other hand, I do believe in accountability and support in getting things on the right track in a thoughtful manner.

So, if you’re interested in making changes moving forward and including consistent and regular meals, the 23 Day Jumpstart to 2023 can help you do just that!

Instead of making a resolution that you may or may not end up dropping in a few weeks or days, I invite you to consider taking a different approach to the New Year.

Starting January 1, I’m running the 23 Day Jumpstart to 2023!

We’re starting out the year focusing on the sustainable healthy habits that most contribute to body composition changes and helping us reach our goals, with a little self-care thrown in.

If you could use this kind of accountability and support starting the New Year, I’d love to have you on board.

In fact, I’d love for you to invite anyone who needs a little jumpstart into 2023 to join! The more the merrier! All are welcome!

I promise I’ll help support everyone who joins to figure out exactly what they need to do to be successful and hold you accountable throughout!

Go to this link for all the information about what you will target for those 23 days, what you get when you sign up, and to actually sign up: https://www.nutritionforlifeproject.com/23DayJumpstart

Feel free to share that link with anyone else who might be interested too!

As always, thank you for reading, and Happy New Year!!
xoxo,
Sara

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The Nutrition For Life Project Blog

Christmas, New Years, and a Bumpdate!