Pregnancy & Body Image

Dress (less than $20, not maternity) | Trench | Heels | Lipstick | Bag (use voucher code Ally20 for a discount!) 

Hey everyone!
Today I am sharing a bit more than I normally do, and for some reason this bodycon dress was the catalyst for this sharing. This is the very first time that I have worn anything close to bodycon since I found out I was pregnant. Mainly because I just felt pretty plump and just terrible about myself during my first trimester. Please do not get me wrong, I felt, and still feel incredibly blessed to be carrying this little one and I thank God every day for this blessing.

As many of you might know, for the better part of my adult life struggled with my weight and also with my body image, (see my full weight loss story here). After losing over 50 pounds, and staying in a size 4 for the past 5 years, I've learned to managed my weight by basically doing a few simple things; eating very clean (no sugar, alcohol, or refined carbs) and working out almost daily.

Then my first trimester symptoms hit, and my normal food staples, chicken breasts, salad, veggies, low sugar fruit, plain greek yogurt, were pretty much the least appetizing foods on the planet. All I could manage to eat was refined carbs - which I haven't eaten or craved in years! I would feel a combination of guilt for eating them, and then guilt for feeling bad about eating something that my body, and more importantly my baby wanted.  To make matters even worse, I had such terrible nausea and exhaustion also was barely able to work out, and I had to quit my beloved hot yoga classes. What finally changed all this for me was a series of complications that landed me in the hospital several times, thankfully the baby was fine, despite all odds. At that point I realized the only thing that I cared about was having a healthy baby - nothing else.

I realized then that while staying healthy and active during this pregnancy is super important, feeling guilt ridden about eating the occasional cookie, and stressing over the number on a scale is not my priority right now. I'm also trying to not compare myself to other people and other bloggers who stay super tiny throughout their pregnancies and then bounce right back into their skinny jeans. 

Be sure to check back soon for my posts on what I do now to feel my best and stay healthy and active during this pregnancy!