A Little Lesson about Fat

I consider myself a life learner, and I don't believe anything anyone says until I've researched it myself. When it comes to fitness and dieting, the best results come after really understanding how your body works.

For the last week, I have really wondered what fat is. After all, if I can conquer the definition, shouldn't I be able to kick this flabby stuff? Maybe.

I've know for a long, long time that you can increase the size of a fat cell, and shrink it, but you can't get rid of it. So are we all born with the same amount of fat cells? Can we get more fat cells? I have so many questions... and I knew Wikipedia would be my best source for an answer.

Here's a small amount I gathered after reading about White Adipose Tissue:

We have two types of fat on our bodies, brown and white. The latter being the one we all despise. There is an average amount of fat cells on the human body, but they can be different sizes. The scariest part of all, they can increase in size (up to 4x) and then they will divide and increase the number of fat cells!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adipocyte

So there's my little tid bit of information for the day. Hopefully this will help scare us away from ever gaining too much fat, since we cannot get rid of the cells we gain.

Ewww... I Gained Four Pounds!

I just got back from the doctors office for my 26th week prenatal check, and I received some disheartening news... I gained four pounds in two weeks! This is not good. I've been right on track with my pregnancy weight gain until now. Good thing I'm back to blogging, or this weight gain might get out of control!

Eating for Two -- What a Lie

For any of you who are pregnant, I'm sure everyone has advice for you. The neighbor, your coworkers, your mom and mother-in-law, your siblings, friends... even the nosy lady at the grocery store. And with that advice come so many wives tales. One in particular is that you are now eating for two.

This, to me, is the worst one of all, because it encourages women to scarf down 4,000 calories a day. That's a lot of calories. My hubby doesn't even eat that much when he's in training - and he eats a lot of food in training.

What To Expect explains that you should only be eating an extra 300 calories a day during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters. In the 1st trimester, you should not be eating any extra calories, unless you are underweight or the doctor orders it.

To figure out how much you should be eating daily go to http://theboyfrienddiet.blogspot.com/2008/09/your-daily-calorie-requirements.html. Then add 300 calories to that amount to see what your recommended daily caloric intake should be.

It's important not to overeat when pregnant, not only so you can bounce back to your pre-pregnancy weight after the baby is born, but also to ensure the health of your new baby. So when everyone is telling you to eat for two, just smile politely. You know the truth about eating "for two."

Your Daily Calorie Requirements

Here is a calculator from Mayo Clinic that helps you figure out how many calories you need each day:

Calorie Calculator

Oops! I'm Pregnant!

Okay, so it's been like over six months since I have written a post. I actually do have a very good reason for neglecting this site... I'm pregnant.

As you can imagine, I'm about six months pregnant. It was hard to write about dieting when my waistline was steadily growing. Now I have come to terms with it, and still have lots of advice to give. Especially now, because I don't want to be one of those women who gain 50+ pounds while pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I would love to just pig out, but I know how hard it will lose the baby weight after.

Oh and by the way... my boyfriend and I were married in March. Just two weeks before we found out we were expecting. Wow! So much for being newlyweds.

The Glass Ceiling

I know, I know... this isn't about diet or exercise, but it's a great article. Check it out:

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/02/19/clintons_struggle_vexes_feminists/?page=2

Meet Me on BodySpace!

Hi All!

I just signed up for an account on BodySpace so I can track my workouts and progress. You can also find some great people, trainers and fitness models, to get advice from.

Just go to www.bodyspace.bodybuilding.com and sign-up. I haven't put my pictures up yet (I want to see some progress before I show off my not-so-toned physique).

Meet me on Body Space... the link is over on the right! And, if you know of any other sites let me know!