The Skinny with Lauryn on Pregnancy, Fasting, Cravings, Keto, and Supplements
The Vida Well x The Skinny Confidential
I am so excited to share an amazing interview with someone who introduced me to the world of blogging. I was able to connect with Lauryn and get the inside from The Skinny Confidential, whom I've been lucky enough to know for many years, about her nutrition and pregnancy journey. She's a badass entrepreneur, soon-to-be-mommy and someone who I look up to. We discussed morning routines, vitamins she's taking, her personal journey to getting pregnant, cravings, and her birth plan (or no plan) all topics that I talk about in more detail in my Mexican Keto Cookbook.
The Vida Well: We know you’re a huge proponent of intermittent fasting. How has this regimen helped you to find balance in your cravings and maintaining your weight goals pre-pregnancy?
LAURYN: We have access to so many experts on the blog & podcast & they’ve collectively said that they’ve had success with intermittent fasting. I’ve done my own research & used myself as a human guinea pig. I’ve also heard other people’s stories, like the everyday girl’s testimonials, & it just seems like it’s a 100% success rate. I haven’t heard one bad thing about it.
Personally I was doing 16:8 & was kind of dirty fasting because I was having Malk almond milk in my coffee, but it was working for me. My weight distributed differently, I was tighter, had more energy, was more in tune with my body & felt less hungry. I think there’s really something to be said about having your digestion going over time, all day, every day. Giving it a break is good for the body in my experience. My life is so chaotic that not having to worry about breakfast actually lowers my cortisol.
I would recommend that everyone interested in intermittent fasting looks into the book Delay, Don’t Deny. It’s written by someone who intermittent fasts & shares their real life journey. Also, I consume a lot of podcasts about intermittent fasting & it’s helped a lot so I recommend that too.
TVW: Let’s talk about pregnancy-- Clearly you're on a beautiful journey right now where you're fueling both yourself and baby's growth. What have been a few staples in your nutrition journey during pregnancy?
LAURYN: My staples are Ritual Prenatal Vitamins, a salt rock lamp, noise machine, belly headphones ( so the baby can listen to music ) & compression wear ( these really suck you in ).
As far as nutrition goes, I’ve been doing the same smoothie every single day. I do spirulina, kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, berries ( FIBER ), half a banana, magnesium, iron, bee pollen & mushroom powder. As you can see I cram all the nutrients into it & I drink it with this very specific huge silicone straw. Call me crazy, but I just feel like it goes straight to the baby. After drinking this in the morning I have a ton of energy. In the morning I’ll also eat 2 heaping tablespoons of raw almond butter because I feel like that’s what my body is craving right now.
I have a lot of different herbs that I put in my water & I up my electrolytes too. I eat a lot of eggs for protein & love probiotic filled yogurt that I get from the farmer’s market. There’s one that has apricot chunks in fresh goat’s milk yogurt that I’m obsessed with. Cereal is a major staple too. There’s one I’m loving that’s a healthy, multigrain play on Life cereal. I’ll have it with almond milk, cinnamon & blueberries- it’s my jam every single night. Pregnancy is making me extra thirsty so I’m drinking more water than usual & also loving SPORTea iced tea.
TVW: Keto may be helpful in getting pregnant and the healthy fats are essential for baby's brain during growth. What types of health fats have you been eating while pregnant? Have you been integrating any of the high-fat principles into your daily routine?
LAURYN: I’m huge on raw almond butter in the morning, & I love a good European olive oil. I cook with coconut oil & eating smashed avocados on sourdough bread is the best thing ever. I’m not loving MCT oil because it makes my stomach hurt. I just like to eat my healthy fats. My ayurvedic doctor is a huge fan of ghee, so I try to drizzle ghee on everything & anything. Coconut cream is also something new I’ve been trying in my coffee.
TVW: Walk us through what you eat and drink in a day as a beautiful mama-to-be?
LAURYN: I wake up & have a water with lemon, sometimes add mint & ginger. Then I have SPORTea ( lots of electrolytes, ginseng & vitamin C ) & eat some raw almond butter & after that I walk to & from a Pilates class. On the walk home, I’ll order a smoothie with spirulina, kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, berries ( FIBER ), half a banana, magnesium, iron, bee pollen & mushroom powder. Then I’ll usually have a big bowl of fruit when I get home with raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, mango, then my smoothie arrives!
For lunch I’ve been on a big corn kick. I’ve been having this huge bowl of corn with cayenne & spicy cashew cream from the farmer’s market. Sometimes I’ll have sweet potato or sweet potato fries, & later in the day I’m always craving toast with avo, lemon & fleur de sel salt. Dinner is usually different every night, just depending on where I am. It can be anything from a grass-fed burger to Brussels sprout salad, to Greek salad to butternut squash soup. Every night I’ll have either a cookie or multigrain cereal with blueberries, cinnamon & almond milk.
I’ve been having no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day. It’ll be either an iced inulin coffee or a matcha, depending on how I’m feeling. This is totally different from how I eat when I’m not pregnant. I wouldn’t eat as many carbs & I’d do intermittent fasting… & usually would have a glass of wine.
TVW: I know you’ve mentioned craving carbs which is normal, especially in the first trimester, can you tell my readers about a few other cravings you’ve been experiencing?
LAURYN: Cereal, sourdough bread, chocolate chip bagels, everything bagels, shit... just bagels in general. Also butternut squash soup, sweet potatoes, cinnamon, grapes, peaches, watermelon… & wine ( can you tell I miss wine ).
TVW: Every mom has their own journey and “birth plan” will you share with us if you are planning on using a midwife or a doula at all? Are you planning to have your baby at a birthing center or just the traditional hospital. No judgments just interested.
LAURYN: I am planning on having my baby at the hospital & I will have a doula. I have no expectations when it comes to the birth. You have to be in the moment, & I don't know how that moment is going to be. There’s a pressure & expectation that comes along with a “birth plan” & I’m just not letting that get to me. I’m just going to go with the flow & know that things can change in an instant. However, I do have somewhat of a “plan” but I’m not attached to it at all.
TVW: What supplements are you taking during pregnancy? I read you are on Ritual prenatals, is there anything else that is part of your daily regimen right now?
LAURYN: Yes! I’m taking Florodix liquid iron, & yellow dock to up my iron levels.
Also, taking an omega + vitamin, desiccated liver, & I do things like spirulina, flaxseed, chlorella, chlorophyll, & electrolytes.
TVW: Are you doing weekly chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, lymphatic drainage, etc.? What are 3 of your go-to key mama-to-be self-care must-haves?
LAURYN: Once a week I make sure to do something for myself, whether that’s a facial, active myofascial release, or seeing a chiropractor. I’m very cognitive about taking time for myself & my body. The thing that has made the biggest difference in my body is myofascial release. I’ve only done it twice, but it’s released so much pain in my body & it’s something you don’t have to keep going back for.
Self care is so important because I think babies take on energy when they’re in your belly, It might sound crazy, but that's what I think. lfyou have bad energy when you’re pregnant, I think the baby can feel it.
I take Pilates every day, I walk every day, I love getting lymphatic drainage facials because it’s soothing & relaxing. I spend money on good food, I go slower, I’m not as hard on myself, & I love a good organic sugar spray tan lately.
I’ve also learned to say no & notice that I want to be in bed earlier. Things that happen after 6pm aren’t really working for me right now. I spend a lot more time reading & I think self care is really about slowing down, having boundaries, & taking time for yourself. And that could be anything from a facial, to making a green juice, to making it a priority to squeeze in a workout.
TVW: We know you like to keep it real 100% of the time. Which I absolutely love. That said, what has been one of the craziest/most surprising/most shocking/most beautiful things that you’ve experienced during your pregnancy so far?
LAURYN: I can’t believe how fast the weight comes on. It’s just wild & I don’t like it. It’s not my favorite. I think you can be happy that you’re pregnant while simultaneously being annoyed that you gained weight. Also, never knew how much I’d crave a margarita. Everyone says you don’t crave alcohol, but for me that’s bullshit. I miss having a glass of wine or a margarita a lot!
I’m surprised how peaceful I feel. It’s been a really peaceful time & it’s beautiful to feel the baby move. It’s just the most amazing, crazy thing. & not going to lie, the skin glow is a huge plus. Mental clarity is another thing I’ve noticed since becoming pregnant, & also picking up on energies. I’ve always been sensitive to energies but I almost feel like a clairvoyant because I’m extra sensitive to it now. Pregnancy brain is also worth a mention- it’s out of this world.
TVW: Do you have a postpartum plan to assist with breastfeeding and/or milk supply? I know a lot of moms and clients of mine struggle with fueling their bodies after labor/post-birth - whether it be due to not enough time, lack of sleep, etc., do you plan on having family, friends, experts, etc. help or do you plan to meal prep so everything is at the ready? *If you’d rather not answer, please skip or modify. ( Lauryn answered this focused on breastfeeding)
LAURYN: Again, I have no expectations. If I can breastfeed & I like it, great. But if I don’t like it &/or it doesn’t happen, I’ll be ok with that too. I’m not going to be attached to any outcome. I’ve been fully transparent with my community that I’m getting a night nurse. I work 7 days a week, & I’m going to take a couple weeks off, but I want a night nurse. I really need someone to guide me because I’ve never even changed a diaper before!
TVW: Lastly, this is a personal question, so please skip if you want, I work a lot with women who have issues getting pregnant (1 in 8 couples struggle to get pregnant), and women who have multiple miscarriages, it is something most people do not share, which to me is very sad because it would help empower other women. Would you share your journey with us? How long did you try, did you use any apps, did you use contraceptive before, did you change your diet or exercise while trying.
LAURYN: I’m very fortunate that I got pregnant without really trying. We were having unprotected sex, but there was no plan & I didn’t do anything differently. Michael & I have known each other since we were 12, so yes, we were very surprised, but it was a happy surprise. I’m probably not the best person to talk about how to prepare to get pregnant because I never had that journey. Now that I am pregnant, I have extreme empathy for anyone who is struggling to get pregnant & have massive respect for those journeys.