Day 4 - 1/4/09

Well, I weighed in this morning for my official starting weight.  

200.0 lbs

Thankfully, I didn't gain any weight over Christmas break.  But I didn't lose any either, despite being far more active than I had been in the weeks leading up to the break.  We went ice skating, sledding, and skiing several times.  I also walked around the block (.6 miles) twice each morning.  So I can't just think that a slight change in my activity level will be enough for a weight loss.  I'm really going to have to pick up the pace, so to speak, on my working out, and I'll also need to be far more diligent about my eating habits.

On a separate note, I did a little research on prenatal vitamins last night.  I checked WebMD, which has traditionally been a pretty reliable source for health information.  According to their information, you should look for vitamins that contain high amounts of folic acid, iron, and calcium.  The folic acid apparently helps in the development of the nervous system and the connections between the nerves, especially in the development of the spinal cord.  The iron helps both mother and baby with blood oxygenation, and the calcium is primarily for the mother's benefit to prevent bone loss, since the calcium for the baby's development gets pulled from the mother's system.  

Here's the list of things they suggest you look for in a prenatal vitamin:

-4,000 and 5,000 IU (international units) of vitamin A

-800 and 1,000 micrograms (1 mg) of folic acid

-400 IU of vitamin D

-200-300 mg of calcium

-70 mg of vitamin C

-1.5 mg of thiamine

-1.6 mg of riboflavin

-2.6 mg of pyridoxine

-17 mg of niacinamide

-2.2 mcg of vitamin B-12

-10 mg of vitamin E

-15 mg of zinc

-30 mg of iron

I guess my next step will be to visit Walgreens and see if they carry anything that covers all those requirements.