The Diet

When I first contacted Dr. Elliott in Arizona, he put me on a diet. I have been on many diets in my lifetime, but this diet is like no other. I am supposed to eat 5000 calories a day of, and I quote, "junk food and red meat." The goal, according to the doctor, is for me to gain 75-100 lbs by the time I deliver. Since the babies will soon be occupying much of the space where my stomach is supposed to be, I was instructed to gain 75% of the required amount by 26 weeks. I was ordered to eat Big Macs and milkshakes and shun everything low-fat. I was told that salads are a waste, because they take up space and have too few calories. Hearing these words come out of a doctor's mouth was almost as shocking as hearing that I was carrying five babies!

At first, the diet seemed pretty great---I could eat all the chocolate and ice cream I wanted with no guilt! But the excitement wore off pretty quickly after the first few days, and I actually find it pretty difficult to eat that many calories. I am also supposed to eat 20% of the calories from protein, which doesn't seem too bad until you figure that 20% of 5000 calories amounts to about 250 grams of protein per day. So I guess it is kind of like the Atkins diet and the Seefood diet (everything you see, you eat) mixed together.

The doctor based his diet regimen on a book by Dr. Barbara Luke entitle, "When You're Expecting Twins, Triplets, and Quads" (yes, I know it doesn't include quints, but no book does---trust me, I have looked). Amazingly enough, Dr. Luke actually has data that shows that by following her eating plan, babies have higher birth weights and fewer problems than other babies of the same gestational age.

Anyway, I guess I am off to have another hot fudge brownie sundae----after all, I want to do what is best for these babies :-)

The Diet