eating deficit during first trimester

Mistyfied_MD

I'm about 7 weeks, and have changed my MFP profile to maintenance, but I'm having a heck of a time actually eating enough calories. I just can't eat enough, which was a problem when I was trying to lose weight, too. I know that during the first trimester, I don't need extra calories, but will eating at a deficit be harmful? I'm not losing weight. I'll talk to my obgyn more this week of course, I was just curious if any of you had experience or opinions in the meantime.

JagerLewis

I suppose it all depends on your current weight. If you are very over weight, I'm sure the Dr. will ok eating at a slight deficit in the beginning. I was overweight with my first pregnancy and developed diabetes. I only ended up gaining 12 pounds through the entire pregnancy (son was 7lb 6 oz) so almost all of my weight was baby related. No Dr. was concerned about how little I gained.

Mistyfied_MD

Yeah, at 230 pounds, I'm still definitely overweight :-/ It seemed hormonal for awhile, because I lost 40 pounds after going on metformin for PCOS a couple years ago, but the weight loss slowed and stopped last year, despite me consistently having trouble eating the recommended daily amount. I started logging again recently after learning about the pregnancy, and apparently I still have the problem of not eating enough.

mrsKOrtiz

I was actually losing weight at the beginning of my pregnancy. It was never an issue with my ob/gyn. I blew up within the last 3 months!!

maoribadger

I lost about 12lb during my 1st trimester because I felt too ill to eat and no body seemed worried, I expect they thought I could weather it!

Miss_1999

Mistyfied_MD wrote: »

Yeah, at 230 pounds, I'm still definitely overweight :-/ It seemed hormonal for awhile, because I lost 40 pounds after going on metformin for PCOS a couple years ago, but the weight loss slowed and stopped last year, despite me consistently having trouble eating the recommended daily amount. I started logging again recently after learning about the pregnancy, and apparently I still have the problem of not eating enough.

Ok, I don't know your height at 230lbs, but since you mentioned you have PCOS, there are SEVERAL things I want to mention and ask. I don't know if this is your first pregnancy or not OR if you have seen your OB/GYN yet? Are you still taking your Metformin? Those of us living with PCOS are at a higher risk of a first trimester miscarriage. Now, by NO means am I trying to scare you OR am I saying that YOU personally, will. These are just the statistics that are stacked against us. That's why it's important to get to your OB/GYN as soon as you realize you're pregnant and to stay on top of any appointments you may have with him/her.

We are also at a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes. (I know, PCOS SUCKS!!!) As if pregnancy in and of itself isn't stressful enough. When I got pregnant with Savannah, I was determined I wasn't going to gain a pound that wasn't associated with baby (IE: blood, placenta, baby, amniotic fluid, uterus, ect.) I didn't mind gaining anything that SHE needed, but I wasn't going to put on a pound of fat. I'd worked too hard to lose weight, and because I was pregnant, I wasn't going to use it as license to eat.

When all was said and done, I'd lost 30lbs while pregnant, and Savannah was always measuring in the 99th percentile in length and weight. She basically took everything I ate. I was only able to take prenatal vitamins the first trimester because they made me horribly sick. After that, I took two Flintstones Gummies, Fish Oil, and Folic Acid every day.

Eating wise, my first trimester, I never threw up, but I had HORRIBLE nausea. So many things made me sick just to smell, and the mere thought of throwing up would keep me away from many foods. I drank a LOT of Ensure, to get vitamins, minerals, and protein so that she would grow and be healthy. When I was able to eat, I did try to make healthy choices. I never restricted myself as far as saying "no, I can't have this, or that", but I wasn't going to pig out, either. I ate healthy, went to ALL of my OB/GYN and Neonatologist appointments.

I stayed on all of my medications for PCOS (Metformin ER and Byetta- as after a year's worth of research, I determined that the benefits to my child and myself outweighed the risks), and delivered a full term, healthy baby girl at 38 1/2 weeks.

I went by these guidelines religiously:

webmd.com/baby/guide/healthy-weight-gain

Talk to your doctor and see what he/she has set for you. If they have any specific goals or targets. Usually, as long as the baby is growing healthy and strong, and meeting all the marks, they're pleased. Keep us posted, and best wishes for a healthy and happy nine months!

Rochester_mom

I'm 5 months pregnant now and only gained 2lbs during the first trimester. Everything made me sick although I never threw up. I ate small meals throughout the day. So far I have gained 7lbs and I am hoping to top out around a 16-18lb weight gain. I'm 5'6" and started off at 170lbs. My OB once told me that she thought that not gaining any weight during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy was absolutely fine. Check with your doc and s/he will advise you accordingly. Good luck and congrats!

cjames010

I lost 10 pounds my first trimester because I lost my appetite and just the sight of food made me sick. After week 20 I ate normally and everything was fine.

Mistyfied_MD

@Miss_1999 - I'm 5'7". Yep, I've been to see my OBGYN, she advised me about the increased risk of miscarriage, and placed me on progesterone. And yes, still taking the metformin. I've been seeing this doctor for a couple years now, and she had advised me long ago that I would stay on the metformin if I became pregnant.

I do hope to manage weight gain during pregnancy, but at the same time, I was concerned about eating too little. Glad to hear I'm not the only one with that issue. I imagine it'll get worse when morning sickness hits >_<

Miss_1999

This makes me feel a LOT better! (Knowing you've already seen your OB/GYN) Glad to hear she's got you on progesterone! That is known to help prevent miscarriage for us cysters, and taking Metformin at least through the first trimester is believed to lower risk as well. I'm SO glad you've got a supportive doctor who wants you to stay on Metformin. It also helps with preventing gestational diabetes.

I know you didn't ask for all that extra stuff, but I was SO scared and did an ungodly amount of research for a year before, we tried to get pregnant, then, I took every piece of information from my OB/GYN and Neonatologist I could. I think as long as you're eating, or if worse comes to worse, drinking (if morning sickness hits) you're ok. Check with your doctor, just to be sure of what you need to do your best to get in daily- protein, fat, ect. As long as you're taking your vitamins and getting that folic acid in, I think being off a little calorie wise shouldn't be too big of a deal. Keep us posted!

ahoy_m8

karinaortiz23 wrote: »

I was actually losing weight at the beginning of my pregnancy. It was never an issue with my ob/gyn. I blew up within the last 3 months!!

Same here, and I was pretty lean before pregnancy. Unsure how to count calories when vomiting 3x per day. I hope you are keeping you cookies! Truly, though, in spite of the massive weight gain at the end, I genuinely felt better and better as the pregnancy progressed. Best of luck to you!

Mistyfied_MD

Ha, yep, I'm keeping my cookies for the moment. I caught it super early, so at this point I've not had morning sickness or the sense of smell thing kick in yet. I also went to my OBGYN really early; she had already told me I'm high risk because of my age, the PCOS, and a few other factors, so she had told me to come in as soon as I knew.

So far since I've started logging again this week, I've only managed to eat around 1400 calories a day, which is about the same as back when I was logging for weight loss. I know that is not a lot, but I want to stress that I haven't been losing weight--even before the pregnancy unfortunately. I get uncomfortably full really fast and it's hard to deal with that. I did rediscover peanut butter yesterday though, that will help. I've also been adding a dash of olive oil and some flax meal to my salads, to help pad those.

bmele0

I lost about 35 total lbs during my pregnancy- I was about 270 when I got pregnant. I ate healthier, and lightly exercised. I was OK'ed by my doctor to lose this weight, but they didn't want me losing anymore during the third trimester- I just stayed at my weight. So, technically I think I was still losing and the baby was gaining.

Mistyfied_MD

Thanks everyone for the responses. I am making healthier food choices, and exercising lightly, and I do want to manage weight gain when that becomes an issue, so I'll be logging food. I think for now I'll just not try to push myself, and just eat when I'm actually hungry. If I'm not losing weight, then surely I'm not undereating by as much as it seems.