Pregnant! need advice

retailmagpie

Hello, so I lost 8lbs so far with MFP but found outlast Monday that we are expecting our first baby! [Very excited, but only early days]. Can anyone advise me on diet during pregnancy? I want to continue a healthy lifestyle but ultimately, do what's best for baby. I've heard horror stories about loosing weight while preganant and it harming baby? HELP!

ruth3698

When I got pregnant with my 2nd baby I was terrified to gain another 40 pounds like I did with my first.So, I stopped drinking sodas and watched what I ate a little better.I did lose weight almost my entire pregnancy, but I also had the stomach flu like 3 times during it, one of which put me in the hospital. ..blegh...bad memories lol.I started at 181 pre pregnancy and ended up weighing exactly 180 right before I gave birth and my baby was fine.My doctor was fine with a little weight loss toward the beginning but did express concern when I started dropping weight in my third trimester and something was found in my urine(cant remember what it was but it was due to not eating enough.Just try to eat as healthy as possible, set your calories to maintenance, maybe a little higher and try not to stress about food too much:)

Ainar

I'm sure it's not healthy to go in calorie deficit while being pregnant. In fact, you should ate in calorie surplus, like 300 - 500 cals, it's best for baby cos he needs that calories to grow. You most likely won't gain much, if any, fat over 9 months if you go that high as 300 - 500 cals. Similar like when bodybuilders tries to gain muscle, they need to ate in calorie surplus and a lot of protein to become bigger and stronger. With baby it's a same concept, you are reproducing new cells and they take energy from your body to grow. Therefore being in calories surplus and eating good amounts of protein will be the best for baby.

So yea, I think you should stop with your diet for now. Just ate healthy foods, stay away from junk foods and unnecessary calories like that. But DO NOT be in calorie deficit!

Caletagirl

Hiya Congratulations to you. I am also pregnant (13 weeks) and I have the same issues. Always a bit unsure as to how many calories I should be eating anyway so I have set it to about 2000, which I am hoping from my previous (when dieting) is about right. But if I do go over, its no biggy. I just try and eat as much good as I can. Im using this (MFP) more for being aware of what I am eating but not to stop me. You have to just make sure you get all the right things and just not go silly over. Keep up with the water too x

rachelklewis3

Congratulations! I would plan on gaining at least 20 lbs. I'm pretty sure average pregnancy weight gain is 25-35 lbs. and you should be eating 200-400 calories extra each day. That's really not that much, though- so think of it as eating for 1.25 not 2 lol. Stay away from high nitrite foods like processed deli meats. There are a few other foods to avoid such as sushi, undercooked (rare) meats, unpasteurized dairy, due to the risk for food poisoning. Basically, you can eat as you normally would with the exception of a few things. You should also continue to exercise, modify if you need to! And try not to worry about the weight gain too much- it will all be worth it in the end!

SkinnyMsFitness

Hi! First off - congrats on your weight loss and your pregnancy!! If you maintain a 'healthy' lifestyle...eating a healthy diet & maintaining a routine of exercise, you'll be fine. Don't overdo it, and keep at it. I've heard that exercising can make labor much easier!! And if you maintain a good diet (healthy foods), any excess weight will come off much easier after the fact.

You could also Google relating topics and read, read, read. Stay with the credible sources: i.e. .gov, .edu, or news sites, or you can utilize any source, but when they're not credible, try to compare with others...the truth is usually in between there some where.

Just keep mindful of your actions and DON'T worry - you'll do great! :-)

retailmagpie

Thank you to all of you! Put my mind at rest a little! My pre-pregnancy calorie goal as only 1,350 so seems crazy to go up to 2,000??! Although I agree with not trying to lose during pregnancy. I will check with my Doctor to be certain. Caletagirl - congrats on your news too! Being a first-time-Mom in waiting is very exciting. I have been quite queasy so concerned in case I start throwing up! How will I calculate how much to eat then?! Nightmare.

Thanks for all of your advise! xx

cook6609

I would definitely talk to your DR. I thought about that when I started MFP, seeing as my husband and I are not really preventing the possibility... I think it would be best to stay at a maintenance level and increase the required calorie amount for each trimester (If my memory serves me right you need more calories towards the end of your pregnancy versus the beginning). Definitely talk to your DR, and focus more on getting into the habit of logging your food. Keep in mind nutritious filled foods verses empty calories. Congratulations!!!! :happy:

AmandaReimer1

Congrats! This is definitely an exciting time! You can change your settings to maintenance instead of lose which will give you how many calories you should eat. I'd suggest starting out at maintenance first.
Definitely consult a Dr, but your maintenance will be close to 2,000.

Good luck!