Calorie deficit while pregnant?
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Let me get this straight, just in case I'm misunderstanding you. You asked the OB about how you should eat and what kind of calorie goal you should set and they just said, "I don't know," and that was it?
Is that right?
If so - and if you live in US - please ask again, just to be safe. If you get the same answer, report them to the board.
That's ridiculous. Telling pregnant women how and what to eat is important! If they cannot be bothered, they can hand it off to dietary. What they cannot do is say, "I don't know" and let it go.
That's negligent. Women and babies could suffer. Report that person.0 -
I'm almost 10 weeks along, so I'm right there with you! But I'm eating at maintenance (or above, on the days when I get so hungry I get queasy. I'll take a few extra pounds over throwing up!).
I know how it is to start seeing pounds appear right away in pregnancy; even a few can be worrisome. Try to remember that your blood volume is increasing, your uterus is expanding, and you're likely retaining more water. Not every scale increase is fat gain. Eat well, enjoy some treats, and don't starve yourself. You know how to lose the weight, and that option will still be there after delivering a healthy baby! (Also of course consult with your doctor and maybe a dietician if your gain becomes concerning.)0 -
determined_14 wrote: »I'm almost 10 weeks along, so I'm right there with you! But I'm eating at maintenance (or above, on the days when I get so hungry I get queasy. I'll take a few extra pounds over throwing up!).
I know how it is to start seeing pounds appear right away in pregnancy; even a few can be worrisome. Try to remember that your blood volume is increasing, your uterus is expanding, and you're likely retaining more water. Not every scale increase is fat gain. Eat well, enjoy some treats, and don't starve yourself. You know how to lose the weight, and that option will still be there after delivering a healthy baby! (Also of course consult with your doctor and maybe a dietician if your gain becomes concerning.)
What a sweet baby you have!0 -
Let me get this straight, just in case I'm misunderstanding you. You asked the OB about how you should eat and what kind of calorie goal you should set and they just said, "I don't know," and that was it?
Is that right?
If so - and if you live in US - please ask again, just to be safe. If you get the same answer, report them to the board.
That's ridiculous. Telling pregnant women how and what to eat is important! If they cannot be bothered, they can hand it off to dietary. What they cannot do is say, "I don't know" and let it go.
That's negligent. Women and babies could suffer. Report that person.
Unfortunately, doctors nowadays are so afraid of malpractice lawsuits that they rarely give good advice the way MY doctor did for me 36 years ago. "But my doctor said it was okay to eat ice cream!" screams the patient who ate a quart of ice cream every night and blames the premature birth because she ate a quart of ice cream every night on her "doctor's orders". Never mind that the premature birth would have come no matter what, hey, LET'S SUE!!
It's really sad the way people just won't take responsibility for their own actions.0 -
Let me get this straight, just in case I'm misunderstanding you. You asked the OB about how you should eat and what kind of calorie goal you should set and they just said, "I don't know," and that was it?
Is that right?
If so - and if you live in US - please ask again, just to be safe. If you get the same answer, report them to the board.
That's ridiculous. Telling pregnant women how and what to eat is important! If they cannot be bothered, they can hand it off to dietary. What they cannot do is say, "I don't know" and let it go.
That's negligent. Women and babies could suffer. Report that person.
Doctors do that all the time. They usually have no idea of actual calorie numbers. I've been to 4 or 5 doctors with that question and I get "eat salads not cheeseburgers." We have to just do the research ourselves. What is stated in many replies above is correct:
eat at maintenance (maybe 2000) first trimester.
+ 300 second
+ 500 third and while breastfeeding.
I have found MFP very helpful in logging to make sure i'm eating correct calories & getting enough protein for baby.
(also egg yolks! superfood for baby's brain. i'm having fun with puddings.
)
And Congrats. What a blessing!!
Oh, what i have not done this time is eat extra cookies etc. I remember it's a whole lot easier to skip them now than to work them off later when i'm sleep-deprived and just want to sit & rock my baby.
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It's not OK. Telling pregnant women how to eat for their health and the baby's health really is their job. The lawsuit would so bite the doctor who said, "I don't know" in the butt. Well, in the US. I don't know about other countries' medical care and legal systems. Here, it would not fly. Saying, "I don't know" and letting it go...lol, no, no and NO.atypicalsmith wrote: »Let me get this straight, just in case I'm misunderstanding you. You asked the OB about how you should eat and what kind of calorie goal you should set and they just said, "I don't know," and that was it?
Is that right?
If so - and if you live in US - please ask again, just to be safe. If you get the same answer, report them to the board.
That's ridiculous. Telling pregnant women how and what to eat is important! If they cannot be bothered, they can hand it off to dietary. What they cannot do is say, "I don't know" and let it go.
That's negligent. Women and babies could suffer. Report that person.
Unfortunately, doctors nowadays are so afraid of malpractice lawsuits that they rarely give good advice the way MY doctor did for me 36 years ago. "But my doctor said it was okay to eat ice cream!" screams the patient who ate a quart of ice cream every night and blames the premature birth because she ate a quart of ice cream every night on her "doctor's orders". Never mind that the premature birth would have come no matter what, hey, LET'S SUE!!
It's really sad the way people just won't take responsibility for their own actions.
That's not even a question.
I am not big on frivolous lawsuits or doctor-basing. Really, so not! But that's just the worst kind of negligence. If the OP wasn't mistaken and it happens again, that person should be reported. It's unlikely that any harm would befall them, but the next woman who asks how to take care of herself and her baby would get an answer and a dietary consult.
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I had a 15 year ED when I got pregnant. My doctors were full force about blind weighing and setting me up with a therapist (who I continued with for 3 years). I gained so rapidly it was heartbreaking for me - but I stayed off the scale and kept my team close. By her first birthday I was eating regularly and was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight...that was the best outcome I could have dreamed of. I still struggle, but so much less so, and I have a very healthy almost eight year old daughter!0
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Let me get this straight, just in case I'm misunderstanding you. You asked the OB about how you should eat and what kind of calorie goal you should set and they just said, "I don't know," and that was it?
Is that right?
If so - and if you live in US - please ask again, just to be safe. If you get the same answer, report them to the board.
That's ridiculous. Telling pregnant women how and what to eat is important! If they cannot be bothered, they can hand it off to dietary. What they cannot do is say, "I don't know" and let it go.
That's negligent. Women and babies could suffer. Report that person.
Doctors do that all the time. They usually have no idea of actual calorie numbers. I've been to 4 or 5 doctors with that question and I get "eat salads not cheeseburgers." We have to just do the research ourselves. What is stated in many replies above is correct:
eat at maintenance (maybe 2000) first trimester.
+ 300 second
+ 500 third and while breastfeeding.
I have found MFP very helpful in logging to make sure i'm eating correct calories & getting enough protein for baby.
(also egg yolks! superfood for baby's brain. i'm having fun with puddings. )
And Congrats. What a blessing!!
Oh, what i have not done this time is eat extra cookies etc. I remember it's a whole lot easier to skip them now than to work them off later when i'm sleep-deprived and just want to sit & rock my baby.
The bolded part is 100% accurate. I followed this while pregnant and my entire pregnancy I "gained" 10 lbs. Realistically, I actually lost weight because by the time thr baby, fluid, everything came out, I was less than my PP weight.
It's about being honest with yourself and eating nutrient dense food to combat the cravings. Eating at your own maintenance and a little above whole pregnany will not cause you to gain 50lbs or more again. It just won't happen.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »Let me get this straight, just in case I'm misunderstanding you. You asked the OB about how you should eat and what kind of calorie goal you should set and they just said, "I don't know," and that was it?
Is that right?
If so - and if you live in US - please ask again, just to be safe. If you get the same answer, report them to the board.
That's ridiculous. Telling pregnant women how and what to eat is important! If they cannot be bothered, they can hand it off to dietary. What they cannot do is say, "I don't know" and let it go.
That's negligent. Women and babies could suffer. Report that person.
Unfortunately, doctors nowadays are so afraid of malpractice lawsuits that they rarely give good advice the way MY doctor did for me 36 years ago. "But my doctor said it was okay to eat ice cream!" screams the patient who ate a quart of ice cream every night and blames the premature birth because she ate a quart of ice cream every night on her "doctor's orders". Never mind that the premature birth would have come no matter what, hey, LET'S SUE!!
It's really sad the way people just won't take responsibility for their own actions.
The one I'll never forget was the woman who appeared on an Australian current affairs show, claiming that her doctor was the sole reason she had miscarried her baby. She was suing her doctor because he had suggested she should have more fish in her diet.
She was eating fish three times a day seven days a week. Do people not have common sense any more?! Must we really be so super-specific? OBVIOUSLY the doctor meant one or two nights a week, not three times a day every day. Come on!0 -
Whoa no need to attack!! Of course I'm not going to put my weight/vanity over my baby's health! That's why I asked what a healthy goal is! People always say 1800-2000 is "maintenance" but if I eat that much I WILL GAIN. I don't know if my BMR is low or what, but I've been tracking long enough to know that much (I had lost 30lb on mfp before my first pregnancy- I'm not brand new to this) And of course I need to gain weight while pregnant- but I'd like to gain the recommended (for my BMI) 15-25, not 55! I'm going to go to a new OB this time and maybe I'll ask if they have a dietician. Last time she kept saying not to worry about my gain "your body will do what it needs to do". And I tried to eat healthy but eventually I stopped tracking and fell for the "you're pregnant! You deserve a snack!" line too often.0
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Whoa no need to attack!! Of course I'm not going to put my weight/vanity over my baby's health! That's why I asked what a healthy goal is! People always say 1800-2000 is "maintenance" but if I eat that much I WILL GAIN. I don't know if my BMR is low or what, but I've been tracking long enough to know that much (I had lost 30lb on mfp before my first pregnancy- I'm not brand new to this) And of course I need to gain weight while pregnant- but I'd like to gain the recommended (for my BMI) 15-25, not 55! I'm going to go to a new OB this time and maybe I'll ask if they have a dietician. Last time she kept saying not to worry about my gain "your body will do what it needs to do". And I tried to eat healthy but eventually I stopped tracking and fell for the "you're pregnant! You deserve a snack!" line too often.
Exactly. I do not think I was eating 2000 with any pregnancy, let alone 2000+500!, and I am sure that pregnant or not, I would end up gaining a ton of fat if I ever tried this. What might be maintenance for a larger person can be ridiculously high for someone smaller. If you are concerned, see if the hospital has a dietitian. If they have a department to manage gestational diabetes, there should be a dietitian they work with. I was on a plan for managing diabetes during my pregnancies and it summed up to no more than 1700-1800 calories even in the third trimester. For my weight and height, and limited physical activity, it resulted in an average gain of 20-30 lbs per pregnancy, so obviously anything higher would have been a disaster.0 -
My brothers wife was worried about gaining weight with her first. She took it to extremes and ate at a strict and largedefecit. You could barley tell she was pregnant the whole time. She weighed less post baby than before getting pregnant! Stupid and dangerous I know. As a result baby was small and development was slower than average. Both parents are over 6 ft and naturally slim . He was very under weight for the first 5 or so years. In the nicest possible way, screw the weight loss! Baby comes first, it can really damage the baby and god knows what else later in life. You will lose the weight again! Trust yourself. You've got this xx0
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daniellepstewart209 wrote: »My brothers wife was worried about gaining weight with her first. She took it to extremes and ate at a strict and largedefecit. You could barley tell she was pregnant the whole time. She weighed less post baby than before getting pregnant! Stupid and dangerous I know. As a result baby was small and development was slower than average. Both parents are over 6 ft and naturally slim . He was very under weight for the first 5 or so years. In the nicest possible way, screw the weight loss! Baby comes first, it can really damage the baby and god knows what else later in life. You will lose the weight again! Trust yourself. You've got this xx
Did a dr verify that this was the reason her baby was underweight? Because pre-eclampsia for example, will increase dramatically the risk for a low weight baby, and implying that a woman did something to cause this, it is both ignorant and mean.0 -
Whoa no need to attack!! Of course I'm not going to put my weight/vanity over my baby's health! That's why I asked what a healthy goal is! People always say 1800-2000 is "maintenance" but if I eat that much I WILL GAIN. I don't know if my BMR is low or what, but I've been tracking long enough to know that much (I had lost 30lb on mfp before my first pregnancy- I'm not brand new to this) And of course I need to gain weight while pregnant- but I'd like to gain the recommended (for my BMI) 15-25, not 55! I'm going to go to a new OB this time and maybe I'll ask if they have a dietician. Last time she kept saying not to worry about my gain "your body will do what it needs to do". And I tried to eat healthy but eventually I stopped tracking and fell for the "you're pregnant! You deserve a snack!" line too often.
1800 calories, while not pregnant, sure. But pregnant, your body is burning at a much higher rate, the weight gain will honestly be minimal if you stay around that point. You have to measure it from start to 1 week postpartum though because of the fluid retention. And I'm not trying to be combative or seem like I'm attacking you (not sure if I came off that way initially?), but I say this as someone who, when not pregnant, gains weight if I eat anything above 1500 calories.0 -
Hi everyone- 4m ago I finally started making a serious effort to lose my remaining baby weight. I'm tracking religiously and am in the last week of C25k. I've lost about 25lb and have 7lb to go to my pre-pregnancy weight. And...... I just found out I'm pregnant again. And I'm thrilled- but I gained way too much last time (>50lb) and I'm starting at an even higher weight now (BMI 27)..... So my question is- what should my calorie goal be? (I asked my OB last time and she had no clue). I've been doing really well with 1200 calories. And I've read that you don't need to increase your caloric intake during the first trimester. But is 1200 safe?? I just know that if I go to the "recommended" 1800-2000 I will start gaining like crazy. So, maybe split the difference? Maybe 1500? It's probably all a moot point because once that pregnancy hunger sets in, there's no fighting it. But I want to at least try to to better than last time.
You're pregnant. Now is not the time to be eating at a calorie deficit and trying to lose the rest of your weight. If your doctor is clueless on this issue, then you need to find a doctor who is NOT clueless.
I would say eat at maintenance, track your food, log everything you eat, track your cardio exercise (if you exercise) an eat only about half of those calories back because they can be overestimated. Finally, find a doctor who can refer you to a qualified dietician.0 -
Queenmunchy wrote: »I had a 15 year ED when I got pregnant. My doctors were full force about blind weighing and setting me up with a therapist (who I continued with for 3 years). I gained so rapidly it was heartbreaking for me - but I stayed off the scale and kept my team close. By her first birthday I was eating regularly and was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight...that was the best outcome I could have dreamed of. I still struggle, but so much less so, and I have a very healthy almost eight year old daughter!
This is an inspiring and incredible story.0 -
I think most people gave great advice, you dont want to eat at a deficit but you dont need to eat for two by adding a whole 1200 calories more. if you under eat, you body is going to automatically pull from your fat reserves to protect the baby and leave you with very little energy and sick0
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Whoa no need to attack!! Of course I'm not going to put my weight/vanity over my baby's health! That's why I asked what a healthy goal is! People always say 1800-2000 is "maintenance" but if I eat that much I WILL GAIN. I don't know if my BMR is low or what, but I've been tracking long enough to know that much (I had lost 30lb on mfp before my first pregnancy- I'm not brand new to this) And of course I need to gain weight while pregnant- but I'd like to gain the recommended (for my BMI) 15-25, not 55! I'm going to go to a new OB this time and maybe I'll ask if they have a dietician. Last time she kept saying not to worry about my gain "your body will do what it needs to do". And I tried to eat healthy but eventually I stopped tracking and fell for the "you're pregnant! You deserve a snack!" line too often.
Nobody is attacking you, we are just being honest. I'm glad you are going to the doctor again. 0 -
It's not OK. Telling pregnant women how to eat for their health and the baby's health really is their job. The lawsuit would so bite the doctor who said, "I don't know" in the butt. Well, in the US. I don't know about other countries' medical care and legal systems. Here, it would not fly. Saying, "I don't know" and letting it go...lol, no, no and NO.atypicalsmith wrote: »Let me get this straight, just in case I'm misunderstanding you. You asked the OB about how you should eat and what kind of calorie goal you should set and they just said, "I don't know," and that was it?
Is that right?
If so - and if you live in US - please ask again, just to be safe. If you get the same answer, report them to the board.
That's ridiculous. Telling pregnant women how and what to eat is important! If they cannot be bothered, they can hand it off to dietary. What they cannot do is say, "I don't know" and let it go.
That's negligent. Women and babies could suffer. Report that person.
Unfortunately, doctors nowadays are so afraid of malpractice lawsuits that they rarely give good advice the way MY doctor did for me 36 years ago. "But my doctor said it was okay to eat ice cream!" screams the patient who ate a quart of ice cream every night and blames the premature birth because she ate a quart of ice cream every night on her "doctor's orders". Never mind that the premature birth would have come no matter what, hey, LET'S SUE!!
It's really sad the way people just won't take responsibility for their own actions.
That's not even a question.
I am not big on frivolous lawsuits or doctor-basing. Really, so not! But that's just the worst kind of negligence. If the OP wasn't mistaken and it happens again, that person should be reported. It's unlikely that any harm would befall them, but the next woman who asks how to take care of herself and her baby would get an answer and a dietary consult.
Don't blow this out of proportion - the question posed by the OP was very specific and would be referred to a nutritionist/dietician. Your average doc has no clue what your caloric intake should be.
Over-reaction is one of the many root causes driving frivolous lawsuits.
OP - Your body is resilient and can handle a great deal of variation, otherwise entire generations of children would have been lost over the past 2k years and there would be no birth rate outside of Western civilization. Put this into perspective and stay cool. FYI my wife used MFP and kept her calories at maintenance and did TRX pretty much up to delivery. Just listen to your body and don't push yourself too hard.0 -
Whoa no need to attack!! Of course I'm not going to put my weight/vanity over my baby's health! That's why I asked what a healthy goal is! People always say 1800-2000 is "maintenance" but if I eat that much I WILL GAIN. I don't know if my BMR is low or what, but I've been tracking long enough to know that much (I had lost 30lb on mfp before my first pregnancy- I'm not brand new to this) And of course I need to gain weight while pregnant- but I'd like to gain the recommended (for my BMI) 15-25, not 55! I'm going to go to a new OB this time and maybe I'll ask if they have a dietician. Last time she kept saying not to worry about my gain "your body will do what it needs to do". And I tried to eat healthy but eventually I stopped tracking and fell for the "you're pregnant! You deserve a snack!" line too often.
If you're not sure what your maintenance level is, you can just change MFP to maintain your weight and then try to hit that calorie goal.0
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