Calorie deficit while pregnant?

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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Have you calculated your TDEE to determine that 1800 would make you gain?
  • spamarie
    spamarie Posts: 2,825 Member
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    We're very similar. I'm pregnant too but before I fell pregnant I was eating ca. 1300 calories a day (as recommended by my doctor as I'm only 5'2") and lost about weight slowly but surely. When I realised I was pregnant, I went into maintenance mode and aimed for 1800 calories. I soon found out during the 1st trimester it was fairly pointless trying to be super strict though. I had such weird food aversions and cravings and nausea that I just ate whatever I could stomach for the first few weeks. That included lots of fish sticks, vinegar and spinach (not all bad!).

    Now I'm in the 2nd trimester and it's calmed down so I'm eating better but I'm hungrier! So I think I'm probably averaging 2000-2200 calories a day. And yes I've put on weight - about 10 pounds by week 18 so it's not horrendous. I'd like to put on no more than 25 pounds but I'm not sweating it. My midwife isn't concerned about it, so neither am I.

    I'm only growing this baby once. I have my whole life to lose weight once it's born.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,345 Member
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    You need to eat at maintenance during pregnancy, your baby and your body needs the fuel/nutrients...
  • earthnut
    earthnut Posts: 216 Member
    edited August 2015
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    I am newly pregnant with my second too. I set my goal to 1440 calories, which is my best guess at maintenance. (last time I was at 1500 I gained) I will go up to 1700 calories in the second trimester and to 1800-1900 calories in the third, depending on how my weight gain is going.

    I think taking your best guess at maintenance calories is good, but I also wouldn't worry too much in the first trimester. It's normal to lose some weight during the first trimester from calorie deficit due to morning sickness, etc so I wouldn't stress too much about it. I'd worry more about the second and third trimester. That's when the weight really needs to come on.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,934 Member
    edited August 2015
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    .
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    alexroet wrote: »
    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.

    How fast did you gain at 1800-2000 calories?

    Because fat is not fast - lost or gained.

    Merely pointing it out because many will say they had increased level over say a weekend, gained 4 lbs, and think that means their maintenance can't be that high.

    Water weight is though, easily.

    And obviously you are about to have more of it - as described above, something as simple as blood volume.

    Then as you carry more weight, muscles will likely store more glucose for use if you keep up the activity level - that attaches with water too.

    So when you set your MFP goal to maintain - be honest with your non-exercise activity level - if you already have a kid and increased home activity - sedentary is obviously not correct, Lightly-Active would be.

    As suggested above, first tri - eat at maintenance for non-exercise days - and if exercise is light may not need to count it or eat it back. Very minor deficit that way, and mainly from fat-burning level of exercise.
    But if vigorous exercise or long - should log it and eat to new goal, so really eating at maintenance.

  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
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    SLLRunner wrote: »
    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.

    Thank you! She was my motivation to finally tackle these issues. I didn't want her to obsess about her weight the way I did, and the self-criticism for me started around 7 years old. Funnily enough, we eat extremely healthy and she looks just like I did (my mom, and grandmother too) at that age. We just carry a little more weight in the family. Healthy BMIs but "curvier" than a lot of our peers. She is incredibly confident, though. Not at all like I was and I hope that's something I've instilled in her.
    I'm happy to say I'm not starving myself anymore, but it's still a daily struggle to keep up my calories.
  • princesspea234
    princesspea234 Posts: 182 Member
    edited August 2015
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    I was at a 22 bmi when I got pregnant. I was told to eat at maintenance the first trimester and then add 300 calories for subsequent trimesters. That put me at around 1600 for the first trimester and 1900-2100(depending on my weight at the time) for the other two trimesters. I'm up 29 pounds and 40 weeks and 5 days which is within the normal guidelines. I ate well, but definitely had treats and days where I went over. I was more lax than I normally am, but continued to be mindful. Also, take your vitamins and continue exercise, but not to the point of exhaustion. It's so easy to over do it. I had to slow my roll come middle of second trimester. I went from jogging to walking and barre class to prenatal yoga. Exercise throughout pregnancy Is supposed to make delivery easier and it easier to lose the weight/pick up activity again after healing from delivery. (I'll have to see if this is really accurate.) Eat lots of fresh produce, calcium rich foods, lean protein and the occasional treat and you'll be fine. I hate seeing the scale creep up too, but I can make losing the weight a priority when my healthy baby comes. You will too. :) don't worry so much. Just be mindful.
  • alexroet
    alexroet Posts: 65 Member
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    Thanks everyone. I'll calculate my TDEE again and my mfp maintenance. I know I need to focus on baby and I can lose the weight after, and I will. But I'm just hoping to keep it healthy and from being a two year struggle to lose the weight like it was this time
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    alexroet wrote: »
    Thanks everyone. I'll calculate my TDEE again and my mfp maintenance. I know I need to focus on baby and I can lose the weight after, and I will. But I'm just hoping to keep it healthy and from being a two year struggle to lose the weight like it was this time

    Good to hear, Alex. :)

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