First time "expecting"... NEED advice!

VegKellyRN

Hey all!
I'm 11 weeks pregnant with my first baby. While this may sound trivial and silly, I'm terrified of gaining too much weight and losing my body I've worked so hard for. Little backstory - I lost 60 pounds with proper diet and exercise over the course of a couple years. Last year I hit my goal weight and was published in 2 popular women's fitness magazines. Dream come true! Then I got married and we decided to try to start a family. First try and BAM! Pregnant! I'm ecstatic but also down-right terrified. I've been down the road of weight loss before and it's HARD. I've gained about 3-4 pounds in the last 11 weeks and while that may not sound like a lot... I can SEE and FEEL the changes. My definition is fading quickly and my clothes aren't fitting. I know this is normal in pregnancy. I'm trying to nourish my body properly but my energy level is deplorable. My gym sessions went from 5 times a week to maybe 2 recently. I'm exhausted!

I'm looking for advice from women have also been down this road or maybe who have felt what I'm feeling. I want to get over this fear and embrace this pregnancy without hating my reflection.

pinuplove

At 11 weeks you should soon turn the corner on the first trimester tiredness. Second trimester is fun! You get to feel the baby move, find out if it's a boy or girl (if you want) and get your baby belly (which I hope you love, but I know changing shapes can be disconcerting). Congratulations!

marieamethyst

Congrats! I continued to use MFP during my last pregnancy to track my intake and exercise, and was able to keep my weight gain to 23 lbs. It was definitely hard to watch the number go back up after working so hard to make it go down. As long as you keep the gain to what you need, it should mostly fall off after birth. Enjoy yourself and the experience, and it should get better in the next few weeks. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

GemstoneofHeart

I was so tired during my first tri. Like I would get home from work at 5 and go straight to bed! Around 15 weeks, I got all my energy back and was very active with walking throughout my entire pregnancy. Hopefully you are almost done with the fatigue!
I have 2 pieces of advice: first stay as active as you can so when you hit 6 weeks postpartum and your dr gives you the green light for activity, you can get back into working out quickly. Second, you will have cravings in the 3rd tri that you will not be able to control easily. I craved PBJ sandwiches like crazy and had about 2 a day. Don't beat yourself up too much about it, but do try to eat a very balanced meal as often as you can to keep you full on fiber and other healthy stuff. Then when the cravings hit, you won't need to eat as much (like I did) because hopefully you'll already be full!
Enjoy this time and congrats, it's seriously one of the best experiences and worth every single pound you might (or might not) gain!

GemstoneofHeart

Oh might I also add to always pack lots of healthy snacks like raw fruits and veggies, hummus, etc and snack on it regularly throughout the day. My bff is 30 weeks and she so far has been successful with keeping cravings down by snacking healthy all day!

lanyavikins

We're on the same boat I'm almost 25 weeks pregnant now, have been very careful and nervous on weight control, now waiting for the first glucose challenge test in 2 weeks. I find MFP (+Fitbit) very helpful! I think weight is not the only marker. It's really the nutrition structure and metabolism balance that matter for mothers and babies health, and that varies a lot among people. My first trimester was with a lot of symptoms and I didn't get much weight, but as going through the 2nd, I got starving so easily (some times it could be just mentally wanting sweets rather than body actually need it). Let's support each other!

sardelsa

Congrats on your pregnancy!
I know the feeling. I had lost the weight from my first pregnancy, bulked, cut.. was finally the happiest I had been with my body and two weeks later I found out I was pregnant with #2. I was a little worried I wasn't going to get my body back. I thought "oh I am going to keep lifting, be so active".. but first trimester I was so sick, I had no energy, plus I was looking after a toddler.. I was beat and definitely wasn't as active as I hoped. But second tri came around, I got my energy back and I was in the gym again. I ate what I wanted, I continued to lift, keep active and once baby came I made it a priority to not put pressure on myself and take care of my family and let my body heal. Once my milk supply was established and I was cleared to workout again, I took it slow.. lost the baby weight over 7 months while lifting weights and I would say I pretty much have my body back. Of course after carrying two babies, my body has obvious changes, but I think I look even better than before

VegKellyRN

Ladies... THANK YOU!! I will put those tips into action and pray my energy returns soon. That's been the hardest part.. i'm such a go-getter and a beast in the gym but lately... no thank you!