How to use fitness pal during pregnancy

Mkneedtogetfit

Hello, I used to be obese and managed to get in my normal bmi after losing over 30kg. I am now pregnant with my 2nd baby and have already gained 2.5kg in my first trimester. I know I will put on weight during pregnancy but I am tending to eat lots of junk. I don't want to use pregnancy as an excuse to pile on excess weight. My exercise is also quite limited because of my pregnancy being high risk. My question is how can I best use mfp so that I remain accountable. It gives me weight loss or maintenance calories but I am concerned that the calorie goal may not be enough during pregnancy.

malibu927

Set to maintenance until you speak to your doctor about an appropriate calorie goal/how much you should gain

Purplebunnysarah

For the first trimester maintenance is fine and after that your doctor can give you some guidance. You don't actually need a ton of extra calories in either the second or third either. For many women it is advised to gain 0.5 lb per week in the second and 1 lb per week in the third, but the appropriate amount varies so do confirm with your doctor.

babysaffy

Gave birth last June.
I just used MFP normally with a slightly higher daily calorie goal and managed to maintain a decent weight throughout. Used it mainly to keep track so my eating didn't spiral out of control and was back to pre pregnancy weight in a fortnight or so as I only ended up gaining around 14 pounds in the last few months.

I also still had excess weight from many previous pregnancy to begin with so this was a huge motivating factor lol x good luck with the pregnancy and don't beat yourself up or be too restrictive and you'll be fine.

ped6erzani

I’m in the same boat I’m 29 weeks and I’ve gained between 15-20 lbs so far but I’m overweight. I don’t want to eat uncontrollably ecause that’s not healthy but I also want to get enough to help the development of the baby. Gah I’m terrified.

ashliedelgado

After talking with my OB and agreeing that less than 20lbs would be an appropriate goal, I calculated my sedentary maintenance calories and set that as my goal for each day. If I exercised, I ate every calorie back. If I just wasn't hungry, I didn't force myself to hit calorie goals, and if I ate my goal and was still hungry, I ate. I used my hunger as my guide and gave myself grace for growing a human. I gained 17lbs in total.

Talk with your provider about what a reasonable goal is for you. Don't deprive yourself because what your body needs for baby it is going to take from you - IE calcium from bones and teeth, protein from muscle, etc - if you aren't fueling yourself appropriately.

amgreenwell

I used it for two pregnancies. Set it to maintenance and talk to your doctor about how many calories you should be eating. You'll increase it a bit each trimester but not a truly significant amount. Enough to get an extra apple and peanut butter snack in the afternoon.
Good luck, but it works great and I was able to quickly get back to losing weight again once I had my second baby.

HealthyBodySickMind

I tracked all through my pregnancy (and breastfeeding after). It really helped keep track of carbs when I found out I had gestational diabetes. Anyhow.

I wasn't using mfp for weight control, just measuring how I ate. I basically ate at just above maintenance for the first trimester (and put on just under 5 lbs). In the 2nd and 3rd trimester, I was eating at about 300 cal/day above maintenance, and gaining at a rate of 1 lb per week and 1.2 lb per week, respectively. The first 6 months of breastfeeding, I was eating at about 500 cal above maintenance, and was back to prepreg weight pretty quickly.

That's close to what I found on baby center, with the caveat that of course you'll need to adjust for individual needs: https://www.babycenter.com/eating-for-two