Pregnant. Hunger has increased massively. How to cope?

MushroomLadyJR

Hi all,

Quick background: Lost 140lbs to get in the upper normal bmi more than 4 years ago.
Maintained within 10 or so pounds but made it to 15 earlier this year. I got back on the wagon to lose a bit more...then fell pregnant.

Since then I've been eating at maintenance or (some days) well above.

I've increased my protein intake considerably by re introducing meat back into my diet. However, it doesn't seem to be working as far as quelling hunger goes.

I get these incredible hunger pangs most of the day, worst in the afternoon. It's like nothing I've experienced. Im wondering if anyone has any tips on dealing with this?

MushroomLadyJR

Forgot to mention, I'm 10 weeks.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

ashliedelgado

Ask your provider for a referral to a dietitian with specialty experience in pregnancy.

In general, you've gotta play around a little bit to find out what works for you. Maybe protein doesn't really do it for you. Maybe bulk will keep you full - like fiber from big veggie salads.

I'd definitely make sure you are hydrated. Pregnant or not, if I have not had enough to drink I have this bottomless pit uncontrollable feeling that makes me want to eat my own hand.

All the rules kind of go out the window when you're pregnant - after losing 80lbs I thought I had a good hold on how to take care of myself and what my body needed this last time around. I was very much mistaken. I think for where you're at, aiming for maintenance is a good idea. Just try to play with macros to figure out what keeps you feeling full.

Also, I snacked on dry honey nut cheerios when I was pregnant. They're delicious, and a pain to pick up with your fingers, so it slowed me down

Good luck, and congrats!

puffbrat

I agree with the poster above.

Fats like peanut butter and cheese really helped my hunger (and nausea) when I was pregnant. You might have to eat small snacks throughout the day to control hunger rather than relying on more traditional large meals.

Asher_Ethan

I logged 90% of my last pregnancy (November 2017 baby) and those hunger signals are like none other (correction - breastfeeding was even worse... Sorry)
I set my diary to gain .5 pounds a week the second I got second trimester, 1 pound a week the second I hit the 3rd trimester and 2 pounds a week for the last 2 weeks just to give myself a little treat hahaha.
I also got hungry in the afternoon/evening the most. I would eat very little in the morning (eating crackers was the only thing that cured my morning sickness) and eat all my other calories in the afternoon/evening to manage my weight gain properly.
I gained the least from this pregnancy than any of my other pregnancies and I know it's because of logging (3 kids)

I hope this helps!

enterdanger

Congrats on your pregnancy. Honestly, I was so sick when pregnant with my first two babies that I ate whatever the hell I wanted with the 3rd one. That's probably why I'm back on here. lol. I agree with the poster who said to make sure you drink enough. I was always thirstier when expecting. Have they done any bloodwork yet to check your basic nutrient levels? I was iron deficient with my first and I remember being hungrier with him than the other two.

MushroomLadyJR

Really great advice, thanks so much!

I'm in the UK, I see the midwife again in 2 more weeks. I'll ask her about this as well.

As for fat, I've been getting about 50-60 grams a day.

@Asher_Ethan that sounds like a good plan... especially the last 2 weeks lol

MushroomLadyJR

enterdanger wrote: »

Congrats on your pregnancy. Honestly, I was so sick when pregnant with my first two babies that I ate whatever the hell I wanted with the 3rd one. That's probably why I'm back on here. lol. I agree with the poster who said to make sure you drink enough. I was always thirstier when expecting. Have they done any bloodwork yet to check your basic nutrient levels? I was iron deficient with my first and I remember being hungrier with him than the other two.

Thanks!
It's possible I'm anemic again. I have been incredibly fatigued, but blame that on lack of sleep. I take the pregnancy vitamins which contains iron regularly as well.
The midwife is going to give me the results from blood/urine tests when I see her next.

Asher_Ethan

Hahaha the last month of pregnancy always feels like a year. I was going to enjoy half of my last month of pregnancy!

MushroomLadyJR

Can't edit previous post on this phone...just checked, fat is actually higher, more like 70-80 last few weeks. Thinking I need to try reducing fat, increasing fiber perhaps.

kimothyschma

MushroomLadyJR wrote: »

It's possible I'm anemic again. I have been incredibly fatigued, but blame that on lack of sleep. I take the pregnancy vitamins which contains iron regularly as well.
The midwife is going to give me the results from blood/urine tests when I see her next.

Unfortunately, chronic fatigue might be your new normal. I was never very hungry when I was pregnant, but I was tired ALL. THE. TIME.

If you wanna eat high fat, eat high fat. Follow your cravings. There is no satisfaction in life greater than appeasing a pregnancy craving. Enjoy it because I swear after the baby is born, food stops tasting as good! Good luck!

shaumom

Congrats on the pregnancy!

Some ideas-
First- if hungry, eat what you are craving right now, while getting as many nutrients as possible, especially now, because having a ‘set’ amount of calories right now is actually not as good.

Because every baby is different, and every mom is different. Like, mom can be pregnant with twins and needs more calories, or have a larger than average baby, or mom could be deficient in a nutrient or two so needs a bit extra food right now, all sorts of things that are individual and can make you extra hungry, you know?

One last thing- might be useful to get a celiac blood test. It can go undetected until tested for but can cause huge hunger and nutrient deficiencies. Some experts want it added to the regular screening preggo moms get but that hasn’t happened yet. Might be worth checking though- that is what Inhd when insanely hungry and insanely fatigued during early pregnancy. :-)

firlena227

Congratulations MushroomLady I can only really comment from my own experience (31 weeks preggers atm) but I was also craaaazy hungry to begin with... just wanted to eat ALL. THE. CARBS.! Also I found that snacking was the only way (for me) to keep the morning sickness aka afternoon sickness (& total knackeredness!!) at bay (hiding out in the staff kitchen shoving digestive biscuits down myself lol) But after a couple of months the crazy hunger settled down to a more normal level. I still logged everything & yep I was going over maintenance pretty much every day (tended to go a bit nuts when not logging) but trying to eat plenty of fruit & veg & good stuff as well... low fat cottage cheese or greek yoghurt are good protein sources you can snack on.
So far I havent really gained loads of excess fat as far as I can tell, although I have struggled with seeing the scales going up again (lost around 3 stone a couple of years ago & been maintaining since) even though I know that's ridiculous as it's literally baby weight!
Be kind to yourself & as someone above said, everyone is different & has different needs, hopefully you have a lovely midwife you can speak to about it too.
(Sorry for the rambly post!)

12Sarah2015

I got very hungry in the first twelve weeks with both my children but then it subsided. Eat if you have too. Also iron deficiency can make you really hungry, so eat plenty of red meat(like double what u r used too)

solieco1

I was starving for first 12-14 weeks then fine until the last 2-3. My body wanted calcium in foods, greens, cheese, dairy seemed to help a lot.

alicebhsia1

MushroomLadyJR wrote: »

Hi all,

Quick background: Lost 140lbs to get in the upper normal bmi more than 4 years ago.
Maintained within 10 or so pounds but made it to 15 earlier this year. I got back on the wagon to lose a bit more...then fell pregnant.

Since then I've been eating at maintenance or (some days) well above.

I've increased my protein intake considerably by re introducing meat back into my diet. However, it doesn't seem to be working as far as quelling hunger goes.

I get these incredible hunger pangs most of the day, worst in the afternoon. It's like nothing I've experienced. Im wondering if anyone has any tips on dealing with this?

my advice would be to just choose healthy foods and avoid junk/processed/ high fat foods in large quantities. you and your baby's health is more important than not gaining a few extra pounds. that being said, make sure to get enough nutrition and especially extra calcium as the baby will suck it all right out of your bones and teeth. think low fat cheese and skim milk or lots of dark leafy greens that have calcium in them. don't worry so much about gaining weight if you plan on breastfeeding after because that will slim you down considerably after if you don't overeat. my ex-husband brought me home a pint of ben n jerry's ice cream every night for my second child and i gained like 75 pounds during my pregnancy but it all came off and more with breastfeeding and a little exercise so don't worry about gaining weight, just take care of yourself extra special right now and congratulations!

MushroomLadyJR

Thanks everyone!
Today was another rough one. I'm planning my food diary better for tomorrow. Going to start the day with porridge, banana, and blueberries.
I'm also going to try snacking more often, maybe raw carrots.

I'm so happy I asked for advice on here. I feel relieved to know that this is normal. Whenever I read about first trimester symptoms it's always about morning sickness, painful boobs, heartburn, etc. Very little on hunger. I thought perhaps I was a freak!