Pregnant and maintaining fitness?
brittanystebbins95
Posts: 567 Member
I found out I was pregnant yesterday and had it confirmed today.
I haven't met with the OBGYN yet but I talked to her on the phone today.
She strongly encouraged me to continue lifting weights and running. Thank goodness for that!!
I've currently bumped my calories back to maintenance for the first trimester.
How big of a deal is it if I DON'T eat all of them? Especially the exercise calories back?
It's not that I dont want to, I just cant. I'm not that hungry and I feel like I'm gonna make myself sick.
I know that it's normal for women to sometimes lose weight during the first trimester because of morning sickness, and so far I've gotten nausea on occasion but no vomiting. So maybe I'm worried over nothing?
I will call my OB again tomorrow but just wanted some insight. This is my first pregnancy so I'm going into this basically blind and I just want to do what's best for my baby.
I haven't met with the OBGYN yet but I talked to her on the phone today.
She strongly encouraged me to continue lifting weights and running. Thank goodness for that!!
I've currently bumped my calories back to maintenance for the first trimester.
How big of a deal is it if I DON'T eat all of them? Especially the exercise calories back?
It's not that I dont want to, I just cant. I'm not that hungry and I feel like I'm gonna make myself sick.
I know that it's normal for women to sometimes lose weight during the first trimester because of morning sickness, and so far I've gotten nausea on occasion but no vomiting. So maybe I'm worried over nothing?
I will call my OB again tomorrow but just wanted some insight. This is my first pregnancy so I'm going into this basically blind and I just want to do what's best for my baby.
11
Replies
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First of all congrats! I just had my first baby in April so i remember those conversations in the early appointments. I was told to do the best i can with the calories but don’t stress too much. Baby will get the nutrients he/she needs from you. In extreme cases you would be the one not getting enough nutrients. Feel free to message me at any point
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First of all congrats! I just had my first baby in April so i remember those conversations in the early appointments. I was told to do the best i can with the calories but don’t stress too much. Baby will get the nutrients he/she needs from you. In extreme cases you would be the one not getting enough nutrients. Feel free to message me at any point
Thank you!! ♡1 -
Agreed with the previous reply. Nature has it arranged so that, except in severe cases, baby gets what baby needs. Additionally, in very early pregnancy the placenta isn't even fully formed yet. The corpus luteum is still providing everything the baby needs.
Good (and adequate) nutrition is of course important for both of you to remain as healthy as possible, but plenty of healthy babies had mommas who substituted on the saltines-and-sprite diet their first trimester 0 -
Congrats!
Honestly.. it is hard especially in the first trimester. I had the worst morning sickness with all three of my babes especially my third. You have to just do your best. I didn't track at all so I have no idea how much I was eating.
I lost a bit of weight at first. However it all caught up during second and third when I got my appetite back and my body caught up. I gained a healthy 30lbs total.2 -
Agreed with the previous reply. Nature has it arranged so that, except in severe cases, baby gets what baby needs. Additionally, in very early pregnancy the placenta isn't even fully formed yet. The corpus luteum is still providing everything the baby needs.
Good (and adequate) nutrition is of course important for both of you to remain as healthy as possible, but plenty of healthy babies had mommas who substituted on the saltines-and-sprite diet their first trimester
I did not know that! Interesting. About the corpus luteum, I mean.
And good! That makes me feel so better about not hitting my calorie goal. I'm counting myself lucky with the nausea but I haven't had much of an appetite, and the bloating does not help.1 -
Congrats!
Honestly.. it is hard especially in the first trimester. I had the worst morning sickness with all three of my babes especially my third. You have to just do your best. I didn't track at all so I have no idea how much I was eating.
I lost a bit of weight at first. However it all caught up during second and third when I got my appetite back and my body caught up. I gained a healthy 30lbs total.
Thank you! It's going to be hard learning how to be gentle with myself if I am not feeling up to it. I've always been a "mind over matter" person. In a "I'll stop when I'm done not when I'm tired" kinda way.0 -
Congrats!! I personally was sick to my stomach all 9 months of pregnancy for all 6 of my kids. I had hyperremesis and wasn't able to gain much weight, keep much food down, or do much exercise. I still had all healthy full term babies.2
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Chef_Barbell wrote: »Congrats!! I personally was sick to my stomach all 9 months of pregnancy for all 6 of my kids. I had hyperremesis and wasn't able to gain much weight, keep much food down, or do much exercise. I still had all healthy full term babies.
That's awful that you went through that but I breathed a sigh of relief reading it. I worry about the smallest things and if I'm so much as 100 calories under now it stressed me out, lol2 -
I just want to say congrats and good luck! I had a coworker who struggled with nausea throughout her whole pregnancy, that poor woman. Her baby was just fine!0
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RelCanonical wrote: »I just want to say congrats and good luck! I had a coworker who struggled with nausea throughout her whole pregnancy, that poor woman. Her baby was just fine!
Thank you!0 -
Congrats!! How exciting!
Pregnancy is such a fascinating process - I loved growing tiny humans, my body didn’t always agree though.
Baby will get what baby needs, even if they rob it from your body
I had a friend that threw up nearly all 9 months of her pregnancy. I was nauseous the first little bit with two of mine, but never sick. For my last pregnancy I had a super restricted diet because my one year old had sever food allergies and was still exclusively breastfed due to her throat being so swollen... I think I survived on chicken and rice. I lost weight, gained the lowest amount out of all my pregnancies, then my son was born a whopping 2.5 lbs bigger than his siblings at 9lbs 9oz. so he obviously was able to get what he needed 
And I was able to stay active through my entire first pregnancy, it was nice! Just remember that ligaments will be looser (your body prepping for delivery) so injuries can happen much more easily and without you even realizing it sometimes. I know “back then” (wow, 12 years ago!) it wasn’t advised to do things like yoga for that reason. Not sure what they say nowadays.0 -
brittanystebbins95 wrote: »I found out I was pregnant yesterday and had it confirmed today.
I haven't met with the OBGYN yet but I talked to her on the phone today.
She strongly encouraged me to continue lifting weights and running. Thank goodness for that!!
I've currently bumped my calories back to maintenance for the first trimester.
How big of a deal is it if I DON'T eat all of them? Especially the exercise calories back?
It's not that I dont want to, I just cant. I'm not that hungry and I feel like I'm gonna make myself sick.
I know that it's normal for women to sometimes lose weight during the first trimester because of morning sickness, and so far I've gotten nausea on occasion but no vomiting. So maybe I'm worried over nothing?
I will call my OB again tomorrow but just wanted some insight. This is my first pregnancy so I'm going into this basically blind and I just want to do what's best for my baby.
Congratulations, all this stuff is stuff to discuss with your OB though. Everyone is different, you haven't even done your blood work doc always knows best apposed to opinions/ personal experiences as everyone is different.
If it helps though... my wife lost weight during pregnancy and didn't gain allot, doc advised that your body will take from fat storage to feed the baby so it's normal to lose some if you're not consuming enough and it won't effect the babies development/ growth. If you're super tiny though with no fat storage then might not apply to you (see the everyone is different thing)
Congratulations again, my daughter is the best thing in the world next to my wife and couldn't be happier!!1 -
Congratulations! As you said, it is very normal for pregnant women to feel too sick to intake a lot of calories for periods of time. So just stay in touch with your OB as you already stated. Also try eating calorie dense foods. A suggestion to me while I was pregnant was to eat nuts, nut butters, and other higher fat items to help with morning sickness. Shockingly it worked. So calorie dense foods might help you eat more calories and control nausea.
Some general morning sickness tricks that worked for me which I learned from experience and talking with other women:- Eat some sort of carb as soon as you wake up. It doesn't have to be large, but just get something in your stomach.
- No matter how nauseous you are, don't let yourself get too hungry. Morning sickness can actually be triggered by hunger.
- On the flip side, don't get overly full because that also triggers the nausea :facepalm:
0 -
It depends on your starting weight how much your doctor will advise you to gain throughout the pregnancy, discuss your specific goals with your doctor.
It sounds to me like you are being sensible. Make sure you get started in a prenatal multivitamin asap (lots of important things are forming right now for baby and you want proper micros to support that!) and drink plenty of water.
I tracked on MFP pretty consistently through my entire pregnancy. Caloric needs for the baby aren't very high in the first trimester, its a small little bean right now. I also set to maintenance in the first trimester and didn't bump up much until 3rd. I didn't experience a whole lot of appetite increase until 15-20 weeks with my pregnancy, but get ready for some funky cravings to head your way
, I was lucky and mostly craved citrus, oranges and pineapple don't destroy your calorie goal too easily.
Most doctors say to continue your workout routine as normal as long as you are comfortable. The biggest things are to stop if you are getting too hot, you do not want to over heat while pregnant, and make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Aside from the couple weeks I had more severe morning sickness I was able to continue exercises I enjoyed until about 5 months, then I had to scale back. Just listen to your body and do what you feel is right for you.
Lastly, try not to hyperfocus on your weight, you will see explainable weight gains during pregnancy - there is alot more going on than simple fat gain so do not think of it like you do normal weight gain and loss. Just make the best choices you can and go with the flow.
I found this post super helpful if you want a good read:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10176233/gaining-weight-during-pregnancy-and-losing-it-post-partum
Take it easy and best wishes to you momma!0 -
moonangel12 wrote: »Congrats!! How exciting!
Pregnancy is such a fascinating process - I loved growing tiny humans, my body didn’t always agree though.
Baby will get what baby needs, even if they rob it from your body I had a friend that threw up nearly all 9 months of her pregnancy. I was nauseous the first little bit with two of mine, but never sick. For my last pregnancy I had a super restricted diet because my one year old had sever food allergies and was still exclusively breastfed due to her throat being so swollen... I think I survived on chicken and rice. I lost weight, gained the lowest amount out of all my pregnancies, then my son was born a whopping 2.5 lbs bigger than his siblings at 9lbs 9oz. so he obviously was able to get what he needed
And I was able to stay active through my entire first pregnancy, it was nice! Just remember that ligaments will be looser (your body prepping for delivery) so injuries can happen much more easily and without you even realizing it sometimes. I know “back then” (wow, 12 years ago!) it wasn’t advised to do things like yoga for that reason. Not sure what they say nowadays.
Interesting! I did not know about the ligament thing. It makes sense, though. Thank you!!0 -
Tedebearduff wrote: »brittanystebbins95 wrote: »I found out I was pregnant yesterday and had it confirmed today.
I haven't met with the OBGYN yet but I talked to her on the phone today.
She strongly encouraged me to continue lifting weights and running. Thank goodness for that!!
I've currently bumped my calories back to maintenance for the first trimester.
How big of a deal is it if I DON'T eat all of them? Especially the exercise calories back?
It's not that I dont want to, I just cant. I'm not that hungry and I feel like I'm gonna make myself sick.
I know that it's normal for women to sometimes lose weight during the first trimester because of morning sickness, and so far I've gotten nausea on occasion but no vomiting. So maybe I'm worried over nothing?
I will call my OB again tomorrow but just wanted some insight. This is my first pregnancy so I'm going into this basically blind and I just want to do what's best for my baby.
Congratulations, all this stuff is stuff to discuss with your OB though. Everyone is different, you haven't even done your blood work doc always knows best apposed to opinions/ personal experiences as everyone is different.
If it helps though... my wife lost weight during pregnancy and didn't gain allot, doc advised that your body will take from fat storage to feed the baby so it's normal to lose some if you're not consuming enough and it won't effect the babies development/ growth. If you're super tiny though with no fat storage then might not apply to you (see the everyone is different thing)
Congratulations again, my daughter is the best thing in the world next to my wife and couldn't be happier!!
I know I plan to ask her ALL the questions. Just kinda wanted to get some advice from other people who have gone through it or have other experience. Thank you! 0 -
Congratulations!!!
My wife stayed at maintenance and fueled her TRX workouts up until the day before delivering. Just anecdotal evidence, but your plan is sound. Just keep your medical providers aware and even show them your MFP data. Medical professionals do much better with data rather than subjective feelings.
Medicine is much more engineering than science and there is no absolute answer due to genetic variability (and several other factors). Continue to work with your OBGYN and if you make changes, make small changes.1 -
Congratulations! As you said, it is very normal for pregnant women to feel too sick to intake a lot of calories for periods of time. So just stay in touch with your OB as you already stated. Also try eating calorie dense foods. A suggestion to me while I was pregnant was to eat nuts, nut butters, and other higher fat items to help with morning sickness. Shockingly it worked. So calorie dense foods might help you eat more calories and control nausea.
Some general morning sickness tricks that worked for me which I learned from experience and talking with other women:- Eat some sort of carb as soon as you wake up. It doesn't have to be large, but just get something in your stomach.
- No matter how nauseous you are, don't let yourself get too hungry. Morning sickness can actually be triggered by hunger.
- On the flip side, don't get overly full because that also triggers the nausea :facepalm:
I hadn't thought of nuts/nut butter! I may have to go out and get some almond butter and apples/bananas then.
Thank you for the tip! I already get nausea with hunger so that will be interesting lol0 -
4legsRbetterthan2 wrote: »It depends on your starting weight how much your doctor will advise you to gain throughout the pregnancy, discuss your specific goals with your doctor.
It sounds to me like you are being sensible. Make sure you get started in a prenatal multivitamin asap (lots of important things are forming right now for baby and you want proper micros to support that!) and drink plenty of water.
I tracked on MFP pretty consistently through my entire pregnancy. Caloric needs for the baby aren't very high in the first trimester, its a small little bean right now. I also set to maintenance in the first trimester and didn't bump up much until 3rd. I didn't experience a whole lot of appetite increase until 15-20 weeks with my pregnancy, but get ready for some funky cravings to head your way, I was lucky and mostly craved citrus, oranges and pineapple don't destroy your calorie goal too easily.
Most doctors say to continue your workout routine as normal as long as you are comfortable. The biggest things are to stop if you are getting too hot, you do not want to over heat while pregnant, and make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Aside from the couple weeks I had more severe morning sickness I was able to continue exercises I enjoyed until about 5 months, then I had to scale back. Just listen to your body and do what you feel is right for you.
Lastly, try not to hyperfocus on your weight, you will see explainable weight gains during pregnancy - there is alot more going on than simple fat gain so do not think of it like you do normal weight gain and loss. Just make the best choices you can and go with the flow.
I found this post super helpful if you want a good read:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10176233/gaining-weight-during-pregnancy-and-losing-it-post-partum
Take it easy and best wishes to you momma!
Thank you!! I've been taking a prenatal for close to a year... super good for hair 0 -
Congratulations!!!
My wife stayed at maintenance and fueled her TRX workouts up until the day before delivering. Just anecdotal evidence, but your plan is sound. Just keep your medical providers aware and even show them your MFP data. Medical professionals do much better with data rather than subjective feelings.
Medicine is much more engineering than science and there is no absolute answer due to genetic variability (and several other factors). Continue to work with your OBGYN and if you make changes, make small changes.
Thank you!!1 -
Congrats!!! Just sent you a FR. Feel free to join our 'Fit, Fabulous, and Pregnant' group too!
I think normal varies far and wide for calories during pregnancy. I ate at maintenance until 20 weeks and then bumped up by 350 at 20 weeks, but spoke with a prenatal nutritionist about it. I am currently set to gain a pound a week, but not eating up to my number daily and haven't been doing +1/week like I'm supposed to. My midwife monitors baby's growth and size though and said that since he's measuring big/ahead it's all good- some women just gain like crazy and others struggle to gain at all. Pack in all the extra nutrients you can and remember that baby takes what they need and it's your bones/ body that will struggle if you're not getting in enough micronutrients. The only chipped tooth I've ever had happened 6 months into nursing my first son and it could just be coincidence, but I sure did wish I'd been better about my prenatal when that happened...1 -
You can eat at maintenance and a small surplus +250-300 later as needed. Maintain strength training and activity to tolerance as it will help when you deliver and recover afterwards.0
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