So confused about calories!

catbrand

I've lost 91lbs since joining MFP and learnt so much about nutrition it's unbelievable, but I have to admit, now I'm pregnant, I'm absolutely stumped!

I've been away from MFP for about 6 months and inevitably gained a little weight back, but since falling pregnant, I've gained 14lb in 14 weeks which is why I'm back, to try and gain some control over my weight gain. I understand that I can't aim to lose weight and that I should be eating about 200 calories a day extra to sustain the pregnancy, so I've set my activity level to lightly active (I have a job where I'm standing most of the day, plus a 7 year old to look after) and then set my goals to gain 0.5lbs a week. Does that sound OK? Should I be eating back my exercise calories, I only log exercise which is extra to my daily activities, so walking doesn't count, but a workout video does etc.

I really don't want to gain any more weight than is necessary, so any help would be great!

Thanks!

ehimay10ins

i met with a nutritionist last week (was free as a referral from my OB).

my original concern was going from 1400 to 1900 calories a day. She confirmed that I should be eating that much.

she told me not to lose weight and that I dont need to eat my exercise calories.

does that help?

kcasey155

Your settings and exercise log sounds about right to me, presuming you are at a healthy weight/BMI.

awolf2011

Being pregnant and watching your calories can be a challenge. I tried very, very hard for the first 5 or so months, but then it got to the point where I still felt like I was starving. I made good choices and only gave into my cravings every once in awhile. I was walking 20 min/3x per week up until last week when my back started to get sore. I'm 32 weeks 5 days today. My calorie intake is about 2000 calories right now and most of the time I go over by a little. I'm trying not to dwell on it though and I'm still conscious of what I'm eating, so I feel good about it. I'm not tracking EVERYTHING, but still keeping up with MFP. Once my baby is born, then I have to try to figure out the breastfeeding calories though I'll be exclusively pumping, so that's the next challenge.

kristinc06837

I had the same problem trying to figure out mine at the beginning of my pregnancy. I started out very over weight which is somthing to keep in mine for me I put my calories at maintenance mode and was still gaining a bit too much so I went off of my my Basal Metabolic Rate plus 250-300 Calories. I normally eat back most if not all my exercise cals. I found this website to be extremely helpful if finding the right balance

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm

I also found this one which gives you a road map of what a healthy weight gain over pregnancy invaluable!
http://www.kidspot.com.au/weightgain/pregnancyweightgain.asp

Hope this helps!

spunkychelsea

I had quite the shock at the dr's office today. I don't think she can be right! I'm still nursing my 9 month old and am 2 months pregnant. She told me to eat 500 calories for BF and an extra 300 for pregnancy. I was like...eh? I've lost 59 lbs since I was 41 weeks pregnant (46 gained during pregnancy and another 13 trying to get to a healthy weight - finally got there and got pregnant!). So I Went from eating like 1700 calories to she tells me to like 2400! Holy crap. I mean, I can totally eat that much, that's how I got fat before kids, but seems like a lot. I too don't want to gain more than I need to. I don't want to have to lose it again. But I do want a healthy baby and not to lose my milk yet. Sigh. This guessing game is HARD

kcasey155

You may or may not need to extra 300 for the baby too. I would try and work out what your current maintenance is but experimenting a little. You know what you've been doing to lose weight and keep up your milk supply, so now you need to keep up your milk supply and not lose weight. At two months pregnant you shouldn't be gaining that much baby weight yet, so give yourself 4 or so weeks to find your maintenance. Then by the time you get to 20 weeks you should probably gain at least half a pound to a pound a week, though not necessarily evenly every week. Good luck and congrats on baby #2!

Ooo, just wanted to add, make sure you're taking a good daily multivitamin to make sure your keeping up with the amount of good stuff going out!