due to give birth soon.....

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labberto
labberto Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
hey guys,

Mainly asking for advice, i am due to be induced on 6th november to have my baby (a miracle IVF pregnancy). Now i did MFP before i got pregnant and lost between 16-23lbs, but since i got pregnant i have done no exercise apart from swimming up untill 28 weeks once a week (mainly i was scared to do anything intially as was so scared of miscarrying).

Anyway i will get to my point, i decided to track excatly what i ate yesterday just to seen how much i did actually eat and didnt realise and i ate 2500 cals/day, wayyyyyy more than i need. During this pregnancy i have put on alot of weight (56lbs and counting....).
My question is: i would like to 'train' my body into eating slightly less so i dont have a complete shock when im not pregnant, but i want to balance what calories i need to ensure my baby is ok, and if i breastfeed i dont take anything away from the baby... does anyone know what my calorie intake should be at present?
Im nervous at starting again as no idea how my body will react, but im so ready to start making changes (however small) now, rather than waiting and feeling even worse about myself.
Thanks. :)

Replies

  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    We will need some stats to give you an idea of what you should be eating. Height, current weight, age, activity level, body fat % if you know it.

    As for when you are breast feeding, you shouldn't be eating at a calorie deficit, but really you don't need much more than maintenance level of calories. It's normally anything from an extra 100 - 300 a day, but really the main thing is to have a healthy, balanced diet.
  • labberto
    labberto Posts: 18 Member
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    my stats are: height 5ft 3.5in
    Weight 196lbs
    Activity level: nothing :/ and im 26yrs old..... im also currently anaemic (on iron) so this is making me breathless and tired too.... :) thanks.
  • maracuya23
    maracuya23 Posts: 122
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    Congratulatons!

    The very best thing you can do is ask your doctor what your calorie goal should be.

    You could start getting in the habit of just logging everything (without restricting calories at all, unless your doctor okays it) right now. If it is something of a habit, and you've already loaded a lot of foods you commonly eat, and added your recipes in the recipe builder, it will be much easier to keep up with the logging later.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    I've checked a couple of sites, your TDEE comes out at roughly the same on all of them, around 1960 calories. This is a rough idea of how many calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight, but it doesn't take into account pregnancy, so it will be slightly higher at the moment.

    I would suggest not worrying about counting the calories now, especially being so close to your due date, but you could certainly start weighing and logging and getting used to the process.

    When you have the baby, you will probably need to recalculate your TDEE, then you need to eat at that level plus a little more to account for the breast-feeding.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Basic recommendations during pregnancy are 300 extra calories during the last trimester but you can't really get a BMR or TDEE based on your weight now because that includes the baby plus all the baggage that goes with it which would completely mess up any calculations. Since you are so close to delivery now I'd just be a lot more mindful of what you're eating until a few weeks after delivery when you can get a better idea of what you really weigh without baby and fluids. 500 extra calories a day is the general number to add for breastfeeding.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    Congrats and good luck with delivery! If it makes you feel any better I gained 60 and 8 months out I only have 10 left to lose!
    I'd eat an extra 300 in the last tri and then for breastfeeding an extra 500 over what your net for weight loss would be. For a long time I did 1300+500 and then switched to 1200+500.
  • oiseau17
    oiseau17 Posts: 142 Member
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    Congratulations and don't panic! Remember you're going to lose 10-20 pounds just giving birth. I recommend the book Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding (recommended to me by La Leche League). It will really help you with proper breastfeeding nutrition. And check out the La Leche League forums! The women there are endlessly helpful and tirelessly encouraging. Have a joyous birthing day momma!

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