Pregnant and Maintain Weight

shoshbarb

I was told by my doctor that a woman my size - 5'5" and 110lbs - requires 1300 net cal to maintain weight. So, yes, sorry, I was referring to net calories. I always try to keep my net to 1300 in order to maintain and it works for me.

I feel bad for you maintaining on so little!

No need to feel bad for me. It's a suggested calorie count - nothing tragic!

Only being able to eat 1300 cals would be pretty tragic for me!

This is a completely voluntary suggestion. It's not a cancer diagnosis!

shoshbarb

Do not use anybody's opinion about diet and exercise regimes during YOUR pregnancy. Not only is every person different, every pregnancy is different. You are not dealing with just your health anymore, there is a developing human in there and if you want to do what is best for yourself and it, follow the advice of your physician during regularly scheduled health and pregnancy medical exams.

Random strangers on the internet should not be giving you diet and exercise advice during one of the most stressful medical conditions in the natural world. Talk to your physician and get his or her opinion based on your personalized medical examinations.

Pregnancy is not a medical condition - much more, it should not be a stressful one, but I appreciate your concern. The message board is simply a sounding board. I hardly believe anyone comes here for medical gospel.

shoshbarb

Hi!
I'm 30 weeks and my OB/GYN told me to eat between 1800-2500 calories. Hope that helps.

Thanks! That sounds about right.

shoshbarb

At 5'5" and 110lbs you are already underweight with a BMI of 18.3. You are at a significantly increased risk of miscarriage. Please reconsider your plan to maintain instead of gaining for your first and possibly second trimesters. I had a friend who lost a baby because she didn't eat enough--it was heartbreaking. You can always lose the weight after the baby safely arrives.

BMI is not reliably calculated from a set of numbers off a page. I have been pregnant twice before and carried both babies to term, in addition to maintaining an active lifestyle. I'd say that my body operates just fine at this weight. I will also continue to follow my doctor's advice to maintain until my second trimester.

devil_in_a_blue_dress

1300 to maintain is very low. Enter you stats here and see what the maintenance number is. I would go with that number.

Galatea_Stone

Whichever doctor told you 1300 for a woman who is 5'5" and 110 pounds is not really good at giving nutritional advice. Maybe if you laid in bed all day and didn't move that would be accurate, but even then, it's pushing it.

Up the calories now to around 1600 -1700, which is closer to your maintenance.

Not all doctors who give nutrition advice know what they're talking about. Still others presume people eat more than they think they eat.

TavistockToad

I was told by my doctor that a woman my size - 5'5" and 110lbs - requires 1300 net cal to maintain weight. So, yes, sorry, I was referring to net calories. I always try to keep my net to 1300 in order to maintain and it works for me.

I feel bad for you maintaining on so little!

No need to feel bad for me. It's a suggested calorie count - nothing tragic!

Only being able to eat 1300 cals would be pretty tragic for me!

This is a completely voluntary suggestion. It's not a cancer diagnosis!

wow, way to not have a sense of humour! hangry?

wordyroo

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

This will calculate your TDEE for pregnancy. This already takes into account your activity level, so don't add exercise calories back in. There's also a breastfeeding calculator there for after the baby is born.

BlueBombers

Talk to your doctor

_lyndseybrooke_

I sure hope you're eating back exercise calories and not eating 1300 gross calories per day. Also, you're technically underweight, so you NEED to gain weight during your pregnancy. Think a little less about your weight and a little more about the health of your child.

Holly_Roman_Empire

This thread gives me a sad.

OP, eat every meal, and eat healthfully. Take a prenatal vitamin. Don't worry about how much weight you gain.

I was a healthy weight when I got pregnant and gained 45 pounds. I was all belly, and much of the weight was fluid retention. The truth is, you just cannot restrict calories when pregnant because of what the scale says. You have no idea when the baby is having a growth spurt, you're retaining more water, or your amniotic fluids are increasing.

Even in the first trimester, weight gain is normal and acceptable. For once in your life (especially as an underweight person), you are given free reign to not care what the scale says. Make good choices and continue a fitness regimen and you will be fine.

werdnek

my doctor told me it is not a license to eat. You need only 100 calories more. Furthermore I did not necessarily gain weight between doctor visits. She asked me if I was eating properly and taking my prenatal vitamin pill. I said yes. She said not to worry. I gained 27 lbs. altogether. I had no issue getting my figure back. Because I did pregnancy allowable exercises and I did the exercises that were given to me in the hospital. But better than that - I got the joy of my life - a healthy bouncing baby boy!

Bad news story, when my aunt didn't gain weight the doctor told her to eat more. She opened that jar of peanut butter. Thirty years later and she's still carry all that baby weight.

My mom was not well during her three pregnancies. She started out as a bigger woman. She lost weight each time she was pregnant. All three children are okay - without health issues - and no more than the usual gotta lose 30 lbs. issue with our weight as adults.

Stay normal. You will be okay. I am.

rachelrb85

I'm 5'4 and 125 lbs and losing weight eating 1600 calories. If you are that active and pregnant, you should be eating way more than 1300. I would lean more towards 1800 during the first trimester and 2000-2100 in the second and third. You should really be eating your TDEE if not more. Account for your exercise activities when you calculate it. And don't worry about gaining weight while pregnant. You are growing a human being. You will have plenty of time to lose the weight afterwards.

werdnek

I'm 5 feet 5 inches. and I find 1400 calories is an indulgent life therefore I see 1300 if you are not as liberal as I with the chocolate covered almonds and the Brookside chocolate covered blueberries. Yes 1300 could work easily. I see you are at 110. My proper weight maybe even a little under is 125 pounds. A weight I am happy with is 135 lbs. so 1400 works for me. Actually I'm up 25 lbs - am eating approximately 1400 calories a day and I lost 1.5 pounds in the last two weeks.

It depends on your body makeup - bone structure, muscle mass and of course ladies - your lady parts could mean you have a bit more fat than some - the good kind (smile).

werdnek

oops I mean I can get down as low as 125 pounds living in 800 calories - not sustainable - it was a diet not a development of good eating habits - but man I looked good for my son's wedding! (Smile)

werdnek

rubbish - you will make a fat girl out of her. She knows her acceptable caloried intake - then add no more than 100 calories - this advise was from a PHYSICIAN. I followed that advise and it worked for me.

kiesha22001

Take prenatal vitamins only if recommended by your doctor. I didn't take them because they made me throw up more. I was sick with all 3 pregnancies from 4/5 weeks until 35+ weeks, so it was recommended that I didn't lose more nutrition via vomiting.

I was also told by my doctor that I should only get to the +300 calories in the 3rd trimester. The 1st and 2nd trimester I should eat as I would normally eat. I never hit my calories anyway due to having morning sickness.

Your height and weight is different than mine, so you may be instructed differently than I was.

werdnek

get professional advice re "ballet" exercise - find out which ones are okay while pregnant and which ones to put on hold it after birth. Gotta take care of that new life.

Holly_Roman_Empire

rubbish - you will make a fat girl out of her. She knows her acceptable caloried intake - then add no more than 100 calories - this advise was from a PHYSICIAN. I followed that advise and it worked for me.

Who are you addressing? Physicians know very little about proper nutrition. Eating 1300 calories, she may be fine, or she may not be. I know a girl who at a healthy weight ate 1200 calories her whole pregnancy and only gained 12 pounds. Luckily her baby was fine, but guess what, she wasn't. She lost a lot of muscle and was very weak during pregnancy and after birth.

I guess the message here is to eat more. It's better to put on a little fat and have a healthy baby than risk having an unhealthy mom or baby.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

Your maintenance is NOT 1300, I'd bet money I don't have on that. You are very confused about BMR and TDEE, I think. Educate yourself on those terms, find out what yours are, and you'll see you are able to eat MUCH more than that, and SHOULD, while you are growing a human being inside you. Don't cheat that person out of nutrition they desperately need, just so you don't gain a few extra pounds.

Part of being a mother is making sacrifices for the good of your child, and that means gaining a little weight. Come to terms with that fact and accept it.