apprehensive - weightloss and pregnancy

Lilylove86

So my husband and I have been talking about having a baby for a while and this past weekend we decided that I would get off the pill. I'm super happy about this and cannot wait to get pregnant but at the same time I'm apprehensive.........

I'm at my highest weight now. I've been on MFP for two months but not actually doing it at all so I haven't lost any weight. I know that if I were to get pregnant now, I would weigh over 200 pounds by the time I gave birth which is super scary to me.

I'm debating losing my weight first and then getting pregnant but I know losing weight will take a long time and I dont know how much longer I'm willing to wait for a baby (Yes, I am aware it can take months, even years, to get pregnant).

anybody been in this situation????

vim_n_vigor

You may find losing weight easier off the pill. I got pregnant at over 200 for both my kids. They are wonderful, healthy and happy. You can still exercise and eat well while pregnant too!

Eleisabelle

If you're already overweight, why would you have to gain weight with the baby? I mean, you need to make sure you get the right nutrients, but most doctors anymore do not recommend gaining tons of extra weight just for a baby. You might be able to talk to your ob/gyn about healthy ways to take care of the baby and still actively work not to gain too much weight.

PanteraGirl

I'm trying to have a baby as well.....I'm also trying to lose weight in the mean time.....You don't always get pregnant right away...so I'm just taking it day by day and am getting serious about losing weight...You just have to weigh out what you think is best for you. I know it will take me a long time to lose weight....so I"m just doing both...healthy living and trying for a baby. We chose this path because we didn't want to wait any longer for a child!

Eleisabelle

Here's some information that might help: http://www.babycenter.com/0_plus-size-and-pregnant-how-to-manage-your-weight-during-preg_1313887.bc

camy_chick

it all depends on what your weight actually is. with my 1st baby, i gained around 10 pounds roughly. and with my second, i didn't really gain, i may have actually lost 10 pounds. i was 275-290 during my pregnancies. and the doctor told me that as long as i was eating properly, and getting my vitamins, that it was ok - FOR ME.

what i STRONGLY SUGGEST / RECOMMEND - GO TO THE DOCTOR. talk to him/her about your concerns with weight and pregnancy. the doctor will tell you a recommended weight gain for you during your pregnancy. the more you weigh now, the less they usually want you to gain.

and i say, go for trying to lose weight now, ALONG with talking to your doctor. and when you find out that you are pregnant, maybe again head to the doctor and find out more about weight/food/vitamins. and just make sure then, you put your weight loss on the back burner, and remember to give ALL the nutrients to that soon to be growing baby in you.

hope that helps

Sherronie

Get P90x. I just had a baby and lost 25 lbs in 3 months! It's not as hard as everyone says, but it works. Having a baby when you are overweight not only makes it harder on you, but it increases complications, diabetes and your child is 30 percent more likely to be obese when they grow up. p90x changed my life. It can help you too.

hello_kitty3

My husband and I have been trying to have a baby and I've been on my weight loss journey for the past few months. You can work on losing weight and getting healthy before you get pregnant. The healthier your body is before you conceive the better for your baby. I know people that have continued to lose weight during their pregnancy also so you don't have to gain a lot of weight during pregnancy. Good luck!

tmiqueen

I was about 25 lbs overweight when I got pregnant with my son. The weight practically fell off of me the first few months and scared my doctors. I was eating one extra meal a day, but my metabolism was in high gear. They said I had to eat more and gain by my next appointment or they'd have me hospitalized (they thought I was anorexic).

Keep track of your food with your food diary and just eat like you normally do. That way, if/when your weight melts off, you can show the doctors how much you're eating and what you're doing.

Get into healthy habits while you're pregnant and you can carry them over after you give birth. Ask the doctor what your calorie goal should be while pregnant. You can still do a mild workout and eat healthy which will keep your weight gain minimum and it'll come off quicker when you can finally be cleared for normal eating and exercise again.

crystalgreear

You may want to talk to your doctor about going on the diet for gestational diabetes as soon as you get pregnant. I had a friend who was in the same situation and that is what her doctor recommended. I think he recommended it to prevent gestational diabetes since she had a high likelyhood of having that during her pregnancy but it really helped her eat healthy while pregnant. I think she didn't gain any weight during her pregnancy and then continued to lose right after. Something to think about...

bjhadden

A normal weight gain while pregnant is 15-25 pounds. There are always reasons to not have a baby, so if you really want to have a child. Then go for it and eat healthy while pregnant. I actually lost weight my first few months while pregnant with my third because I was about 10 pounds over weight and I started eating really healthy (veggies, fruit, lean proteins, no soda) and only gained a total of 12 pounds when it was all said and done. After having her I was down 20 pounds within weeks from breast feeding and eating like I did while pregnant. I started gaining weight after a few months of having her because I started eating junk again.

BRANDYLYNETTE

Believe it or not, my sister LOST weight while pregnant. She wasnt trying at all. When she found out she was pregnant....she started eating healthy. Period. It was such a change....that she looked great! SHe was eating salads, chicken, etc....and not living on sweets etc. She did it only for the baby....and she looked better while she was pregant and AFTER. Her baby is now 15 years old....and that was the ONLY time she ate healthy. lol I need to get her on here! Seriously though....eating healthy will help you feel better. She just happend to care about what she was eating when she was pregnant. Pregnancy changes some people. I ate healthy as well....but not to the extent that she did. I stopped drinking caffeine when I was pregnant....for fears that my child would be wild! ha ha Anyway, change your eating habits, and you will lose weight. Pregnant or not. BEst of luck! Hope that helps you!!!! : )

mrsmcconkie

I was 20ish pounds more than I wanted to be when I got pregnant and went up to almost 200 pounds by the end. Now, I figure I'm just going to lose it all at once so that next time around I won't have so much weight to lose. For me, breastfeeding has helped A TON, and it's easy to stay motivated since the pounds are literally melting off. Mind you, I'm working like a dog in addition to breastfeeding, but still. Success motivates me, and losing weight after a baby is, for some of us, hard but not AS hard as losing weight ordinarily. I started MFP not too long ago, so all my weight loss isn't reflected here, but I'm down from 195 to 165 after about six weeks of consciously trying to lose the weight. By spring, I hope to be 135, and I really think I'm going to make it.

My advice? Unless you're severely overweight, have that baby! Aim to gain just 25 pounds (or as little as your doctor thinks you can gain and still have a healthy baby), then go big and lose it all after. Start working out and eating right now simply so you can have those habits established once you are pregnant and trying to achieve controlled, healthy weight gain. As a bonus, eating right and working out can also help you conceive faster. So, I'd say just start living healthy, get pregnant, then take all the weight off after before baby #2 comes along.

Good luck!

megz4987

As long as you stay active and eat well while pregnant, you shouldnt gain too much (aside from the baby and all of their homey needs in your belly, that is). Continue eating well and get moving now and keep with it throughout the pregnancy and you will be ok. I gained 100lb with my daughter because the first trimester really broke me down, I was constantly exhausted and working 2 full time jobs mon-fri.

Take care and good luck

Lilylove86

thank you so much for all these tips!!!!!!! I'm only about 20 pounds over my healthy weight so I'm not severely overweight, just more then I want to be. I gotta say, since making the decision to have a baby (two days ago lol) I've really started eating healthier and watching what I eat. I'm feeling better now about trying to lose weight while trying to get pregnant. =D

Ruchell

Congrats on your big decision! When I got pregnant with my son in Oct 2009 I had been dieting and had lost 20 lbs pretty quickly. Once I got past the morning sickness, the weight came back on so fast it felt like overnight! A family friend who's an OB said he sees that happen all the time with women who were in the process of losing weight. I gained 44 lbs (and passed the 200's) with my little guy and I hit my pre-preg weight right around the time he turned 1. This time around, I'm hoping to be pregnant next year sometime, but I will hopefully hit my goal weight by Xmas, so I'm hoping to have some time practicing eating at maintenance cals before the bun is in the oven. I really can't give you too much advice, because the decision has to be right for you, but I can say whatever you choose you really can't diet during pregnancy, but a general recommendation is that you really only need to eat at maintenance calories your first trimester, add 300-400 cals your second tri and then 400-500 calories your last tri. Having said all that, everything you read will tell you that you might have an easier time getting pregnant if you are closer to healthy BMI. Good luck with whatever you choose!

GreatSetOfBrains

If you're already overweight, why would you have to gain weight with the baby? I mean, you need to make sure you get the right nutrients, but most doctors anymore do not recommend gaining tons of extra weight just for a baby. You might be able to talk to your ob/gyn about healthy ways to take care of the baby and still actively work not to gain too much weight.

Mothers should always gain wt

abeare

I just spent the last two years trying to get pregnant and made many life changes during that time including loosing weight. I found that by simply changing certain lifestyles habits that I had and wanted to rid myself of when baby came was what let me loose 25lbs before I conceived. I quit smoking, started taking vitamins (make sure to get your folic acid in), started working out on a regular basis (that was hard to get into, but I’m glad I actually enjoy it now), and because we were TTC I wasn’t drinking, and was making sure I ate nutrient rich foods. All of these changes were made so that my baby would be healthy and I ended up loosing weight! I also joined a fantastic group of women on here, that helped me understand what it meant to “try” to have a baby and they are all supportive weight loss while trying (studies have shown that a small shift in body weight loss can actually jump start your reproductive system so that it is more efficient, just another reason to loose weight).
The group is called Fit for Future Families, hope they can help and support you as much as they did for me!