Pregnant and trying to maintain...

kspool0626

Since I started my pregnancy overweight my Dr. said my goal should be to gain 15-20 lbs by the end. I am at 26 weeks and up 15 lbs. So I thought tracking my food might help...but Im starving!!! I put in "maintain my weight" on my profile and it says to eat 2300 calories which seems like a lot...Im wondering if I should be adding more because of burning more from the pregnancy. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

sryan8408

Talk to your doc

erickirb

if your are in your second or third trimester you should add about 300 cals to maintain as your body burns around that much more so your maintenance would be that much higher.

This is what our doc told my wife, we had our son 13 months ago (almost 9 lbs, and she only gained 25ish and was normal weight to begin with)

MercenaryNoetic26

I was wondering about this because I'm trying to conceive myself. I'm thinking make sure you get the right amount of nutrients for you AND your baby. I think you can stay within a certain caloric range and acheive this and both be very healthy after birth. If I get preggers, I'll need a whole new group of friends up in here! LOL

supertracylynn

On/Gyns are a great source of information and much more reliable sources than an online forum of random people with different backgrounds and professions.

For your health and that of your baby's, ask your doctor,

iHEARTcardiacnurses

Your doctor will likely tell you that pregnant women require about an extra 300 calories a day to sustain a healthy pregnancy leading to a ~3 lb/month gain.

kateroot

I agree with PP. When a pregnancy is involved, all of your diet and fitness questions should be run by your doc before you ask any of us

LabRat529

Since I started my pregnancy overweight my Dr. said my goal should be to gain 15-20 lbs by the end. I am at 26 weeks and up 15 lbs. So I thought tracking my food might help...but Im starving!!! I put in "maintain my weight" on my profile and it says to eat 2300 calories which seems like a lot...Im wondering if I should be adding more because of burning more from the pregnancy. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

If you are starving, EAT.

And eat the 2300 calories even if it seems like a lot.

And talk to your doctor.

You're growing a person inside of you. Stay healthy, but don't obsess over staying 'thin'.

MrsTomkins

I was in the same position when pregnant.. I wasn't trying to lose weight while pregnant, but trying to not get out of control. It is a great idea to track your food.. but do it on a pregnancy related site.. I used babyfit..

check it out.. it is geared for your situation and will give you a much better idea on what to be eating nutrion wise

Megan2Project

You wanna add about 300 extra cals per day for pregnancy! You'll be burning extra cals anyways.

With my last pregnancy, my end weight was the same as my start weight!

CMmrsfloyd

Some women maintain their weight throughout their entire pregnancy, some even lose weight due to extreme nausea and vomitting problems from the pregnancy hormones, but I would not attempt to maintain in the second and third trimesters unless your dr. is specifically okay with it. Typically the second and third trimesters are when you really need to be gaining weight. Of course weight requirements vary from person to person, especially considering your starting weight when you got pregnant, but still. I would talk to your dr. about your concerns and maybe even ask if they can refer you to a nutritionist or registered dietician of guidance in healthy weight management for you and your specific situation. There's also more than just your weight to consider - you need to be mindful of specific nutrient requirements (vitamins, protein, etc). MFP gives starting points for nutrient suggestions but they are not designed specifically for pregnant women. I'd ask your dr (or a nutritionist/dietician specializing in pregnancy) what you personally should be shooting for. You can tweak MFP recommendations to mirror your personal needs for pregnancy. If you get some concrete suggestions from your dr. (or nutritionist/dietician) you can come back to MFP and make your settings match up with those goals. MFP can be a really great tool for you to track your needs, but you might want to make sure you know what those needs should be. :-)

Also, if you search, there are some groups of ladies on here that are currently pregnant that might be some really great support for you. :-)

ETA: Also, keep in mind you're going to drop at least 10 lbs the day of delivery (baby + placenta + fluids) so remember that your 'weight gain' is not as much as it seems like. Try not to stress too much b/c you drop a big chunk immediately just giving birth.

bethdris

I gained 37 pounds during my pregnancy and enjoyed every calorie of it...now' I've lost all that plus a lot more! Enjoy,...in moderation!!

Tori_356

I would talk to your doctor to find out what you should and how much you should be eating. They will know best for you and your baby. Congrats and good luck!

Rae6503

I agree with 300 OVER your maintenance. So yes, eat 2600 calories. OR eat until you are satisfied and don't worry about weight gain and/or calories.

Fat is easy to lose. Babies are hard to grow. (Adapted from my current motto of "Fat is easy to lose. Muscles are hard to gain.")

M3CH4N1C

I would go to naturalnews.com and search their site for pregnancy diet. You will find a slew of articles and information that is cutting edge in regards to diet health for pregnant women. And of course talk to your doctor, but I doubt they will say to not eat more vegetables, but ya never know.

Ebbykins

I gained 37 pounds during my pregnancy and enjoyed every calorie of it...now' I've lost all that plus a lot more! Enjoy,...in moderation!!

Hehe, I gained 75 lbs with my first, lost it in 3.5 months (maybe too early, because we wound up pregnant again at 3.5 months PP) and gained 45 lbs with my second, lost it in 6 months +10 lbs extra. My youngest is turning 3 December 15th and those be me in the profile pictures. I ate a pint of Haagen Daz every day for the last 3 months of my second pregnancy, it ended up costing me well around $400.00 in ice cream for 3 months. :O LOL. But I enjoyed every bite, had a healthy baby boy and set goals for afterwards with non food rewards. I say eat until your full, when you want, as much as you want and worry about the rest later. But hey that's just me.

Rae6503

I gained 45 with my last pregnancy. He was just over a year when that abs photo in my profile was taken.

yoshi91610

I was also over weight when I got pregnant, but I only gained 22lbs. I ate what I wanted when I wanted it. Which was usually Lay's BBQ chips and KFC (although I hate KFC, i had the strongest craving for it) I lost my pregnancy weight in a few months after giving birth. I agree with everyone talk to you doctor, but I wouldn't obsess over food too much, eat when your hungry, and if you are worried about some food just try to find healthy alternatives.

Rae6503

I once went to KFC and got mashed potatoes and potato wedges. I only got chicken because I felt obligated to do so.