Fitness + Pregnancy = ???

Pepper2185

I'm currently halfway through my first pregnancy.

I was super active, in great shape, and a healthy eater before getting pregnant. It continued right through the first trimester, too.

Now I'm a bit slower, not as active, I eat hamburgers and fries sometimes ... and I'm on track to gain 20 - 25 pounds total. Your body becomes a very efficient machine. Trust it, and let it do its job. You'll be fine.

Your body will change, and that can be hard to get used to at first, but the end result is that you get a baby out of it, dropping those last five - ten pounds will be the least of my worries.

But it is true: healthy before = healthy after (and a more likely bounce back after birth).

steph124ny

Exercise is very good for you during pregnancy and makes labor easier. If you eat healthy, you will probably only gain 20-25 pounds. Of course, about 8 pounds of that is baby, and you lose a ton of fluid weight at birth as well. Just keep things low impact. Swimming felt awesome when I was pregnant because it was the only time I didn't feel so weighted down. Once the baby is born, you can take walks, swim, etc...with the baby right there with you. I even saw a lady on the news this morning showing exercises to do with your baby to stay fit. I think she was Nikkifitness or something like that.


Oh yeah...edited to add that you should breastfeed. It's great for your baby, and you'll drop weight quicker. It's really hard, but if you get the support you need, you should get pretty good at it in a few weeks time.

Hope this helps!

KrisyKat

WOWZERS....you folks are so AWESOME!!! Thanks for all the thoughtful advice and well-wishes

SheilaSisco

As long as you continue to eat healthy and exersize, you'll be fine. I did the same thing with my son. When I left the hospital, I was 10lbs lighter than my starting weight. This may not be true for everyone. I was told you only need 500 extra calories a day, so just keep being healthy.

I'll definitely stay as healthy as possible. I hear that the "cravings" are tough though :laugh:

I think cravings are an urban legend. I didn't have any weird cravings. I didn't overindulge on fried food, fast food, or ice cream. If you are eating healthy now, you'll want to eat healthy while pregnant as well.

Not trying to be mean, but craving are most definitely NOT an urban legend. However, some women happen to not get them while other get horrible off the wall ones. You must have been one of the former. When I was pregnant with my daughter I ate a LOT of chicken. Not really an odd craving, but I did want it an awful lot. With my first son I had no cravings and pretty much ate as I normally did. When I got pregnant with my youngest it was frozen pepperoni pizzas and mexican food ALL the time. Every woman is different and every pregnancy is different. I was also pregnant one other time... I miscarried that one, but in the first few weeks I craved bananas something fierce, which was weird for ME, because bananas usually make me gag. lol I've also known my fair share of women got got the 'out there' cravings. The most bizarre by far was my sister. When she was pregnant with her twins, she craved deep dish pepperoni pizza covered in Hershey's syrup. Made me nauseous just thinking about it, but she had it several times through her pregnancy and ate it quite happily **shudder*

Usually cravings are your body's way of telling you that your diet is missing some key vitamin or mineral and the craving for a certain kind of food will fulfill that need. Listen to that craving, within reason (lol), and you should be great. Just don't go overboard with it. Those women who don't get cravings? ... My guess is they are eating awesome diets that aren't lacking in ANYTHING and I have much respect for them.

OP, good luck with your plans! I hope it all goes well! I plan on trying in Sept, so maybe we'll be pregnant around the same time!

MzMandi1025

I walked a lot during my pregnancy. I wasn't in very good shape when I got pregnant, but I managed to only gain 15 lbs throughout my pregnancy. Keep eating healthy. I was very picky about what I ate for the first 2 trimesters. It wasn't until the 3rd trimester that I started to relax & indulge a little bit. Even after the baby is born, keep eating right. I lost 40lbs after having my daughter, but then put all the weight back on plus some when I went back to old eating habits.
If you're already exercising, keep it up during pregnancy. I was starting to exercise when I first got pregnant. I wish I had stuck with it because it would have been easier to continue after I had my daughter. Now, she's 3 1/2 & I'm having to start all over again.

MzMandi1025

Usually cravings are your body's way of telling you that your diet is missing some key vitamin or mineral and the craving for a certain kind of food will fulfill that need. Listen to that craving, within reason (lol), and you should be great. Just don't go overboard with it. Those women who don't get cravings? ... My guess is they are eating awesome diets that aren't lacking in ANYTHING and I have much respect for them.


This! I wasn't a steak eater until I got pregnant. I would seriously go to a steak house & order chicken. Then I developed a HORRIBLE steak craving. I couldn't satisfy it. They did blood work & discovered I was anemic. So I had to take iron supplements that made me feel like crap.

chastityp22

I heard from some that you shouldn't diet while you are pregnant. So, does this mean I should change my goal to "maintain" instead of losing 1 lb a week? I am 75 lbs overweight for my height. Last time I was pregnant I gained only 15-20 lbs. I am planning to get pregnant so I just want to make sure that when I am, I don't harm the baby by not eating enough. But I figured, my extra weight can support the calories I would need as long as the calories I do eat are from a healthy nutritious menu.