weight loss while pregnant

DoingItForME724

I know this topic can be controversial but please no rude comments.....

Here's the DL

I want to know if it is okay to lose weight while pregnant, I know it's possible(consume less calories) but I am wondering if anyone else has lost a significant amount of weight and still had a healthy baby. Baby #3 will be here June 2013 and baby #2 was born June 2012, yes shocking! I want to lose weight because I know it is not healthy to be so heavy while pregnant and well also because i don't want to be so huge any more . I use to eat fast food 5 days per week some time 2 meals a day. I've kicked that and haven't have fastfood in 2 weeks. Also I eat alot of processed and pre made food. I have started to try to eat clean and was wondering if 1500 calories per day would be healthy while pregnant. I am hoping to be no more than 180lbs when I have my baby.

Here are my stats:

age- 23 years
height - 5'2
weight- 198 lbs
BMI 36.2 - Beyond Obese

kristen6022

Ask your doctor...

VanessaGS

I think this is something you need to talk to your doctor about.

Kat5343

Ask your doctor...

Definitely this!! You should get your doctor's guidance on this.

Midnight_Sunshine

You need to talk to your OBGYN


They usually advise against making dramatic lifestyle changes while pregnant like starting a diet or starting to exercise.

But if you have already been eating clean and working out then they will usually say it is okay to continue to do so, at a moderate rate...depending on trimester of course.

But just ask at your next appointment

and congrats!

Goosiesnougs

I do not think that calorie consumption is enough..........But yes, ask the OB.....And congrats!

kimmvpt

You need to talk to DR..If you change your eating from crap to clean eating you will lose weight but still get what you need while pregnant. If its processed don't put in your body or if you can't pronounce the ingredients than don’t put in body. You should keep to 2000 cal while pregant lots greens and low cal meats. Walking is good. Good luck

ChristyRunStarr

You need to talk to your OBGYN


They usually advise against making dramatic lifestyle changes while pregnant like starting a diet or starting to exercise.

But if you have already been eating clean and working out then they will usually say it is okay to continue to do so, at a moderate rate...depending on trimester of course.

But just ask at your next appointment

and congrats!

I agree with everyone else...ask your doctor.

nosey_rosey

I would ask your doctor. I know that losing weight while pregnant is acceptable if you are overweight. I am just not sure about the 1500 calorie thing..... my sister always comes out a few lbs less after pregnancy and didnt get yelled at

itsmyvwbeetle

Definitely ask your doctor. I had gestational diabetes and the diabetic diet I was put on caused me to lose around 25 pounds. The doctor was fine with that loss since it was a healthy, monitored loss (baby was 9 1/2 pounds).

MemphisKitten

I had a friend who was always underweight, and she consumed less than 1000 calories a day during all 4 of her pregnancies. The babies were fine. She suffered the consequences though. The baby will take what it needs from you regardless of what you're eating. But becoming even more overweight could actually be dangerous for the baby, increasing your chances for diabetes and other health conditions. You should talk to your doctor and have him/her refer you to a qualified nutritionist.

Chief_Rocka

*headesk*
*headesk*
*headesk*

andreamelo1

you probably already asked your doctor and he said NO which means a preggo should never loose weight just remember you are not starving nutrients from yourself but from your child can lead to tons of prob including but not limited to low birth weight & down syndrome please reconsider

khara626

1500 calories is NOT enough to fuel your body and the baby's growth. Try instead to focus on managing weight gain during pregnancy. It is NEVER healthy for your baby for you to try to lose weight during pregnancy. If you're obese, then your doctor should be able to reccomend a healthier plan for you, as you don't need to gain AS MUCH weight as a "normal" weight person during pregnancy. I started walking (at a pretty relaxed pace) during my pregnancy, which helped me to be in the habit of exercising when I had my daughter and made it easier to lose weight afterwards. I lost a total of 50+ pounds after I had her, which is about 2x as much as I gained during the pregnancy.

iqnas

This.

Kenzietea2

You absolutely need to talk to your doctor, only he/she can determine if it is okay for you to try and lose (or maintain) while pregnant. In some cases, they will actually recommend it, but I can promise they will tell you that 1500 calories is too low. No judgements here, I thought about it when I got pregnant too. The thought of having to gain weight for most women is scary. But, I gained 40 pounds, had my daughter 2 months ago, and already lost 35 of them. If you gain healthy a amount without using the whole pregnancy excuse and gaining a crazy amount of weight, the weight you gain isn't fat and typically comes off quickly, especially if you breastfeed~! Good luck!

lishaalexis

Please just ask your doctor. If you are really concerned bring it up over and over, they will eventually get the message.

ladyonaquest

With my 2nd daughter, I lost 35 lbs while pregnant, I weight 212lbs prior to getting pregnant and then the day of delivery I weight 177 !!! I was sick the entire pregnancy. I threw up every single day. My doctor was very concerned but she was growing appropriately. We tried everything to help my sickness, nothing worked. She's healthy and is my most athletic child, now 16 years old. With my son, I gained 70 pounds while pregnant and my doctor was very concerned about gestational diabetes, I was put on a diet and lost about 20 lbs prior to delivery! Talk to your doctor. From what I've heard, if you are over weight, you can restrict your calories some to lose a little while pregnant.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I didn't deliberately lose weight while I was pregnant, but it did happen both times. I was eating better/healthier and as the baby was gaining, my body was losing. It wasn't obvious until after I gave birth though - when I dropped the pregnancy weight plus about 15 more in the first 4 weeks post partum

(ie - I was 190 when I got pregnant, and 4 weeks after she was born, I was at 175, and that was with no special effort on my part - just eating smarter)

If you just concentrate on making healthy food choices, and ignore that old 'eating for 2' nonsense, you will be pleasantly surprised.

kimmianne89

Personally I would not cut calories, I would continue to eat good foods and away from processed foods, maybe light walking to be active. Basically just be healthy, you may lose weight just by making these changes anyway but I would not restict calories. Just my opinion. Congrats btw :-)

Mikkimeow

First off, congrats!!!

When I found out I was pregnant in May, my Obgyn told that under no circumstances was I to try and lose weight. I was pissed! I had just lost a significant amount of weight, and I was worried that unless I dropped more pounds, I would have pregnancy complications and a c section. She explained that the idea of losing was cutting an amount of calories from your daily eating to shed excess pounds. When you have a child, eating less than maintaining takes away nutrients that your child needs, leaving the both of you malnourished. No matter what the size, your child feeds off a constant stream of nutrients from your daily diet. She/he cannot eat your extra fat cells! Purposely losing weight while pregnant is dangerous and my Dr. said could result in a miscarriage. On the other hand, she told me that for my size, it was completely fine to do my best to maintain my weight as long as possible. I could continue to work out as hard as I want, (that ended once my stomach started hiding my toes!), eat clean, and only add 300 extra calories a day to my normal diet. You can limit yourself, but I personally believe losing could be bad for your and the baby's health.I would say for your size and relative bmi, you could gain some and not suffer too much. If you had preclampsia or gestational diabetes, that might be a different story. Now, not saying you have to listen to me, just giving my input.

I personally have gained six pounds, am six months pregnant, and I feel great. I have done my best to avoid too many processed foods and work out every day. I can no longer do any heavy stuff, so mostly I just walk and do some hardcore housecleaning. I have done pretty well about not giving into all my cravings, but sometimes I just need a damn donut! Best of luck to you and I hope everything goes well!

rml_16

Ask your doctor...

paxbfl

I would definitely ask your doctor and do what he or she recommends.

Personally, I don't think you should set a goal of a specific weight to achieve after your pregnancy - there's too much beyond your control and more importantly, the baby's health to think about.

Why not just do this: instead of cutting calories, just focus on being as healthy as you can during your pregnancy. Eat healthy foods, stay away from the fast food, junk food and sugar. Nourish your body and your baby. Do some light exercise (again, with your doctor's ok).

When you have the baby, you'll have better eating habits and be in decent shape from the exercise, so at that point you can hit the ground running and get really serious about losing and being healthy for yourself and your family for many years to come.

Kenzietea2

you probably already asked your doctor and he said NO which means a preggo should never loose weight just remember you are not starving nutrients from yourself but from your child can lead to tons of prob including but not limited to low birth weight & down syndrome please reconsider

Down Syndrome is a non hereditary genetic disorder and has nothing to do with what you eat or don't eat during pregnancy.

melduf

I know exactly what you mean. Baby#1 is on the way for the end of June 2013. I was at 191 lbs (5'1'') and I was eating 1400 cal per day before pregnancy. I was loosing weight very, very slowly. Now I'm at 1800 and I can't go bellow that or I don't feel well.

I don't want this pregnancy to be a set back for my weight loss. Still, my baby can't pay the price for it.

I think if you eat really healthy, your weight gain will be normal and you will loose it all at birth and during the feeding (if you do feed).

There is no miracle : fruits, veggies, protein, easy on the carbs, a lot of water. Healthy snacks and no fast food!! There is to much salt in there anyway, you would put yourself at risk for health problems (preeclampsia). And keep moving! take a walk on your lunch time (or whenever you can). I try to take 2 to 3 walks a week and swim once or twice a week. I gained 3 lbs in 8 weeks (at least 1 lbs is at the breast!!)

Good luck!

JessicaJonker

I can relate! I had my first baby July 2011, and am due any day now with my second. I gained 75 lbs. with my first pregnancy (yikes!), lost about 45 lbs., then got pregnant and had to come to grips with the fact that I needed to put a healthy pregnancy before weight loss. It sucks, but true. I tried keeping it to 1500 calories at first because I really wanted to continue a small amount of weight loss, but it wasn't enough after awhile and I found myself hungry all the time. I listened to my body, and I've been keeping it to 1800-2000 cals. per day. I'm happy to say its been a healthy pregnancy, and I've only gained 25 lbs. this time! Listen to your body, listen to your doctor, and just know that you've got to put previous weight loss plans on hold for this baby. Once you have him/her, get back on track with losing weight. I hope everything goes well for you and your baby!

sevsmom

My sis had WAY worse stats than yours with her pregnancies, and the last one she gained like 3lbs and gave birth to a 10 lb baby!! So, as long as you and your doc make a plan for your dietary intake and moderate physical activity, there's no reason you need to gain a ton of weight to support a healthy pregnancy. However, you can't expect to LOSE a bunch of weight while you are growing a brand new person!! You want to be careful and dilgently follow the advice of your healthcare providers!!!

GeorgieLove708

Is it possible? Yes. Is it safe for baby? In most healthy pregnancies, yes. Is it safe for you? No. In healthy pregnancies, the placenta will pull all nutrients it needs from your body regardless of your diet. This means that even undernourished mothers can produce very healthy babies. However it can cause a lot of short and long term damage to you. That said, if it's something you're very concerned with, speak to your OB or midwife and he/she may be able to recommend a calorie intake to help you lose weight without doing yourself damage.
If you focus just on eating healthy, nourishing foods and let your body focus on creating that baby you'll already start changing for the better and you can worry about losing weight after birth.
That said... I did lose 25 pounds with my first pregnancy (she was 7lbs5oz at almost 38 weeks) and 11 with my second (he was 8lbs5oz at over 41 weeks), but that was because of morning sickness with number 1 and the second was because I was a lot more overweight than you (almost 300 pounds) and just eating at a normal, healthy calorie intake caused weight loss.

jlapey

Definitely speak to your doctor about the weight. As for your eating habits, I seriously doubt any doctor would object to you giving up processed or fast foods for more healthy options. Pretty sure that's what is recommended regardless of whether you want to lose weight.

I see no problem in eating healthy and maybe walking. But do not start restricting your calories or start any type of workout routine without a doctor's advice.

whayamean

If you are eating healthy and not starving and lose a little unintentionally there is nothing wrong with that. Some women will lose weight with pregnancy with just the way that your hormones change. I wouldn't make it your main goal to lose weight. You should NOT deprive your body of nutrients while pregnant. No matter if your pregnant or not it's not so much how much you eat but the quality of what you eat. The doctors were so concerned for my sister because she didn't gain ENOUGH weight and both her kids came out perfectly healthy.

SairahRose

I know several people who have all followed medical advice while pregnant and have lost weight. They've delivered healthy happy babies, all naturally. There's even a Weight Watchers section dedicated to healthy choices while being pregnant.
All that happens is that in the beginning, they lose weight, which tapers off to maintaining once they've hit about 7.5 months as the baby is putting on the rest of the weight. It encourages them to only "put on about 28 or so pounds" which is the average amount.. although they end up lighter after that because they're consistent.
However, these are people who are over 230lb, so I don't know about anyone lower than that and can't comment.

Essentially, it's not cutting out a lot of calories, it's just either dropping a fair bit less than the recommended 500 cals from maintaining, or eating at or just under maintenance. Both ways will result in successful weight loss that's healthy to you and the baby.
However, I can't stress enough that it has to be done under medical guidance. The 5 people I know won't be the same as you so it could go a different way.

*hugs*