hello, new member! and advice, please. :)

apbraden

Hi ladies, so excited to have found this group. I've been googling stuff like crazy and finally thought, maybe there are pregnancy-diet resources on MFP? so thanks for being here.

I have a 16-month old son. I gained about 45 lbs with that pregnancy, which I'm trying to avoid this time around. Just found out I'm pregnant again.. I see my doc on Monday to confirm, but I'm going to estimate that I'm 4-6 weeks.

I've been using MFP to lose weight for several months now. I was on 1200 and then 1500 calories a day. That was for 1.2-1.5 lbs loss/week. I think that I should really eat more than that for this pregnancy, but I don't want to overdue it, either. In my "goals," MFP estimates my daily calorie level for zero-lbs lost/gained is 2080 (so that's maintenance?). Should I aim for that, less, or more?

Also, I did ask my OBGYN about this the first time. she told me to figure out my maintanance calories and add 300 to it. So she wasn't any help at all in helping me figure out what that would be.

(background: I think docs would consider me technically obese because I weigh a lot, right now 205 at 5'8", but I think it's a lot of big bones and stuff because I still manage to wear a size 10-12 and people are always shocked that I weigh over 200.)

thanks so much!

TLCEsq

I think it's different for everyone but I have read and heard that you don't need to add anything until the second or third trimester. Check out this calculator, it's awesome and breaks it out:

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

I have eaten at maintenance pretty much my entire pregnancy (29 weeks) and my weight gain is right about on target. I was slightly overweight when I got pregnant (BMI of 28). When I had bad morning sickness I wasn't eating the best of foods, but I also stayed active. My advice to you is to eat when you're hungry, don't go overboard and get in as much activity as you can! Also be kind to yourself... sometimes pregnancy weight gain has a mind of its own no matter what you do. I am up 6 pounds just from last week and have no clue why LOL.

lovelyrose11

I started out at 198 which is obese for my height so I have had my calories set to "lose 1/2 lb per week." I am currently 37 weeks and have still gained a healthy 19 lbs. I agree with the above that it is not necessary to eat extra calories during the first trimester and a lot of women tend to lose weight in the begining. But, everyone is different.

apbraden

Thanks so much, ladies. that calculator was great, gave me (with little exercise) a target of 2100, which is about MFP's maintenenace estimate, so I think I'll stick to that, with no extra, for now, and see how it goes.

good luck to everyone!