Caloric intake for preggers
Replies
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My sex doesn't prevent me from knowing about erectile dysfunction and other such male related issues. The fact that I have never dealt with any of them and do not study them to a high degree gives me the idea that I should not open my mouth and give advice. I do not see your level of education being of much help to this woman, and it was solidified by your persistent need to cut down what these women who have had children, some of them while overweight and obese, have said. You are not helping the OP in any way by continuing to behave like this.0
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I've got to be honest, the responses to Bumbeen's posts have be fairly rude and ignorant. Dismissing him because he's male and never been pregnant is ridiculous.
There is nothing wrong with eliminating grain during pregnancy as long as the women is still consuming the necessary nutrients. Bumbeen is right that grain is a nutritional weakling compared to other foods. My wife didn't, she likes bagels too much, lol. If I was pregnant (no thanks - lol) I would skip the grain as much as I could and stick to meat, dairy, fruit, veggies and nuts. Although if I suffered from morning sickness I would probably eat grain, especially after seeing what my wife went through and how crackers were often the only thing she could stomach.
Seriously, no need to respond to Bumbeen's post so aggressively, I thought his posts were polite and respectful.
Ultimately, it pays to be extremely careful. My personal belief is that she should eat at maintenance or potentially eat if she's hungry and then monitor her weight gain. If she's gaining too much, reduce intake. That is how my wife's doctors worked with her and many other women I know during their pregnancy.0 -
oh one more thing... perhaps the OP should consider seeing a dietician. Some docs are woefully under trained when it comes to nutrition. A dietician can devise a diet that works for the OPs current weight/health levels and factors in the needs of the baby both before and after birth.0
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My sex doesn't prevent me from knowing about erectile dysfunction and other such male related issues. The fact that I have never dealt with any of them and do not study them to a high degree gives me the idea that I should not open my mouth and give advice. I do not see your level of education being of much help to this woman, and it was solidified by your persistent need to cut down what these women who have had children, some of them while overweight and obese, have said. You are not helping the OP in any way by continuing to behave like this.
OP has already been helped, they should listen to their doctor, not some forum. I am trying to argue a point here, and that point is that fat loss while pregnant is not a bad thing.
Because they seem to think that an extra slice of cheese pizza is going to make or break a pregnancy. Cheese pizza isn't exactly the bastion of nutritional fortitude. I should hope this is self-evident.Why do you think you have greater knowledge on the specific nutritional requirements of pregnancy than an entire thread full of women who have been pregnant, plus the advice of their respective medical professionals?
They also stated pregnancy is not a time for fat loss, which I already showed is false. Their doctors already recommend fat loss during pregnancy if they start out at a BMI over 30.0 -
My sex doesn't prevent me from knowing about erectile dysfunction and other such male related issues. The fact that I have never dealt with any of them and do not study them to a high degree gives me the idea that I should not open my mouth and give advice. I do not see your level of education being of much help to this woman, and it was solidified by your persistent need to cut down what these women who have had children, some of them while overweight and obese, have said. You are not helping the OP in any way by continuing to behave like this.
OP has already been helped, they should listen to their doctor, not some forum. I am trying to argue a point here, and that point is that fat loss while pregnant is not a bad thing.
Because they seem to think that an extra slice of cheese pizza is going to make or break a pregnancy. Cheese pizza isn't exactly the bastion of nutritional fortitude. I should hope this is self-evident.Why do you think you have greater knowledge on the specific nutritional requirements of pregnancy than an entire thread full of women who have been pregnant, plus the advice of their respective medical professionals?
They also stated pregnancy is not a time for fat loss, which I already showed is false. Their doctors already recommend fat loss during pregnancy if they start out at a BMI over 30.
Who's doctors? My obgyn, dietitian, and midwife agreed that I (my BMI is 35) should not be losing weight, but gaining at a steady and healthy rate. I do not appreciate your generalized statements about these "women" and "doctors" I haven't seen a shred of evidence behind anything you have said.0 -
Who's doctors? My obgyn, dietitian, and midwife agreed that I (my BMI is 35) should not be losing weight, but gaining at a steady and healthy rate. I do not appreciate your generalized statements about these "women" and "doctors" I haven't seen a shred of evidence behind anything you have said.
How much weight did they say you should gain, or what is the range?0 -
I was not given a specific amount to gain. As long as my blood pressure was great and I was gaining at a rate of less than two pounds a week, (I am now at two pounds a week) then I was given the okay. I am allowed to eat 2200-2600 calories a day depending on my exercise amount. I eat less grains, less processed foods, and was a given a specific protein, fiber, and carb daily amount to meet.0
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I was not given a specific amount to gain. As long as my blood pressure was great and I was gaining at a rate of less than two pounds a week, (I am now at two pounds a week) then I was given the okay. I am allowed to eat 2200-2600 calories a day depending on my exercise amount. I eat less grains, less processed foods, and was a given a specific protein, fiber, and carb daily amount to meet.
So your upper limit is 64 pounds. 8X4X2. Those doctors sound wild!
edit:
this is where I got that information http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy-weight-gain/PR00111
Overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9) 15 to 25 pounds (about 7 to 11 kilograms)
Obese (BMI 30 or more) 11 to 20 pounds (about 5 to 9 kilograms)
These recommendations necessitate fat loss for BMI over 30 and necessitate either fat loss or no fat gain for overweight women.
edit2: and my supposition, that reducing calories by 140, not eating that slice of cheese pizza, will take you from 11lbs gained to 0lbs gained. If this sounds like it's going to cause problems for the fetus to you, then I give up.0 -
Yeah, I'd like to add that I did get better nutritional advice from my midwife to manage my anemia, have a high protein intake and eat antioxidants to keep my skin healthy and flexible. She had me keep a food journal. For me she had me eating grains without limit. For a friend of mine she was limiting grains for her particular case. For me she was focused on high nutrition because of the vomiting. And she was not concerned about my weight gain because of how slender I am.
With my doctor the advice was eat whatever I didn't throw up and don't gain a lot of weight.0 -
Well I should have gone to bed an hour ago so here is a riddle:
If you're obese, and even overweight, your doctor already recommends fat loss during pregnancy. I'm sure someone will figure this out before morning.
And I refuse to engage with white knights who provide no science. At least make an appeal to authority or something.
Are you a MD? A fellow of the ACOG?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
I am on my second pregnancy. I was overweight/borderline obese the first time. My OB, who, by the way, is a MD and a fellow of the ACOG, advised me NOT to lose weight. She said I needed 200-300 calories above maintenance for my pre-pregnancy weight. My sister and SIL went to her for the five pregnancies between them and both were obese for all five pregnancies. I assure you, they were never advised to LOSE weight. (ETA that all five pregnancies, plus one of mine, resulted in healthy, full-term babies, including a set of twins who were born at "term," since that has a different meaning with multiples. The remaining one is my current pregnancy.)
That said, if a doctor DID advise that a pregnant woman lose weight, certainly s/he would be monitoring the baby's growth on a more regular basis than s/he would for other women with normal pregnancies. No woman should take on that agenda on her own.
A biochemistry degree is all fine and good, but you are not an OB or even a MD. As such, please refrain from attempting to override the advice we were all given by medical professionals.
How much weight did you gain during that pregnancy? Was it under 25lbs? If so then you lost fat.
This is incorrect - approximately 5lbs of that 25lbs of gained weight are additional fat gained for delivery and breast feeding - for a woman to actually lose fat during pregnancy based solely on pregnancy weight gain the figure would be more in the limited gain of 15 lbs to 20 lbs - which is acceptable for some doctors for some pregnancies for highly overweight women.
But you are wrong, in the general case a small deficit of a 140 calories (your pizza slice) is actually a NET deficit of 400-700 or so of NEEDED calories for the development of the pregnancy.
A couple of things I have seen that are incorrect in this thread:
A baby does not suck up iron - the supplemental iron need is locked up in the addition 4-5 lbs of blood supply for nutrient transport. Hemoglobin production binds iron pretty much irreversibly.
You stated "It is incorrect to state a calorie deficit is not appropriate for pregnancy" - your statement is incorrect or at best poorly worded - a calorie deficit from the TDEE of the women pre-pregnancy would be catastrophic for the pregnancy. Even the smallest recommended gain during a pregnancy of 10-20 lbs represents about 200-300 calories over maintenance if if was just fat weight gain (most major gain is usually seen ib a 6 month period - do the math). However, given the actual metabolic changes - high cellular synthesis, protein turn-over, hormonal fireworks - the actual needs are closer to double or triple that. And slightly more important than calories are micro nutrient needs - gaining a few pounds over the recommended weight is less of an issue than not gaining enough and assuring these needs.
You should give up because a pregnancy with zero gain - as you suggest a few posts up - results not only in risks of premature birth and low birthweight babies (which have a higher risk) and are clearly a sign of undernourished/malnourished during pregnancy.
edit2: and my supposition, that reducing calories by 140, not eating that slice of cheese pizza, will take you from 11lbs gained to 0lbs gained. If this sounds like it's going to cause problems for the fetus to you, then I give up.0 -
1000 cals is not healthy for anyone.
1400 is not healthy for pregnancy.
Please talk to your OB or midwife to find a healthy number, because those are WAY WAY WAY too low.
A healthy amount to gain during pregnancy is 15-25lb for overweight women, 25-35 for average women, and 28-40 (or more!) for petite and underweight women.
You are growing a human being, and that takes a lot of work. PLEASE EAT MORE!!!!
And for the record, ACOG does NOT RECOMMEND weight loss during pregnancy, so there should NOT be any calorie deficit.Weight loss is not recommended during
pregnancy, even for those who are overweight
or obese. Prenatal weight gain should follow
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines:
• 25-35 lbs. for women of normal weight
• 15-25 lbs. for overweight women
http://mail.ny.acog.org/website/FinalObesity.pdf
EDITED TO ADD:
Oh, and since some people seem obsessed with credentials, I'm a Certified Doula and a midwifery student. So yes, I do know a thing or two about pregnancy. Not to mention being pregnant twice.
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1000 cals is not healthy for anyone.
1400 is not healthy for pregnancy.
Please talk to your OB or midwife to find a healthy number, because those are WAY WAY WAY too low.
A healthy amount to gain during pregnancy is 15-25lb for overweight women, 25-35 for average women, and 28-40 (or more!) for petite and underweight women.
You are growing a human being, and that takes a lot of work. PLEASE EAT MORE!!!!
And for the record, ACOG does NOT RECOMMEND weight loss during pregnancy, so there should NOT be any calorie deficit.Weight loss is not recommended during
pregnancy, even for those who are overweight
or obese. Prenatal weight gain should follow
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines:
• 25-35 lbs. for women of normal weight
• 15-25 lbs. for overweight women
http://mail.ny.acog.org/website/FinalObesity.pdf
EDITED TO ADD:
Oh, and since some people seem obsessed with credentials, I'm a Certified Doula and a midwifery student. So yes, I do know a thing or two about pregnancy. Not to mention being pregnant twice.
How can a pregnant woman gain 15lbs and not lose any fat. That is impossible.0 -
Last I checked we're not your doctor.0
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Please talk to your OB/GYN hun, it's your safest bet and they will know what is right for your specific needs
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1000 cals is not healthy for anyone.
1400 is not healthy for pregnancy.
Please talk to your OB or midwife to find a healthy number, because those are WAY WAY WAY too low.
A healthy amount to gain during pregnancy is 15-25lb for overweight women, 25-35 for average women, and 28-40 (or more!) for petite and underweight women.
You are growing a human being, and that takes a lot of work. PLEASE EAT MORE!!!!
And for the record, ACOG does NOT RECOMMEND weight loss during pregnancy, so there should NOT be any calorie deficit.Weight loss is not recommended during
pregnancy, even for those who are overweight
or obese. Prenatal weight gain should follow
the Institute of Medicine (IOM) guidelines:
• 25-35 lbs. for women of normal weight
• 15-25 lbs. for overweight women
http://mail.ny.acog.org/website/FinalObesity.pdf
EDITED TO ADD:
Oh, and since some people seem obsessed with credentials, I'm a Certified Doula and a midwifery student. So yes, I do know a thing or two about pregnancy. Not to mention being pregnant twice.
How can a pregnant woman gain 15lbs and not lose any fat. That is impossible.
Depends on the size of the baby. Some healthy babies are 6 lbs at birth, others are 12 lbs.... A small baby obviously needs less amniotic fluid, less fat stores to insulate the mother's belly (less surface area), a smaller placenta, and less caloric intake, than a larger baby. Therefore, 15 lbs could be a healthy gain for a small baby. And if a woman is already overweight, she doesn't need to put on the extra fat stores (to insulate/cushion the belly), so that's about 7-9 lbs she doesn't need to gain, since she already has that.
Besides, I don't think anyone has said that a woman CAN'T lose *fat* during pregnancy, but rather that she should not ATTEMPT to lose weight, and should not be having any kind of calorie deficit. For instance, if a woman has hyperemesis gravidum, they may lose weight due to not keeping anything down. BUT that woman will also be on an extremely high-calorie diet to get in as many nutrients as possible, and will likely be on bedrest, possibly in the hospital. Just because women DO lose weight in pregnancy, doesn't mean every overweight woman SHOULD lose weight in pregnancy. That should never be the goal during pregnancy.
My sister, who is clinically obese, always loses weight when she's pregnant. Her midwife is not concerned as long as the baby is growing well (which they do!) and she is taking in the proper amount of calories per day (I don't recall what it was for her). She ate well--low sugar, high protein, healthy fats, etc.--but she had horrible morning sickness, and she lost weight. But that should never be the GOAL during pregnancy.0 -
When I was pregnant I had gained 24 pound at 24 weeks of pregnancy. I was 176 at 24 weeks. I started eating a Paleo diet, but did include dairy. It is similar to eating clean. Lots of protein, eggs, meat, nuts, fruit and veggies. I ate as much as I needed to be satisfied. I only tracked a few days for the sake of knowing how much I was eating, and it typically was about 1800-1900 calories/ day. I did not gain any weight from 24 weeks to 34 weeks, and then gained about 4 pounds in the last 5 weeks.
I know you should not "diet" when pregnant, but if eatin protein, fruit and veggies is bad for my baby that is crazy!! Just make healthy choices and avoid simple sugars like desserts. I also cut out all breads, pastas, rice, etc.
I am happy to say I lost all of the baby weight in 8 weeks, and now an additional 13 and the baby is 4 months old. It was very helpful to not put on 40-50 pounds during pregnancy, which was where I was headed!!
If you have any other questions I would be happy to answer them for you 0 -
I cut out simple sugars and grains completely from week 24 on. Fruit has sugar and is a fine carb source. Veggies even have some sugar. Your body can break down just about anything into an energy source. I do not advise eating considerably less than your daily needs, but cutting out sugar and grains is just fine!! If eating protein, dairy, veggies and fruit is bad for a baby that is crazy talk. This is the healthiest diet I believe one can follow. A patient with gestational diabetes would follow a similar diet!!0
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OP congrats on your baby!
And my advice, for what its worth, is to set your goal to maintenance and focus carefully on meeting micro nutrient goals (not just macro nutrients) UNTIL you can get in to see an OB and/or nutritionist who SPECIALIZES in the care and feeding of overweight pregnant ladies. Most good sized towns have someone who does it. I know around here there is one of each.
And once again, congrats and best wishes for a healthy baby AND mommy.0 -
Well I should have gone to bed an hour ago so here is a riddle:
If you're obese, and even overweight, your doctor already recommends fat loss during pregnancy. I'm sure someone will figure this out before morning.
And I refuse to engage with white knights who provide no science. At least make an appeal to authority or something.
Are you a MD? A fellow of the ACOG?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
I am on my second pregnancy. I was overweight/borderline obese the first time. My OB, who, by the way, is a MD and a fellow of the ACOG, advised me NOT to lose weight. She said I needed 200-300 calories above maintenance for my pre-pregnancy weight. My sister and SIL went to her for the five pregnancies between them and both were obese for all five pregnancies. I assure you, they were never advised to LOSE weight. (ETA that all five pregnancies, plus one of mine, resulted in healthy, full-term babies, including a set of twins who were born at "term," since that has a different meaning with multiples. The remaining one is my current pregnancy.)
That said, if a doctor DID advise that a pregnant woman lose weight, certainly s/he would be monitoring the baby's growth on a more regular basis than s/he would for other women with normal pregnancies. No woman should take on that agenda on her own.
A biochemistry degree is all fine and good, but you are not an OB or even a MD. As such, please refrain from attempting to override the advice we were all given by medical professionals.
How much weight did you gain during that pregnancy? Was it under 25lbs? If so then you lost fat.
Nope, I gained 65. But thanks for playing.0 -
Well I should have gone to bed an hour ago so here is a riddle:
If you're obese, and even overweight, your doctor already recommends fat loss during pregnancy. I'm sure someone will figure this out before morning.
And I refuse to engage with white knights who provide no science. At least make an appeal to authority or something.
Are you a MD? A fellow of the ACOG?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
I am on my second pregnancy. I was overweight/borderline obese the first time. My OB, who, by the way, is a MD and a fellow of the ACOG, advised me NOT to lose weight. She said I needed 200-300 calories above maintenance for my pre-pregnancy weight. My sister and SIL went to her for the five pregnancies between them and both were obese for all five pregnancies. I assure you, they were never advised to LOSE weight. (ETA that all five pregnancies, plus one of mine, resulted in healthy, full-term babies, including a set of twins who were born at "term," since that has a different meaning with multiples. The remaining one is my current pregnancy.)
That said, if a doctor DID advise that a pregnant woman lose weight, certainly s/he would be monitoring the baby's growth on a more regular basis than s/he would for other women with normal pregnancies. No woman should take on that agenda on her own.
A biochemistry degree is all fine and good, but you are not an OB or even a MD. As such, please refrain from attempting to override the advice we were all given by medical professionals.
How much weight did you gain during that pregnancy? Was it under 25lbs? If so then you lost fat.
Nope, I gained 65. But thanks for playing.
Too much, 40lbs max recommended for underweight women
Being pregnant is a good excuse to pack on mass though....... I wish I could get pregnant.0 -
Well I should have gone to bed an hour ago so here is a riddle:
If you're obese, and even overweight, your doctor already recommends fat loss during pregnancy. I'm sure someone will figure this out before morning.
And I refuse to engage with white knights who provide no science. At least make an appeal to authority or something.
Are you a MD? A fellow of the ACOG?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
I am on my second pregnancy. I was overweight/borderline obese the first time. My OB, who, by the way, is a MD and a fellow of the ACOG, advised me NOT to lose weight. She said I needed 200-300 calories above maintenance for my pre-pregnancy weight. My sister and SIL went to her for the five pregnancies between them and both were obese for all five pregnancies. I assure you, they were never advised to LOSE weight. (ETA that all five pregnancies, plus one of mine, resulted in healthy, full-term babies, including a set of twins who were born at "term," since that has a different meaning with multiples. The remaining one is my current pregnancy.)
That said, if a doctor DID advise that a pregnant woman lose weight, certainly s/he would be monitoring the baby's growth on a more regular basis than s/he would for other women with normal pregnancies. No woman should take on that agenda on her own.
A biochemistry degree is all fine and good, but you are not an OB or even a MD. As such, please refrain from attempting to override the advice we were all given by medical professionals.
How much weight did you gain during that pregnancy? Was it under 25lbs? If so then you lost fat.
Nope, I gained 65. But thanks for playing.
Too much, 40lbs max recommended for underweight women
Being pregnant is a good excuse to pack on mass though....... I wish I could get pregnant.
Thanks for the medical advice and telling me it was an "excuse to pack on mass." That's totally what I was going for. I had no idea that I shouldn't have gained that much, really, until you told me that.
Have a good day!0 -
Thanks for the medical advice and telling me it was an "excuse to pack on mass." That's totally what I was going for. I had no idea that I shouldn't have gained that much, really, until you told me that.
Have a good day!
Let me apologize, I thought your previous tone was antagonistic as per the rest of the responses to me in the thread.0 -
Thanks for the medical advice and telling me it was an "excuse to pack on mass." That's totally what I was going for. I had no idea that I shouldn't have gained that much, really, until you told me that.
Have a good day!
Let me apologize, I thought your previous tone was antagonistic as per the rest of the responses to me in the thread.
I'm not offended - I let things roll off my back - I apologize if I sounded antagonistic earlier, but I was completely serious. Clearly we disagree, so let's leave it at that! Frankly I have bigger things on my plate today (no pun intended) than continuing an argument, and I'm sure you do, too.0 -
ok i dont like that people are getting flustred i just wanted advice on my pregnancy not every one to get mad at each other i look at avary reply on my posts and take them to heart thank you all for replying but dont get angry just try to remember i need your help and advice . and i dont want any one getting heated and if you have an issue with what some one elses say ing pm me me0
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Too much, 40lbs max recommended for underweight women
Being pregnant is a good excuse to pack on mass though....... I wish I could get pregnant.
There are multiple reasons why a woman who is not overeating may gain more than the recommended amount. Polyhydramnios, gestational diabetes (which does NOT have the same causes as T2D), larger-than-average baby, change in hormones, hypothyroid... these are just a FEW of the reasons a woman might gain additional weight in pregnancy, even if she doesn't overeat. They are not the norm, of course, but I thought I'd just point that out so you're more careful with your blanket statements in the future. 0 -
As a Doula, I can tell you that you should still be thinking about calories - not too little, not too much.
First trimester - eat at your maintenance amount.
Second - maintenance +200
Third - maintenance +300
It's so important to eat enough and to also not "let yourself go" and eat buckets of icecream. Listen to your body and what it wants. Craving ice cream? Have some frozen yoghurt. Burger? Have a lean steak. Fries? Have some sautéed new potatoes.
This is what I did..increased cals per trimester...focused on nutrition..baby grew but I didn't. Finished pregnancy where I started..5th pregnancy but first one that I didn't gain on. I also didn't diary every day just occasionally to check (personal) I didn't what to fixate on number just nutrition and paying attention to hunger with good choices. Third trimester was the hungriest for me. I still went to my PT but she knew what she was doing...I wouldn't have done training on own with limited knowledge. Walking at best though.0 -
I watched on a T.V show called embarrassing bodies and it said you don't need to change your eating until last couple of weeks and then you only need to increase to 200 calories
Which is just 2 bananas
This is not correct.
Late pregnancy requires an increased intake of 300-500 calories per day for the last 3 months. 2nd trimester requires an increased intake of closer to 200-300 calories per day. Both of these are ABOVE pre-baby TDEE (or maintenance).
OP PLEASE do not limit your calorie intake too much right now. Your baby needs enough nutrients and calories to grow and develop properly. The number on the scale should be going up. You need to come to terms with this early, as it's going to go up faster later. Not gaining weight should not be a goal right now unless your doctor advises it. Most women gain between 25 and 35 lbs during a healthy pregnancy.
The amount of weight to gain depends on starting weight now, according to the ACOG. For a normal BMI it's 25-35. For overweight/obese women it's far less. I was about 190 pounds when I got pregnant with my daughter, and the recommendation for me was 11-15 pounds.
Great article from ACOG: http://www.acog.org/~/media/For Patients/faq001.pdf?dmc=1&ts=20130130T12571115080 -
Current recommendations for weight gain:
Pre-pregnancy weight Recommended weight gain
Underweight (BMI less than 18.5) 28 to 40 pounds (about 13 to 18 kilograms)
Normal weight (BMI 18.5 to 24.9) 25 to 35 pounds (about 11 to 16 kilograms)
Overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9) 15 to 25 pounds (about 7 to 11 kilograms)
Obese (BMI 30 or more) 11 to 20 pounds (about 5 to 9 kilograms)0 -
Maybe this is silly, but I think it would be nice if MFP had an "I'm pregnant" choice in the drop-down. Then it could do the math automatically. I imagine OP isn't the only pregnant woman who worries about eating the right number of calories.
Or, if that isn't possible, maybe just a footnote near it that says, "Pregnant women click here," with a link to this topic or a FAQ or whatever that explains you should be eating maintenance + 200/300.
I've never been pregnant, but I assumed doctors cover this in the initial visit? Is nutrition normally addressed right away or only after a certain number of months (or if the mother isn't at the proper weight)?
You could use the breastfeeding entry and deduct 500, then manually adjust it if you wanted. 0 -
Well I should have gone to bed an hour ago so here is a riddle:
If you're obese, and even overweight, your doctor already recommends fat loss during pregnancy. I'm sure someone will figure this out before morning.
And I refuse to engage with white knights who provide no science. At least make an appeal to authority or something.
Are you a MD? A fellow of the ACOG?
Yeah, I didn't think so.
I am on my second pregnancy. I was overweight/borderline obese the first time. My OB, who, by the way, is a MD and a fellow of the ACOG, advised me NOT to lose weight. She said I needed 200-300 calories above maintenance for my pre-pregnancy weight. My sister and SIL went to her for the five pregnancies between them and both were obese for all five pregnancies. I assure you, they were never advised to LOSE weight. (ETA that all five pregnancies, plus one of mine, resulted in healthy, full-term babies, including a set of twins who were born at "term," since that has a different meaning with multiples. The remaining one is my current pregnancy.)
That said, if a doctor DID advise that a pregnant woman lose weight, certainly s/he would be monitoring the baby's growth on a more regular basis than s/he would for other women with normal pregnancies. No woman should take on that agenda on her own.
A biochemistry degree is all fine and good, but you are not an OB or even a MD. As such, please refrain from attempting to override the advice we were all given by medical professionals.
How much weight did you gain during that pregnancy? Was it under 25lbs? If so then you lost fat.
This is incorrect - approximately 5lbs of that 25lbs of gained weight are additional fat gained for delivery and breast feeding - for a woman to actually lose fat during pregnancy based solely on pregnancy weight gain the figure would be more in the limited gain of 15 lbs to 20 lbs - which is acceptable for some doctors for some pregnancies for highly overweight women.
But you are wrong, in the general case a small deficit of a 140 calories (your pizza slice) is actually a NET deficit of 400-700 or so of NEEDED calories for the development of the pregnancy.
A couple of things I have seen that are incorrect in this thread:
A baby does not suck up iron - the supplemental iron need is locked up in the addition 4-5 lbs of blood supply for nutrient transport. Hemoglobin production binds iron pretty much irreversibly.
You stated "It is incorrect to state a calorie deficit is not appropriate for pregnancy" - your statement is incorrect or at best poorly worded - a calorie deficit from the TDEE of the women pre-pregnancy would be catastrophic for the pregnancy. Even the smallest recommended gain during a pregnancy of 10-20 lbs represents about 200-300 calories over maintenance if if was just fat weight gain (most major gain is usually seen ib a 6 month period - do the math). However, given the actual metabolic changes - high cellular synthesis, protein turn-over, hormonal fireworks - the actual needs are closer to double or triple that. And slightly more important than calories are micro nutrient needs - gaining a few pounds over the recommended weight is less of an issue than not gaining enough and assuring these needs.
You should give up because a pregnancy with zero gain - as you suggest a few posts up - results not only in risks of premature birth and low birthweight babies (which have a higher risk) and are clearly a sign of undernourished/malnourished during pregnancy.
edit2: and my supposition, that reducing calories by 140, not eating that slice of cheese pizza, will take you from 11lbs gained to 0lbs gained. If this sounds like it's going to cause problems for the fetus to you, then I give up.
I like most of what you said, but I left the hospital with both children weighing less than I did when I conceived them. I had my son on my due date, my daughter a week overdue. My son was 9lb 7oz, my daughter 8lb 13oz. I didn't gain a pound during the first pregnancy, gained 10 with the second. I had to go buy smaller jeans the minute I left the hospital both times.
Granted, my body apparently handles pregnancy very differently than the average woman. But I didn't have a single complication and have perfectly healthy children.
For the record, my son, with 0 pounds gained, came out holding his head up, and was doing pushups during tummy time at 2 weeks old. He was insanely strong, too. No ill effects whatsoever.
Ending your pregnancy weighing less than when you got pregnant? Not great. Zero pound gain, a little better, but still not great... but not the end of the world.
Wow... and I totally took over this thread. Sorry - as a nursing student/CNM wannabe/women's health research junkie I get a little passionate about this stuff.0
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