Weight Gain During Pregnancy

I'm in the same boat as you in terms of pregnancy. I am 9 weeks pregnant and so far have gained less than 2 lbs. I have lost almost 80lbs and do not want to have to struggle to lose any extra weight after I have the baby b/c I know it will be hard enough as it is. I have really been keeping track of what I have been eating and making sure not to go crazy. Which is the hardest part. of course there are some days where I just need that brownie or I am actually super hungry and have to eat so i don't feel sick. Basically i still track exactly the same way I have when I was dieting except I have upped my caloric intake. Whatever my maintenance intake should be I upped it by 100 calories and then I will adjust it later once I am in my 2nd and 3rd trimester.

It is important to eat enough food and get healthy food in. So I always try to go for a fruit or veggie as a snack (which doesn't always work). Just making an effort and being more aware is what counts. I make sure to eat frequently throughout the day so that I am not starving and also at the same time so I don't feel sick (gotta love morning sickness). Luckily I have been taking unisom at night for the morning sickness and it has helped so much!

Just plug in what you eat, make sure you are hitting your nutritional/caloric goals and you should be fine. Also any little bit of exercise you can get is great because then you can eat more....hahaha. Just don't over stress about it because that will be worse for you and the baby.

I am just hoping I can stay as focused in the many weeks to come. We can do this!!!! We will be fit and healthy moms!

Don't worry about that for now. I wasn't at my goal weight either, but the important thing is that you just try your best and gain a healthy amount of weight during this pregnancy. As you said you have learned from you past pregnancy and don't want to make the same mistakes. Sometimes just being more aware of our food decisions and trying to do the right thing makes all of the difference.

I know that if you track what you eat and account for it all you will be able to gain a healthy amount of weight and not go overboard. If you are still really concerned you can maybe talk to a nutritionist and see if they have any advice or more specific guidelines for you to follow to make sure that you are getting everything that you need.

It is very, very hard and I am terrified of gaining more weight than I should because I know how hard I worked to lose every pound. I know right now is the "easy" part b/c the cravings haven't kicked in fully and it will only get harder as this pregnancy goes on. Right now I am just trying to focus on having one good day at a time. Like right now I have to be good for today b/c I had a hamburger craving last night that I just NEEDED to satisfy. So today I will do my best to not overeat and make sure I get more veggies in. I don't want to beat myself up over it because then that just tends to me saying "screw it!" and eating more.

definitely a lifelong struggle that pregnancy is putting to a test.

Congratulations!

Have a good discussion with your doctor about how much weight you should gain. If you're classified as overweight, they may advise you that you should only gain 15-20 pounds instead of the more typical 25-35. With my second pregnancy, my doctor said it was okay for me to shoot for 20 pounds gain, even though I was starting at a normal weight.

Don't go into it trying not to gain weight, that's not healthy. But you don't really need to eat any more than usual (maintenance) for your first trimester, and only an additional 100-300 calories a day during the second and third trimesters. Keep in mind that everyone's body is unique, and your metabolism will be affected in ways you can't really anticipate.

I ended up gaining 30 pounds with my second pregnancy, versus the 40 I gained the first time around. My goal was 20-25, so I overshot it a little bit. I wasn't tracking calories, I ate when I was hungry, but I chose healthy options and stopped eating when I wasn't hungry anymore. Don't take pregnancy as a free pass to eat whatever you want - it just doesn't work that way.

I'm 6 months postpartum now and back to my starting weight. Now I'm working on body recomposition - reducing my body fat percentage and gaining muscle. It took me 2+ years to get to this point after my first. You definitely are not cursed to repeat history - you know better this time!

Try not to stress too much about it. Make healthy food choices. When I got pregnant with my daughter I was worried about the weight gain. I continued to exercise (lots of walks) and did my best to make healthy choices. I didn't gain much weight at first, it mostly starts coming on around month 7. Usually when you crave something, like chocolate, it's because your body needs calcium. So before reaching for a chocolate bar, try drinking some milk first. That helped a lot with my cravings. Also try not to worry too much about the calories while you are pregnant. It is not an exscuse to "eat for two," but if you are hungry, eat something. Now is not the time to deprive your body, because the health of the baby is the most important thing. Plus if you breastfeed once the baby is born, the weight melts off

It's a challenge to determine what I actually need - I was eating around 1600 cals a day + exercise calories before we got pregnant as I was actively working to lose weight; I've gradually raised my calorie intake to 2100 a day and I've still lost 3 lbs.... trying to find the right balance, but definitely eating as many healthy things as I can with the occasional splurge (mmm pizza LOL). It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm eating so much and still losing.... urgh. I'll get it!

I am also pregnant and trying to keep myself at a resonable weight. I am about 60lbs overweight by medical standards. I am four months pregnant and my doctor okayed me for 1 pound per month if you can beleive that! I have gained three so far. First trimester was hard to eat anything. I would litterally gag at the sight of foods I once ate regularly. Now I basically just eat the recommended amount of calories per day based on my weight and how much I need to support the little one and I supplement with a prenatal of course. My big downfall has been junk food. Chips, milkshakes, salty fries, etc. How have you handled cravings?

Hard topic because you never really know what your body is going to do when it's hormones are going out of control. I know from experience...I did everything right, calories, exercise and at the end of each pregnancy I gained at least 80 lbs. then 20 - 40 lbs. after, even while breastfeeding. I'd lose all the weight in two years, but it did still suck and make me depressed. Doctor told me it was hormones and if I was to have more kids I was just going to have to deal with how my body reacts to having babies. I don't know what advice to give other than, just keep track of your food and exercise, it's really all you can do. CONGRATS and good luck,