Pregnant + Weight Maintenance

Hi!!

My name is Michelle and I'm due December 17th with a little boy. Since I started off overweight, my midwife recommends that I only gain 15 pounds this pregnancy. I'm just about at the point, so looking to maintain my weight until after our son is here.

My husband is in the Navy and is deployed currently, so I'm looking for some friends to get to know better and keep me motivated! In January, I'll start my REAL weight loss journey.

I need to lose about 45 pounds post-baby.

- Michelle + baby boy

Replies

  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    First and foremost, talk to your doctor! We don't know your medical history or needs. :smile:

    You still have the final months to go. I don't think it is realistic for you to expect to maintain your current weight through delivery. The baby still has a lot of growing to do, you're going to have increased fluids and blood volume, you may experience swelling in the final months - all mean weight gain. I would encourage you to eat a healthy, balanced diet and stay off the scale. DO NOT DIET while you are pregnant! Just eat sensibly.
  • First and foremost, talk to your doctor! We don't know your medical history or needs. :smile:

    You still have the final months to go. I don't think it is realistic for you to expect to maintain your current weight through delivery. The baby still has a lot of growing to do, you're going to have increased fluids and blood volume, you may experience swelling in the final months - all mean weight gain. I would encourage you to eat a healthy, balanced diet and stay off the scale. DO NOT DIET while you are pregnant! Just eat sensibly.

    I agree with you that in most cases the scale is not what someone should focus on while pregnant. However, hypertension, pre-eclampsia and eclamsia run very strong in my family. It's for my baby's and my safety that I not gain much more weight. I have been maintaining for over a month now and he has continued to grow right on track!

    The key is not to starve myself, which I couldn't do anyway and stay active!
  • WaxMama
    WaxMama Posts: 369 Member
    First off, congrats!

    You look pretty small to me. Well, minus the bump (love it!) Is ths your first baby? I can tell you from experience, you will probably gain the most weight at the end. I agree ^^^ it isn't very realistic that you'll maintain your weight from here on out. Talk with your OB if you have one, you don't look overweight to me at all and I'm not sure why your midwife suggested this to you. Does she know you have already gained that much? How does she feel about you restricting your diet at this point?
  • Martha_VH
    Martha_VH Posts: 386 Member
    Congratulations!
  • melbatoast917
    melbatoast917 Posts: 370 Member
    I had both of my kids overweight. I gained 12 pounds only with both. I walked 3 miles a day and ate fresh "clean" foods (no processed) and took my prenatals. You can do it. Just keep in mind, you're feeding a baby - YOUR baby - make good choices and exercise. It makes labor and delivery much easier. :-)
  • craftykat12
    craftykat12 Posts: 50 Member
    with my first child I only gained 15 lb he weight 9.9, I walked 4 mile every day till my 8th month, second child only gained 9 lb did same thing he weight 7.7, my Dr. told me to eat 2200 cals a day, drink lots of water if you can, sometime all the water made me sick. I gained all my weight after my boys were born.
  • Surecutie
    Surecutie Posts: 28 Member
    Congrats on your pregnancy. It's very possible to maintain and even lose weight healthily for obese individuals, while pregnant. A good friend of mine made healthy changes while pregnant and lost about 10 lbs over nine months. She did this under direct help from her midwife and a nutritionist. I on the other hand ate everything in sight when I was pregnant and up gaining over fifty lbs.
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
    My husband and I tested pregnant two weeks ago, but our confirmation appointment isn't until October 11... which is taking forever to get here!

    I'd like to continue losing weight, at least in the early stages of pregnancy, but not at the expense of the baby's health. I've been eating 1500 calories a day and have been trying to work in walking daily and cardio/weights three days a week.

    So far, I've had absolutely NO typical pregnancy symptoms, so it doesn't really feel real. The only time I've felt nauseaous was when my husband drives on back roads. I guess when the doctor confirms it, it will finally set in.

    I have gotten a few cramps here and there, but no spotting. I should be at five weeks, two days when I post this, based on my ovulation data.

    I would LOVE other prego friends on here, so please add me! It's our first baby, so I'm goign to have lots of questions and will appreciate everyone's advice!

    Shannon
  • mrieber
    mrieber Posts: 4 Member
    Congratulations!!! I am hoping we can both make healthy choices. I am about 12 weeks pregnant. I have been really sick and all I can stomach is carbs and cheese. I tried to limit these until now. So, I am hoping I will start to feel better soon to eat more fruits and vegetables. I gained too much weight with my first child, so I am hoping to keep it in check this time around.
  • livejaz
    livejaz Posts: 4 Member
    Well Hello:smile: I am 18 weeks pregnant with #2 and I have been using MFP since March 2012. I lost 25 lbs tracking with MFP and exercising daily. I decided to stick with MFP while pregnant just to keep an eye on what I am taking in, not as a dieting tool. I had trouble finding a similar site that focused on everything found here and my diet at the same time. So I use this site for health, and babycenter.com for everything else. Btw babycenter is amazing! I have been a member since I was pregnant with my 6 year old. During my first trimester with this kid, I actually lost 1 lb because I was always sick and the only thing I could eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was a potato. Now that I am in my 2nd trimester things have settled and I am up to 2 lbs. That's the one I lost+1:happy: I am proud of the steady gain. My advice for you would be to talk with your OB or midwife about anything you are doing while pregnant. It would be helpful to know how much weight you need to gain to begin with based on your starting weight (babycenter has a tool for this, but be sure to share this info with your OB). Technically, unless you are under weight you don't need to add any calories your first trimester. Add 200-300 calories a day your second trimester, and add 500 calories a day your third trimester (I found this info at livestrong.com. Still discuss everything with your OB). One thing I found helpful for me was to adjust my MFP to maintaining my current weight, instead of losing xyz lbs a week and add calories accordingly from there. It was annoying at first because if you go over, the number turns red. But I know it is for the best and I am fine now:smile: I just make sure I am an appropriate red number. You could even set your MFP to gain a certain amount of weight a week. Same results, except the number stays green. Just adjust your goals. Again, discuss any changes with your OB. I cannot stress the necessity of trust between you and your OB or midwife enough. I am excited to have found other pregnant MFP members:happy: Congrats to everyone and best mommy wishes!