I'm pregnant and have fallen off track...help!!!

HILLIO1
HILLIO1 Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
My fiance and I started using MFP in March, and it's worked amazing for us! I lost 25 pounds, my fiance lose close to 40! Well in August, I found out I was pregnant, and I swear the next day, I started feeling awful! I'm two weeks out of my first trimester and FINALLY feeling better and more like myself. But when I found out I was pregnant and became nauseous everyday, my food choices were slim. I completely stopped doing MFP because I was told I needed WAY more calories than my daily goal on here. I haven't been getting a balanced diet because I couldn't stomach most foods, and although I'm not feeling sick every single day, I still don't have a HUGE appetite.

Apples are the only fruit I can think about eating, so I'm making sure to stay stocked on those. I'm not eating super healthy foods other than that though. The only veggies I can stomach are corn and green beans, so I've eaten those (I know corn isn't even super great for you) ...I had started eating salads, but after eating three in one week, I was done with those as well.

Any suggestions/similar stories/help would be appreciated. I'm 15 weeks and I read that I need to make sure I'm really getting balanced nutrition in the next four weeks because my baby will rapidly grow!

What about protein bars? Are they okay? I've eaten a few of those this past week.
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Replies

  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    your body doesnt need THAT many more calories while you are pregnant. your babies stomache is about the size of your fist at full term, so you do the math. so i'm not saying you should be eating the MFP deficit amount, but dont take this as an excuse to stuff you face because trust me, after pregnancy the weight DOES NOT just fall off. its so much harder to lose baby weight and the more you gain the more likely you are to get stretch markes which will never go away. just stick to a normal healthy diet and keep track of you calories.
  • jhartram
    jhartram Posts: 165
    I don't know about perfect pregnancy foods (I wasn't exactly health-smart when I was pregnant), but I recommend going under goals and changing them to what is recommended for your stage in pregnancy. That way you can log and see what you're eating and if it's balanced. Sorry I couldn't be more help!
  • MidwestAngel
    MidwestAngel Posts: 1,897 Member
    your body doesnt need THAT many more calories while you are pregnant. your babies stomache is about the size of your fist at full term, so you do the math. so i'm not saying you should be eating the MFP deficit amount, but dont take this as an excuse to stuff you face because trust me, after pregnancy the weight DOES NOT just fall off. its so much harder to lose baby weight and the more you gain the more likely you are to get stretch markes which will never go away. just stick to a normal healthy diet and keep track of you calories.

    What she eats has nothing to do with the size of her baby's stomach while in the womb. What she eats doesn't go into the baby's stomach at all. And a baby's stomach is about the size of a shooter marble at birth, not the size of her mother's fist, yikes!

    Just try to eat as healthy as possible, fruits and veggies are great. Your body will pull from you to make sure your baby is getting proper nutrition. Eat small meals throughout the day if you are having an upset stomach. Saltine crarckers were my best friend for a while.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Congrats on your baby!

    I'd suggest if you're having severe nausea to talk to your doctor. There are pregnancy-safe anti-nausea meds that will help a lot to let you get the nutrition you need for early development of your baby. The first trimester is important for neural tube development, so you need to at least get your prenatal vitamins down during that period.

    If you're able to eat, try to eating some whole grain breads (good fiber), as much fruit and veggies as you can, and try to get some lean meats in there even if it's just a little. You need a lot of iron, calcium, and protein right now, so work on focusing on getting food with a lot of those nutrients in as much as you can. As your baby develops, you will need only about 300-500 calories beyond your maintenance calorie intake for your pre-pregnancy weight. You don't need to be "eating for two."
  • AuddAlise
    AuddAlise Posts: 723 Member
    I will preface this by saying I have 4 kids.

    I too was fed the lie that you were "eating for 2". No, you're not. You're eating for you and a tiny baby that wouldn't even fill the palm of your hand. You only need 200 calories more than what you were originally eating.

    As for food choices....Try to get as many fruits and veggies as you can along with good low fat protein. That is what your baby needs. Try things you don't normally eat; I found that while pregnant that I liked things that I hadn't before. I also found that I liked some fruits and veggies that I had never tried.

    Oh, and your baby's stomach is not the size of "your" fist at full term. Its stomach is the size of the infants fist at full term, a LOT smaller than an adults fist.
  • SeamsSewWright
    SeamsSewWright Posts: 41
    Talk with your doctor. For me, I was told to consume about 200-300 more calories a day, but I ditched the advice and wound up getting out of control.

    1. Talk with your doctor
    2. Take your prental vitamin, and don't just stop if you forget one day.
    3. Make sure your folic acid intake is adequate!
    4. Talk with your doctor
    5. Eat Superfoods (ex. avocados are high in calories, but they are good calories!)
    6. Talk with your doctor
    7. Take caution when reading anyone's advice; even mine
    8. Talk with your doctor

    On another note, I'll send well wishes your way and hope that your euphoric stage comes soon. Mine was at about 5 months and we went on our babymoon around that time too.
  • StacyJCrain
    StacyJCrain Posts: 63 Member
    Talk to your ob/gyn about seeing a nutrionist to help you maintain current weight. I had geststional diabetes and had to see one but I would think that they would refer you to help keep the weight gain at a minium. Best of luck with a healthy pregnancy and baby!
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    You're pregnant. Eat the best you can but don't stress so much about it.

    I had morning sickness for nine months. I couldn't eat any fruit without throwing up. I lived on pasta with oil and cheese and soda (because I couldn't even keep water down). My doctor even advised eating candy bars just to get enough calories. Everything turned out fine.
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
    It sounds like you're having a hard time eating enough, so I wouldn't worry at this point about too many calories or whatever. You can get in a lot of good foods in a smoothie. I have them often and did when I was pregnant too. Try 2% milk (or whatever milk you like) with some Greek yogurt and basically anything else that you like. I like to add protein powder sometimes, frozen banana, blueberries, peanut butter, strawberries, spinach, flax seeds, cinnamon, or anything else I have around the house (or course not all that in 1 smoothie, lol). Leafy greens like spinach are really easy to hide in them too; I usually add at least a cup to any smoothie I make and even my kids can't tell it's in there.

    Also, like you're doing with the apples, try to have other foods that you may want readily available in the house. Things like nuts, peanut butter and toast, boiled eggs, cheese, oatmeal, etc. are all good and easy.

    Try eating several small meals/snacks each day instead of larger meals, which can cause heartburn during pregnancy.
  • JPLYLER09
    JPLYLER09 Posts: 78 Member
    A good book to look into is what to expect when you're expecting... Both my pregnancies were very different. All I can say if your craving something have it... lol I gained 40 lbs with both and have lost all from my most recent (11/11/11)
  • ShellyakaLady
    ShellyakaLady Posts: 75 Member
    Congratulations! But please do not get so caught up and frustrated in eating - eat whatever you have a taste for because it's about both of you now. I understand you don't want to fall off track with MFP but come to know and realize that you are soon to be a MoM and you have other things you must prepare for. Eventually you will get back on track with your exercising, plus remember your first (3) months and your last (3) are the most important months of your pregnancy.

    Try and make it thru the next 2 months, right now you should be very sleepy and very hungry and which ever one calls first do it. If you can walk for 30 minutes then do it, but don't over do it because you being healthy determines the healthiness of your baby. Don't stress about your food intake nor anything else for that matters. I'm a MoM of a 21 year old and I ate fruit, veggies and jars of Jalepeno Peppers, Hot Sauce, and everything I wanted had to have something w/a kick on it and my son came out loving the same thing, but he was a very healthy baby!

    Take care yourself and quit stressing!
  • mjhuff1121
    mjhuff1121 Posts: 112
    Hey! I'm pregnant too! But I'm only 10 weeks today, so still in my 1st Tri. However, this is what I was told:
    Trimester 1: Just eat maintenance cals (for me, 1400-1500 cal/day), Trimester 2: Add 200 cal per day to maintenance cal, Trimester 3: Add 300 cal per day to maintenance.
    Eat at least 80g of protein a day - if you can't handle lean meat, (I can't) eat Fage Greek yogurt (23g protein per cup, low sugar content and that's over a 1/3 of the daily amount of protein) in a fruit smoothie (I love raspberry smoothie), raw nuts, protein bars and shake were "ok" if it's the only way you're getting protein. Milk was great, it gives you protein and calcium. Fish (as long as it isn't a high mercury content fish) is wonderfully nutritionly dense (try tilapis with a sliver of butter - not margarine - pepper, and garlic salt. Microwave 3-4min, then sprinkle 1T shredded romano-parmesan cheese over to melt. Fantastic with brown rice or Quinoa) . So, that's what I've got going right now. Hope that helps.
  • lady_jessi
    lady_jessi Posts: 77 Member
    What I have read is two things.

    1. No increase in calories for the first 6 months, then add 300 calories the second half.

    2. 1st trimester: no increase, 2nd trimester: 300 calories increase, 3rd trimester: 400 and some odd calories (can't remember exactly) increase

    So, I don't know. They're pretty similar. Do what feels right for you.
  • kjslilangel
    kjslilangel Posts: 11
    you realy need to speak to your doctor about how many calories you need to eat. Pregnant women MUST gain some weight and they MUST eat more. DO NOT take our advice about nutrution while pregnant or what MFP says for that matter. PLEASE GO TO YOUR DOCTOR AND ASK HIM/HER. This is not about you its about the health of your BABY
  • CEMcCartney
    CEMcCartney Posts: 2
    Congrats on the little one! My advice to you is to continue working out. You are gearing up for the most strenuous workout of your life: childbirth. I had someone tell me that I should stop working out during my pregnancy because I would "cook" my baby if I got too hot. Duh, such stupid advice! I had a very healthy pregnancy by eating well, taking quality vitamins, and working out regularly. Good luck with everything!
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Stop caring for 9 months. Seriously. Baby's health is worth more than 9 months of weight loss.
  • tattedchic
    tattedchic Posts: 66 Member
    Congrats! I'm also pregnant, but only 6 weeks in my 1st tri. From what I've read, a lot of women don't get a balanced diet in the 1st tri due to nausea, as long as you take your prenatals you should be ok. Now that you're into your 2nd tri hopefully you'll be able to stomach a more balanced diet. I was also told not to start adding calories until 2nd tri or 6 months, so keep it up and try to get more greens and veggies whenever you can stomach it. Congrats again!
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    I gained 70lbs over eating with our daughter, but with our son (second pregnancy he was born this March 15) I was nuts about health and only gained 10 or 15lbs. I would say stick to what you can stomach, but eat as much as you can because I remember the doctors found ketones in my urine. When your body produces ketones it means it is nearly "starving" and producing them to make up for the nutrition/carbs you are not getting in your diet. Try to stock up on whatever amount of the good food as you can and some junk food is OKAY as long as it has a little dietary value (even carbs are value!) and is not horrible for baby. I would not worry about a protein bar as long as it isn't overloaded with protein (like 50 grams or something lol) and as long as it doesn't have strange ingredients/unnatural. I only ate around 1700-1900 calories per day. I'm 5'4". I ate snacks if I craved them and ate in moderation instead of the half gallon of ice cream I ate in one sitting in my first pregnancy. Lol. They have calorie calculators for pregnant women too. Linkage!:http://www.dietitian.com/calcbody.php
    OR
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm

    I honestly ate a little below the recommended, but my Dr. said it was okay and our son was 10 days late, 7lbs 13oz. :]

    P.S. My cousin Samantha had a gestational disorder that caused her to not even keep water down for her first trimester! Still, her daughter is really smart and advanced even now as she is entering into preschool, so don't worry. Unless you are purposely trying to lose weight or unable to keep down any food or water I am sure your baby will be okay with what little you can eat until the second trimester. Just make sure it doesn't last the entire pregnancy because then it will be an issue.
  • skinnynerd
    skinnynerd Posts: 110
    The only thing I could tolerate my entire pregnancy was milkshakes. My baby was born perfectly healthy. Don't stress about it too much. The stress of you worrying is worse than nutrition at this point.
  • rattler0812
    rattler0812 Posts: 40 Member
    My wife was told by her doctor to add 300-400 calories at first. Then taper down to 200-300 after the 2nd trimester. Wasn't sure why the reduction later. But, we followed doctors orders and everything went well with the pregnancy (at least that can be hoped for from a pregnant wife that has had the previous 3 as toximic pregnancies). She maintained the additional calorie intake until the baby had been weened from nursing and is now back on track with where she was at before. The key is to make sure that you include your doctor in the nutritional assessments. My wife and I did that and we are very happy and blessed that we did.
  • bokodasu
    bokodasu Posts: 629 Member
    Try not to stress about it. With my first, I actually broke down sobbing in the midwife's office because I was so sick with that pregnancy that I couldn't eat a healthy diet and I was convinced my baby would come out malnourished and sick and with rickets and scurvy and anything else I read about on WebMD. We went over everything I was eating and really, it wasn't that bad. Baby was fine, of course. So first off, print out your food diary & take it to your doctor & see what they say about it. The goal is to do the best you can, not to achieve perfection.

    Being pregnant isn't a licence to nom everything in sight, but it is a time to chill the heck out and spend some time trying to decipher the signals your body is giving you. Didn't learn this until my second pregnancy, but when I was craving something sweet, eating protein usually fixed it, while eating sweets never did. Stupid body signals.

    It's better to give your baby what it needs and work a little harder to lose the weight afterwards than it is to try to replenish all the calcium your body leaches out of your bones to make a new human because you're scared to eat enough to gain weight. Again, this is WITHIN REASON - we're talking eat a cheese stick even if it's over your "limit", not a cheesecake.

    Man, now I want a cheesecake.
  • trimom10
    trimom10 Posts: 388 Member
    your body doesnt need THAT many more calories while you are pregnant. your babies stomache is about the size of your fist at full term, so you do the math. so i'm not saying you should be eating the MFP deficit amount, but dont take this as an excuse to stuff you face because trust me, after pregnancy the weight DOES NOT just fall off. its so much harder to lose baby weight and the more you gain the more likely you are to get stretch markes which will never go away. just stick to a normal healthy diet and keep track of you calories.

    Everyone is different, but you shouldn't get scared into thinking you'll be stuck being overweight after your baby's born. The good news is that if you choose to breastfeed, that is how some mothers lose the extra weight. I've had three sons and breastfed them all. While trimom10 is my name here, I wasn't doing triathlons or even running at that point in my life. After their birth, I didn't count calories or exercise and returned to my pre-pregnancy weight within six months or so. If you chose to bottle feed, you will be busy running around doing laundry, errands, and taking care of your son/daughter. That will count for something.

    I would try to get your eight+ glasses of water in each day and try to eat at least a home cooked dinner of meat/protein, potatoes/rice, veggies. By the way, I ate an apple each day for my afternoon snack too when I was pregnant. Good luck!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Stop caring for 9 months. Seriously. Baby's health is worth more than 9 months of weight loss.

    She isn't trying to lose weight. She's trying to get adequate nutrition for the baby. That seems like something good to care about.
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    Congrats on your baby!

    I'd suggest if you're having severe nausea to talk to your doctor. There are pregnancy-safe anti-nausea meds that will help a lot to let you get the nutrition you need for early development of your baby. The first trimester is important for neural tube development, so you need to at least get your prenatal vitamins down during that period.

    If you're able to eat, try to eating some whole grain breads (good fiber), as much fruit and veggies as you can, and try to get some lean meats in there even if it's just a little. You need a lot of iron, calcium, and protein right now, so work on focusing on getting food with a lot of those nutrients in as much as you can. As your baby develops, you will need only about 300-500 calories beyond your maintenance calorie intake for your pre-pregnancy weight. You don't need to be "eating for two."

    This exactly! I wasn't sick at all in the first and second trimester, but in the third. I had such bad acid reflux that I couldn't sleep, and could barely hold any food down at all. I lost a ton of weight from all over, except my belly of course. I ended up weighing less than when I got pregnant. My Dr finally got a clue about 4 days before I gave birth, and gave me the anti-nausea pills. But like she said, my baby was perfectly healthy. My body took what it needed from my body and gave it to my son. :heart:

    As far as foods really the only things I could hold down (and only in the early morning) were bread with peanut butter, and cottage cheese for whatever reason. Ask your Dr for the medicine as soon as possible. I promise it will make a world of difference. :smile:
  • dbaumgarn
    dbaumgarn Posts: 111
    I am also currently pregnant at 14 weeks, had been a member of this site for a year and lost about 27ish lbs. I can relate, certainly havent been eating the best but I try to stick to a calorie budget. They say you really only need 300 extra calories per day. I am trying to be carefull throughout this pregnancy as I don't want to gain more then I should. Try smoothies, you can pack all sorts of good things in those..add some protein powder...good for the sweet tooth in my case and they are sooo yummy!! Add me and we can keep track of each other for the next few months. Best of luck to you in your pregnancy!!!
  • luxijessi
    luxijessi Posts: 2
    I know exactly how you feel. I was sick for 7 months straight with my son. The only thing I could eat for fruit loops most of the time. I would say try to eat as healthy as you can and every 3hours (thats what my doc told me back in 2010). There are workout DVDs you can get at Target/Walmart like Pregnancy Yoga or Pilates to keep you from gaining too much weight and keep you healthy and active. I was on bed rest with my pregnany but if you're not you should give it a try. I know if I have another baby I definitly will be using them.
  • Sojaided34
    Sojaided34 Posts: 113
    First off, congrats on the baby. :flowerforyou:

    I have 4 kids as well. I say eat how you normally eat if you can. Just listen to your body. As per instructions from my OB/GYN and doctor, just eat normal and have a few extra healthy snacks like apples and cheese, yogurt and granola bar. And take vitamins. Personally i'd stay away from Protein bars (I'm assuming you mean wokrout protein bars if that makes sense). They now have Similac drinks for pregnant women kind of like Boost. It's not a meal replacement.

    What kept me on track when I was pregnant was doing prenatal yoga and prenatal cardio workouts (low impact). Don't think of it as falling off the weight loss wagon, think of it as jumping on the new mom wagon. :laugh:
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    your body doesnt need THAT many more calories while you are pregnant. your babies stomache is about the size of your fist at full term, so you do the math. so i'm not saying you should be eating the MFP deficit amount, but dont take this as an excuse to stuff you face because trust me, after pregnancy the weight DOES NOT just fall off. its so much harder to lose baby weight and the more you gain the more likely you are to get stretch markes which will never go away. just stick to a normal healthy diet and keep track of you calories.

    What she eats has nothing to do with the size of her baby's stomach while in the womb. What she eats doesn't go into the baby's stomach at all. And a baby's stomach is about the size of a shooter marble at birth, not the size of her mother's fist, yikes!

    Just try to eat as healthy as possible, fruits and veggies are great. Your body will pull from you to make sure your baby is getting proper nutrition. Eat small meals throughout the day if you are having an upset stomach. Saltine crarckers were my best friend for a while.

    i said at full term.
  • marieautumn
    marieautumn Posts: 928 Member
    Stop caring for 9 months. Seriously. Baby's health is worth more than 9 months of weight loss.

    thats a good way to get fat as hell. its not about trying to lose weight, its about putting on a healthy amount of weight.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    Stop caring for 9 months. Seriously. Baby's health is worth more than 9 months of weight loss.

    thats a good way to get fat as hell. its not about trying to lose weight, its about putting on a healthy amount of weight.

    This, and excessive weight gain during pregnancy can cause a host of serious problems for mom and baby including gestational diabetes.

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