Pregnant and not wanting to put to much weight on

I havnt been on much because I found out I'm pregnant :) But that is all the more reason for me to eat healthier. So I was reading up on it and it says you only need 300-500 more calories for the baby. I'm only 10 weeks so I want to not pick up to much extra weight during this time. I had already gained several pounds because I was using everything I ate as an excuse "baby is hungry" and that is wrong. I will eat whenever baby is hungry but its not an excuse to keep cramming CRAP into my mouth! Any suggestions from mom or dads out there so that I don't put on to much extra weight? I just don't want to be one of those women who put on 50-100 lbs during pregnancy.
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Replies

  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Your doctor should be able to tell you what typical weight gain is for the different stages of pregnancy so that you can make sure you're on track. In any event, make sure that you are eating at maintenance plus the extra calories, not eating at a deficit.
  • cnlargent
    cnlargent Posts: 199 Member
    You don't need to eat much more than you currently are, that much is true, perhaps an extra snack daily. Under no circumstances should you attempt to restrict your calories. Your babies' health is extremely important, and you can lose the weight after the pregnancy no matter what. Don't use the excuse, the baby wants a triple Whopper and a King size fry, because the baby doesn't want it, you do :)
  • A_nori
    A_nori Posts: 30 Member
    Congrats!! My little guy is 11 months, and after he was born I walked out of the hospital at my pre-pregnancy weight. The single most important thing is to eat enough. Make sure you are eating at least your maintenance calories right now. In the second trimester you can add 200 - 300 more and in the third trimester, you can add 400 - 500 more.

    Make sure you are getting protein. Every meal and snack should include some form of protein. I had gestational diabetes and was told to make sure that my grams of protein were at least 50% of my grams of carbs for each meal and snack. That really helped keep my blood sugar stable and kept me from getting hungry.

    Eat lots of good, healthy foods but do not stress if you eat some ice cream! Enjoy being pregnant, I miss it! And breastfeeding helps lose the weight after the baby is born. Nursing an infant requires 500 calories a day so it is a great idea after the baby is born!

    Congrats again!
  • Your doctor should be able to tell you what typical weight gain is for the different stages of pregnancy so that you can make sure you're on track. In any event, make sure that you are eating at maintenance plus the extra calories, not eating at a deficit.

    That's what im trying to do. I know im not supposed to lose. so i set my goal to 1500 which is 300 more than what I was supposed to but the doctor also said exercise is important if its not over done. so i set my exercising to only 3 days a week for 20 minutes. and I walk everyday at work. But it still has me at losing 1.5 lbs a week :(
  • lilpoindexter
    lilpoindexter Posts: 1,122 Member
    I would say eat as clean as possible, cut out the junk as much as possible, get some light exercise in, but weight isn't what you need to concentrate on right now.
  • You don't need to eat much more than you currently are, that much is true, perhaps an extra snack daily. Under no circumstances should you attempt to restrict your calories. Your babies' health is extremely important, and you can lose the weight after the pregnancy no matter what. Don't use the excuse, the baby wants a triple Whopper and a King size fry, because the baby doesn't want it, you do :)

    Yeah I know not to lose weight. :) But I have been using baby as an excuse to eat whatever and that needs to change. My baby is eating whatever I eat and I need to start off eating better. Thanks :)
  • I would say eat as clean as possible, cut out the junk as much as possible, get some light exercise in, but weight isn't what you need to concentrate on right now.

    Well I know I will gain some and that is fine. I want my baby to be healthy. I just don't want to pack on anymore than the 25-30 lbs that the doctor recommends :) Thanks
  • Congrats!! My little guy is 11 months, and after he was born I walked out of the hospital at my pre-pregnancy weight. The single most important thing is to eat enough. Make sure you are eating at least your maintenance calories right now. In the second trimester you can add 200 - 300 more and in the third trimester, you can add 400 - 500 more.

    Make sure you are getting protein. Every meal and snack should include some form of protein. I had gestational diabetes and was told to make sure that my grams of protein were at least 50% of my grams of carbs for each meal and snack. That really helped keep my blood sugar stable and kept me from getting hungry.

    Eat lots of good, healthy foods but do not stress if you eat some ice cream! Enjoy being pregnant, I miss it! And breastfeeding helps lose the weight after the baby is born. Nursing an infant requires 500 calories a day so it is a great idea after the baby is born!


    Thanks so much. I raised my 1200 calories up to 1500 but I guess it should be the 1650 which is the maintain? Thanks so much

    Congrats again!
  • Satellite989
    Satellite989 Posts: 2 Member
    I had gestational diabetes for both of my pregnancies, so I had to really watch any unnecessary carbs. With both of my pregnancies I only gained 15 lbs total. The key is to choose healthy foods and don't give into the thinking that I am pregnant so I should be able to eat whatever I want.
  • A_nori
    A_nori Posts: 30 Member
    Congrats!! My little guy is 11 months, and after he was born I walked out of the hospital at my pre-pregnancy weight. The single most important thing is to eat enough. Make sure you are eating at least your maintenance calories right now. In the second trimester you can add 200 - 300 more and in the third trimester, you can add 400 - 500 more.

    Make sure you are getting protein. Every meal and snack should include some form of protein. I had gestational diabetes and was told to make sure that my grams of protein were at least 50% of my grams of carbs for each meal and snack. That really helped keep my blood sugar stable and kept me from getting hungry.

    Eat lots of good, healthy foods but do not stress if you eat some ice cream! Enjoy being pregnant, I miss it! And breastfeeding helps lose the weight after the baby is born. Nursing an infant requires 500 calories a day so it is a great idea after the baby is born!


    Thanks so much. I raised my 1200 calories up to 1500 but I guess it should be the 1650 which is the maintain? Thanks so much

    Congrats again!

    Yes, eat at least the 1650 for the first tri, 1850 for the second tri and 2000 for the third.
  • foleyshirley
    foleyshirley Posts: 1,043 Member
    Your doctor should be able to tell you what typical weight gain is for the different stages of pregnancy so that you can make sure you're on track. In any event, make sure that you are eating at maintenance plus the extra calories, not eating at a deficit.

    That's what im trying to do. I know im not supposed to lose. so i set my goal to 1500 which is 300 more than what I was supposed to but the doctor also said exercise is important if its not over done. so i set my exercising to only 3 days a week for 20 minutes. and I walk everyday at work. But it still has me at losing 1.5 lbs a week :(

    Then you need to be eating more than 1500.
  • Hazel2005
    Hazel2005 Posts: 175 Member
    I just don't want to be one of those women who put on 50-100 lbs during pregnancy.

    Congratulations! As far as weight gain goes, sometimes this is just out of your control. Having had five pregnancies (Im not just tooting my horn)just relax and enjoy. Great that you want to try to eat healthier but I would not concentrate on your weight. I am diabetic and regardless of how much I ate, moved, healthy choices, etc. the body and baby did what they wanted, even with the intervention of insulin. I still gained what seemed a ridiculous amt of weight but in the end we all ended up healthy. :flowerforyou:
  • I had gestational diabetes for both of my pregnancies, so I had to really watch any unnecessary carbs. With both of my pregnancies I only gained 15 lbs total. The key is to choose healthy foods and don't give into the thinking that I am pregnant so I should be able to eat whatever I want.

    Maybe I better start watching my carbs because Diabetes runs in my family
  • Congrats!! My little guy is 11 months, and after he was born I walked out of the hospital at my pre-pregnancy weight. The single most important thing is to eat enough. Make sure you are eating at least your maintenance calories right now. In the second trimester you can add 200 - 300 more and in the third trimester, you can add 400 - 500 more.

    Make sure you are getting protein. Every meal and snack should include some form of protein. I had gestational diabetes and was told to make sure that my grams of protein were at least 50% of my grams of carbs for each meal and snack. That really helped keep my blood sugar stable and kept me from getting hungry.

    Eat lots of good, healthy foods but do not stress if you eat some ice cream! Enjoy being pregnant, I miss it! And breastfeeding helps lose the weight after the baby is born. Nursing an infant requires 500 calories a day so it is a great idea after the baby is born!


    Thanks so much. I raised my 1200 calories up to 1500 but I guess it should be the 1650 which is the maintain? Thanks so much

    Congrats again!

    Yes, eat at least the 1650 for the first tri, 1850 for the second tri and 2000 for the third.

    Thanks again
  • I continued to work out for most if my pregnancies and didn't count calories at the time. I did not change my eating habits until I was about 20 wks along (time I usually started to show). I think I only gained 1 lb in the first trimester, as my doc recommended. I never really thought about things and ate when I was hungry, but never ate "for two." I think the most important thing is to stay active - the farther along you get, you will be more limited, but just keep walking and moving. It will help you feel better, also. I gained 25 lb with first and 30 lb with second pregnancy. I nursed each for 18 + months, but never found that those 500 calories earned from nursing was real. I was much hungrier when nursing than pregnant, so found it difficult to lose those last few lbs until I stopped nursing. Good luck with everything!
  • I just don't want to be one of those women who put on 50-100 lbs during pregnancy.

    Congratulations! As far as weight gain goes, sometimes this is just out of your control. Having had five pregnancies (Im not just tooting my horn)just relax and enjoy. Great that you want to try to eat healthier but I would not concentrate on your weight. I am diabetic and regardless of how much I ate, moved, healthy choices, etc. the body and baby did what they wanted, even with the intervention of insulin. I still gained what seemed a ridiculous amt of weight but in the end we all ended up healthy. :flowerforyou:

    Thank you :)
  • spicypepper
    spicypepper Posts: 1,016 Member
    Congratulations!!!!!

    Speaking as a mother to 5, don't fret about diet/food while being pregnant. You will have food aversions and you'll have cravings. Listen to your body and you should be fine.

    The baby is going to tell you what you need/what they need.

    With my girl, I craved milk like crazy; but I couldn't stand beef.
    With all of my boys, I craved red meat like it was going out of style; but couldn't handle tomatoes (I love veggies, this was hard for me).

    Take your prenatal vitamins and don't stress about how many calories to eat. I gained 48 lbs with my 1st, 32 with my 2nd, 19 with my 3rd, 26 with my 4th, and 55 with my last (had complications with pre-eclampsia).

    I'm 1 lb away from pre-pregnancy weight and my little one just turned 8 months old on the 25th.
  • I continued to work out for most if my pregnancies and didn't count calories at the time. I did not change my eating habits until I was about 20 wks along (time I usually started to show). I think I only gained 1 lb in the first trimester, as my doc recommended. I never really thought about things and ate when I was hungry, but never ate "for two." I think the most important thing is to stay active - the farther along you get, you will be more limited, but just keep walking and moving. It will help you feel better, also. I gained 25 lb with first and 30 lb with second pregnancy. I nursed each for 18 + months, but never found that those 500 calories earned from nursing was real. I was much hungrier when nursing than pregnant, so found it difficult to lose those last few lbs until I stopped nursing. Good luck with everything!

    Thanks so much. My doctor did stress to me that exercising was important. :)
  • Congratulations!!!!!

    Speaking as a mother to 5, don't fret about diet/food while being pregnant. You will have food aversions and you'll have cravings. Listen to your body and you should be fine.

    The baby is going to tell you what you need/what they need.

    With my girl, I craved milk like crazy; but I couldn't stand beef.
    With all of my boys, I craved red meat like it was going out of style; but couldn't handle tomatoes (I love veggies, this was hard for me).

    Take your prenatal vitamins and don't stress about how many calories to eat. I gained 48 lbs with my 1st, 32 with my 2nd, 19 with my 3rd, 26 with my 4th, and 55 with my last (had complications with pre-eclampsia).

    I'm 1 lb away from pre-pregnancy weight and my little one just turned 8 months old on the 25th.

    Wow. Thanks. You seemed to do very well on all 5. I am craving milk and cheese like crazy. I want cheese on everything and I like milk atleast with 2 of my meals a day :) And my doctor said my baby is sure getting enough calcium lol
  • 3RachaelFaith3
    3RachaelFaith3 Posts: 283 Member
    right now your baby is just a few cells stuck together lol... So baby isn't hungry. You are, which is fine. But this early on you only need a couple hundred extra calories. Later on you'll need more. I'm sure you can find a guide online. Anyway, be careful. I am the world's worst and gained 45 with each pregnancy and it is so much work to get it back off. Congratulations by the way!!! It's very exciting. Take care of yourself.
  • TrishLG
    TrishLG Posts: 173 Member
    Confession Time!!! I put on 80 pounds during my pregnancy. When my husband came home and I told him that I was pregnant, first he was excited, then he said, "You are going to put on so much weight it will be disgusting." 23 years I lived with this guy. 23 years of insults and put downs.
    But, within 2 days of the birth I was down 50 pounds. Much of it was water weight. If I had followed a weight gain chart, considering all the fluid that i retained both in the uterus and in my own body tissues, the baby would have been short of nutrients.
    So that still left 30 pounds of fat. I tell you it looked like I had twins, one each thigh.
    However I nursed. Women who nurse lose weight big time. Not at first because the little buggers do not consume enough calories, but as they grow, mom shrinks.
    The baby needs nutrients. Your body needs nutrients. Eat plenty of vegetables because that is the source of vitamins and minerals and proteins. Listen to everyone, but use your own head. And if you run into a fat phobic dunce, make distance.
  • 3RachaelFaith3
    3RachaelFaith3 Posts: 283 Member
    yeah, don't add the calories to "diet" calories. Add it to your regular intake. So don't add 350 to 1200. Add it to your maintenance calories. No need to diet now. You can do all that soon enough after sweet baby is here!! :)
  • right now your baby is just a few cells stuck together lol... So baby isn't hungry. You are, which is fine. But this early on you only need a couple hundred extra calories. Later on you'll need more. I'm sure you can find a guide online. Anyway, be careful. I am the world's worst and gained 45 with each pregnancy and it is so much work to get it back off. Congratulations by the way!!! It's very exciting. Take care of yourself.

    Thanks so much :)
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    If you concentrate on healthy foods and save the 'less healthy' foods for treats (like we would normally), you will find it's not that hard to gain only a healthy amount of pregnancy weight.

    If diabetes is a risk for you, I would recommend looking into eating plans for those with gestational diabetes. It's not a diet - it's a healthy eating plan, that would be fine for anyone, whether they have diabetes or not. And it just might help you ward off the problem before you *have* a problem.

    A fantastic book is "What to Expect When You're Expecting - Eating Well When You're Expecting"

    http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/What-Expect-When-Youre-Expecting-Heidi-Murkoff/9780761133261-item.html?ikwid=how+to+eat+when+you+are+pregnant&ikwsec=Home

    It's by the same team who wrote "What to expect when you're expecting". Loads of awesome information in that book.

    Good luck - and best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby!!
  • Confession Time!!! I put on 80 pounds during my pregnancy. When my husband came home and I told him that I was pregnant, first he was excited, then he said, "You are going to put on so much weight it will be disgusting." 23 years I lived with this guy. 23 years of insults and put downs.
    But, within 2 days of the birth I was down 50 pounds. Much of it was water weight. If I had followed a weight gain chart, considering all the fluid that i retained both in the uterus and in my own body tissues, the baby would have been short of nutrients.
    So that still left 30 pounds of fat. I tell you it looked like I had twins, one each thigh.
    However I nursed. Women who nurse lose weight big time. Not at first because the little buggers do not consume enough calories, but as they grow, mom shrinks.
    The baby needs nutrients. Your body needs nutrients. Eat plenty of vegetables because that is the source of vitamins and minerals and proteins. Listen to everyone, but use your own head. And if you run into a fat phobic dunce, make distance.

    Now I was planning on nursing, but using the breast pumps, because Im a full working mom and would this still help to lose?
  • vickiessecret
    vickiessecret Posts: 119 Member
    Congrats & Good Luck, I myselft gained 80lbs with my 1st & swelled horribly, I gained over 10lbs in 1 week & it wasn't from eating, I lost 40lbs after having her & kept the last 40lbs...then a year later I got pregnant again & gained 50lbs & lost all that. I then had my 3rd & gained another 50lbs, I currently lost 32 of those lbs & I'm still working on getting the last 26lbs off. I never ate 100% healthy during my pregnancies & gave into fast food :/ I'd have to say stay away from fast food, I haven't had any in over 3 weeks & my weight is finally going down. I agree to see what your dr says you should gain & they can give you tips & advice :)
  • yeah, don't add the calories to "diet" calories. Add it to your regular intake. So don't add 350 to 1200. Add it to your maintenance calories. No need to diet now. You can do all that soon enough after sweet baby is here!! :)

    Yeah I finally figured that out lol. Guess that wouldn't make since to add to diet calories. Thanks so much
  • Congrats & Good Luck, I myselft gained 80lbs with my 1st & swelled horribly, I gained over 10lbs in 1 week & it wasn't from eating, I lost 40lbs after having her & kept the last 40lbs...then a year later I got pregnant again & gained 50lbs & lost all that. I then had my 3rd & gained another 50lbs, I currently lost 32 of those lbs & I'm still working on getting the last 26lbs off. I never ate 100% healthy during my pregnancies & gave into fast food :/ I'd have to say stay away from fast food, I haven't had any in over 3 weeks & my weight is finally going down. I agree to see what your dr says you should gain & they can give you tips & advice :)

    Thanks. I will fight the urge when it comes to fast food. I know I cave into this bad habit as well :(
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    However I nursed. Women who nurse lose weight big time. Not at first because the little buggers do not consume enough calories, but as they grow, mom shrinks.

    Now I was planning on nursing, but using the breast pumps, because Im a full working mom and would this still help to lose?

    Yup - still works - your body is making the milk either way, and your baby is still getting the milk.

    I nursed too, and it helped immensely.
  • If you concentrate on healthy foods and save the 'less healthy' foods for treats (like we would normally), you will find it's not that hard to gain only a healthy amount of pregnancy weight.

    If diabetes is a risk for you, I would recommend looking into eating plans for those with gestational diabetes. It's not a diet - it's a healthy eating plan, that would be fine for anyone, whether they have diabetes or not. And it just might help you ward off the problem before you *have* a problem.

    A fantastic book is "What to Expect When You're Expecting - Eating Well When You're Expecting"

    http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/What-Expect-When-Youre-Expecting-Heidi-Murkoff/9780761133261-item.html?ikwid=how+to+eat+when+you+are+pregnant&ikwsec=Home

    It's by the same team who wrote "What to expect when you're expecting". Loads of awesome information in that book.

    Good luck - and best wishes for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby!!

    Thanks. I appreciate the recommendation