Getting fit while pregnant? stories and pics please!!!!!

I'm interested in the responses/photos you receive--you and I have something in common. I've been on MFP since Apr 2012, loss 53lbs, bt am now 15wks pregnant. I've bn trying to stay w/i my recommended calories bt nt always sucessful YET I'm hanging in there. This site motivates me; can't wait to view your responses.

congratulations!! I would start by having a chat with my doctor before doing anything. They usually recommend that you keep up the exercise you did before getting pregnant during your pregnancy (well to a certain limit of course). If you weren't exercising you can look for prenatal fitness classes in your area, they are great! You can also change your diet without necessarily limiting your calorie intake, just eat good calories not bad ones. Good luck!

When I got pregnant with my last, I was overweight and I did not want to gain the typical (for me, anyway) 40-45 pounds. I talked with my OB, and he agreed that a 15-25 pound gain would be ideal for where I was. I walked through most of the pregnancy, swam through the last trimester (it was summer) and logged food here - my goal was to eat 2000-2250 calories, but I usually didn't get all of them in; still, it was very helpful to be aware of what I was putting in my mouth, rather than the "I'm eating for 2 so I can have more" mentality. I ended up gaining 17 pounds total, with 6 pounds being baby (and most of the rest being the "essentials" like placenta, fluids, increased blood volume, etc). So it's really doable to keep it down

I would suggest talking to your OB to find out what kind of gain you should aim for (it depends on your starting weight - it would be 20, it could be 10, it could be maintain) and how many calories you should aim for to do that.

I am currently pregnant. I was on MFP before I got pregnant and the pregnancy was a surprise. I have been trying to walk 30 minutes a day. I usually break it up in to two 15 minute walks. If you aren't used to exercising at all, that would be a great place to start. It is fine to exercise when you are pregnant but you don't want to overdo it, especially if you are not used to it. I have not been logging my food really since I got pregnant because I have been very busy and quite frankly I don't always make the best choices. I do try to choose more wisely now though most of the time. However, you don't want to look at my diary today. LOL. I still have cravings and yes, I give in to them sometimes. But so far I think I am doing good. My doctor said my weight/size was right on track at my last appt which was at 25 weeks. I am carrying all my weight in my belly. My legs are pretty, arms, etc. are pretty much the same size. I have felt good most of my pregnancy. I am 27 weeks as of today and starting to feel tired. I am wondering though if I might be anemic. I go for my glucose/anemia test on May 7th so we will see. I try to drink plenty of water too. I can't really tell you what I weighed before I got pregnant. I was 8 weeks pregnant before I found out. I think I weighed about 120 lbs but my scale was broken so I wasn't checking. At my last appt I weighed 133 lbs. I have not had any morning sickness at all. Also, the walking really relieves my back aches.

Ditto to woodwardthm. I walked and swam with both of my daughters and no, you dont have to eat for two - but you DO have to eat and eat healthy. Lots of water. I was very active when I got pregnant with my girls - played tennis probably 6 days a week. There are some things they would prefer you stay away from like heavy lifting but truthfully use common sense and talk to your Doctor. You will feel so much better at delivery and post if you keep at it and you might be surprised at how the weight comes off. I had a c-section with my second daughter (both my kids were over 10 lbs) but I was on the treadmill the day before.

BTW, I am also 41 years old. So I have the age factor on top of being pregnant! But I figured if I stay active now, maybe I can keep up with a toddler!

I was 37 going on 38 when I had my second. so it can be done

I recently had a miscarriage before the 5wk mark but before that happened I found this group that you might be interested in: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1920-fit-fabulous-pregnant-. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

i ditto the walking routine. walk as much as you can. If it is too hot, walk in the mall. If it is too cold, walk in the mall (shopping helps pregnancy... :bigsmile: )
Also, drink lots of water, and make sure that you are eating fruits and veggies that will provide your vitamins and iron intake. I did not take any pill/gummy vitamins but i did make sure to have a spinach salad 4-5 times a week and lots of fruits and veggies.
I was working out a lot prior to getting pregnant, but found that after the 3 months i could not handle the hard workouts (side note - i was working out for about 6 months before getting pregnant, so my body was still not "used" to exercise). I changed jobs that allowed an hour lunch break, so i would walk around the city all summer long, about 1-2 miles a day. I walked slower the bigger i got, but walking helped my hips and helped with ease of delivery/recovery (Delivery it self was not easy, but it could have been a lot worse!).

Bump- very interesting. I want to come back and read all the responses later.

No pictures but here's my story. Pre pregnancy (any pregnancy) I was about 190, I've always hovered between 170-195 throughout young adulthood. So when I got pregnant with my first I was around 190, I ended up gaining 35 lbs or so to full term, had the baby and left the hospital at 211, I breast fed exclusively for 3 months but couldn't keep up, started supplementing but still BFing as much as I could, went down a bit then back up to 210 when he was 7 months. I then found out I was pregnant with #2 (daughter). My pregnancy with her was completely different, instead of craving meat, cheese and PB like I did with my son all I wanted was fruit, fruit and more fruit. I also stayed more active and went to my gyms pool almost every day after work. I would do push ups on the pool wall, flutter kicks, go up and down the stairs, jog in the pool, punch the water holding pool weights, anything to stay in motion in the water. I only gained 17 lbs, and the baby came out weighing 9lbs 1oz ! So I pretty much maintained my weight and just gained baby and fluid. Since then though being started on a medication that made me gain 30+ lbs in a year my new starting weight was 240 but I am now back down to 202

Bump -- this may be useful to me in the future.

I'd try to continue to log as much as you can. Remember to give yourself a few extra calories (probably 350) for pregnancy (and afterwards 350-500 for nursing if you nurse). Try to stay as active as possible, but listen to your body.

Oh ps- google the Blue Ribbon diet while pregnant. Super interesting!