Just found out I'm pregnant again

candacefausset · May 2013

And we are excited! But I am wondering how this will effect my weight loss and fitness goals? I will be going to see my doctor later in the week but wanted to see what experiences others have had with pregnancy and weight loss? I know most doctors don't advocate weight loss during pregnancy. Is there a healthy way for me to continue to shed pounds still though? I didn't put on much during my last pregnancy- 35 pounds and I dropped it all within 6 weeks but gained it all back after a few months. The idea of waiting 9 months to start losing weight again is kind of depressing after I just really got on the band wagon.

I just started c25k last week and heavy lifting as well. I am wondering if those will both be no-nos while pregnant? I imagine the lifting will be but not sure about continuing to train for a 5k. Also started Jillian Michaels 30 day shred last night. Not sure on that one either.

Oh and if it helps- I am 212 lbs right now at 5' 6". I have been on a deficit of 1200 and eating back exercise calories usually, eating a total of 1400-1500 a day. I have been working out/walking 5-6 times a week.

Anyone have any experiences being pregnant and still getting fit? Or is it just one of those things, where I am going to have to wait?

candacefausset · May 2013

Anybody?

bearkisses · May 2013

bump for you

congrats!!

redhead1910 · May 2013

I've known people who have stayed the same weight throughout their pregnancy who become pregnant when they were overweight because of exercise. HOWEVER, you will need to up your calories to about 200 over your BMR and consult your doctor about exercise. As long as your heart rate is not faster then the baby's with running you should be ok. Not sure what the deal is with lifting though.

FitMrsR · May 2013

Your dr will have to decide that. For some people, their dr suggests trying to lose weight whilst pregnant but there are a lot of factors that go into it so we can't really say for sure. Whatever happens it will be ok!

ETA: you can do whatever exercises you are used to doing but since you've just started a new fitness routine, your dr might say to wait until after the baby. I'm 26 weeks pregnant and still do p90x and insanity but I was doing them for 9 months prior to getting pregnant.

TorrizzleWillSizzle · May 2013

I think just eating healthy and tryin to find healthy alternatives to the cravings will help. I don't think "dieting" is a good idea when your pregnant but definitely try to eat healthy stuff

CONGRATS!! I can't wait to have another

SlimJanette · May 2013

Congrats on the pregnancy. I personally never workout when I was pregnant only because I had so many issues wrong.
A friend of mine did yoga and walked a lot and drank lots of water and ate well. She didn't snack on really sweet things so that kept her weight down. After she had the baby, in about 8 weeks she had completely lost the weight. This was 21 months ago, and she continues to eat well now with no exercise and is at the weight she was when she got married.

it is possible, but I doubt you can continue the weight lifting.

I am no doctor so please speak with them.

Good Luck!

servilia · May 2013

I've known people who have stayed the same weight throughout their pregnancy who become pregnant when they were overweight because of exercise. HOWEVER, you will need to up your calories to about 200 over your BMR and consult your doctor about exercise. As long as your heart rate is not faster then the baby's with running you should be ok. Not sure what the deal is with lifting though.

It's not 200 over BMR, it's 200 over maintenance.

WannaDizzolve · May 2013

Congratulations!

Talk to your doctor. Mine encouraged me to exercise and eat healthy. But i don't think that a weight loss goal right now is realistic. Just focus on eating well, appropriate exercise, and being healthy. I know it sucks, but you're pregnant, and your weight loss goals should probably wait.

djwife03 · May 2013

I think it's all about how you feel during your pregnacy! When I got pregnant with my first child, I was of course, very TIRED for few months, but then started walking on the treadmill almost everyday. Right up until about 8 months or so.......to the point it hurt to much to do it(my son was over 9lbs and 23inches long!). From what I've read,researched, you can lift, but just use lighter weights. you can do yoga, and I'm sure there's a ton of Exercise DVDs out there for during pregnancy! Above all else, listen to your doctor! After I had my son(i had an emergency c section) I hate to wait a bit to start walking again....but I did! BUT, then I got pregnant with my second when my son was only 2 months old! LOL! SOOOOOO......didn't do much exercising, seeing as I had a baby to take care of!
In short.....you don't have to wait, but don't over due it either! The best thing to do would be to speak with your OB about it! I think you could do the JM 30 Day Shred, but maybe do the modified versions.
And, Congratulations!!!!!

SairahRose · May 2013

Anything you've been doing regularly before the pregnancy is good to keep going.. until you feel that you're straining yourself, and you should find yourself taking it easier towards the end anyway.

Make sure you're talking it over with the doctor and such though. If you have a fair bit to lose, then eating at maintenance (or over if you need to), but never lower is perfectly fine to do.

Only you know your body, so focus on yourself and your baby

Congrats loads!!!

Editing - you should probably think of making maintenance 16-1700 plus eating exercise cals regardless of pregnancy. With that level of exercise, you're not eating enough calories to fuel the workouts anyway.

mountaingirl2207 · May 2013

I believe at your height and weight, your goal should be to eat nutritiously but aim for as little gain as possible. Doctors recommend no more than 15 lbs gained for overweight pregnancies. I think you will need to bump your calories up a bit because pregnancy does require a lot of work for your body, but I think that if you try to be healthy about it, you will be surprised at how your body redefines itself. You will get a big belly, but you may lose in other places so that when the baby is born you end up lighter than you are now. The most important thing is to remember the health of your baby.

As far as working out, you can continue to run until your belly is too big and it is uncomfortable. You can do resistance/weight training, but I'm not sure about lifting heavy. I would imagine that it would be okay as long as you are not trying to beat any records.

piscean6 · May 2013

I have never been pregnant and I dont know about being pregnant, but I know exercise is good for pregnant women. You might not be loosing much in the next 9 months, but you can still continue to put your body in a better shape than you started and after your baby is born you wont have to start over and you can work out easier. Best bet to know for sure is to ask your doctor. Asking people is great too. I hope you find out your answers and have a safe and wonderful pregnancy. Congrats on your baby and continue with your health goals.

CherryOnionKiss · May 2013

Follow a prengnacy diet. Forget about calories. Just eat well during your pregnancy. Don't step on the scale, water weight can make that scale go up like crazy.

You can do low impact exercise during pregnancy. Like walking, swimming, yoga. There's pregnancy Yoga, Pregnancy aquaform, pregnancy pilates. There's tons of fitness classes for expectant moms.

Congrats on your pregnancy.

quiltlovinlisa · May 2013

My third pregnancy, I was getting super healthy, TONS of biking, spinning classes and I kept all that up until seven months along, the kid didn't like it anymore and kept kicking me in the kidneys when I climbed on a bike. My fourth pregnancy, I threw up all the time, and ended up with an extremely high risk pregnancy and three months bed rest. All you can do is your best. Whatever activity you can do, talk to your doctor and of course, do your best with eating.

5n0wbal1 · May 2013

Well, now isn't the time to lose weight. Talk to your doctor. If you are severely overweight, many will suggest to only gain about 15 lbs during the pregnancy. And exercise is great during pregnancy, so long as you keep it moderate and listen to your body--it'll tell you when to stop.

Good luck with your pregnancy, and congratulations!

slkehl · May 2013

Congrats! Hopefully this will help your perspective on weight gain:

Total recommended weight gain: 25-35 pounds
Baby: 8 pounds
Placenta: 2-3 pounds
Amniotic fluid: 2-3 pounds
Breast tissue: 2-3 pounds
Blood supply: 4 pounds
Stored fat for delivery and breastfeeding: 5-9 pounds
Larger uterus: 2-5 pounds

So of all that weight gain, less than ten pounds will be fat! And that's especially easy to shed if you breastfeed your baby.

MightyDomo · May 2013

After a certain point you will get a suggestion and then told to stop lifting heavy and to either lift light or not at all. Your doctor will make these recommendations based on your pregnancy and health during, so definitely don't stop what you are doing now unless your doctor either tells you or recommends that you stop, slow down or find an alternate exercise.

If I were smart I would have been running and working out during my pregnancy, it would have saved me a lot of grief.

dunlunicor · May 2013

Probably best to slow down on the weight loss or stop entirely, but if you want to stay active and can't do your normal activities, bellydance and yoga are great options. A friend of mine teaches a mom-to-be bellydance class, and her students swear by it. Not only is it a good low-impact activity you can do throughout your pregnancy, it strengthens the right muscles to make delivery easier. If you can find an instructor in your area, I highly recommend it!

lilbearzmom · May 2013

I was about 210 when I got pregnant with my son- I was on WW at the time & my doc said it was OK for me to maintain my weight throughout the 9 months, which I guess technically would be losing. Anyway, go by what your doctor says, not mine...LOL This was just my experience.

BayleighPaws · May 2013

Congrats! Hopefully this will help your perspective on weight gain:

So of all that weight gain, less than ten pounds will be fat! And that's especially easy to shed if you breastfeed your baby.

This is all completely true, but keep in mind breastfeeding doesn't guarantee weight loss. For some people (myself included) it can actually make it harder to lose weight (and this can be very, very discouraging.... Especially since majority of information out there says "BF! You will lose weight!!").

Congrats on your pregnancy!!!!! I would recommend talking to your doctor about your goals for pregnancy and food. Our doctors office offered prenatal nutrition classes. Our doctor is great and had a ton of recommendations for keeping fit and healthy during pregnancy (though, I followed none of the advice!). I know many women who were able to maintain a safe level of fitness, follow a healthy diet and gain a healthy amount of weight! Your doctor is the best person to talk to, but our area offers prenatal yoga, swimming, walking and other classes. Your doctor can help find a good balance for you, your sweet baby and your health!

Good luck!!

sallydurkin · May 2013

I am currently 24 weeks I continuied eating at 1500 cal or first trimester, dr approved. I continued exercising to the best of my ability, I was running stairs, I continued to do what I could through first trimester, sometimes it was 20 min somtimes more (was running at 45 min ish). After first trimester ended I got energy back and started doing full sets again, I still am contuning and running also. I am in second trimester and eating 1700 cal and eating back some calories (I think the calorie count is to high here so I usually do 1/2 back but if I am really hungry then I have no problem eating more, I am not absloutly ridgid on cal if I am hungry not just bored or wht ever then I will eat).
I lost 10 lbs during first trimester and have only recently started gaining that back I have gained 4 lbs of that back. I was 174 when I found out I was pregnant. I did not give into temptation or cravings (or i found a healthy alternative). There are pregnancy boards on here to join for extra support, I am on fit fablous and pregnant, find some friends keep acountable.

SteelySunshine · May 2013

Congrats.I was encouraged to walk while pregnant. I didn't gain much with any of my pregnancies which was good cuz I was overweight with all of them. Everything turned out fine. I was actually lighter after delivery with all of them than before I got pregnant. Too bad I didn't continue with the trend, but anyway. It's entirely possible to lose a little (I wasn't trying to lose at all, I just felt sick a lot), but the doc said it's ok so I wasn't worried. Definitely have that talk with your doctor if it is ok to gain just a little, or no weight, or even lose a little. I am sure that isn't your focus, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Contrarian · May 2013

You shouldn't be losing weight during your pregnancy. You can certainly still exercise, though.

Please discuss this with your doctor.

peniculala · May 2013

It all depends on how overweight you are. When I got pregnant, they said that I shouldn't gain any weight at all. I wasn't able to do that, but I didn't have the motivation that I now have. Pay attention to whatever your doctor says and if you don't agree, get a second opinion. But, I don't recommend taking the advice of anyone else too seriously.

savithny · May 2013

Lots of people encourage gentle exercise while pregnant. That's a good thing. You need to watch your hearr rate more than usual, if I remember correctly.

(also, anecdotally? The people I know who exercised hard during pregancy had babies who needed constant mostion to sleep after theiy were born. They got used to being jostled up and down a lot prenatally. Don't know if its a real phenomenon, but just saying it could happen.

Now, as for dieting? Some people will say their doctors told them to keep dieting, or to plan to not gain any weight. Not gaining weight during the first trimester makes some sense, but after that you do need to gain at least the weight of the baby, placenta, and your increased blood volume.

I've read that there can be concerns if you are burning fat stores during preganncy, because burning fat lets loose any environmental contanimants that were stored with the fat. Dioxins, PBB -- any of the stuff you've been exposed to has been stored in fat cells, and releasing it during pregnancy will cause it to be stored in your baby.

I was overweight when I got pregnant, and my doc/midwives just strressed gaining at the low end of the expected range. I'm really tall, and I had large babiies

mkdanhoff · May 2013

Just a note to say congrats. It's my understanding that if you are already on an exercise plan, it's okay to continue. I think the main thing you want to consider is staying active and eating a healthy, balanced diet to grow a healthy baby. I was 183 before getting pregnant with all 3 of my babies (I always dropped the weight each time), after my 3rd when she was 5 months old I was actually down to 170 and feeling great because of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding does use calories, so keep that in mind...it also helps baby learn how to regulate his/her own intake and reduces risk of childhood obesity and diabetes. Apart from that, I see pregnant ladies at the Y all the time working out. I really think the post partum weight gain has a lot more to do with lifestyle change than anything else. My local YMCA offers 2 hours of free childcare while you work out. I wish I'd known about this sooner! Best of luck. P.S. baby doesn't need a bottle if you're only away for 2 hours... just bf before & after.

mkdanhoff · May 2013

Oh yeah, and my local Y has a prenatal swimming group exercise class...I sound like I'm selling memberships to the Y or something. I'm not, I promise! I just wish I had known about it sooner! My babies are 6,5, and 2 now. Good luck!

KWake1 · May 2013

Walk. Walk walk walk walk walk. You'll thank me for this advice in the delivery room.
Also, Yoga. Get the prenatal yoga DVD's, go to a class etc. Again, don't just think of weight loss, that's also for the delivery room.
How far into C25K are you? If you're already rocking week eight, keep at it. You're used to the activity so there's no reason to stop. A friend of mine just ran a half marathon at 31 weeks pregnant. But she's a regular runner. I certainly wouldn't start 10K training, but if you're good with 5K, don't stop.
If you are already quite a bit overweight, odds are you won't gain the "recomended 20 - 30lbs". You might end up just maintaining this weight and getting a pleaseant surprise in nine months. I wouldn't worry too much about the number on the scale right now, especially in the first trimester. As long as it's not going up right now you're fine. There's no need to gain weight (normally) until the mid point. I mean really, how many calories does a grape need?
Always remember, you are NOT eating for two. You are eating for ONE who is pregnant. There's a difference.
And yes, if you are VERY overweight (as determined by you and your dr.) it is still possible and even OK to lose weight while pregnant. As long as you have enough calories coming in to nuture the baby, you're fine. If it ever reaches a point where you're not meeting baby's needs then you have a problem.

PS: I lost 10lbs in my first trimester. Loss of appetite, nausea, etc all caught up to me. And only gained 20 after that. So a total gain of 10lbs - my pregnancy was delightful, my delivery was easy, and my baby was remarkably healthy. And I was not overweight to start. It really all comes down to your, and your baby's, unique needs.

PPS: Of course I am not a dr, nor am I pretending to be one. Check everything out with him/her, but as long as baby is healthy (obviously that's the priority) there's no reason for you to stop trying to get healthy.

zumbalinda22 · May 2013

Congratulations on the pregnancy, and I agree that you should follow the advice of your doctor. Just wanted to add my two cents and say that when I was pregnant with my first child, I swam almost daily. The swimming kept me in good shape, and in those last months when you feel really "big," the feeling of being almost weightless in the water is wonderful! It was a great workout, and it was really easy on my body. Good luck to you!

xMonroeMisfit · May 2013

Your best bet is to ask your Doctor what is safe for you and your baby. Everyone is different. I've seen people on bed rest, I've seen people at the gym lifting and doing cardio like normal. It is all dependent upon your health prior to the pregnancy and now.

Congrats by the way!:flowerforyou:

Just found out I'm pregnant again

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