Pregnancy and Overweight Question.

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Have any of you members of this site ever lost weight while pregnant with a Dr.'s recommendation and guidance? I've heard of this and read it on the pregnancy boards but don't personally know anyone who has done it.

If anyone answers yes, did they have any problems related to their weight loss while pregnant? How many calories were you allowed? I know certain foods are off limits or limited for pregnancy. Were any of those added too because of your weight loss efforts? Was it the Dr.'s idea or yours to lose the weight?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm child bearing age and going off the pill soon and don't currently have a pregnancy yet so unable to ask my Dr. these specific details in advance. I do think I'm in a healthy enough range to have a pregnancy but just wondering if my weight loss will be able to continue once I have a pregnancy happens or if everything will come to a standstill. I know my Dr. wanted me to lose weight and I've heard of Dr.s having pregnant women lose weight but am unsure how that works out as far as eating and pregnancy cravings and everything. So sorry for writing such a long question but I'm new as of today and don't know how much of this will go in the question box. Sorry if it cuts off too short. If that happens I will try to fix it.

Replies

  • itsanunu
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    I guess this is not an easy question to answer. Haha. It figures. If it's hard for me, that it would be hard for others to figure out. Haha. It's o.k. I was just trying to figure out if whatever those pregnancy websites talk about is actually doable, or if I should just try to lose all the weight before getting pregnant like maybe buy condoms when I go off the pill or do something like abstinence. Even I was considering just get the baby first and forget about dieting even if the Dr. tells me to because cravings seem hard.
  • itsanunu
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    Well, I have to go. Thanks anyways you guys to whoever read this, even if it was too hard to answer. I still appreciate it the time you took to read it. Bye.
  • ecw3780
    ecw3780 Posts: 608 Member
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    You shouldn't try to lose weight while pregnant. However, if you are obese or overweight, you may not need to gain more than 15 pounds at the most while pregnant. Women within a healthy weight range usually gain 20-40 pounds and underweight women should gain more. Once you become pregnant your doctor will tell you how much to gain. Until then, you are fine to eat at a deficit. Once you get pregnant you will eat at your maintenance calories until your doctor tells you to increase. Even then, that wont be until the 2nd or 3rd trimester, and it will probably be 150-300 calories extra depending on your size.
  • azuly24
    azuly24 Posts: 5 Member
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    Most doctors will not ask you to loose weight, if you are too overweight they ask you not to gain weight during the pregnancy (which I find it hard to do). With my pregnancy I was already about 30lbs overweight. There came a time I think about the 3rd trimester when they asked me not to gain more than a pound a week. I ended up gaining about 30lbs which is about average and my baby was born at almost 9lbs. The more you gain weight past what is considered normal during the pregnancy the bigger the baby tends to be which can lead to problems birthing the child, or so the nurses told me.
  • jennyrebekka
    jennyrebekka Posts: 626 Member
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    depends on you and your body. if you have a regular Dr i would ask her/him, since they should know your medical history.
    I do have a couple of friends who lost weight during pregnancy and got much healthier....and there were no problems to speak of - - but they were overweight to begin with.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
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    I was going to try & lose weight with my 2nd baby but it didn't happen & although I was mindful about what I ate I still nearly put on just as much with my 2nd baby as my 1st baby. I did however weigh 12-14kgs lighter when I fell pregnant with my 2nd child & I was a lot healthier/fitter.

    I went off the pill about 6 mths before we conceived our 1st - you don't have to abstain from sex, just use condoms like you suggested & then when you are ready go for it :smile:

    Some people lose weight if they are sick with their pregnancies. Just go with the flow when it happens & just focus on trying to be as active & eat as healthy as you can be. That is all you can do. Good luck.
  • mcjmommy
    mcjmommy Posts: 148 Member
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    I was in the middle of a weight-loss program and got pregnant. My doctor over-seeing the program had me stop immediately. My OB wasn't concerned about me not gaining, but he was concerned about how many calories I was eating.
    My OB had watched me thru 2 previous pregnancies and I only gained 15 lbs. during them. He wanted me to just wait to resume the weight loss after delivery.
    It's hard to have 2 doctors that you trust giving you different instructions.
    Good Luck!