Welcome to 2nd trimester...I remember wanting to eat the paint off of walls. Try to stay hydrated keep water nearby. For me it seems that it has leveled out during my 3rd trimester, and I've lost some of the weight I gained during my 2nd. Push the protein if you can, I know all I really craved was carbohydrates and spices. Keep exercising at least walking.

I would say to up your protein. I had same issue as soon as I got into the second trimester and a friend of mind told me that when you crave sweets/carbs it's usually because you're lacking protein.

Sure enough she was right. As soon as I ate more protein I significantly curbed my junk food cravings. I still have them, but not nearly as often as I used to and I'm a lot better at resisting them.

http://lifespa.com/protein-deficiency-the-hidden-signs/

Protein Deficiency Sign #1: Constant Craving

Carbs, sweets, caffeine, chocolate, pop, candy, pastries, or chips; constant cravings for these non-nutritional foods point to unstable blood sugar. Not everyone with cravings is protein deficient (otherwise we would really be looking at a country-wide epidemic!), but protein deficiency and unstable blood sugar are intimately linked.

Yes, more protein.

Also, when I am craving something sweet I go for fruit. After eating an apple, some pineapple and some figs - if I still want that cookie then I eat it. But, if I go straight for the cookies it is impossible to stop after one or two. If I eat the fruit first, one or two cookies does me just fine.

Walking. I live about 1 mile from 7 different fast food places, all my favorites. If I really really want that Jr Bacon Cheeseburger, I walk there and get it and dont feel guilty about it either. But, if I dont want it bad enough to walk to get it, I dont go.

Cravings generally have a meaning. Women that crave ice cream and cottage cheese? It's the calcium. Craving pickles? Probably the sodium. Craving dirt? Believe it or not, this is a fairly common urge for pregnant women to want to eat, and is a lack of iron! When you are craving something, consider that it might be your body telling you that you need something. Try to find the healthiest version of that same thing, (cottage cheese or glass of milk instead of a half gallon of ice cream.) Also, be wary of eating too much of some things. My brother's best friend's wife just ended up in the hospital from pickles! Pregnant and craving pickles, she gave in and ate 2 jars of them in one sitting. She got really sick, headaches, dizzy and throwing up. She ignored these thinking it was just more pregnancy symptoms and ended up being admitted to the ER for dehydration. Too much salt, not enough water.

Let yourself go a little bit, watch what you eat for sure but cut yourself a little bit of slack. Gaining weight is to be expected right now, you can lose it after the baby is born.

Thanks for posting, i am in week 23 and have eaten so bad for the last few weeks. I find it so hard to control and with a busy work schedule i haven't been doing any exercise so i have been feeling really guilty (thank god i have an active job). These tips are great, i need to try them out and see if they work. Nice to know I'm not alone in this. Also if anyone has any tips on how to get motivated to exercise with a busy schedule i would much appreciate it!

Thanks for posting, i am in week 23 and have eaten so bad for the last few weeks. I find it so hard to control and with a busy work schedule i haven't been doing any exercise so i have been feeling really guilty (thank god i have an active job). These tips are great, i need to try them out and see if they work. Nice to know I'm not alone in this. Also if anyone has any tips on how to get motivated to exercise with a busy schedule i would much appreciate it!

My schedule isn't so much a busy one as I'm limited for time. I'm lucky bc the building where I work has a gym open to the tenants. I used to get up at 5am to be at work at 8:30am (DC commuter) and sometimes I didn't have enough time to workout and I was always too hungry to go during lunch. I don't get home until somewhere between 7:15-7:30pm, and with making dinner then eating, getting lunch and gym bag ready, it's already after 9 and I have to make myself lie down by 9:30-10 (I'm a night owl.. I'm wired at night) and I can't immediately fall asleep. Since my hubby gets up at 4:30, which wakes me up, he suggested to commute w/ him, which brings me to work generally at 6:30 and gives me a great deal of time to exercise before heading to work. Best thing is he does most of the driving so I can rest or take a nap on the way to and from work

You may just have to sit down when you have some free time and go over your schedule and see where you can fit it in. Having an active job seems to be a good thing for days you can't workout, but make sure your body also gets its rest

Hope I helped in some way!