Minimising weight gain in pregnancy

Options
2

Replies

  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Options
    I can't believe people think that eating 1800 calories isn't enough, or that it's dieting! Feel free to look at my food diary, I'm not starving by any means!

    This is my third baby, so I am learning from past mistakes in pregnancy!
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Options
    You do understand that setting your calorie goal in MFP to 1800 isn't the same as EATING 1800, right? Because you seem to never actually hit that number and you're closer to 1500 more days than not.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    I can't believe people think that eating 1800 calories isn't enough, or that it's dieting! Feel free to look at my food diary, I'm not starving by any means!

    This is my third baby, so I am learning from past mistakes in pregnancy!

    For the record I eat 1800 cals to lose weight, so it's easy to believe it's not enough when you are carrying a baby....
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Options
    Yes, but I started eating 1200 to lose weight and did that for a long time! Then I upped to 1500, but didn't always make it. So 1800 is a lot! And I do go over sometimes.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Options
    This is at 22 weeks pregnant. I do not look like I'm starving!!

    image.jpg
    image upload no size limit
  • prdough
    prdough Posts: 76 Member
    Options
    I think people are saying you aren't eating enough because you said you are eating 20% below your TDEE on average (even though you go over sometimes)

    That means that you are burning more calories then you are eating, even though you have a baby inside you. A doctor typically will tell a pregnant woman to eat more calories that her typical TDEE because of the baby. So you should be eating more than your TDEE (according to the typical person)

    In other words, you should be eating around 2,160 calories per day just to be at your tdee (according to 1800 calories being 20% below your tDEE)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Options
    Yes, but I started eating 1200 to lose weight and did that for a long time! Then I upped to 1500, but didn't always make it. So 1800 is a lot! And I do go over sometimes.

    1800 might be 'a lot' for you, but as an amount for a pregnant woman to eat, it is NOT a lot....
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Options
    I was wondering of anyone had managed to maintain a healthy weight while pregnant and not end up looking like a beached whale!

    I'm currently 20 weeks pregnant with my 3rd baby (see profile pic) and although I haven't weighed myself, I don't think I've put on too much weight. There are before pregnancy pics in my profile pics.

    I'm 5'6 and weighed 154lbs before getting pregnant, although I always weigh more than I look like I do for some reason. I was doing 5 or 6 gym sessions/classes a week before I got pregnant, and I'm now doing 4 or 5 most weeks (gym, spinning, Zumba, aerobics). I still do strength training.

    I've put my calorie limit at 1800 a day, which is a bit less than my TDEE minus 20%. I'm generally pretty healthy, but I have been letting a few too many treats creep into my diary.

    I felt really nauseous for the first 14 weeks, and ended up eating to stop it, and probably had too many carbs, but now I feel ok, just tired.

    I work part time as a secondary school teacher, and I also have a 4 and 2 year old. I rush about a lot with them - school, nursery etc. So on a daily basis I probably burn quite quite a few calories. I rarely sit down at work either.

    I put on a lot of weight in my 2nd pregnancy, and started out about 20lbs heavier than this time anyway, so I am feeling a bit worried, as I do gain weight easily.

    Any advice, or similar stories, or success stories?

    I would check with your doctor.

    I believe most give you a surplus OVER maintenance to eat during the second and third trimesters.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Options
    I can't believe people think that eating 1800 calories isn't enough, or that it's dieting! Feel free to look at my food diary, I'm not starving by any means!

    This is my third baby, so I am learning from past mistakes in pregnancy!

    Most times, 1800 IS enough to lose weight on, usually one half pound a week. However, since you are pregnant you should be eating at maintenance which, given the stats you stated, is probably above 1800.

    What is your TDEE? Because you are pregnant, you should be eating at least that. You will gain weight with pregnancy, and you should not be trying to lose.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    Options
    what did you gain with your pregnancies seems to be for many women it's consistent
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Options
    I'm sure I'll get lambasted for this, but the fact that you are avoiding weighing yourself out of fear of weight gain and keep insisting that you are eating enough because you aren't withholding quite as many calories as you were before makes me wonder if you might benefit from talking to someone. I don't think it's normal for a pregnant woman to have that much worry over gaining weight. I get that you're worried because you gained too much with your first 2, but this seems a bit extreme honestly. And yes, I do think that since you're taller than I am, started at a normal weight, are in your second trimester, and currently eat less than I eat to lose a lb a week, that you are undereating.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Options
    I have a slow metabolism. Even eating 1200 calories I did not lose a pound a week. It took me over 2 years to lose 70lbs! And that's with exercising a lot and generally being active.

    I gained loads with my daughter and don't want to be as miserable as I was then ever again!
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Options
    I have a slow metabolism. Even eating 1200 calories I did not lose a pound a week. It took me over 2 years to lose 70lbs! And that's with exercising a lot and generally being active.

    I gained loads with my daughter and don't want to be as miserable as I was then ever again!

    Sigh.
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Options
    I have a slow metabolism. Even eating 1200 calories I did not lose a pound a week. It took me over 2 years to lose 70lbs! And that's with exercising a lot and generally being active.

    I gained loads with my daughter and don't want to be as miserable as I was then ever again!

    Instead of thinking you have a slow metabolism (the odds are overwhelming that you don't), I'd suggest rephrase your line of thinking to 'I'm probably not accurately measuring my calorie intake, and if I were to do so I'd be better able to see where I'm having trouble'.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Options
    I have a slow metabolism. Even eating 1200 calories I did not lose a pound a week. It took me over 2 years to lose 70lbs! And that's with exercising a lot and generally being active.

    I gained loads with my daughter and don't want to be as miserable as I was then ever again!

    Instead of thinking you have a slow metabolism (the odds are overwhelming that you don't), I'd suggest rephrase your line of thinking to 'I'm probably not accurately measuring my calorie intake, and if I were to do so I'd be better able to see where I'm having trouble'.

    Yeah,I'm a total moron who can't count calories! Even if it weren't accurate, when I was eating 1200, if I went over, I was still at a big deficit!

    I used to starve myself years ago, and that has affected my metabolism as I got older unfortunately. I managed to improve it by gradually increasing my calories. My dad has weight issues, and he's seen a specialist at the hospital, and he does actually have some sort of imbalance that causes him to gain weight. No idea what, he doesn't really like to talk about it.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    Options
    I have a slow metabolism. Even eating 1200 calories I did not lose a pound a week. It took me over 2 years to lose 70lbs! And that's with exercising a lot and generally being active.

    I gained loads with my daughter and don't want to be as miserable as I was then ever again!

    Instead of thinking you have a slow metabolism (the odds are overwhelming that you don't), I'd suggest rephrase your line of thinking to 'I'm probably not accurately measuring my calorie intake, and if I were to do so I'd be better able to see where I'm having trouble'.

    This. If you truly had any sort of measurably altered metabolism, have you had thyroid levels checked? Having a messed up thyroid while pregnant = bad. Very bad.

    Outside of thyroid, you most likely were underestimating calories eaten, overestimating calories burned... which isn't even a bad thing in your case. You were probably eating closer to a healthy amount of calories for longterm (instead of "1200," you may have actually been eating closer to your TDEE-20%). Granted, it's an issue if you haven't quite grasped what "maintenance" or "deficit" means in terms of calories, and haven't learned to estimate calories... but you're downplaying 70 lbs lost over two years (which is tremendous, and an incredibly healthy rate of loss).

    I'm thinking there's some issues at play for you to discount healthy, slow weight loss, blame the magical "slow metabolism" for weight gains/losses, and care perhaps to an extreme amount about healthy weight gain during pregnancy.

    (p.s. "Gaining weight easily" often comes from water retention, so not actual fat, or a result of low LBM from undereating.)
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Options
    I have a slow metabolism. Even eating 1200 calories I did not lose a pound a week. It took me over 2 years to lose 70lbs! And that's with exercising a lot and generally being active.

    I gained loads with my daughter and don't want to be as miserable as I was then ever again!

    Instead of thinking you have a slow metabolism (the odds are overwhelming that you don't), I'd suggest rephrase your line of thinking to 'I'm probably not accurately measuring my calorie intake, and if I were to do so I'd be better able to see where I'm having trouble'.

    Yeah,I'm a total moron who can't count calories! Even if it weren't accurate, when I was eating 1200, if I went over, I was still at a big deficit!

    I used to starve myself years ago, and that has affected my metabolism as I got older unfortunately. I managed to improve it by gradually increasing my calories. My dad has weight issues, and he's seen a specialist at the hospital, and he does actually have some sort of imbalance that causes him to gain weight. No idea what, he doesn't really like to talk about it.

    I didn't call you a moron and I wasn't trying to insult you.

    There's a reason most tests having to do with nutrition don't have isocaloric intakes as requirements. That's because it's freaking hard to accurately measure intake. If scientists with specialized equipment have a rough time getting accurate calorie counts, what makes you think your intake is perfect?

    Most people don't do simple things like weigh all their food or include all ingredients when cooking. But even if you do, there's still tons of room for inaccuracy.

    You do know that the numbers in the MFP database are estimates and that some are wrong (and in some case tremendously so)?

    You also know that at least in the US the FDA dictates that the nutrition information on labels be accurate with a margin of error of 20%, and that many companies breach even that range?

    Through no fault of your own, your intake estimates could easily be way, WAY, off.

    I don't think you're a moron and cannot count calories. In fact, the only thing I think would constitute any slight on your intelligence is a belief that your intake estimates are completely free from error.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    Options
    Had you started your pregnancy at 200 lbs, I wouldn't think eating 1500-1800 cals per day is SO bad, though I would suggest speaking to a nutritionist who specializes in pregnant clients. However, the fact that you weighed 154 at the start of your pregnancy tells me that you need to eat more than TDEE-20%. General practice is maintenance plus 300 for someone who isn't obese at the start of the pregnancy. About 1 lb per week of weight gain is normal/healthy. Your baby needs nutrition and your body needs fuel for you and to create a person. Eat healthfully, by all means. But don't put vanity ahead of your health and your baby's health.

    Eta:the fact that you're pretty active is going to help temper any extraneous weight gain, as well.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    Options
    You're not eating enough. Even if you DID eat 1800 cals, it wouldn't be enough (you yourself said this is a deficit for you). But I looked at your diary and you're not even hitting your goal. You're not eating your exercise calories back so you're eating at an even bigger deficit. You said you used to starve yourself. I think you haven't quite gotten your ED issues sorted out yet.
  • Superpowered
    Superpowered Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    So much advice! Just chat with your midwife, eat well, feel satisfied, and be happy. High fives.

Categories