Im pregnant, how many calories should i eat to maintain?

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davery1985
davery1985 Posts: 142 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi guys!!
Im currently 14 weeks pregnant and need to know how many calories I should be eating just to maintain my weight. I am 28 years old, 5 feet 6 inches and weigh 161lb. I was eating 1500 calories before I got pregnant when I was loosing weight. I just want to be healthy for me and my baby now im over the morning sickness part and can actually eat normal again! Hopefully theres other ladies out there who are in a similar situation to me that can help. :happy:
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Replies

  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    What did your doctor say?
  • AprilTom
    AprilTom Posts: 27 Member
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    Talk to your doctor, but you shouldn't count calories while pregnant. Eat healthy foods in frequent small amounts and drink a lot of water. Your not going to be able to maintain your weight while pregnant you are going to gain, but that is what your body is supposed to do.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    What did your doctor say?

    This.

    But the general rule I was told was to eat 300 calories above my maintenance level. You're on a bulk for the next 9 months or so, so enjoy it. :flowerforyou:

    ETA: Congrats on your pregnancy!
  • davery1985
    davery1985 Posts: 142 Member
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    Oh yes I know ill gain weight because of the baby. That's a given :smile: I just mean I want to be as healthy as I can and eat like I was maintaining so I don't over eat like I did when I had my first child. Doctors said I was a healthy weight, and just gave me some leaflets about the benefits of veg and fruit. xx
  • davery1985
    davery1985 Posts: 142 Member
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    What did your doctor say?

    This.

    But the general rule I was told was to eat 300 calories above my maintenance level. You're on a bulk for the next 9 months or so, so enjoy it. :flowerforyou:

    ETA: Congrats on your pregnancy!

    Ah great that helps :smile: Thank you so much :flowerforyou:
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Talk to your doctor, but you shouldn't count calories while pregnant. Eat healthy foods in frequent small amounts and drink a lot of water. Your not going to be able to maintain your weight while pregnant you are going to gain, but that is what your body is supposed to do.

    There's nothing wrong with counting calories when pregnant if you're trying to control your nutrition and make sure to get the right amount. I've had multiple friends on here use MFP while pregnant as a tool to regulate their nutrition, and they've been very successful at it. Plus it can help monitor trends, and be useful for your doctor to see if something comes up.
  • FitMama2013
    FitMama2013 Posts: 919 Member
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    Join this group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1920-fit-fabulous-pregnant-

    There are wonderful ladies there and lots of helpful information to answer your questions :) I ate maintenance first trimester, +300 in the second trimester, and didn't really log in my third (oops!)
  • carrieous
    carrieous Posts: 1,024 Member
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    i'd say 2400. 2000 for you to maintain and 400 extra for the pregnancy
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    Talk to your doctor, but you shouldn't count calories while pregnant. Eat healthy foods in frequent small amounts and drink a lot of water. Your not going to be able to maintain your weight while pregnant you are going to gain, but that is what your body is supposed to do.

    There's nothing wrong with counting calories when pregnant if you're trying to control your nutrition and make sure to get the right amount. I've had multiple friends on here use MFP while pregnant as a tool to regulate their nutrition, and they've been very successful at it. Plus it can help monitor trends, and be useful for your doctor to see if something comes up.

    Yep, this. I used MFP during pregnancy less for calorie counting and more for making sure I got enough nutrients. I tracked things like protein, fats, and calcium. Even if you just ate when you were hungry and not trying to meet certain calories, your baby will be fine. Just remember while pregnant, your baby's nutritional needs will be met before your own. So if you're not getting enough of something, your baby will pull it from your body, and you will be the one lacking. Just make sure the baby AND you get enough of everything.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,521 Member
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    Like other people have said, figure out your maintenance weight and then add about 300 cals. I did this with my second pregnancy, gained about 35 lbs (I started out around 130lbs). When I was exclusively bfing (for the first 6 months), I did maintenance + 400- 500cals. I dropped down to about maintenance cals while bfing from 6 mos to 1 year...I lost the 35lbs in about 7 months and kept my milk supply up. It isn't an exact science, but this worked for me.
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
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    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm

    This is the calculator I used to determine how many calories I should be eating. I am 19 weeks now :)

    Congrats on your pregnancy!
  • leilaphoenix
    leilaphoenix Posts: 839 Member
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    I'm not pregnant but I put 5ft2 120lbs into the calculator just for fun and it reckons I should eat 1324 cals in my first trimester....not sure many doctors would agree this is healthy...
  • CJBateman81
    CJBateman81 Posts: 6 Member
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    When I was pregnant, I just changed the setting in my profile to "maintain weight" instead of "lose 2 pounds a week" in the goals part and it changed my calories to the amount I needed for my weight and kept track that way.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    I'm not pregnant but I put 5ft2 120lbs into the calculator just for fun and it reckons I should eat 1324 cals in my first trimester....not sure many doctors would agree this is healthy...

    Yeah, I got 1935. But I eat 1850. To lose weight. /head scratch
  • ALittleBitLess1
    ALittleBitLess1 Posts: 119 Member
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    I just tried that calculator, I am 5ft 2, starting weight of 60kg, it suggested 1589 1st tri, 1789 2nd tri and 1989 3rd tri. This would be about right for me. in pre pregnancy life I put on weight if I eat more than 1500 a day.
    Incidentally I am 17 weeks now and have put on 10-12lbs not the recommended 5-6lbs, oops!
  • ngressman
    ngressman Posts: 229 Member
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    I would forget about calories if I were you. Just eat lean proteins, lots of fruits and veggies, low fat dairy. Avoid giving in to cravings and fast food binges. Talk to your doctor to see how much he wants you to gain this pregnancy. On my last pregnancy the doctor said he only wanted me to gain 7-8 pounds. Remember when people say you are eating for two that one of those is less than 10 pounds.
  • susanmc31
    susanmc31 Posts: 287 Member
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    Interesting readings that you all got. When I did it I got over 2300 calories which seemed correct for me. Maybe it is not the best calculator???
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    I'm not pregnant but I put 5ft2 120lbs into the calculator just for fun and it reckons I should eat 1324 cals in my first trimester....not sure many doctors would agree this is healthy...

    You have to know the tool.

    You selected BMR, didn't you, that's the only way to hit that low of number.
    BMR is NOT maintenance, unless you slept all day long. BMR doesn't even include the energy burned digesting food.

    Be honest with your activity level, now what do you get?
  • Still1Workoutatatime
    Still1Workoutatatime Posts: 250 Member
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    What did your doctor say?

    This ..
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    With my fist child I gained 65 lbs. She weighed 7 lbs 3 days past term.
    Lost all the weight plus some within 6 months.
    Second child, didn't gain a lb until third trimester. Morning sickness was so bad that all I could eat was fruit, veggies, and cottage cheese.
    Ended up gaining 30 over the next 3 months. Baby weighed 7 lbs 3 oz at term, and has been healthy all her life.

    Check with your doctor for nutrition info. Mine told me that during the first half of the pregnancy, the baby really didn't take any extra calories. Once they start growing quickly, then you need the extra. But again, check with yours to be sure.

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