15 weeks pregnant & in need of diet advice

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wiseass
wiseass Posts: 3
in Introduce Yourself
:ohwell: I was using Myfintesspal.com before i got pregnant, and have come back to it today. I feel I am getting myself into trouble with over-eating. I've gained 10-12 pounds and I am only 15 weeks pregnant. My legs have become like tree trunks. I still exercise, but have had to cut down because of all the cramping I've experienced. I can read a million times over what I should be eating, but it doesnt make a difference - my appetite is crazy!
I need some advise from other pregnant ladies or moms that have not gained that much weight in their pregnancies & what they did to keep their appetite in check.
Please Help!

Replies

  • GingerKid
    GingerKid Posts: 86
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    I was in the enviable position of only gaining 10-15 # with each of my pregnancies. I can honestly say, that I focused on nourshing my baby with some cravings that were not very healthy. (pancakes and milkshakes and peanut buster parfaits with #1, bacon cheese bagles/cream cheese and lattes with #2).

    My thought is that your body is going to do what it's going to do with pregnancy. Just focus on being healthy and active, like you would when you're not pregnant.

    Congrats on the PG!! :)
  • Luckymam
    Luckymam Posts: 300
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    Just make sure that the food you are eating is GOOD food - that is whole foods, and cut out the processed and refined stuff - not good for the baby or you! Remind yourself of the health benefits of eating healthily, NOT DIETING, during pregnancy. You are eating to nourish your baby, as well as yourself. Remember that whatever goes into your body goes into your baby's too. That always made me think twice about what I ate when I was pregnant.

    Also, breastfeeding helps once baby is born.

    Listen to your body. If you are hungry - EAT!!! You mustn't deprive yourself of nutrition at this important point in your life. There will be plenty of time and opputunity once the baby is born to lose weight.

    Good luck!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I gained 30 pounds with each of my pregnancies. With both I actually lost weight for the first half. Not sure why, it just happened. When I was pregnant with my son I had gestational diabetes so I really had to watch what I ate. I wasn't allowed to have snacks either. It was difficult at first, but knowing I was doing what was best for my baby made it easier. I avoided refined sugar and ate fruits, vegetables, whole grains and plenty of protein. I tried to drink water more than juice.

    Make sure you're getting enough potassium so that you can exercise comfortably. Studies have shown that babies born to moms who exercised during pregnancy are less likely to have weight problems later on. All women have some degree of insulin resistance during pregnancy because of a hormone that is produced by the placenta. Avoiding refined sugar and added sugars in foods can help you avoid gestational diabetes. Trust me, even though mine was very easily diet controlled, it still wasn't fun. I had to test my blood 4 times a day, every day and my fingers got very sore from all the needle sticks.

    There's no way to avoid cravings, they'll happen and they'll make you crazy if they're strong enough. Don't feel bad about giving in, just don't overdo it. Have a small portion of whatever you're craving, as long as it's safe to eat.

    Oh, make sure you're taking prenatal vitamins with DHA in them. I love the GNC prenatal pack. It has a great multivitamin plus separate calcium and DHA supplements. I took the calcuim and DHA together with breakfast (to avoid the gross fish oil burps), one multivitamin with lunch and the other before bed.
  • doris_day
    doris_day Posts: 159
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    I gained 50 with my first and 60 with the second. It takes a very, very long time to take it off.
    I recommend swimming - that's a great low impact way to burn some calories. Honestly 15 pounds already and you're on your way to gain like I did.
    Eat as healthy as you can. I kept thinking I was eating for 2 - and taking in a lot of calories. You are supposed to increase 2-300 calories if I remember correctly - that's only a couple bananas - not a 10 oz steak.
    I would recommend to keep moving - hit the treadmill at a slow pace, elliptical was also easier for me
    Gaining all the weight made delivery much harder and caring for my baby much harder.

    Just my advice ......
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    Its ingrained in your mind that you're eating for 2 but in reality you only need 300-500 extra calories per day in the 2nd and 3rd trimester...nothing extra needed in 1st.

    If you genuinely are hungry then try and make it healthy but after having 4 babies and gaining 3-4 stone (42-56lbs) with each pregnancy I know its hard, (pork pies and sausage rolls on 1st, anything with nuts in on 2nd, and with 3rd and 4th I ate ice by the bucket load and still gained as much weight!)...that said I had dropped all weight by my 6 week post natal check on all babies without even trying.

    Congrats on bub BTW
  • CMCMom
    CMCMom Posts: 6 Member
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    I have had 2 pregancies. First one, single baby and gained 30 lbs. I didn't try to watch but not really pig out other than my normal eating habits, which weren't the best. I had cravings for baked potatoes with him. Second pregnancy was twins. I was lucky enough to only gain 15 lbs with that one. I had gestational diabetes with this one (and borderline with the first one) by 20 wks. I tried to do watch diet alone, but 2 wks later I was put on insulin. I do believe it is best to eat small frequent meals. It does keep your blood sugar levels more even which controls hunger. I believe you shouldn't "diet" while pregnant, but simply make good choices and maintain the exercise as your body/doctor allow. Each pregancy is different and if your body needs nourishment, eat wisely. I was worried about gaining so little with the twin pregnancy, but doc reassured me that babies take what they need and mom gets what 's left. Keep your prenatal doc appts to allow doc to monitor baby. Mine were growning just fine, so I was reassured that all was ok even though I wasn't gaining much. Good luck on your pregnancy! Oh, by the way, my twins EACH weighed 6lb 14 oz...almost 14 pounds of babies alone.
  • HappyTemple
    HappyTemple Posts: 57
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    Not to be a downer, but you really shouldn't be trying to LOSE weight while you're pregnant. It's not healthy for your baby. I know your profile says "pregnant and scared of gaining weight," and that you don't want to surrender your body to weight gain, but it's a fact of life with a pregnancy, and weight gain is a GOOD thing. You're growing another person in there, and to deprive yourself of calories in order to lose weight, you're depriving your baby of what he or she needs to develop properly. You can definitely be healthy about your food choices, and avoid excess weight gain, but it's not healthy to try losing weight right now. The average recommended weight gain for a pregnancy is about 20 pounds, if I'm remembering correctly. Maybe you should talk to your doctor/OB about weight gain and get some advice from him/her. Have you considered a midwife or doula? They're excellent.

    Another great resource is thebump.com. The ladies there are wonderful and have endless information and advice, not to mention great support and friendship. Good luck with your journey, and health and happiness to you and your baby!
  • velise9
    velise9 Posts: 1
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    I am nearly right where you are in pregnancy and although I've only gained 6lbs so far (as of a couple weeks ago, it may be up to 10lbs by now), I feel like I relate! I gained 45lbs with my first baby that is now a four year old and was able to get down to just about my pre-pregnancy weight using calorie counting. I had a miscarriage right before this baby, so I gained about 5lbs right before I got pregnant again. So I'm starting out about 15lbs heavier then I did with my first and I'd like to only gain 20-30lbs. A little gain is expected, there is over 10lbs in just the baby and the body changes that come with it. I'm just trying to eat healthier.
    With my first, I craved fried rice and mcdonalds cheeseburgers... gross! I haven't eaten either since actually, since I ate so many and made myself sick with it. :) This time I'm craving fruit a lot more, but also things like fountain soda, potato anything, and ice cream. I just started back using my app to log in what I'm eating, I feel like it will hold me more accountable. I do plan on eating about 2000 calories a day just to maintain my weight but with the focus of not losing or gaining any unnecessarily.

    Congrats on your pregnancy!
  • nicnian
    nicnian Posts: 2
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    What should I do if I want to monitor my calorie intake while pregnant? I gained 45-50 pounds last time I was pregnant. I currently weigh about 155 and want to figure out how many calories I should eat so I don't overeat but still give enough nutrition to my baby. Can I use fitness pal for that? I know I can change my goal to gain 1/2 pound a week, etc. but would this be the right way of keeping track?
  • anikkim0915
    anikkim0915 Posts: 100 Member
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    When I was pregnant my OB recommended that I only eat an additional 300 calories to my diet. Did I listen?? NO! I went overboard because I had an excuse to eat! And that habit stuck with me after the baby was here!

    I personally would not go over 2000 cal a day if I was pregnant again. And I would track it all on MFP! Just to keep me accountable.

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