How many calories to eat while pregnant so i don't gain weight?

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jessiicaa101
jessiicaa101 Posts: 3 Member
in Food and Nutrition
so i just found out I'm pregnant. i will be going to the dr's soon, but i am scared to gain too much weight! i worked so hard to lose all the weight i did i went from 130 to 100 pounds. I usually eat 3 meals a day which is 1,200 calories a day for me since i am 4'11. I want to stay skinny during my pregnancy, but still gain weight on my belly of course. i knew a girl who was skinny and only gained weight on her belly but the rest of her body stayed skinny. i was thinking to start working out like walking on the treadmill....i just feel so stressed bc i did so good getting skinny and healthy from where i was before and i feel like I'm gonna go back to that again which i don't want too! what should i do?

how many calories should i be eating? I'm only about 2 weeks pregnant. i eat 1,200 calories a day, and if i over eat the most calories i eat is 1,430 (in order to maintain my weight). if i eat more than that i gain weight right away, which i don't want! help! losing weight was a big accomplishment for me, i don't want to go back to square one! i do eat healthy, but of course i have some days where i eat out.
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Replies

  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
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    eat until your satisfied. you will need to eat more calories, you are growing a baby. Its not about you it about the life your nuturing. am to gain 25-35 pounds while pregnant make sure you pay attention to the nutrition of the food and not the amount of calories.
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
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    The above poster is correct. You are growing a baby and this is no longer about you, it's about the life you are nurturing. This is a conversation you need to have with your doctor. Strangers on a message board have no idea what your specific nutritional requirements are during your pregnancy. Go to a doctor as soon as possible and have this conversation with them.
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
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    oh and congratulations!
  • Ladiebug710
    Ladiebug710 Posts: 133 Member
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    Weight gain is normal and necessary in pregnancy. You need about 300 extra calories a day to support a growing baby. Most of the weight gain is in the second half of pregnancy. Make sure you are eating a healthy diet with lots of fruits and veggies. If you aren't on prenatal a start today! Don't wait until you go to the dr. Folic acid can reduce the risk of neural tube defects only in the first eight weeks. Congrats on your pregnancy!
  • MellowGa
    MellowGa Posts: 1,305 Member
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    Talk to your Doctor about it, the baby will take what it needs from you, so you will be impacting you both. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and your diet needs. You will probably be taking vitamins for the baby. My wife had three kids, she was not huge for any of them, and she is around her normal weight. Just eat healthy.
  • jessiicaa101
    jessiicaa101 Posts: 3 Member
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    thanks guys :) your right its about the baby now!
  • jsubick
    jsubick Posts: 1 Member
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    I had a baby 5 months ago and gained 30 lbs while pregnant. I ate breakfast daily, and focused on eating healthy meals and snacks throughout the day. I think the thing that helped me the most was staying active throughout my pregnancy, jogging until it was no longer fun and then walking or using the elliptical, and I continued walking after I had my baby and was able to lose all the weight quickly. Focus on your health and eating sensible nutritious meals, not your weight, and just stay active and you will do great. Congratualtions!
  • khaleesikhaleesi
    khaleesikhaleesi Posts: 213 Member
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    Congratulations, first and foremost!

    Talk to your doctor, but don't be afraid of weight gain. You'll find an average woman gains anywhere from 30-60 pounds while pregnant (I gained 100-- I made a big baby!). Breastfeeding will take the weight off fast, as will running on no sleep and half-eaten meals in between a crying baby! That sounds like a prison sentence-- it's not. You'll look back and not even think about how stressed out you were.

    In any case, weight is weight. Nutrition is everything. Start taking a prenatal vitamin. They make gummies if you're iffy about swallowing pills. If you're already exercising, continue! If you haven't exercised, walking is good, but don't overdo it, ESPECIALLY in the first trimester. Make sure to drink lots of water, and stay away from deli meats, sushi... They'll give you a whole list of stuff not to eat.

    Enjoy pregnancy! It was the happiest I've ever been. Like my hormones have always been out of whack and they finally evened out.
  • CObluegrass
    CObluegrass Posts: 61 Member
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    talk to your doctor, see a nutritionist and be safe about it. Who cares about your goals for your body right now when you have a baby to nourish? that said, I worked with a nutritionist while pregnant and only gained 19 pounds but was significantly overweight. congrats on your pregnancy!
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    hannahbethbing wrote: »
    Congratulations, first and foremost!

    Talk to your doctor, but don't be afraid of weight gain. You'll find an average woman gains anywhere from 30-60 pounds while pregnant (I gained 100-- I made a big baby!). Breastfeeding will take the weight off fast, as will running on no sleep and half-eaten meals in between a crying baby! That sounds like a prison sentence-- it's not. You'll look back and not even think about how stressed out you were.

    In any case, weight is weight. Nutrition is everything. Start taking a prenatal vitamin. They make gummies if you're iffy about swallowing pills. If you're already exercising, continue! If you haven't exercised, walking is good, but don't overdo it, ESPECIALLY in the first trimester. Make sure to drink lots of water, and stay away from deli meats, sushi... They'll give you a whole list of stuff not to eat.

    Enjoy pregnancy! It was the happiest I've ever been. Like my hormones have always been out of whack and they finally evened out.
    Nobody should gain 60 pounds during pregnancy. As others have said a healthy weight woman SHOULD typically gain only 25-35. An overweight woman needs to gain even less. Obviously many people gain more, but this is not because the baby needed it. Yes, she needs to eat more, but not that much more. http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/healthy-weight-gain
  • jenluvsushi
    jenluvsushi Posts: 933 Member
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    Ask your doctor what your weight gain should be and then adjust your calories to meet that goal. You do not need to gain much in the beginning of pregnancy....I googled the below as an example but ASK YOUR DOCTOR FIRST to be safe as none of us know what your medical status is:

    If your pre-pregnancy weight was in the healthy range for your height (a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9), you should gain between 25 and 35 pounds, gaining 1 to 5 pounds in the first trimester and about 1 pound per week for the rest of your pregnancy for the optimal growth of your baby.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    Congrats!

    The standard recommendation (from nutritionists) for calories while pregnant is:
    1st trimester: maintenance calories
    2nd trimester: maintenance + 250 calories
    3rd trimester: maintenance + 500 calories

    As for where you gain weight: this is highly dependent on the person. Some women gain all over while others gain only in the stomach.

    Most people would recommend not starting a new workout routine now that you're pregnant. I'm no doctor, so this isn't medical advice, but I would assume walking should be ok.
  • LavenderLeaves
    LavenderLeaves Posts: 195 Member
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    A step up from your doctor, I'd really talk to your OB about this, not your GP. A registered dietician might be helpful, as well, but I'd ask your OB about that and talk to him/her first and foremost.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    congrats, but your life ceases to be all yours now. You're going to gain weight while you're pregnant...you have to feed two people...you're supposed to gain weight while you're pregnant.

    See your doctor asap and sort this out with her.

    Also, you can lose weight after the baby you know...my wife did it...twice. And she is pure awesomeness.
  • ovinas1
    ovinas1 Posts: 413 Member
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    Doctor Doctor doctor.

    May your first child be a masculine child..
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Only your doctor can advise you on this. They don't want you gaining unwanted weight either.
  • Khukhullatus
    Khukhullatus Posts: 361 Member
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    Yeah, gotta agree with those above. This is way too serious and specific of a situation to be handled on message boards. Don't listen to anyone without an M.D. after there name, on this one.
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
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    Average pregnancy gain is 25lbs.
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,659 Member
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    As with the other posters, I would say pay attention to your doctor. You were at a fairly low weight when you became pregnant, 100 lbs., and while being "skinny" might be a goal at other times in your life, this is not it! 1200 calories is the amount to eat if you want to continue to lose weight and adding exercise will make you lose more. Walking or swimming is plenty of exercise for now.

    Right now, you have another life to take care of. I was small when I got pregnant many years ago, between 105 and 110 lbs. (I'm 5'1.5") and I usually gained between 20 and 30 lbs. I lost it all within 3 to 6 months after the pregnancy. I did light weight lifting and swimming until the 7th month, but had some bleeding with a high impact aerobic class and had to stop. For one pregnancy, I gained only 20 lbs. because I had a stomach flu during the 7th month, and we were worried the baby would be big enough (she was). In my first pregnancy, the doctor was worried I would deliver early and because I had gained only 18-20 lbs. by the eighth month, and she was concerned about the baby's brain development; she put me on bed rest and told me to eat full-fat dairy such as milk and ice cream. Don't play around with undereating to stay "skinny." You can add that extra 300-500 calories a day from healthy foods, such as an extra glass of milk, yogurt, a turkey sandwich, etc.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    MoiAussi93 wrote: »
    hannahbethbing wrote: »
    Congratulations, first and foremost!

    Talk to your doctor, but don't be afraid of weight gain. You'll find an average woman gains anywhere from 30-60 pounds while pregnant (I gained 100-- I made a big baby!). Breastfeeding will take the weight off fast, as will running on no sleep and half-eaten meals in between a crying baby! That sounds like a prison sentence-- it's not. You'll look back and not even think about how stressed out you were.

    In any case, weight is weight. Nutrition is everything. Start taking a prenatal vitamin. They make gummies if you're iffy about swallowing pills. If you're already exercising, continue! If you haven't exercised, walking is good, but don't overdo it, ESPECIALLY in the first trimester. Make sure to drink lots of water, and stay away from deli meats, sushi... They'll give you a whole list of stuff not to eat.

    Enjoy pregnancy! It was the happiest I've ever been. Like my hormones have always been out of whack and they finally evened out.
    Nobody should gain 60 pounds during pregnancy. As others have said a healthy weight woman SHOULD typically gain only 25-35. An overweight woman needs to gain even less. Obviously many people gain more, but this is not because the baby needed it. Yes, she needs to eat more, but not that much more. http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/healthy-weight-gain


    Some people do just gain. I've gained more than I should do in all three of my pregnancies, and I've been healthy, exercised throughout my 1st and 3rd and ate well. I logged on MFP for my 3rd pregnancy and didn't ever eat above maintenance, and was at a deficit for my first 2 trimesters, and yet I still gained. I've had easy pregnancies though, and easy labours and births (just gas and air, no stitches) so I've done something right. And I've always lost it after.

    Just focus on eating healthily and keeping active and hopefully you won't be as unlucky as I was. Just make sure you eat enough.

    I was really nauseous from 6-14 weeks with both my girls, and found I ate more carbs than I usually would to stop the nausea, and I'm sure that contributed to my initial weight gain.

    Enjoy your pregnancy, and congratulations :)

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