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No Clue About Maintenance Calories

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corpseskank1
corpseskank1 Posts: 24 Member
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I'm 6 weeks preggers, but I've been dieting so long...I have no clue what I should be eating! I upped my goal from 1200 (where I was losing about a pound a week) to 1600-1800 cals/day two weeks ago. Now I'm bloated, up five pounds, and I have no clue if it's from eating more or the first trimester wackiness. Help?

I'm 5'7", 26, and I was 155# two weeks ago. I've got to figure out what the "normal" amount to eat is so I can adjust my mental idea of what to indulge in and what to resist. I've had zero morning sickness so far... And I'm honestly worried that if I don't pay attention I'll overgain early on. Any thoughts appreciated!

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  • afbaka
    afbaka Posts: 7 Member
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    I would talk to your OB about your specific goals because I am not a trained health professional or nutritionist or anything, but mine told me baby needs just 300 extra calories (healthy ones!) per day, so that's what I added to my goals. I've gained just over 20 lbs but I'm at week 30 right now, and my OB said that's totally normal. :) Best of luck!
  • Andiebeanluvsu
    Andiebeanluvsu Posts: 105 Member
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    If you've been cutting calories for a while, the sudden jump may be just water weight. The same thing happened to me. I was at 1300 calories (I'm 5'6 and was 175). I increased my calories to 1600 and instantly gained 5lbs. A couple of weeks later I was down to 173 without even trying. Now my calories are more like 2000ish a day and I'm actually maintaining on that. I actually find if I eat less than that, I feel like complete crap.

    Just take it week by week and adjust your calories accordingly.
  • dangergirl87
    dangergirl87 Posts: 10
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    It took me the whole first trimester to figure it out for my body and activity level.

    I aim for 1500 ish but also allow myself an extra protein rich snack after my daily workouts. So far I have yet to gain but have tapered off losing (lost 16 lbs during the first 18 weeks). I'm 25 weeks along and finally maintaining. :)

    Best of luck, when you have been losing for so long, it's hard to find a new balance.
  • szarlotka717
    szarlotka717 Posts: 85 Member
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    I'm in the same boat - was trying to lose weight before I found out I was pregnant two weeks ago (now 8 weeks). I've gained a couple pounds even though I've been eating at or below what MFP thought maintenance should be. My diet has been more sodium-heavy than it should be, so I'm hoping some of it is water. I'm not overweight, but close, and would love to limit total weight gain to 25-30 pounds.
  • helenmelon29
    helenmelon29 Posts: 787 Member
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    Im also 5'7 and weighed 157lb (goal was 147). I was eating 1600. I have set it to maintence on here and its giving me about 2000 cal per day. Im 8 weeks but not really recording my food at the mo as feeling a bit rough and snacking away. I havent weighed myself in 2 weeks as away from home but Im defo bloated, so I know I will be up. With my son I started at 143lb and gained 30lb so hoping to gain simular but we will see!
  • NikkiSixGuns
    NikkiSixGuns Posts: 630 Member
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    Andiebeanluvsu wrote: »
    If you've been cutting calories for a while, the sudden jump may be just water weight. The same thing happened to me. I was at 1300 calories (I'm 5'6 and was 175). I increased my calories to 1600 and instantly gained 5lbs. A couple of weeks later I was down to 173 without even trying. Now my calories are more like 2000ish a day and I'm actually maintaining on that. I actually find if I eat less than that, I feel like complete crap.

    Just take it week by week and adjust your calories accordingly.

    ^^I agree with this! Anytime I upped my calories after cutting I experienced sudden (and not mathmatically possible) weight gain, but it always leveled out shortly thereafter.

    Talking to your OB is a good idea, but if she's like mine she won't give you an a numerical calorie target. Mine was more focused on watching your weight gain and adjusting accordingly, and eating as healthily as possible. That answer won't help, though, if you've been dieting and your weight is suddenly fluctuating all over!

    Prior to getting pregnant my regular doc told me that in early pregnancy you only need about an extra 100 calories each day. For the first three months or so I was lucky if I could get to my maintenance goal most days, because I was so sick I didn't eat much! I actually lost about five pounds during that time, but my OB was fine with it because I was at an ideal weight when I got pregnant and she knew the gain would level out as my pregnancy progressed. Now I'm just past five months and I've actually gained that weight back and then some! I'm just slightly below where I'm expected to be, but that just leaves me some wiggle room for the last few months.

    The "Eat More to Weigh Less" threads have some good links to tools that can help you pinpoint your maintenance calorie goals based on your sex, age, weight, height, and activity level. That's what I used to help me figure mine out. Of course we're all a little different and so I had to do some minor tweaking over time to the number I got based on my actual results, but I'd highly recommend it for a place to start!

    Congrats on your pregnancy, and good luck!

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