how many calories do you have a day?

Hi!

24 weeks pregnant here with my second! I am logging consistently just so i dont fall out of the habit for when after my daughter joins our family! Im honestly just eating when im hungry but somedays i am so hungry and eat so many calories! How many calories do you end up having a day? Just curious where other pregnant mamas are at so i can cut back on sweets or snacking if im going overboard somedays!
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Replies

  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    For the first 15 weeks, I averaged 2300 a day (my maintenance). Now I've added an extra 200 calories to that each day to start gaining slowly.
  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
    Do you know how i would find out my maintenance calories?
  • cerimariegillett
    cerimariegillett Posts: 35 Member
    hi both. I found my maintenance by changing my settings to my current weight (as i've gained about 14lbs) and then when it asked how much i wanted to lose weekly I clicked maintain, I think it offered me around 2100 calories i'm going slightly over or trying to stick with it, just to keep me mindful of what i'm eating. I've been really struggling with my blood sugars due to surviving on cereal and beige coloured foods ha ha.. crisps, cake, biscuits, toast - not good. I feel a lot better from making some more sensible choices and doing some exercise.
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    Yes, you can use the MFP suggestions based on your height, weight, and age. There are also some other online TDEE calculators you can google (scooby's, IIFYM, etc). An average of those will give you a pretty good estimate.

    For me, I've been logging for almost 2 years, so I've found my maintenance by looking at the number of calories I'm eating over like a month and seeing if I lost weight/how much, gained, or maintained.

    You can always eat at whatever the calculator says for a month, then see whether you've maintained, gained, or lost weight during that time to know whether you need to increase or decrease your calories. But you really need to be accurate with your logging, weighing all solids, measuring all liquids, to do it this way.
  • kmode131
    kmode131 Posts: 3 Member
    This was posted on another chain...so I figured I'd post here as well. Hope it helps! :)

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm
  • cerimariegillett
    cerimariegillett Posts: 35 Member
    kmode131 wrote: »
    This was posted on another chain...so I figured I'd post here as well. Hope it helps! :)

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm

    Good Calculator, Thanks Kmode131
  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
    Thanks for all your help, ladies! I have been consuming anywhere from 1800 to 2500 calories a day but i didnt know if i was eating too much some days. I just used the calculator and it says 2200 calories for second trimester so im actually not going too far over. Thanks!!
  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
    kmode131 wrote: »
    This was posted on another chain...so I figured I'd post here as well. Hope it helps! :)

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm

    Thanks!!!
  • NerdieMcChub
    NerdieMcChub Posts: 153 Member
    I was unsure about this. I was losing on 1200 a day (so low because of my health issues). I recently upped to 1500. I feel like any more will be too much and I'll be eating just for the sake of calories. I don't want to gain too much because it will take me so long to lose with my thyroid issues. I'm trying to be really conscious about everything. I actually would love to see my endocrinologist about this and a nutritionist maybe.
  • mkivanoff
    mkivanoff Posts: 7 Member
    hmm. according to that calculator, I should be at about 2450 calories a day. I'm set on maintenance at 2000 a day right now and i've gained about 4 pounds (27 weeks today) but my Dr is super happy with my weight. How on earth do people eat 2450 without just eating a bunch of sweets? Seriously, I have a hard time eating 2000, especially if I do any exercise that day.
  • NikkiSixGuns
    NikkiSixGuns Posts: 630 Member
    I'm 5'2" and was @120 lbs pre-pregnancy. I have my daily calorie goal set to 1800. I have gained about 17 lbs (now in week 26) since then but can still fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans (getting pretty tough to zip some of them, though!) so I know it's pretty much all baby/pregnancy weight. Early on I was so sick that I lost weight, but have been gaining at a reasonable pace since then. I didn't track at all in the early months - just ate what I could when I could. Now I get such mean heartburn from every dang food that it's easy not to overeat. As long as I eat as nutritiously as possible, I hang out right around 1800. Sometimes over or under by a few hundred calories.
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
    I'm 5'2" and was @120 lbs pre-pregnancy. I have my daily calorie goal set to 1800. I have gained about 17 lbs (now in week 26) since then but can still fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans (getting pretty tough to zip some of them, though!) so I know it's pretty much all baby/pregnancy weight. Early on I was so sick that I lost weight, but have been gaining at a reasonable pace since then. I didn't track at all in the early months - just ate what I could when I could. Now I get such mean heartburn from every dang food that it's easy not to overeat. As long as I eat as nutritiously as possible, I hang out right around 1800. Sometimes over or under by a few hundred calories.
    Oh, I had that heartburn with my first - it was terrible! Multiple small meals helped with lots of milk w/each meal (or tums). That whole wive's tale about heartburn = lots of hair on the baby? Yeah, that was true in my case! Hope it stays somewhat manageable for you!

  • helenmelon29
    helenmelon29 Posts: 787 Member
    I was unsure about this. I was losing on 1200 a day (so low because of my health issues). I recently upped to 1500. I feel like any more will be too much and I'll be eating just for the sake of calories. I don't want to gain too much because it will take me so long to lose with my thyroid issues. I'm trying to be really conscious about everything. I actually would love to see my endocrinologist about this and a nutritionist maybe.

    You should defo ask a professional as you have other health issues. Me on the other hand has no probs getting to 2000 cals! lol
  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
    I was unsure about this. I was losing on 1200 a day (so low because of my health issues). I recently upped to 1500. I feel like any more will be too much and I'll be eating just for the sake of calories. I don't want to gain too much because it will take me so long to lose with my thyroid issues. I'm trying to be really conscious about everything. I actually would love to see my endocrinologist about this and a nutritionist maybe.

    You should defo ask a professional as you have other health issues. Me on the other hand has no probs getting to 2000 cals! lol

    Lol me neither

  • The pregnancy calculator says I should be eating 2700 calories and my OB suggested 1800.
  • sarieth05
    sarieth05 Posts: 313 Member
    I haven't had my first appointment yet, so I'm super early in my pregnancy (8 weeks today - first pregnancy) and honestly I'm struggling to keep my calories under 2500. =P I was still in the process of losing weight and had 0 issues eating around 1600 calories every day for the past 8 months until now but bumped my calories up closer to maintenance for pregnancy and STILL overeat. I'm constantly hungry!

    According to that pregnancy calculator, my maintenance is around 2431 - that makes my days seem a little better calorie-wise, but I would really like to try and reduce my intake. In the mean time, I'm trying to get back into the habit of working out.
  • Mrscheyfleming
    Mrscheyfleming Posts: 149 Member
    22 weeks here and I fluctuate between 1800-2000 calories
  • L257
    L257 Posts: 21 Member
    I'm 28wks and eating an average of 800cals a day. Some days are blowout days where I don't eat more food, it's just richer (or I don't eat solid food and just drink juice all day) and they're around 1300. I also have plenty of days where i only eat around 400cals.

    I am obese (155cm and around 135kg) and I have thyroid disease so I just don't get hungry and don't need to eat much. I've seen a dietician at the hospital and based on my diet (as in pattern of eating, not as in 'weightloss diet') and exercise she's really happy. I eat loads of salad and veg and try and eat plenty of dairy products to keep my protein up. I try and avoid carbs because they're an easy trap for vegetarians to fall into and then I get too full to eat the nutritious foods I need.

    This is my third pregnancy and if it follows the pattern of my last two, I will be uninterested in eating for the majority of the pregnancy, lose weight and grow a perfectly healthy bub. Then in the last month when bubby is fattening up I will crave calories in the form of fruit like nobody's business. Like 2kg of seedless grapes in one sitting. Four Granny Smith apples for lunch. Etc
  • L257
    L257 Posts: 21 Member
    Oh yeh and I'm currently nuts for anything sour/tangy so a lemon is like, a perfectly normal lunch for me, haha.
  • OriginalKatie
    OriginalKatie Posts: 119 Member
    kmode131 wrote: »
    This was posted on another chain...so I figured I'd post here as well. Hope it helps! :)

    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm

    Thanks for that! I was just wondering how many calories I should be eating now. :)