Pregnancy and weight gain

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geezie013
geezie013 Posts: 9
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all. I am a newbie to this site, however, I am not new to counting calories and dieting. I lost a significant amount of weight six years ago and kept it off until recently..... I found out much to my and my family's surprise that I am pregnant 13 yaers after having my frst child! I am currently four months pregnant and have taken that as an excuse to chow down on every and anything. As a result I have gained way too much weight, which I know is not healthy for me or my baby. I want to avoid any problems and want to be able to get back on track once I do give birth so I decided to tackle this issue now rather than later. Although I know you can't "diet" while pregnant, at least I can eat more heathily and limit my caloric intake somewhat. Please fel free to write me if you have any comments, suggestions or questions. Thanks!

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  • marathonmom72
    marathonmom72 Posts: 191 Member
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    Good for you! Best decision ever.
  • bmfrazie
    bmfrazie Posts: 2,391 Member
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    Congrats on the news! How exciting for you and your family. I gained over 100 pounds with my son so I def understand the over eating just because reasoning. We will be trying to get preg in a few months and I am trying to stay active and watch my diet before hand so I do not fall back into what I did before. Good luck! There is a support group on the boards for preg ladies that you might find helpful.
  • antijen
    antijen Posts: 112 Member
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    Congratulations on your pregnancy! My little caboose (11 months) is 15 years younger than his oldest sibling.

    Speak with your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet. Make sure you take a good quality prenatal vitamin, drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest (with those feet up!)

    If you want to use this site, perhaps a maintenance diet would be best, as you certainly don't want to lose weight. I can't remember how many more calories you need during pregnancy above your normal amount, but you could manipulate that with your activity level (as growing a baby is certainly an increase in activity!) I am currently nursing, so I set my activity level higher to get those extra calories.

    I worked out diligently and faithfully during my last pregnancy and I am glad I did. I feel I am stronger than I would be otherwise and am not starting at zero (so to speak). The rule of thumb that I was given by my OB was not to do any jarring or twisting exercises and to keep my heart rate below 140 (and yet again, to drink plenty of fluids).
  • mama2reagan
    mama2reagan Posts: 23
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    Congratulations on baby!!!! That's very exciting! Where it's true that you shouldn't "diet" you are right, count your calories and get exercise, but also make sure you are eating healthy food choices and taking vitamins! Getting enough sleep is important too along with plenty of water! Good luck!!!
  • sculley
    sculley Posts: 2,012 Member
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    Well when I was preggo I set it to maintain weight and just add 300 calories to that that would be the healthy intake for you.
  • jackelyn14
    jackelyn14 Posts: 59
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    Hi, I have two little boys, 2 yrs, and 3 months old. One thing that helped me not eat too much with my last pregnancy was realizing that while pregnant, you don't need to eat any extra calories than prepregnancy during the first trimester, and you only need about an extra 300 calories/day in the second and third trimester. That's alot less than the common misconception of eating for two, lol.
  • cassieday
    cassieday Posts: 55 Member
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    Hello!!!

    I actually joined this site when i was pregnant with my first because i gained 10lbs in 2 weeks and my nurse was pretty harsh on me over it, so i realized i needed to get myself into check. Ended up only gaining a total of 30 by the end of the pregnancy and lost it withing 6 months of her being born!!! This site is great for that! Just give yourself about a 1800 calorie limit per day and exercise!!! Walk, walk, walk! Especially since it is now summer! We walked everyday when i was pregnant and it help a ton with not only maintaining my weight but having a really easy labor!!! =) Good luck!!!
  • geezie013
    geezie013 Posts: 9
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    Thank you!
  • geezie013
    geezie013 Posts: 9
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    Thanks for sharing. It is so good to know someone else had been in this situation. I have been walking and like you said, will just keep on walking. Thanks for the inspiration!
  • geezie013
    geezie013 Posts: 9
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    That is good to know. I will keep it in mind. I am way over an extra 300 calories but am trying to cut down. This site is very helpful. I started logging and realized just how much I am eating. Way too much. Thanks for the info.
  • geezie013
    geezie013 Posts: 9
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    Thank you. I appreciate the well wishes. I am trying to get better with water - I think it would help me feel less hungry as well as keep me hydrated. Thanks for sharing.
  • geezie013
    geezie013 Posts: 9
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    It is so great to "meet" someone else who had a gap in childbirthing years. I really thought I was done and was not prepared for this but am so glad I found this site! Thank you for sharing with me. Good to know you can exercise diligently. Maybe I can add a little more to my walking. I was actually very active until I started having symptoms, which I thought was the flu. I wish you and your little (and big) caboose goo dthings.
  • geezie013
    geezie013 Posts: 9
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    I am so excited to know there are so many people out there like me. Good luck to you and getting pregnant again. Just knowing I am not teh only one make sme feel so much better. I was feeling kind of bad about what I was doing but realize now I can change that now instead of just waiting until..... Thank you for sharing your personal experience. I appreciate it.
  • geezie013
    geezie013 Posts: 9
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    Thanks for the good advice. I like your quote - I am definitely blessed as well, but still learning to deal with the rest!

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