Pregnant and Losing Weight

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Mutant_Toad
Mutant_Toad Posts: 17 Member
edited April 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 28 years old. I have one child already. I'm 255lbs currently (down from about 280lbs since December). I'm new to MFP, but not new to calorie counting. I usually just do it in a notebook and that has been fine for me so far.

But I found out yesterday that I am pregnant with a second child!

I'm happy about this. We've been wanting another one since my little girl is almost six and she's doing very well, so we felt it was good to start trying for another.

I still want to lose weight though. I fear falling into the trap of being overweight as a teen, then gaining weight for pregnancy in my early twenties, not losing the weight, getting pregnant again, gaining more weight...Before my first pregnancy, I was 220lbs and I'd lost 10lbs just before I found out I was pregnant.

I don't want to gain so much this time and not get it off after the pregnancy.

My doctor said that being as overweight as I am, it is not unsafe for me to continue losing so long as I am getting my nutrients and the baby is growing well.

I'm going to start logging. I set MFP to .5lbs a week and it gave me 2090 calories per day. I'm wondering if this might be okay with the pregnancy or if I should be eating more. Does anyone else have experience in continuing to lose weight and stay healthy while pregnant? I hate when people tell me that I have to gain weight while pregnant. Why? So I can waddle into the hospital? So I can have an even harder time losing it later? If I'm so overweight, do I really need to gain the pregnancy weight if the baby is okay?

Just looking for opinions and recommendations.

-Toad

Replies

  • marissafit06
    marissafit06 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    Just popping in to say congrats.

    If your doctor said it is safe for you to lose weight I would believe him/her. .5lbs a week sounds like a healthy rate. I imagine it would be worth asking for a referral to a dietician so you can get more specific information.

    good luck!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Did your doctor give any suggestions as to what to aim for? Or if possible, would he/she be able to refer you to a nutritionist/dietician? (One is higher qualified and I don't recall which.) I'm not an expert, but if your doctor says its ok to continue weight loss efforts then you & baby should be fine.
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
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    Congrats to you! I also recommend seeing a dietitian, to ensure that you're getting adequate calories/macros/micros. :) That way you can be sure that both you and the baby are healthy at the end of your pregnancy.
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
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    I was under orders from my midwife to lose weight in both of my pregnancies which I did happily. My second child I lost a good 25lbs during pregnancy and she was born at 39 weeks 8lbs flat and super healthy. I was about 220lbs at the start of each pregnancy which is large for me at 4'11".

    I tested my urine for ketones once a week and didn't restrict myself too much. I did a lot of exercise in the first 12 weeks especially. I continued to walk daily and do light weight lifting as long as it felt comfortable.

    Congratulations!!!
  • Sarahndipity30
    Sarahndipity30 Posts: 312 Member
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    Agree with all these posters. At my heaviest I found out I was pregnant (unfort lost it) My doctor at the time told me the same, that I could still lose weight when eating healthy, and even working out up to a certain point. Talk to the nutritionist. Also, the rule about "Eating for two" is crap. even my doctor said it was. loL. you do not need to overeat just because you are pregnant. I know plenty of people who have maintained, and people who have lost weight while pregnant. Go through your doctors and you should be fine.. and Congrats on baby #2!!!!
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
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    Your numbers don't sound that low (to me). I imagine there are plenty of women who routinely eat less than that during pregnancy and have perfectly healthy children.

    Just to be sure, you can run them by your doctor and monitor your loss closely so you know you're not dropping weight to fast.

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