First trimester: gaining weight or water retention?

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MrsClevenger11
MrsClevenger11 Posts: 20 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I am trying to get plenty of healthy calories for the growing baby, but I don't want to gain weight too rapidly. At 5'8", my goal for this trimester is 3-4 lbs (160-161) but at 5-6 weeks, I'm already pushing 159.5. How do I know I'm eating the right number of calories? I don't want to eat too little or too much... Right now I'm shooting for 1900 cal, and burning 200-300.
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  • try4better128
    try4better128 Posts: 61 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Were you in weight loss mode up until you got pregnant (thinking it could be that you're no longer restricting so you're getting your glycogen back)? Right now your body is busy doubling the amount of blood you have, there is definitely weight gain associated with the first trimester. Every woman will gain differently through her pregnancy. I think you're just looking for an over all 25-35lb gain. It may not be linear (just as weight loss isn't).

    Also, at 5'8", 1600-1700 net calories a day doesn't sound like enough to me. I maintain on more than that and you're 3" taller than me (and I don't have a lot of muscles or anything either). You should probably ask your doctor for a calorie recommendation.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    In the first trimester your needs don't change much, so it's best to eat at maintenance. In second trimester add 300 cal/day, and in the 3rd add 400-500 cal/day. And weight yourself about once a week to see how it's going - if you gained too much cut back a little, if you didn't gain enough increase a little. Fluid retention is crazy during pregnancy (and in the 1st tri you may also be dealing with a lot of bloating and constipation) so drink LOTS of water (I'm in my 3rd trimester and am shooting for at least 96 oz a day), it helps your body get rid of the excess.
  • MrsClevenger11
    MrsClevenger11 Posts: 20 Member
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    Yes, I was loosing before, but I have been trying to maintain for a month or more, so would it still be the glycogen? I'm new to maintainance, so I need to maybe look at others' maintainance trends to get an idea of what is normal.
    And I'll try to drink more water. I haven't been tracking that, but now is a good time to start.

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