Pregnant but wanting to lose weight in a healthy way

First off - I agree with everyone else who has suggested talking to your doctor. He/she should be able to provide you with information about how much weight you should be gaining.

I have gone through two pregnancies, with very different weight gains. With my son, I gained 35-40lb (206lb to a little over 240lb). A lot of that was water weight - we had a hot summer, and I was really swollen. But a lot of it was me too. I ate a lot, and was less active than usual, and probably had a lot of sodium in my diet contributing to the swelling. With my daughter, I gained a total of 15lb (205lb to 220lb). With her, I had no swelling, but I also ate a lot better. I only ate until I was satisfied (trying to avoid that "stuffed" feeling, since it aggravated my heartburn), and I tried to eat a lot more fruits and veggies, and less junky stuff. I tried harder to keep active (easy when you're chasing and lifting a toddler!).

I think the key is to be reasonable in your expectations for yourself. You ARE going to gain weight. On average, a woman loses close to 20lb during delivery and the days immediately after, so the weight WILL come off. Eat healthily, but don't beat yourself up for indulging your cravings, within reason. And try not to stress about it if you gain more than you were hoping. As long as your health is in check, there are enough other things to worry about

As an aside, a lot of people don't talk about how much hungrier you can get after baby arrives. If you breastfeed, you will likely be starving constantly, and want to eat everything in sight. So be aware! Have lots of healthy, tasty snack foods (preferably that can be eaten with one hand) available in your kitchen. Otherwise, it's really easy to find yourself sitting on the couch, nursing through cluster feedings, chowing down on a box of crackers

Talk to your doctor.

That being said, I'll tell you my experience. I weighed about 323 lb when I found out I was pregnant (it was a surprise). The first OB I saw told me she wanted me to lose 20 lb. When I posted that on a mommy forum people flipped the f*#k out - understandably, because who's ever heard of a doctor telling you to LOSE WEIGHT while you're pregnant?

I was also at least 120 lb overweight at that point. Not something most, if not any, of those other women had to deal with. I did lose some weight, and then gained some back towards the end. But I didn't super restrict my calories or anything. I made sure to take my prenatals as I was supposed to, and I just ate better food and tried to cut out the junk (still cheated every once in a while, because: pregnancy). After baby came and all was over and done with, I weighed 318 lb. So while I was gaining in baby and fluids and whatnot, I was losing body weight (if this makes any sense).

But you really need to talk to your doctor.

If it's something you're both concerned about, perhaps you can consult a nutritionist or a registered dietician while you're pregnant to keep you on the right track to not gaining a lot of weight if you are already overweight. But that's something for you and a medical professional to decide. Be careful.

Oh - and talk to your doctor.

E

PeachyCarol wrote: »

Laurenjenai wrote: »

Posted on another forum too

Hi there. I'm 18 weeks pregnant, third baby. I am using MFP to ensure I don't gain too much weight this pregnancy like I did before. my first trimester I had my calorie goal set to maintain my weight. I am now in my second trimester and changed it to .5 pounds a week but was still hungry at this setting and I would tend to go over just a tad anyways so I changed it to the recommended one pound a week for the second and third trimester. I used another website to calculate what calorie intake was best for my pre-pregnancy weight and height and workout schedule, both MFP and the other site recommended 2520 Calories a day and that is what I'm going to stick to for now. I have a doctors appointment today and plan on discussing it with her. I sent friend request, we can do this together. Interested in other pregnant MFP friends too. A lot of MFP members Who are not pregnant or have never had kids don't seem to understand The concerns of pregnant women And are quick to judge so having the support of other pregnant MFP members would be great.

Shame on you.

Not one word of concern for the health of your baby ... who should be your focus, NOT your figure.

For the record, I have two children.

Thank goodness you're going to discuss this with your doctor, I only hope that you will stick with a reasonable weight gain instead of keeping on this dangerous path.

Exactly what I meant by judgemental. ..hard to post anything about anything on mfp when your pregnant...not sure what you think is dangerous about gaining the recommended 1 lb a week and eating a 2520 calorie diet, but to each their own I can't keep letting people like you make me feel a certain type of way. But concern for a healthy weight gain is all one can do for an unborn child at this point....what more is a pregnant woman to do. I have 2 very healthy kids so not sure what your so upset about, what about my post made you soo angry?

PikaKnight wrote: »

Laurenjenai wrote: »

Posted on another forum too

Hi there. I'm 18 weeks pregnant, third baby. I am using MFP to ensure I don't gain too much weight this pregnancy like I did before. my first trimester I had my calorie goal set to maintain my weight. I am now in my second trimester and changed it to .5 pounds a week but was still hungry at this setting and I would tend to go over just a tad anyways so I changed it to the recommended one pound a week for the second and third trimester. I used another website to calculate what calorie intake was best for my pre-pregnancy weight and height and workout schedule, both MFP and the other site recommended 2520 Calories a day and that is what I'm going to stick to for now. I have a doctors appointment today and plan on discussing it with her. I sent friend request, we can do this together. Interested in other pregnant MFP friends too. A lot of MFP members Who are not pregnant or have never had kids don't seem to understand The concerns of pregnant women And are quick to judge so having the support of other pregnant MFP members would be great.

This is beyond ludicrous. A majority of the users on this website are women and I'd wager a large portion of those have dealt with or are dealing with pregnancy. That's a pretty ignorant statement.

[img]http://stream1.gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs2/2066659_o.gif[/img what's ignorant? The only people taking offense so far is the same people who have followed my concerns on other posts and made it their daily mission to disagree with me on any and everything I say no matter what it is. I said clearly, the people who are not pregnant or have not been, and don't have kids don't seem to understand my pregnancy concerns. Most all pregnant women already know to consult their doctor for these concerns and probably are (which i also clearly stated i was gonna do) and they are merely posting for support and views of people who can relate and offer their experience. I'm tired of fighting off the same few people. Why is it so hard to just be supportive or don't offer any advice at all...Yall get some enjoyment going back and forth with me on stuff you clearly can't relate too...smh. (that was for pika, serah, and rbf who follow me everywhere about my pregnancy posts and none of them are pregnant)[/img]

PikaKnight wrote: »

Laurenjenai wrote: »

Serah87 wrote: »

OP talk to your doctor.

Why do you seek all my posts to say something negative? I purposely looked for pregnancy posts to have members who can relate to my concerns why is this such an issue with you?

No one was seeking out your posts. You think a little to highly of yourself if you think people are scouring the internet looking for your posts to respond to you on. Please stop flame baiting and spamming the forums.

The link to the community guidelines is below and I think you should really review them and follow, for your sake.

Just saying, you 3 happen to find all my post and completely shut them down and respond negatively. I call that purposely seeking my posts, ESPECIALLY, if these posts are directed to pregnant women and none of you are.

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No one, not a single person should be giving the OP any advice of any sort. This is a matter for her and her OBGYN/doctor.

OP, ignore EVERYTHING in this thread except the suggestions to take this issue up with your doctor. Your health and your baby's health depends on the advice of the doctor who is seeing you regularly and evaluating your medical condition as your pregnancy progresses.

Just because a person may or may not be pregnant or have kids does not mean they have no relevant advice or experience.

I personally have a 6 month old baby. I was logging MFP a year prior to pregnancy and I continued to log throughout my entire pregnancy and since. I know perfectly well the concerns of a pregnant woman. The #1 concern should be of the health of their baby. Who do you go to to make sure your baby is healthy? A doctor. Not the internet. Therefor, OP should talk to her doctor.

Weight loss and anything else can come AFTER the baby. It's no longer just about you. It's about your unborn child. There are weight gain guidelines for a reason. Yes, staying active and eating reasonably will help maintain a healthy weight gain. But to actively lose weight or seek to lose weight is inadvisable without the supervision of a doctor.


I really don't care about whatever perceived notion there is that people are seeking to shut a person's posts down.

A lot of MFP members Who are not pregnant or have never had kids don't seem to understand The concerns of pregnant women And are quick to judge

however, I think is pretty uncalled for.

wendymoira wrote: »

I lurk here a lot, and I've never seen so many MFP forum posters tell someone to ignore the forums and talk to their medical health professional. Interesting insight into how we view pregnancy. Imagine doing the same thing the next time someone posts about wanting to get rid of belly fat!

(The original poster should of course consult with her medical health professionals, but I bet she's already doing that; right now she is seeking supplementary nutrition advice, because she is not a baby factory but a thinking person entitled to make health decisions for both herself and her unborn child. During my first pregnancy, I read several books on pregnancy nutrition and quizzed my OB about some of the details -- isn't this the equivalent?)

So people on the internet (whom you have no way of verifying qualifications) is the same as an OB or an author who more than likely has valid credentials (like a doctorate)?

Ummm...

And the situation between belly fat and a child's life are two very different circumstances.

Ninkyou wrote: »

Just because a person may or may not be pregnant or have kids does not mean they have no relevant advice or experience.

I personally have a 6 month old baby. I was logging MFP a year prior to pregnancy and I continued to log throughout my entire pregnancy and since. I know perfectly well the concerns of a pregnant woman. The #1 concern should be of the health of their baby. Who do you go to to make sure your baby is healthy? A doctor. Not the internet. Therefor, OP should talk to her doctor.

Weight loss and anything else can come AFTER the baby. It's no longer just about you. It's about your unborn child. There are weight gain guidelines for a reason. Yes, staying active and eating reasonably will help maintain a healthy weight gain. But to actively lose weight or seek to lose weight is inadvisable without the supervision of a doctor.


I really don't care about whatever perceived notion there is that people are seeking to shut a person's posts down.

A lot of MFP members Who are not pregnant or have never had kids don't seem to understand The concerns of pregnant women And are quick to judge

however, I think is pretty uncalled for.

wendymoira wrote: »

I lurk here a lot, and I've never seen so many MFP forum posters tell someone to ignore the forums and talk to their medical health professional. Interesting insight into how we view pregnancy. Imagine doing the same thing the next time someone posts about wanting to get rid of belly fat!

(The original poster should of course consult with her medical health professionals, but I bet she's already doing that; right now she is seeking supplementary nutrition advice, because she is not a baby factory but a thinking person entitled to make health decisions for both herself and her unborn child. During my first pregnancy, I read several books on pregnancy nutrition and quizzed my OB about some of the details -- isn't this the equivalent?)

I totally agree.

sorry to those who were offended by my statement of

"A lot of MFP members Who are not pregnant or have never had kids don't seem to understand The concerns of pregnant women And are quick to judge so having the support of other pregnant MFP members would be great."

I was looking for other mfp pregnant members and said it the wrong way.