Any newly pregnant women out there? Or past pregnant MFPers.. looking for advice

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FunkyMonkey80
FunkyMonkey80 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!

I am a newly pregnant 35 y.o. and I want to know whether I should up my daily calorie intake. I'm only 5 weeks but am already feeling hungry a lot. I am 5'4 and 132lbs. My allowable daily intake is 1290.. (trying to lose a pound a week).. Might need to increase a bit, right?

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  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
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    Do a search on pregnant and you will/should find answers.
  • utahmomof10
    utahmomof10 Posts: 133 Member
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    First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy! Secondly, yes, definitely increase your calories, starting now. During pregnancy is absolutely not the time to be restricting calories and losing weight unless medically necessary (risk of gestational diabetes, etc.). Put your weight loss journey on hold for now and concentrate on providing plenty of nutrition for yourself and your growing baby. You don't want to go crazy or anything, of course, and put on a ton of weight, but I would seriously recommend increasing your calories to 1500-1800 a day and monitor your weight through your doctor/midwife check-ups. If you're putting on too much weight, you can decrease a little.

    Here's to a healthy pregnancy and baby!!
  • DLLava
    DLLava Posts: 1 Member
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    I'm assuming you were trying to lose 1lb/week...? Anyway, I was advised to eat 1800-2000 calories/day by my clinic's OB nurse when I got pregnant with my youngest. It seemed like a lot initially, but by the 3rd trimester you may be nearing that.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    You should be eating at maintenance at least. Your body is working hard to grow a baby, you shouldn't be looking to lose weight right now.
  • chastity0921
    chastity0921 Posts: 209 Member
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    I actually went to school for nutrition. It is recommended to increase caloric intake by 300 calories during the second and third trimester. The first trimester, just eat normal caloric intake. Really important to get 27 mg/day of iron, at least 400 mcg/day folic acid, and 1300 mg/day calcium during this time. Recommended weight gain is about 1-4 lbs during the first trimester, and a pound per week during second and third trimester if you are at a normal weight. The recommendation is 0.6 lb/wk during 2nd and 3rd for an overweight woman, and 0.5 for obese woman. Of course, talk with your OB about anything out of the ordinary. Good luck with everything!
  • dblaacker
    dblaacker Posts: 153 Member
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    Technically, your body won't need to increase calories until you're in your second trimester. The recommended increase is only 300 calories a day. A lot of people go overboard with the idea that they're "eating for two" which results in greater weight gain. I'm sure you know this, but make sure to increase consumption of fruits and veggies, particularly dark leafy greens, beans, and lentils as they're high in folic acid. Avocado is another delicious, good source. If you're regularly physically active, you should be able to maintain similar levels of activity throughout the first 5 or 6 months of your pregnancy. It always helps to get a doctor's opinion, too. I only know of all this because of extensive research after a friend got pregnant. Good luck, and I hope the pregnancy and birth go well!
  • martelr
    martelr Posts: 20 Member
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    FunkyMonkey80 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I am a newly pregnant 35 y.o. and I want to know whether I should up my daily calorie intake. I'm only 5 weeks but am already feeling hungry a lot. I am 5'4 and 132lbs. My allowable daily intake is 1290.. (trying to lose a pound a week).. Might need to increase a bit, right?


    Yeah def do not recommend losing weight while pregnant as this could be harmful for you both. Prenatal daily, exercise regularly, and up calories with a goal to gain roughly 25 lbs. then breastfeed too help shed it down once u have a new baby. Congrats!!
  • Mistyvs
    Mistyvs Posts: 56 Member
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    Also, FYI, I was really sick in the early stages of pregnancy and I found that if I ate, I felt better. Don't not eat just because you're trying to stay within your calorie range.
  • utahmomof10
    utahmomof10 Posts: 133 Member
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    Mistyvs wrote: »
    Also, FYI, I was really sick in the early stages of pregnancy and I found that if I ate, I felt better. Don't not eat just because you're trying to stay within your calorie range.

    +1. Also, making sure you get some protein first thing in the morning may help if you get morning sickness. I know that "conventional wisdom" tells you to eat some saltine crackers right before getting up, but I (and lots of my friends) have had better luck with protein than carbs first thing in the morning. Try eggs, a protein shake, or even just some almonds if that's all you can stomach.
  • welshcoffeeaddict
    welshcoffeeaddict Posts: 17 Member
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    Congrats!
    I agree with the posts above, attempting to lose weight through pregnancy is not advised, unless medically necessary. So upping you calories to a maintenance level would probably be sensible. But realistically you don't need to increase you calorie intake any more than that until the 2nd- 3rd trimester (again as already mentioned above). But this doesn't mean you can't eat well, use those extra calories for healthy options- healthy fats like avocado, nts, full cream milk, yoghurt etc. and exercise.
    As for sickness, am afraid nothing helped me, except exercise. Though it did eventually ease and became manageable.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,196 Member
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    martelr wrote: »
    FunkyMonkey80 wrote: »
    Hi everyone!

    I am a newly pregnant 35 y.o. and I want to know whether I should up my daily calorie intake. I'm only 5 weeks but am already feeling hungry a lot. I am 5'4 and 132lbs. My allowable daily intake is 1290.. (trying to lose a pound a week).. Might need to increase a bit, right?


    Yeah def do not recommend losing weight while pregnant as this could be harmful for you both. Prenatal daily, exercise regularly, and up calories with a goal to gain roughly 25 lbs. then breastfeed too help shed it down once u have a new baby. Congrats!!

    This varies depending on your starting weight and BMI. The thinking on this has definitely changed in the last decade. For example, women who are obese can safely maintain or even lose a bit of weight while pregnant. A general goal of gaining 25 pounds is not safe/healthy advice for everyone.

    Chastity's guidelines are good and current. Eating at maintenance is the way to go in your first trimester, and until you can get specific advice from your own doctors.
  • FunkyMonkey80
    FunkyMonkey80 Posts: 71 Member
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    Thank you all for your feedback. I really appreciate it. :)
  • krithsai
    krithsai Posts: 668 Member
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    What is your starting weight? Unless your weight is somehow detrimental to your pregnancy, do not try and lose weight. For the first 4 months or so, just eat your regular intake. Further along, add 300 calories or so. You do need to listen to your body, so if you're hungry, find something healthy to eat.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
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    I lost weight during my pregnancy, but only because I developed gestational diabetes and had to drastically reduce my sugar/carb intake. I was not trying to lose weight, and I didn't even pay attention to total calories (although I did log on MFP), but the weight fell off just from restricting carbs. Since I was obese, my OB wasn't worried by the weight loss at all, as long as I made sure to get proper nutrients.

    Personally, I would take this time to focus on health rather than weight. Eat lots of good, nutritious food, and enjoy your pregnancy!

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