Is it possible to lose weight during the 2nd trimester of pregnancy
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I am seriously frightened I am going to lose control. They referred me to counselling for anxiety because they think that it's interfering with my life and "draining my batteries" so I have little energy left for resisting temptation. Which might be true - but fixing myself emotionally or whatever is going to take months, well probably *years*. I don't have time for that right now. If I don't want to get even fatter I need to get a handle on my eating *right now*. I am shocked how quickly I put weight on since Christmas. I am scared. I am close to the highest weight I've ever been and I've been basically maintaining (rather than gaining) with the help of the Weight Management people. But if I gain more from this pregnancy and I never figure out how to lose weight sustainably I will be stuck maintaining a much higher weight. My new "normal" will be even fatter than my current highly unsatisfactory normal.
I feel like if I can just get back down to 240 I will feel safer. That's all I can say. Having gained weight who is to say I won't gain more? If I gain more who knows where it will end?
You need to get help for the anxiety now. I can guarantee you that after you have your baby and when all those happy hormones wane, baby blues or possibly post partum depression hits your anxiety is going to be a lot worse.
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I have just crossed the threshold from class II to class III obesity, obviously this frightens me. Over the course of my pregnancy I have lost 5lbs and gained 11lbs making a net gain of 6lbs on my pre-pregnancy weight, this pushed me into the next class.
If I lose just 1lb I will be in class II obesity again, but I'd prefer to lose all 6 and make for a 0 weight gain.
Is this something I can do? I keep hearing how it's terrible for a pregnant woman to try and lose weight, but most pregnant women are not 246lbs.
Yesterday I decided to give calorie counting another go, but I set my calories to maintenance on the advice of my husband who's wary of me setting it lower. But maintenance won't include the extra 200kcal for the pregnancy right? So I should still slowly lose weight?
The only proper response to this question is that you need to discuss this with your doctor.0 -
I agree, the only answer for you is to see your doctor.
You're paying them for your care, why would you not use them?0 -
Another vote- from a health care professional- that you need to call your doctor.
Also, try (I know it's hard, I have an anxiety disorder myself) to stop thinking of your anxiety and mental health as a separate issue from your physical health that you can put off addressing till the indefinite future. It's very, very likely that anxiety is a major contributing factor here. It sounds like you may know what to do, but that you are struggling with both implementing it and generalized anxiety about the pregnancy and your ability to stick to the plan.
It also sounds like you have some confusion going on around what slight weight gain during pregnancy means- you say you've gained 6 pounds since Christmas and you attribute it to overeating, but you do realize it's likely this actually represents maintenance of your existing fat or even possibly a loss, masked by the fact that you're growing a human being and a new organ (the placenta) plus a bunch of amniotic fluid and increased blood volume to assist that process? It's common for women to gain 5-15 pounds during this period, not from overeating but because the fetus and all its accoutrements are growing rapidly.
Which isn't to say that it's ideal for you to have gained- your doctor may want you to lose more fat during this time of fetal growth to maintain your existing weight (it's not clear from your posts if the desire to lose 6 lbs on the scale is coming from your doctor or from what you've read on the internet), but if you're feeling this level of fear and that you may "lose control," then you *need* to make another appointment to clarify with your doctor what's going on. You may need to see the dietitian again to get a more detailed and workable plan. You also need to take the anxiety aspect of this seriously starting now, not putting it off as a thing that will take too long to start now- all the good intentions and plans in the world won't help if you aren't able to overcome overwhelming fear and worry to actually implement them. And despite the impression hollywood gives us of psychiatric help taking years, it's totally possible to get useful tools and see improvement from one or two visits with a good therapist. It's definitely worth pursuing immediately, especially since life isn't going to get LESS busy and stressful once the baby is born.
Don't worry about "wasting" anyone's time. Helping you have a healthy pregnancy is literally their job. Call today. Make those appointments. If you don't feel better after talking to them, seek out new resources.
You can do this. But you have to start putting your own health and happiness and the health of your baby above baseless worries about whether you'll annoy a doctor or a dietician.0 -
You need to get help for the anxiety now. I can guarantee you that after you have your baby and when all those happy hormones wane, baby blues or possibly post partum depression hits your anxiety is going to be a lot worse.
^^^This.
Speaking from personal experience, I had a hard time after my child was born. Some women come through pregnancy feeling fine, emotionally speaking, but hormones can really wreak havoc on your mental state. I should think it would be even more difficult if you already have an issue with anxiety.
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I lost weight in my second pregnancy I started at 72kg and went to 36 wks ( earlier c section due to complications with my first c section) at 72kg. 64kg after baby came out two weeks later.
I lost weight because I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and cut my carb/ sugar intake. ( under nutritionist/ dietician guidance)
Pregnancy shouldn't be a time to actively seek to lose weight but if it comes off from being healthier ( and small changes really do help) then I wouldn't worry too much.
Maybe you should log what you eat and show your doctor / midwife to see how happy they are with what you are doing currently.
Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy and put the health of baby first.0 -
I won't be seeing the OB again for months, and I don't have an email for her or anything. I have an email for the midwife but she pretty much just suggests the slimming world plan. Also I see a dietician through a weight management program at the hospital that I attended before I got pregnant, but we pretty much agreed that I "know what healthy eating is, it's just a matter of implementing it".
I don't understand how you won't be seeing an ob again for months but yet you are 20 weeks pregnant? I went monthly for the first 2 trimesters and then weekly for the third. During that time I also attended many classes, and several ultrasounds. I had a list of phone numbers for everyone on my birthing team.
Your saying you won't see an ob for months and only an email for your midwife? That makes no sense at all. Besides the fact that your midwife told you to follow slimming world plan , something isn't right about this story.
You aren't receiving proper care or aren't taking your care seriously if you have no way to contact your birthing team. Something is a miss with this story.
All I can do is hope your baby receives better care then you are receiving.
If I where you, I would be busy getting in touch with medical professionals right now .0 -
FWIW, I was I started my last pregnancy at 245, and ended @255, and the weight really only came on the last 6 weeks. Three weeks after baby, it dropped to 233 (though I was BFing as well). I didn't calorie count, but I made a concerted effort to eat at least 1/2 of my food in raw fruits and veggies each day. They filled me up for less cal's than that muffin at work, or that handful of crackers at home, etc etc. That was it!
Yes, you can lose, but don't short yourself or make yourself hungry.
1. You will binge. and
2. You don't want to detract from baby's nutrients.0 -
In the uk were told not to lose weight just eat maintence calories
I lost my baby in the second trimester last year not through calorie counting through sepsis
Just eat healthy walk every day and your baby will soon be here then start your weightloss journey0 -
I lost weight and was sent to see a nutritionist about it. I showed her my MFP logs and she said what I was doing was fine. I was eating somewhat low carb (150g or less, but over 20) and was overweight, probably about 260lbs so similar boat as yours. They realized I was getting smaller but my baby was either staying the same or gaining. Once she hit 7lbs our goal was to not gain any more weight so she didn't end up being a 10lb baby.
As long as you are following your nutritionists plan and your Dr you will be ok. If you're not seeing a nutritionist and logging your food daily then you might want to do that.
Your only goal while you're pregnant should be to be a healthy mama and baby, don't worry about gaining but definitely be careful about losing too much. I ate a lot of big salads, eggs, fruit, almond milk, lean meats and my choice of carbs was a piece of sprouted grains toast slathered in PB. Yum!!0 -
The fact is, you are concerned about the health of you and your baby, and if I were you, I would call your doc and schedule a visit. Be prepared - write down all your concerns, what if's, etc. If you need print outs of what was said at the appointment or a plan, ask for them. If your weight management program doesn't suit your current needs as a pregnant woman, don't be afraid to say you need different support.
YOU have to be the advocate for yourself and your child. You can do this, you just need the information. Call your doctor.0 -
thorsmom01 wrote: »I won't be seeing the OB again for months, and I don't have an email for her or anything. I have an email for the midwife but she pretty much just suggests the slimming world plan. Also I see a dietician through a weight management program at the hospital that I attended before I got pregnant, but we pretty much agreed that I "know what healthy eating is, it's just a matter of implementing it".
I don't understand how you won't be seeing an ob again for months but yet you are 20 weeks pregnant? I went monthly for the first 2 trimesters and then weekly for the third. During that time I also attended many classes, and several ultrasounds. I had a list of phone numbers for everyone on my birthing team.
Your saying you won't see an ob for months and only an email for your midwife? That makes no sense at all. Besides the fact that your midwife told you to follow slimming world plan , something isn't right about this story.
You aren't receiving proper care or aren't taking your care seriously if you have no way to contact your birthing team. Something is a miss with this story.
All I can do is hope your baby receives better care then you are receiving.
If I where you, I would be busy getting in touch with medical professionals right now .
This. I am not aware of any place in the western world where a woman isn't so sick and tired of medical professionals by the end of her pregnancy she never wants to see one again. I had no less than 15 doc appointments during my pregnancy with various MP's and various tests and treatments. And I had an EASY, uncomplicated pregnancy and birth.
If OP, as I suspect, what's really going on here is that you are intimidated by your medical team and thus are searching for other resources, you need to knuckle down. I understand how with an anxiety disorder it's even that much harder, but you have got to realize that these people work for YOU. You are not their patient, they are your employees whose job it is to provide you with whatever medical care, advice, and assistance you require at any given time. This is a monetary transaction. You paid them money. They owe you services.
Call your medical team and demand answers. Do not let the health of your unborn child rest on advice from an internet forum that is admittedly not even about pregnancy and childbirth.0 -
stephanie20314 wrote: »Call your ob. Tell them you need a comprehensive eating plan for your pregnancy or a referral to a dietician who can provide one.
THIS + 10000 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »This is a monetary transaction. You paid them money. They owe you services.
I didn't pay them money. I live in the UK. I've been to every appointment with every single service I see. I've made every appointment that's been requested of me. I have been completely open with all of what I have talked about here with all the different people I see. No-one has expressed any kind of concern about my desire to stay the same weight or hopefully lose it. Not the midwife, not the weight management team, not the consultant (she did say she didn't want me dieting - but if I was able to lose weight eating normal amounts of food without severe restriction then all the better).
All I wanted to know was how possible it is to lose at this stage in a pregnancy, not whether it's healthy - if anything unhealthy is going on, given that I have been completely open about everything, I am sure one of the many different people I see will mention something. MFP is giving me 2300 calories a day - that's way more than a lot of people say they eat in pregnancy. I really don't understand all the concern in this thread. I'm not intending to nor do I have any desire to starve myself and the baby. I just don't want to end up with a tonne of extra fat. I have enough fat, I don't need any more, the baby doesn't need me to have any more, we'd both be a lot better off if I had less.0 -
CoffeeNCardio wrote: »This is a monetary transaction. You paid them money. They owe you services.
I didn't pay them money. I live in the UK. I've been to every appointment with every single service I see. I've made every appointment that's been requested of me. I have been completely open with all of what I have talked about here with all the different people I see. No-one has expressed any kind of concern about my desire to stay the same weight or hopefully lose it. Not the midwife, not the weight management team, not the consultant (she did say she didn't want me dieting - but if I was able to lose weight eating normal amounts of food without severe restriction then all the better).
All I wanted to know was how possible it is to lose at this stage in a pregnancy, not whether it's healthy - if anything unhealthy is going on, given that I have been completely open about everything, I am sure one of the many different people I see will mention something. MFP is giving me 2300 calories a day - that's way more than a lot of people say they eat in pregnancy. I really don't understand all the concern in this thread. I'm not intending to nor do I have any desire to starve myself and the baby. I just don't want to end up with a tonne of extra fat. I have enough fat, I don't need any more, the baby doesn't need me to have any more, we'd both be a lot better off if I had less.
You paid taxes. That paid them. Just as your taxes go to paying for police and firemen, who provide different services.
Whether it's healthy is ALL that matters. And people have given you the only rational advice possible: to speak to your medical team.0 -
You need to go to the Dr no matter what it takes and not take advice from people on the interwebs. Even if you have to say you are concerned about the lack of movement of the fetus, or whatever it takes. GO see OBGYN.
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CoffeeNCardio wrote: »This is a monetary transaction. You paid them money. They owe you services.
I didn't pay them money. I live in the UK. I've been to every appointment with every single service I see. I've made every appointment that's been requested of me. I have been completely open with all of what I have talked about here with all the different people I see. No-one has expressed any kind of concern about my desire to stay the same weight or hopefully lose it. Not the midwife, not the weight management team, not the consultant (she did say she didn't want me dieting - but if I was able to lose weight eating normal amounts of food without severe restriction then all the better).
All I wanted to know was how possible it is to lose at this stage in a pregnancy, not whether it's healthy - if anything unhealthy is going on, given that I have been completely open about everything, I am sure one of the many different people I see will mention something. MFP is giving me 2300 calories a day - that's way more than a lot of people say they eat in pregnancy. I really don't understand all the concern in this thread. I'm not intending to nor do I have any desire to starve myself and the baby. I just don't want to end up with a tonne of extra fat. I have enough fat, I don't need any more, the baby doesn't need me to have any more, we'd both be a lot better off if I had less.
2300 is not tons of food a day. I maintain on 2000 or more before activity, not pregnant. I ate more when I was pregnant.
The concern in the thread is no one here should tell you whether or not it is healthy. We are not doctors (and those who may be should not be giving advice over the internet) and we do not know all your medical details. We do not know your eating habits and cannot know if you are actually going to do it a healthy way or not. We won't know if a concern arises, like a doctor would.0 -
All I wanted to know was how possible it is to lose at this stage in a pregnancy, not whether it's healthy
No one here is going to tell you how to do it because 1)we're not your doctors 2)It's against TOS to promote unsafe dieting methods and 3)you're pregnant so your nutritional needs are different (that's why MFP doesn't have a pregnancy setting)
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But I am not avoiding seeing the doctor, my doctors would know if a concern arose. I'm having several extra scans (1 because I was too fat to see the blood vessels properly at the 20 week scan, the rest just to monitor growth because I am too fat to tell by fundal height) and I seem to be going to the hospital like once a fortnight these days for something or other.3dogsrunning wrote: »We won't know if a concern arises, like a doctor would.
But this is what I am saying, I've already discussed the general concept of people my size losing weight during pregnancy with the midwife, the consultant and with my weight team - because is a major concern for me, and they all said if there was no significant restriction going on then it's not just not a bad thing, but very much a good thing. That as long as I'm getting adequate nutrition its really not a problem. I'm not concerned about it being unhealthy, not because I don't care, but because I've already been told it's healthy.3dogsrunning wrote: »The concern in the thread is no one here should tell you whether or not it is healthy.0 -
I agree you need to talk to your doctor. They will guide you on how to safely lose weight while pregnant. There are ways, but it should be monitored by a doctor.
ETA: YOU get to decide how many appointments to book, and you don't have to justify your reasons. It's your body and your baby and you need to do what is healthy for you and your baby. Call reception and say "I need an appointment with Dr. so-and-so." You don't have to provide a reason. The receptionist doesn't get to say no. If there literally isn't an available time slot, book it with a different doctor. If you feel you need more than the scheduled ones because the information you're given is essentially useless, book the appointment and tell them that the info is useless and explain your reasoning. Have a list clearly defined goals before going accompanied with corresponding questions. You need to receive answers for them before you leave. You are entitled to ask questions about your health and receive meaningful answers. Otherwise, your doctors aren't doing their jobs.0 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »Then you need extra support.
I'm confused by who is doing what and what resources you have.
Figure out which one can address you concern best and make an appointment to see them. If they don't, try another resources. Keep going until you get the help you need. It's not a waste of an appointment if you have a genuine health concern, which you do.
I guess part of the issue is I saw them last week. We talked about my weight gain and mindfulness and eating differently. I've not gained since then, but I've overeaten several times.
I am seriously frightened I am going to lose control. They referred me to counselling for anxiety because they think that it's interfering with my life and "draining my batteries" so I have little energy left for resisting temptation. Which might be true - but fixing myself emotionally or whatever is going to take months, well probably *years*. I don't have time for that right now. If I don't want to get even fatter I need to get a handle on my eating *right now*. I am shocked how quickly I put weight on since Christmas. I am scared. I am close to the highest weight I've ever been and I've been basically maintaining (rather than gaining) with the help of the Weight Management people. But if I gain more from this pregnancy and I never figure out how to lose weight sustainably I will be stuck maintaining a much higher weight. My new "normal" will be even fatter than my current highly unsatisfactory normal.
I feel like if I can just get back down to 240 I will feel safer. That's all I can say. Having gained weight who is to say I won't gain more? If I gain more who knows where it will end?
I see a therapist for anxiety and depression now. Yes, completely eliminating it can take years. But there are tons of things a therapist can help you with to manage and minimize it right now. Make the time for it.
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I'm not saying you are, but I am saying that we can't give you advice. Your doctor, the one who is monitoring you, should be the one to give you advice.
But I am not avoiding seeing the doctor, my doctors would know if a concern arose. I'm having several extra scans (1 because I was too fat to see the blood vessels properly at the 20 week scan, the rest just to monitor growth because I am too fat to tell by fundal height) and I seem to be going to the hospital like once a fortnight these days for something or other.3dogsrunning wrote: »We won't know if a concern arises, like a doctor would.
But this is what I am saying, I've already discussed the general concept of people my size losing weight during pregnancy with the midwife, the consultant and with my weight team - because is a major concern for me, and they all said if there was no significant restriction going on then it's not just not a bad thing, but very much a good thing. That as long as I'm getting adequate nutrition its really not a problem. I'm not concerned about it being unhealthy, not because I don't care, but because I've already been told it's healthy.3dogsrunning wrote: »The concern in the thread is no one here should tell you whether or not it is healthy.
You just said "All I wanted to know was how possible it is to lose at this stage in a pregnancy, not whether it's healthy ". That was what I was responding to.
ETA- and I just realized I misread that.0 -
But I am not avoiding seeing the doctor, my doctors would know if a concern arose. I'm having several extra scans (1 because I was too fat to see the blood vessels properly at the 20 week scan, the rest just to monitor growth because I am too fat to tell by fundal height) and I seem to be going to the hospital like once a fortnight these days for something or other.3dogsrunning wrote: »We won't know if a concern arises, like a doctor would.
But this is what I am saying, I've already discussed the general concept of people my size losing weight during pregnancy with the midwife, the consultant and with my weight team - because is a major concern for me, and they all said if there was no significant restriction going on then it's not just not a bad thing, but very much a good thing. That as long as I'm getting adequate nutrition its really not a problem. I'm not concerned about it being unhealthy, not because I don't care, but because I've already been told it's healthy.3dogsrunning wrote: »The concern in the thread is no one here should tell you whether or not it is healthy.
Clearly, you have more questions to ask them or you wouldn't be here. The general concept isn't good enough, because you still have questions. You need to ask them again. It's simple "I need help setting a caloric intake goal. How much should I be eating?" To any one of your apparently many resources which you see every fortnight but also apparently won't be seeing again "for months".0 -
Only the consultant I won't be seeing for months.CoffeeNCardio wrote: »To any one of your apparently many resources which you see every fortnight but also apparently won't be seeing again "for months".0 -
The way you describe being afraid of losing control tells me you are dealing with a mental health issue, not a food plan issue. "Dealing with feelings rather than food itself" actually sounds like a way to go. I concur with the therapy recommendation you were given - find a therapist you can work with. If "dealing with feelings" puts you off, find a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy, preferable one that incorporates mindfulness.0
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The way you describe being afraid of losing control tells me you are dealing with a mental health issue, not a food plan issue. "Dealing with feelings rather than food itself" actually sounds like a way to go. I concur with the therapy recommendation you were given - find a therapist you can work with. If "dealing with feelings" puts you off, find a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy, preferable one that incorporates mindfulness.
No, I am happy with them. I am just worried it's not going to prevent me gaining weight in the meantime. So far I have more or less maintained my weight since seeing them but before seeing them I was gaining weight which is progress. I just don't want pregnancy to undo all that.
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I'm in the US, not the UK, and I was pregnant almost 20 years ago, but I don't remember months going by between doctor's appointments, especially as the pregnancy progressed. And I had an easy pregnancy with no complications. I guess things are different now and doctors just let women do whatever until the baby arrives.
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I don't understand how you won't be seeing your OB "for months". How many weeks along are you? You said second trimester, if you aren't seeing your OB for months, that leads me to believe you are only seeing them once/trimester? That doesn't seem right - most people go once/month for the first 30 weeks of pregnancy, then every other week b/w 30-36 weeks, and then every week for the last four weeks.
Also, if you have a question that wasn't covered in your recent appointment, call them back, let them know you forgot to ask something or you are confused, and they will either have the OB get back to you or a nurse practitioner or someone else. People aren't going to say, "oh well we can't talk to you, you aren't scheduled back here for months, figure it out yourself".
No matter what - you need to get the advice you seek from medical professionals familiar with your situation, not from random internet strangers.0 -
Most OB's will recommend not trying to lose weight at all, even being larger. I was 290 when I found out I was pregnant and my OB didn't want me to gain any weight and she didn't want me to lose any either. I changed my eating habits to be better for the baby and added in a bit of walking, I lost 10 lbs and gained 20 (also had a ten lb baby.) I would track cals, factoring in extra for being pregnant and focus on weightless after the baby comes. Talk to your OB, thats what they are there for, no one online can really tell you what to do.0
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I saw my OB a lot more often than every few months...at 20 weeks you should be seeing one every month at minimum, no? I was high risk so I had biweekly and then weekly appointments. At that high weight I would think you would be considered high risk as well....
I'm going for a GD test at 28 weeks (I've been finger prick checking at home and I am still getting readings between 4.3 and 5.4 but I heard that GD doesn't usually kick in till 26 weeks generally so my finger pricks probably don't mean anything yet), I have to make a midwife appt in a few weeks (it's in my diary but I don't remember exactly when) and I have another scan on the same day as the GD test, but the consultant appointment isn't till 30something weeks (again, don't remember, it's in my diary).
The only reason I'm seeing the consultant is because of the risk of weight. Most people only see midwives.
You are high risk because of your weight. For a lot of complications. Not high risk as in "for sure they will happen", but e.g. if the risk at a healthy weight was 1% for X complication, you are at e.g 2%. High risk pregnancies often come with restrictions you would not otherwise have. I was high risk for GD (for unrelated reasons) and was put on a diet (as in explicit meal plan, with timing of meals, servings of meal, what each meal should or should nto contain etc) from day 1 in all my pregnancies. I was also on dietary restrictions for elevated risk of preeclampsia, which you are at risk too I am guessing. A diet plan, or at least specific guidelines, might not be something that the weight management program you are in would normally do, when not pregnant, but it might be somethign you could benefit from while pregnant. Talk to you dr, they should be able to help you. Even just to put your mind at ease, that you do not have to take guesses on what is correct.0
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