Hello LalaAlways and 5n0wbal1 (and whom ever reads this after),

I am a 28 year old graphic artist on my first pregnancy. I'm at about 6 weeks into a surprise pregnancy! Hahah. Doesn't' mean I'm not super happy about it. It'll be quite the adventure!

I've been using MFP for about 2 years now, and had managed to lose 30 lbs back in 2014 and then it slowly crept back up. Especially after my wedding this summer where I kind of stopped logging and generally caring about being 100% the best at logging and eating.

Now that I'm pregnant, I really do feel like it's about being the healthiest for myself and the little one that I'm expecting.

So thank you Lala for starting this group! I feel like it can be a great support for the fitness and mental challenges that has yet to come for many of us.

Anyone, feel free to add me if you are looking for extra MFP friends!

Hi everyone! I'm 26 years old and 25w along with my third pregnancy, my boys are 4 and 2. Right now I'm almost done with a January Whole30 and I plan to stay paleo through pregnancy. I started off overweight because this past summer I started a new medication and I gained weight- and then BOOM pregnant lol. So I'm trying to gain the minimum amount possible to help me postpartum- I also am hoping healthy eating and staying fit will help with postpartum depression and anxiety that I suffered with in the past. Would love to have some friends on here! I'm new to the app

Well, I made an intro post then disappeared for a few weeks. We are getting ready to move in a couple months and things just got crazy. It's so nice to meet everyone!

Lala - girl, I thought I had a busy schedule! I don't know how you do it! Thanks for making this group. Even within all the busyness of daily life, I find I've been lonely. Hopefully this group will be a great way to connect with others going through a similar stage in life.

ChrissyLee2014 wrote: »

Hello everyone. I'm 35 years old and pregnant for the first time ever. It was a surprise pregnancy. I'm nearly 10 weeks along now.

I weigh 174 and my OB classified me as obese. Not nice to hear but I'm short so that advances my bmi automatically. She doesn't want me eating any carbs. I don't know how I will do that. Need all the support and meal ideas I can get.

I did a low carb diet once, and I ate beef sticks (and cheese) for snacks. I'm not sure that those are that great for you either, but it did steer me away from mindless carb snacking. And I only needed one and a little bit of cheese to feel full.

Pr0crastinat0r wrote: »

Hi! I am 33 with 3 boys and 16 weeks pregnant today with my 4th child. I started off a little over weight but because of morning sickness, I think I am at a good weight for 16 weeks. Not a good way to lose weight but I might as well look on the bright side of things if my body was making me do it anyway. I am trying to stick with clean eating during the pregnancy but there are definitely days where I just want to eat everything in front of me. It will be a challenge to not freak out when I add my weight gain into MFP. LOL.

Nice to meet you! Think you'll have another boy? I have two boys and am pregnant with my third boy. I'm trying to avoid less processed foods as well.

Hi ladies I'm currently 18 weeks pregnant & due August 1st. I'm having a girl, and I also have a son who will be 3 this month. I'm having a smooth pregnancy so far! I'm 5'4 and started my pregnancy overweight at 166 lbs (8 weeks pregnant). I'm currently about 163 lbs at 18 weeks pregnant, so I'm hoping not to gain too much this time around. My doctor is ok with the fact that I've lost a few pounds from my first prenatal appt. so no worries there I gained 25 pounds with my son, and I'd like to keep it between 15-20 pounds this pregnancy if I can help it!

claritarejoice wrote: »

Hi I'm due October 2 with a boy, I live in Los Angeles. I'm age 36 and this is my first pregnancy. I started overweight at about 180 pounds. I had been dieting and trying to lose weight at the time. My healthy (non-pregnant) weight range is 120-160 pounds, and my personal ideal weight is 145-150. I'm 13 weeks and I'm still around 180 pounds on the scale. My body looks and feels bigger though and I can't fit into my clothes from a couple months ago. I've just been walking. I walk 60 minutes around 3 days a week. I'm open to exercising more if I can make the time. I feel like I've been eating so much, I wish I could eat less but I feel like my baby is forcing me to eat. At least I'm eating nutritiously. I only drink water, but I have been having a bowl of ice cream most nights recently. I don't want to gain too much, I'd be happy with 15-20 pounds. I know it's not up to me but I'd love to get pregnant again right after this one. Baby needs a little sister!

Hey, there! I started out a little bigger than I wanted to be, too. I started out at 173 pounds when, while pregnant, I'm used to starting out at 140-145. 175 was my final weight before delivery with my first two!

In my opinion, pregnancy is a time where my "perfect" body takes about a 1.5-2 years off. It doesn't give me license to go nuts with sweets and choose nothing but unhealthy options, but it gives me the freedom to realize that growing a baby is an incredible thing, and it needs to be the most important thing in my life right now. My belly will get bigger within these nine months, my body will go through shock for childbirth, and it will take time to heal after birth. It will also take time to get back to normal after baby is born, and since I plan on breastfeeding, it's more important to me personally that I nourish my body to nourish my baby than go on an extreme diet plan.

That being said, I'm not here because I'm giving up on my body. I want my baby to be healthy, so I'm here so I can maintain a healthy lifestyle. I want to keep track of my diet and make sure I'm feeding my baby properly, and that I'm only gaining the weight I need to gain. Gaining too much sets my baby and I up for more issues, so I don't want to do that either.

claritarejoice wrote: »

That's a good attitude, 5n0bal1. I'm afraid of gaining too much weight, I feel fat, and I've been struggling with feeling insecure. I googled images of "14 weeks pregnant" this morning and there are photos of women who still aren't showing. That's frustrating. This is my first pregnancy but I'm already in a different wardrobe. I need to be more positive about my appearance and the amazing life that I'm growing.

Claritarejoice, I can totally feel your pain! I've actually lost 10 pounds because of morning sickness, and because my appetite has had a hard time getting back to normal. Even though I've lost instead of gained, I was in maternity clothes by week 9! I have a HUGE baby bump compared to the bump I had at 19 weeks with my first two pregnancies, and since I've lost weight, that proves that it's baby and it's not just me going crazy with weight gain. I've gained so much in tummy size that it makes me wonder if I'm carrying multiples sometimes! I've only seen a singleton in my ultrasounds, but this belly is making my jaw drop!

The moral of this story? Everyone's pregnancy is different. If you look like you're ready to give birth at 10 weeks, that's your pregnancy; others may not show until they're past week 30. I can definitely understand feeling insecure. I feel tempted to cover up a lot even though I know that I'm probably the only one that has such a negative opinion of my body. The biggest thing getting me through all the ups and downs of this pregnancy is my baby. I know that I'm growing a little life and that keeping myself healthy is higher priority than the size of my stomach. It's not the easiest thought train to stay on, but I don't want to get off or I risk putting my baby in harm's way for my own selfish desires.