Ways to add calories

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ashliedelgado
ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
in Food and Nutrition
A little back story, I'm 13 weeks pregnant and am attempting to (OB approved) maintain my current weight as long as possible as I am still considered obese after losing 75lbs before getting pregnant. I have my MFP set at "maintain my current weight", and have added 200 calories manually to the goal since I am in the 2nd trimester. My MFP is set to sedentary and adjusted through my heart rate monitor and activity monitor. Right now, my TDEE is estimated between 2400-2700 daily depending on my activity. I do cardio for 30 minutes in the morning, work in a busy doctors office, and walk my dogs at night (realistically 5 days a week, but I really try for 7). I feel like to even get close to this number I have to eat all day long, and I'm slowly losing weight instead of maintaining.. I have switched to full fat versions of foods to boost calories, added a Carnation Instant Breakfast shake in the morning, and I add 1.5oz of peanut butter to my oatmeal to boost it. I'm not a huge avocado fan, but I try and incorporate it a few times a week. I use EVOO liberally in my cooking. I enjoy treats several times a week, had donuts on Saturday and lunch out a couple times.

I know I'm either burning more, or eating not enough, because I'm still losing little by little. I never suffered morning sickness or food aversions, so cannot use that to explain my loss.

I'm looking for ways to increase my calorie intake without derailing my health. After today, looking at what I will have prepared and brought with me to work, and after our dinner, I'm sure I'll have at least 500, if not 6-700 calories left over, and I have been eating non-stop since 730. I'm considering dropping my cardio and just taking a 30 minute walk in the morning and the couple miles at night. My OB is pretty clueless when it comes to nutrition and weight, but is comfortable with me maintaining as long as possible. At my last visit, the weekend before my diet went off the rails because of a family emergency and Easter, and as I was trying to explain to her that I did not gain 5lbs, I was just carrying water weight from poor choices and know I did not eat the extra calories to gain 5lbs in 3 days, all she heard was I was trying to lose weight. Frustrating, but we all know that they don't get much education in the way of nutrition and weight management.

Thanks for reading my novel!


Replies

  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    I would ditch the instant breakfast shakes for something like eggs & toast and some fruit, or more oatmeal days with the peanut butter, or try adding yogurt and fruit and honey, etc.

    Snack on raw almonds and some good dark chocolate. Bananas or sliced apples with peanut butter are good too. Go with full fat dairy, or least 2% yogurt - awesome with honey and some berries on top.

    Doesn't take much of these foods to add up quickly and get you closer to goal.
  • martyqueen52
    martyqueen52 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Cook with olive oil, find higher calorie peanut butter, try to eat some nuts/almonds/cashews. If I remember right, my wife also dropped weight at the beginning of her pregnancy... but it came back later on when she went further. These are just some of the things my wife ate when she was carrying out daughter.

    I personally would talk to a new OB, or one with a little more knowledge. Taking random advice isn't a good idea especially when your baby's health is in the mix.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    You might find some ideas here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods
  • IGbnat24
    IGbnat24 Posts: 520 Member
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    Jar of peanut butter + spoon
    Cook with butter
    Full fat dairy
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
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    I'm not a medical professional. However, my gut feeling is that you should not cut out your cardio exercise (unless a doctor tells you to). In the beginning of a pregnancy, the baby is very small so the amount of pregnancy weight is small. Losing a little weight in the beginning, as you have been, isn't usually an issue. As the baby grows, so does the amount of fluid (including your blood supply) needed to keep the baby healthy, so your pregnancy-related weight will increase at faster rate. You'll probably get hungrier as the pregnancy progresses. You can lose weight after the baby's born, but you only have one chance to carry this baby and provide the necessary nutrition.

    You said you're adding 200 calories a day to what MFP's giving you, to account for the pregnancy. MFP's already got you at a 500 calorie deficit, so that means you're still eating at a 300 calorie deficit. Personally, I'd be concerned about being in deficit AND growing a human being at the same time.
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
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    Okay, and I totally didn't even answer your question...sorry. :o

    The most calorie-dense foods I eat are cheese, nuts and pasta. Try adding some chopped peanuts in with your oatmeal & peanut butter. Slivered almonds in yogurt. Cheese on crackers, melted on vegetables, shredded in salads. Mexican and Italian foods are good for getting extra cheese into your diet.

    Now I want a taco!
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
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    64crayons wrote: »

    You said you're adding 200 calories a day to what MFP's giving you, to account for the pregnancy. MFP's already got you at a 500 calorie deficit, so that means you're still eating at a 300 calorie deficit. Personally, I'd be concerned about being in deficit AND growing a human being at the same time.

    You misread. I have MFP set at maintenance, with sedentary activity. This gives me 1970 for my height/weight. I've manually added 200 to account for the recommended amount to add in the 2nd trimester. THEN, my heart rate monitor and activity tracker are synced to MFP and add calories each day. This makes my TDEE between 2400-2700 depending on the day - my days off on the lower end. And those 2700 calorie days are REALLY hard to hit intake wise. It's a lot of food. I'm not trying to lose weight, or eat at a deficit. I'm trying to maintain/gain a healthy weight because yes a healthy baby is my number one priority, but not at the expense of my own health. I too am concerned about not eating enough and trying to grow a baby - hence my posting ;)

    Thanks all for the suggestions!
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
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    To clarify perhaps the confusion, my calorie goal at maintenance +200 is 2170. Having prelogged everything I plan on eating through dinner today, I am at 2,151. But with the burn from my HRM this morning, my calorie goal is adjusted to 2,513. This does not count calories that will be added for activity at work, and walking my dogs tonight which my experience in tracking this tells me will add another 300ish calories to my day. Say this makes my goal 2,800 even and I've eaten 2,151. That's a huge gap I'm trying to bridge and I'd like to not do it with cookies and ice cream every night.

    Actually... that doesn't sound too bad lol!
  • Cheesy567
    Cheesy567 Posts: 1,186 Member
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    If your diet is nutrient dense, and you're getting enough iron, calcium, etc, I wouldn't stress too much over it. Especially if you still had weight to lose pre-pregnancy. Can your OB consult with someone who specializes in weight management during pregnancy? Maybe he/she has a partner with more experience in it, or perhaps there's a dietician in the area with more knowledge about it?
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
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    That's a good way to look at it, thanks. I make sure to get my prenatal and I specifically watch iron, protein, and calcium. I have an appointment Monday, we'll see what she thinks. When I had my IUD taken out I asked her to be referred to someone for this, and she said she really didn't think it's necessary. She said this after seeing me through 2 perfectly healthy pregnancies where I was obese, and knowing me through my 70+lb weight loss. She told me to just listen to my body - eat thoughtfully when hungry, and stop if exercise hurts - and she thought everything would be just fine. Perhaps I'm too worried and should just sit back and enjoy my last pregnancy :)

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