PREGNANCY

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stacieflores
stacieflores Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there. A little background about me... Growing up I was always skinny. I had kids 2 kids before I turned 20. In no time I returned to being 110 pounds (i'm 5'5" by the way). Over the next few years, I gained 3-4 pounds a year. No big deal, I was still on the thin side. Somewhere over the last year I put on about 15 pounds (i Knew I was gaining, so I avoided scales). I was shocked to step on the scale 5 weeks ago to see the number that appeared. At that point I got serious with a few friends and began counting calories. In 5 weeks I have lost 5 pounds ( a nice steady loss). The first 3 weeks I was doing great, sticking to 1100 calories a day and doing my stair master for 30 minutes every day. In the last 2 weeks my energy was gone, so I havent been working out very much (if at all), but have been sticking to my 1100 calories a day. So yesterday, I found out that I am pregnant (4 weeks...which explains me having no energy in the last 2 weeks)! Woohoo. I am thrilled. However I am not excited to add 35 pounds to my current (still high for me) weight. I don't meet with my doctor until next Friday, so I turned to you for some advice....
What should my calorie intake be healthy for myself and baby? Is it possible for me to maintain a healthy calorie intake and still lose weight? After doing some research online, I have read during the first trimester it is not necessary to consume more calories. But during 2nd and 3rd, you should consume an average of 300 more daily.

Replies

  • kerriknox
    kerriknox Posts: 276 Member
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    From what I know (and I am not a Dr) you should be eating your maintenance calories (ie not losing weight) plus 300 calories. I'm guessing you should be in around the 1900 range but it depends what your maintenance calories are. MFP will tell you that.

    Congrats! You must be so excited!
  • poseyj88
    poseyj88 Posts: 140 Member
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    Not a doctor here, but I work in a prenatal setting.

    Unless you are overweight (by BMI), you should not diet while pregnant. You will need more than the 1100 calories (see what MFP says for you to maintain). If you are at a healthy BMI, restricting calories while pregnant is not a good idea. That being said, you usually don't have to eat EXTRA calories by any means until later (or if your doctor is concerned about your weight gain).

    Congratulations!
  • kerriknox
    kerriknox Posts: 276 Member
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    P.S. Your kids are gorgeous!
  • zml_mom
    zml_mom Posts: 270 Member
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    if a healthy calorie for you daily is say 1200 then you would only have to eat 1500 a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle for you and baby
  • ashlinmarie
    ashlinmarie Posts: 1,263 Member
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    Congrats on the pregnancy! I'm not sure what you should be eating while pregnant, but I can tell you that 1100 calories was too low. You shouldn't be eating less than 1200 and if you're exercising it is highly recommended that you eat back at least some of those calories as well. Once you try to lose the baby weight, keep that in mind, especially if you feel you have low energy because that means your body doesn't have enough fuel to function.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Have a good honest all out there conversation with your OBGYN. All have different beliefs but honestly it depends on your current BMI and fat percentages. Someone who is OBESE can still lose weight while pregnant and not harm their baby by eating a specific calorie intake so Im sure its possible if you are actually considered overweight, however if you are technically in a healthy range for your height its not the safest option (regardless of what weight you maintained before ever getting pregnant with your first)

    Sorry my Uncle is an OBGYN who specializes in infertility. I dont always like his answers but he has always been on the cutting edge and honestly cares for his patients better then most Drs
  • iTim__
    iTim__ Posts: 6,823 Member
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    I found this article on WebMD on the same subject. Before you do anything, it is a good idea to ask your doctor. You might ask your Dr. about using MyFitnessPal.com during pregnancy to gain weight carefully or to maintain your weight as much as possible throughout, if she's not comfortable with you losing weight. At least that way, you won't be too far off when you're ready to begin losing it again.

    http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/healthy-weight-gain
  • stacieflores
    stacieflores Posts: 2
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    wow! thank you for all of the responses. I will definitely discuss all this with my doctor next week. Thankfully, I have been making much smarter choices with what I've been eating since starting my fitness pal. So I think I will just eat healthy and not count until that appointment. Once he helps me decide a healthy number, I will begin again.

    And, yes I am very excited! Baby with join big brothers Garrett (10) and Jordan (8).
    Thanks again!
  • chiccloset777
    chiccloset777 Posts: 34 Member
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    Hi staci..i just found out im pregnant too..5 weeks...im also worried about weight gain. I lost weight after my last pregnancy but have gained about 20lbs in the course of my relocation to san francisco 5 months ago and the stress of waiting to find out if I was pregnant..since we where trying(im a stress eater). Anyway my last pregnancy i gain over 65lbs which was horriable. I dont want to repeat the mistake. Yesterday i went to Costco and got a 2 year membership at 24 hour fitness plus a cart of fruits and veggies. Im going to eat a 1500 calories a day diet of mostly fruits and veggies and whole grains..plus take my prenatal vitamin. My BMI is already overweight..I feel if you are getting all of your vitamins and minerals with the right food choices then things should be fine.. Congrats on you pregnancy..I would like to stay i touch.
  • MadBabysMama
    MadBabysMama Posts: 373 Member
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    Hi, everyone. Congrats to at least 2 of the ladies on here on their pregnancies. I am wondering whether you (or anyone else reading) got advice from your OB about caloric intake and exercise during pregnancy, including whether continuing to lose weight (especially early in the pregnancy) would be okay if you are overweight or obese.
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
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    I'm 8 weeks pregnant. Last week at my first OB appointment, my doc said I could eat 1500 cals and only gain 15 lb (or less) during pregnancy and have a healthy pregnancy and baby. She also said that I must work out with a HRM and not let my hr go above 140 bpm.

    I should point out that my BMI is in the overweight category, which is why I do not have to gain 25 lb. I also gained 75 lb with my first pregnancy and I am terrified of getting that large again because, as we all know, the more weight you put on, the more difficult it is to get off.
  • kfitz10103
    kfitz10103 Posts: 354
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    I was obese when I got pregnant both times and my OB said I should only gain 15lbs both times. The first time I gained 35lbs and the second I gained 45 lbs. Both times I lost the weight without much effort because I breastfed which burns about 700 calories per day. Maybe you should plan on breastfeeding as a way to lose the weight afterwards. By the time I started this weight loss journey my youngest was 5 months and I had lost 35 lbs of the 45 lbs of pregnancy weight. I stopped breastfeeding and started eating low calorie and here I am exactly 6 months later and I have lost over 55 lbs. I weigh 45lbs less than I was when I got pregnant the first time and I am feeling great. I would talk to your doctor and make sure you are eating enough caloires to keep baby healthy and have faith that after the baby is born you can have your body back.

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