Losing fat during pregnancy

I would check with the doctor regarding how many calories you should be eating each day. next, fill those calories with nutritionally sound foods and you should accomplish your goal.

You need to ask your doctor. Generally speaking you shouldn't lose weight while pregnant.

You don't say how tall you are, but at 5 months pregnant and 140 lbs (or even a starting weight of 140) you should not be losing fat during your pregnancy. Your body needs fat stores not only during the pregnancy but also to help support lactation. Your baby also needs to be gaining fat, especially in the last trimester.

Most women should be eating a minimum of 2000 calories during the last half of pregnancy, unless they are quite overweight. With 30 minutes or cardio every other day (which is good, keep it up!) you should be at least at the 2000 calories.

Focus on nutritionally dense foods, especially making sure to get enough calcium and iron as well as protein, as the above poster said. And any exercise you were doing before pregnancy and feel well enough to do now should be fine (with a few exceptions, generally higher risk things like skiing or horseback riding ). Ask your doctor if you have any questions about exercise.

If you keep these habits through the end of your pregnancy and post-partum period, you should be in a good position to get back into the shape you want after.

Talk to your doctor. But pregnancy isn't the time to try to lose fat. But that doesn't mean you doomed to over-gain during your pregnancy. Focus on good nutrition, staying within the calories recommended by your doctor, and you'll be in a great place at the end of your pregnancy. Then you can work on losing if you still want to.

ashliefisch wrote: »

Sorry love, you're not at a size that losing fat during pregnancy would be recommended. The nurse midwife at our clinic has only ever advised losing weight during pregnancy to one woman, and she was over 400 pounds.

Do what you're doing to manage your gain, and worry about losing it after pregnancy. You're growing a human. Give yourself some love and credit.

I agree

The only time I've ever saw it recommended for one to lose during pregnancy is when the patient is morbidly obese. This is not the case of the op.

Op - worry about growing a heathy baby for now and make good food choices. You can worry about losing fat after you give birth

I did slimming world while pregnant, but I was 4 stone overweight and my midwife encouraged it. My leader told me to have an extra healthy xtra a for calcium, I basically ate very well just not takeaways and cakes all day like I did in my other 2-pregnancies. I didnt weigh in, but the day after I gave birth I was 10lbs lighter than I was pre pregnancy. It wasent really about losing weight, more about controlling my weight in pregnancy. I reccomend it to any pregnant woman who is worried about gaininng too much....if u need to though.

nrrp1995 wrote: »

I forgot to add in that I was 5'5 and at 20 weeks along I'm about at a 25 pound weight gain so far leaving me at 172 pounds, my doctor is concerned for my excessive weight gain being that I do have a smaller frame, my baby is weighing in only at 12 ounces, not even a pound, I just wanted to know how to safely maintain weight and turn my existing fat into muscle to be more specific during the remainder of my pregnancy, I was given the green light on exercise because I was very active before hand, I'm just clueless about what is okay for the baby being so I can't lay on my back.

you cant turn fat into muscle it doesnt work that way(you either have fat or you have muscle,you can lose the fat over the muscle but that usually takes a deficit and I dont recommended it in this case). to gain muscle you need a surplus and again you will have to ask a dr if its ok to lift weights,or do bodyweight exercises.its hard to build muscle and lose fat and the same time. it can be done but Im told its not easy to do. but most people go through bulking and cutting phases and arent pregnant (well most arent anyway).just focus on exercise to be healthy even if its just a lot of walking or whatever and worry about the fat later.

Eat at maintenance. That is more or less what I am doing now. Keep on exercising. You shouldn't pick up too much weight if you eat at maintenance. Your baby will, as @PleasantDisarray suggested, take what she needs from you. Whether you like it or not

nrrp1995 wrote: »

I forgot to add in that I was 5'5 and at 20 weeks along I'm about at a 25 pound weight gain so far leaving me at 172 pounds, my doctor is concerned for my excessive weight gain being that I do have a smaller frame, my baby is weighing in only at 12 ounces, not even a pound, I just wanted to know how to safely maintain weight and turn my existing fat into muscle to be more specific during the remainder of my pregnancy, I was given the green light on exercise because I was very active before hand, I'm just clueless about what is okay for the baby being so I can't lay on my back.

To grow a baby you need about 300 extra calories per day. So you need to calculate out your maintenance calories(using your current weight) including exercise, then add 300. This should slow your gain and be healthy for both you and babe. When you think about it, that works out to a bowl of oatmeal or an apple with pb or an extra half serving of protein and veg or a smoothie. So basically, eat at a level to maintain your weight and add a snack. Also, the ultrasounds for size can be very off. My overdue baby measured at 10lbs and that is what the doc used to force me into induction. He was born weighing 8lbs 3oz with no signs of over term. I had similar experiences with all three of my pregnancies, either they told me baby was small or big but all three times they were off by 2lbs or more.

savithny wrote: »

Given that fat stores environmental toxins?
The last thing you want to do during pregnancy is try to drop fat. You'll drop all those stored toxins into the bloodstream and raise levels just as the baby is developing.
(Note: I'm not talking woo-woo "toxins' that need "detoxing." I"m talking:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569688/

And this! This is also why you may be told not to lose weight too quickly after birth if you are breastfeeding. My doc, health nurse and later the midwives all told me to take it very slow. No point in exposing that new little one to any more contamination than they will already encounter.

Good luck with your pregnancy!

nrrp1995 wrote: »

I forgot to add in that I was 5'5 and at 20 weeks along I'm about at a 25 pound weight gain so far leaving me at 172 pounds, my doctor is concerned for my excessive weight gain being that I do have a smaller frame, my baby is weighing in only at 12 ounces, not even a pound, I just wanted to know how to safely maintain weight and turn my existing fat into muscle to be more specific during the remainder of my pregnancy, I was given the green light on exercise because I was very active before hand, I'm just clueless about what is okay for the baby being so I can't lay on my back.

All you can really do at this point is try to control your gain from here on out. You simply aren't heavy enough to safely lose weight during the second half of your pregnancy. I know controlling your gain will be easier said than done, as most of pregnancy weight gain happens in the second half. You can't turn your fat into muscle, but you can stay active (you can't lie flat on your back for prolonged periods, but there are sooooo many exercises that don't require you to lie on your back - walking, swimming, stationary bike, etc for cardio, lots of strength training exercises that can be done upright too) and monitor your calories, making sure you are getting enough, but not too much. The recommendation for women who start pregnancy at a normal weight is between 25 and 35 lbs total. You might not be able to limit it to only 10 more lbs in the next twenty weeks, but you could certainly, and safely, limit it to no more than 15-20 lbs in the next 20 weeks. Enter your stats in MFP, set your goal to gain one lb per week, and eat no more than that many calories, eating back about half your exercise calories. A 40-45 lb pregnancy is not the end of the world, and you will be able to lose it once you have your baby. I've had four children, and gained 45-50 lbs each time (didn't seem to matter what I did). The good news is I lost it all between pregnancies, and then some, and am now down to my high school weight. Focus on eating nutritiously, staying active, getting plenty of water (no one retains water like a pregnant woman retains water!), and taking care of yourself. If you need further advice ask your doc for a referral to a dietician.

Sounds like you just need to worry about managing gain for the rest of your pregnancy. Good news, this is doable, and its not even that hard. Safe pregnancy exercises are generally regarded as walking, swimming, and yoga. The rest you do at your own risk. Try and avoid things that may cause you to lose your balance as your center of gravity is off now. I'm at the end of my 26th week, and have managed to keep my gain at 8lbs so far (I started 45lbs over weight, and do this under the guidance and blessing of my OB who has guided me through two other pregnancies where I was obese). I do this by eating at a minimum, my pre-pregnancy maintenance calories. I work in a busy community health clinic, and am on my feet all day. I try and do SOMETHING active at least 3x per week. We have dogs to walk, I do a t25 video, ride a stationary bike. I eat extra if I'm hungry, but I try and keep it within what my activity tracker projects my TDEE for that day to be. I've gone over some days. I indulge in cravings every now and again, but I have chocolate built into my day every day so its not too often that I need a treat.

All you have to do is eat mindfully. Don't stuff yourself. Eat nutritious food. Move as tolerated. Treat yo'self every now and then. But at the end of the day, you have your whole life to get this weight off. You have a short amount of time left to grow a healthy, happy baby. And to echo, baby takes what it needs, yes. But if you're not providing that nutritionally, your body will strip itself of those nutrients. Not getting enough calcium? Guess whose bones are getting depeleted? It's not babies.

SingRunTing wrote: »

youngmomtaz wrote: »

nrrp1995 wrote: »

I forgot to add in that I was 5'5 and at 20 weeks along I'm about at a 25 pound weight gain so far leaving me at 172 pounds, my doctor is concerned for my excessive weight gain being that I do have a smaller frame, my baby is weighing in only at 12 ounces, not even a pound, I just wanted to know how to safely maintain weight and turn my existing fat into muscle to be more specific during the remainder of my pregnancy, I was given the green light on exercise because I was very active before hand, I'm just clueless about what is okay for the baby being so I can't lay on my back.

To grow a baby you need about 300 extra calories per day. So you need to calculate out your maintenance calories(using your current weight) including exercise, then add 300. This should slow your gain and be healthy for both you and babe. When you think about it, that works out to a bowl of oatmeal or an apple with pb or an extra half serving of protein and veg or a smoothie. So basically, eat at a level to maintain your weight and add a snack. Also, the ultrasounds for size can be very off. My overdue baby measured at 10lbs and that is what the doc used to force me into induction. He was born weighing 8lbs 3oz with no signs of over term. I had similar experiences with all three of my pregnancies, either they told me baby was small or big but all three times they were off by 2lbs or more.

savithny wrote: »

Given that fat stores environmental toxins?
The last thing you want to do during pregnancy is try to drop fat. You'll drop all those stored toxins into the bloodstream and raise levels just as the baby is developing.
(Note: I'm not talking woo-woo "toxins' that need "detoxing." I"m talking:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3569688/

And this! This is also why you may be told not to lose weight too quickly after birth if you are breastfeeding. My doc, health nurse and later the midwives all told me to take it very slow. No point in exposing that new little one to any more contamination than they will already encounter.

Good luck with your pregnancy!

Not in the first trimester. First trimester, you should be eating at maintenance.

Later trimesters you need to add calories.

I was mentioning the average Rec. 300 extra calories a day works out to about 24lbs. I was always told that and a hoped gain of 1lb per month the first 5months and then 1lb per week after. Seems to both be general Manitoba guidelines. Both work out to less than 30lbs gain. So for an average woman that is enough. The op is not in the first trimester so 300 cal per day is a good guide.

nrrp1995 wrote: »

I forgot to add in that I was 5'5 and at 20 weeks along I'm about at a 25 pound weight gain so far leaving me at 172 pounds, my doctor is concerned for my excessive weight gain being that I do have a smaller frame, my baby is weighing in only at 12 ounces, not even a pound, I just wanted to know how to safely maintain weight and turn my existing fat into muscle to be more specific during the remainder of my pregnancy, I was given the green light on exercise because I was very active before hand, I'm just clueless about what is okay for the baby being so I can't lay on my back.

Your doctor is seriously worried about "excessive weight gain "? Really? Are there other health issues in play? You are fine. I gained 60, 55, 35, and 60 lbs with my babies. None of my OBs said a word about my weight--I was healthy to start, bp and blood sugar stayed good, I was exercising...I had four different OBs, thanks to moving, two were attendings at prestigious teaching hospitals, none were concerned, even when I brought it up.

Follow the other posters' advice about eating nutritious food and the proper amount (300-500 above maintenance). Please do not deprive yourself or baby of nutrition by trying to lose weight. Yes, losing baby weight is no fun, but an extra 10-15 lbs is an extra 2 months or so...not too much in return for healthy you and baby.

As for exercise, I ran 3-4 miles, 4x a week until 20-25 weeks, when my belly was too unwieldy. Then I did stairs and elliptical. I wasn't lifting at the time, so I don't know about that, though I do see some pregnant women lifting at my gym. Bike or swimming would be good too. I was told to avoid jumping and anything where I could fall (bc your balance gets off) or get hit, and just to stick with my previous type/intensity of activities.

Listen to your body...if you feel uncomfortable, stop. Don't try to finish your workout. Don't "power through ". Stop. Try again another day or try a different activity.

I am 5'5" and hit 190 and 202 with two of my four pregnancies. While I think it's worth keeping an eye one and I didn't feel super awesome at those weights (let's be honest, who truly does at 9 months pregnant?), it was never and issue for my attending practitioners. - just from a been there perspective.