Losing "inches" while pregnant?

KatEmmaMarie
KatEmmaMarie Posts: 64 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I'm looking to see if anyone can offer advice on how to tone certain areas while not actually losing weight, but still lose inches? If that makes sense? I am 8 weeks pregnant and immediately changed my diet plan for maintaining and will again change it to gain weight in the coming trimesters. But I'm really concerned about staying in tip top shape and wondering is it possible to still lose inches in certain areas like the arms, thighs and shape the butt while actually gaining weight for pregnancy? I've been doing the elliptical for cardio (about 30-40 minutes a day or every other day, depending how I feel) and I've been trying to focus on tricep workouts and doing a bunch of different squats for thighs/butt. As for diet I am focusing on lots of protein, good fats and lots of fruits and veggies. I treat myself and cheat occasionally.

I appreciate any insight/advice anyone has.

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    You can't spot reduce
  • babypunkprincess
    babypunkprincess Posts: 109 Member
    U can't spot reduce however I would still work out. I just had a baby 5 1/2 weeks ago and I worked out a little. I didn't do too much because I didn't work out before. But when I was working out I felt like my arms legs and butt toned. But more importantly I felt great...and a few weeks after I was back down to my pre pregnancy weight and bounced back very quickly.

    From what i experienced you'll gain weight wherever but an better chance to just gain in your belly if u keep fit.

    Also squats and lots of lower body workouts will be your best friend during delivery!

    Congrats! Is this your first?
  • KatEmmaMarie
    KatEmmaMarie Posts: 64 Member
    Thank you for your responses.
    I know you can't spot reduce, my question was if you can still lose inches while gaining weight and I Just gave a few examples of the areas that I am working on toning with weight lifting.

    @mamainthekitchen thank you for your concern and I don't take offense. I plan to let my body do what it's going to do and I know I'll gain weight however it plans to gain weight. However, I have a very unhealthy relationship with food and inactivity, this caused me to be an overweight child my whole life and eventually tipping the scales at 200 pounds (I'm only 5'1"). I worked my *kitten* off to become healthy and lose all the weight and I am afraid of getting out of control during pregnancy, which is why I need to keep a tight grip on myself when it comes to food and not laying on the couch 24/7.

    @babypunkprincess I do plan to keep active and stay fit! All I want is to feel good during my pregnancy and since I am eating even better than my normal diet, I wondered if it was possible to lose inches (not in spot reducing) and just gave some examples of areas that I was focusing on toning. I've read everywhere about how being active helps you bounce back and have a smoother delivery, so those are also reasons I am trying hard to stay fit and healthy. Yes this is my first pregnancy! We were dealing with infertility and finally after our 3rd IUI (and a year and a half of other infertility treatments) we got a positive pregnancy! So very excited for this pregnancy.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    @KatEmmaMaria First. Congratulations on both your weight loss and your pregnancy! I'm pregnant right now with my 3rd baby. I have to agree with @mamainthekitchen let a little control go.

    Being pregnant can be a very stressful time. Don't add to it trying to worry about gaining or getting more fat on your problem areas. Trust yourself. You know how to lose the weight and eat healthy. You've already proven that. Keep exercising while it's comfortable. I still walk several times a week and use the stationary bike and even do some limited weights. I don't run much anymore since it makes me feel like I'll have an accident.

    You are only going to be pregnant a handful of times in your life. Just try to enjoy it because it's really not that fun. lol. That doesn't mean that you eat all the donuts or binge. It does mean that if you go over your calories a couple days a week it isn't a big deal.

    If, in the beginning of your pregnancy, you don't hit the gym too much because you are sick or exhausted it's ok. I didn't go the first 2 months because I was ridiculously tired with this one. I'd be in bed every night at 7pm. Around 13 weeks that began to ease and now I'm back at the gym.

    Growing a person is not that easy. Cut yourself some slack. Don't obsess about your weight. Good Luck.
  • Ultima_Morpha
    Ultima_Morpha Posts: 892 Member
    Assuming your medical caregiver agrees, the general rule of thumb I got was that I could do during my pregnancies whatever I was doing before. Frequency and intensity should be dictated by how you're feeling and stage of your pregnancy.

    I was doing Jazzercise 3-4 times a week during my first pregnancy up to 35 weeks. I could have kept going but my bladder couldn't stand the pressure!
  • KatEmmaMarie
    KatEmmaMarie Posts: 64 Member
    Thanks everyone for your responses!
    @dancingonstarz @enterdanger @amandacanales I know it's going to be a little bit of a struggle for me seeing my weight go up (since I have a little bit of fear ending back at 200+lbs) which is why I've been stressing a little about this. Plus I want to give my baby the absolute best possible start nutrition wise and that starts with my habits. I know I need to relax a little and just focus on generally being healthy. I do give in to cravings too, don't get me wrong! Last night I had about quarter of a huge slice of carrot cake and plan to finish it off slowly over the next few days! So I do know how to relax and enjoy life. I was really just curious to see if it's possible to still lose inches in other areas of the body while still gaining weight by keeping up my normal workout routine.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Eat a nutritious diet to maintenance calories pre pregnancy in trimester 1

    2nd trimester add 300 calories

    3rd trimester add 300 calories

    And give yourself a break ...whatever you do your first baby throws your life up in the air, and your priorities will change

    congratulations
  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    dont worry about losing inches right now. Eat healthy and stay active and everything will do what its supposed to do. thats my insight/advice
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    To address your actual question, though, I don't think you can lose inches without losing body fat.
  • Frederike1980
    Frederike1980 Posts: 3 Member
    edited August 2016
    I'm no expert but I don't think you can lose inches without losing fat and since during pregnancy you will be gaining weight and gaining a certain amount of fat, I personally don't think that would be an attainable goal (if you want to do it in a healtho way). However I worked out quite a bit with all of my 3 pregnancies and you can definitely continue to tone through weightlifting and stay in shape by keeping active
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Frederike1980 wrote: »
    I'm no expert but I don't think you can lose inches without losing fat and since during pregnancy you will be gaining weight and gaining a certain amount of fat, I personally don't think that would be an attainable goal (if you want to do it in a healtho way). However I worked out quite a bit with all of my 3 pregnancies and you can definitely continue to tone through weightlifting and stay in shape by keeping active

    As long as it's exercise that you did before you got pregnant. OP shouldn't start a lifting programme if it's something new.
  • caradack1985
    caradack1985 Posts: 254 Member
    I think it would probably be best to eat at maintenance plus a few extra calories for the baby (you only need an extra 500 roughly), you can keep exercising at the level you are exercising at but don't dramatically increase. You may not lose weight but that doesn't mean you have to gain any beyond the small amount that is necessary. Once you're 6 weeks post partum your doctor will be able to advise what exercise you can do. Incidentally, it doesn't hurt to work those pelvic floor muscles now!
  • caradack1985
    caradack1985 Posts: 254 Member
    Also, if you choose to breastfeed, that also takes about 500 calories a day, plus it helps your organs slot back into place quicker.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 178 Member
    First off, congratulations on your pregnancy! I worked out through out my last pregnancy and had a pretty smooth pregnancy. I didn't start to feel bad until week 39 and I attribute that to keeping up my gym routine. As other have said, you likely will not loose inches in other areas during your pregnancy. However, you should discuss your fitness routine with your care provider, make any modifications they ask you to make, and continue for as long as possible! Here is a prenatal Pilates video I did a couple times a week. It was put together by a physiotherapist and it doesn't really resemble traditional Pilates.
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8M7X73qN-b0
    This will probably be easy for you right now, but it will get harder as your pregnancy progresses. Best of luck to you:-)
  • treehugnmama
    treehugnmama Posts: 816 Member
    I gave in to cravings and gained 75 pounds more I'm sure but I stopped weighing. I did prenatal yoga, lots and lots of walking, swimming and still gained 75. It was food choices. with my second I had a young toddler no time for prenatal yoga, swimming etc. I really watched what I ate...I ate when hungry and focused on good choices and gained 40. It was much easier to get the 40 off then the 75!

    Congratulations amd enjoy your pregnancy....you know your body best!
  • Sebismom
    Sebismom Posts: 44 Member
    Congratulations! As someone who also went through the infertility merry-go-round let me just say that the hardest part (shots, IUIs, ultra sound wands, weight gain) is behind you. I was at a 26 BMI when I started and gained 37 pounds during the pregnancy. But since I'm short, 5'2", I looked like I was carrying twins at 30 weeks! I did give in to cravings at times, but did not let them rule me. Follow your instincts, keep up with your exercise if nausea permits, and watch what you eat. You won't lose inches, but you can keep your muscle tone by continuing with your resistance exercises. The general rule is that in the first trimester you maintain your caloric intake. In the second trimester and on you can increase your intake by 300-350 calories per day. As you can see, babies don't take much. Someone upthread quoted 500 calories, which is too high. Oddly, the hunger pangs were worse while nursing, and the fat did not melt away (I gained 10 pounds post-partum) while breastfeeding because I became an insatiable milk-making machine. Best of luck!

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