Lose weight and work out while pregnant?

K3rB3ar89
K3rB3ar89 Posts: 263 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
How many of you ladies have used and stuck with mfp while pregnant? I plan to work out while pregnant but how do you work things as far as calories go? I start my fertility treatments hopefully this month and i really wanna TRY stay on track.. i have a 4 year old and i know how easy it is to go off the rails lol but im trying to figure out the bigger picture:)

Replies

  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
    The General advice is that continuing an exercise program that you've already been engaging in prior to becoming pregnant is fine in the absence of any medical reason to not do so. But as the poster above me stated, talk to your medical professional. It is unlikely that they will encourage and will most likely discourage you from attempting to lose weight while pregnant. Ideally, you're be in your ideal weight range prior to getting pregnant and then gaining somewhere in the recommended range throughout the pregnancy.
  • momoharuno
    momoharuno Posts: 141 Member
    It's always best to talk to your doctor or midwife, they're going to know more about what is best in your individual situation than anyone else. Generally though you are not supposed to be in a caloric deficit while pregnant, you need to eat at a surplus because the baby needs to gain weight and develop properly, it is only 200-500 extra calories per day above your maintenance calories depending on the trimester you are in. Exercising is encouraged during pregnancy (unless you're high risk or on bed rest) but it is usually recommended that you don't introduce new exercises and remain at the level of intensity you were at before becoming pregnant. Remember to stay very hydrated while working out and not to overheat yourself, it's okay to pull back on intensity if you need to, your child's development and safety is obviously the most important thing! Good luck with your fertility treatments, I hope you get good news soon! :)
  • K3rB3ar89
    K3rB3ar89 Posts: 263 Member
    Part of the reason im trying to get a good work out plan going now is to hopefully keep with it while pregnant. I realise everyones diff ect but im hoping that maybe i can stay healthy enough that i stay within a range. As for weight gain. I highly doubt tbey will want me to gain very much . Im alot heavier then i was with my first so i cant see them saying any more then Baby weight. Who knows tho! Was just curious:)
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
    I worked out and used MFP until the end with this past pregnancy. Did most of my regular workouts except the excessive ab movements, and ate at maintenance. Gained 23 lbs and was back to exercising one week postpartum because the pregnancy and birth was so easy compared to my first (and overweight/no exercising/high blood pressure) pregnancy. I had my midwife's blessing of course, but it's definitely possible if there's no complications. I could definitely tell the difference!
  • ronjsteele1
    ronjsteele1 Posts: 1,064 Member
    I'll be the odd woman out here. ;-) It does always depend on what your doctor says they want you to do - that is definitely not in dispute. That said, doctors don't tell me what to do, I tell them what to do. That's why I pay them. When they start paying me, then they get to tell me what to do. ;):D

    I haven't been brave enough to take a pregnancy test this week, but we think I may be expecting again. If I am, I fully intend to eat at what MFP says would be my maintenance at today's weight. That would still put me at a deficit overall if I am pregnant. The general rule for exercise is as everyone else stated. So I fully intend to continue lifting weights. The only change I will make is I will not lift progressively like I do now. I will lift to keep my current level of strength. I will continue the cardio I do in addition to lifting.

    I've had 3 births. My doctor told me that a baby will always take what it needs from momma. This is true if the person is overweight or not. Obviously, if someone is at goal or underweight to begin with then losing while pregnant would not be a good thing. My doctor never had issue with me losing weight if I wanted to while pregnant so long as I was eating nutrient dense foods when I was eating and was taking a good pre-natal vitamin. If I was eating crap he would probably have taken much greater issue with it but I eat a fairly whole foods diet anyway.

    It's been 15yrs since my last baby, if we do end up with a positive test, I will follow the same things I did with my first three. I'm heavier then I was with them so I fully intend to take advantage of the chance to lose weight while pregnant. I also have very big, healthy babies, so I don't worry about them not getting what they need.

    Overall, what you do will largely depend on your doctor's advice and how much you listen to it. Personally, if a doctor doesn't agree with what I want to do, I hire a new doctor. Whatever you do, you need to be in agreement with your doctor's orders because clashing with those orders while you're pregnant is not a good plan. So just make sure you're on the same page with them, and you'll do fine.
  • momoharuno
    momoharuno Posts: 141 Member
    K3rB3ar89 wrote: »
    Part of the reason im trying to get a good work out plan going now is to hopefully keep with it while pregnant. I realise everyones diff ect but im hoping that maybe i can stay healthy enough that i stay within a range. As for weight gain. I highly doubt tbey will want me to gain very much . Im alot heavier then i was with my first so i cant see them saying any more then Baby weight. Who knows tho! Was just curious:)

    The general rule is to gain 20-25 pounds if at a normal bmi, 15 pounds if medically overweight, and 0-10 pounds if medically obese (depending on the level of obesity) obviously bmi is not the only or even necessarily the best indicator of health or fitness but it is what all the guidelines I've currently seen go by in regards to pregnancy weight gain. Talking to your doctor is always the best course of action to figure out what's best for you though in your individual situation.

    I might also suggest looking at a pregnancy weight gain chart that breaks down where the excess weight is (excess blood, enlarged uterus, weight of baby, etc.) It may help you see the weight gain in a different light, it's not adding useless fat to you it's essential functions that your baby needs! Luckily if you gain the minimum recommended weight for you then you will have very little true weight to lose after all the excess blood, swelling, and water goes down a few days to a few weeks after giving birth. It really will be okay! I know the thought of gaining weight can be scary! I truly wish you the best of luck in your weight loss and fitness goals and in getting that positive test! :)
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Talk to your doctor but if you have always worked out then there's no reason you can't keep on being active during pregnancy.
    As for losing weight, you need to eat maintenance calories until your third term and then add another few 100 for last semester. I did have a link with that information from Dr Hilary Jones (from ITV's Lorraine), but not sure where to find it now...
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Please speak to your doctor and don't rely on internet strangers.
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
    K3rB3ar89 wrote: »
    How many of you ladies have used and stuck with mfp while pregnant? I plan to work out while pregnant but how do you work things as far as calories go? I start my fertility treatments hopefully this month and i really wanna TRY stay on track.. i have a 4 year old and i know how easy it is to go off the rails lol but im trying to figure out the bigger picture:)

    DEFINITELY talk to your doctor, especially if you need medical treatment in order to conceive.
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
    There is nothing wrong with having a good exercise plan and trying to lose weight during fertility treatment, Exercise especially will help keep you sane during, although if you are doing something like ivf or clomid don't be too hard on yourself with dieting it maybe pretty hard to stick to with all those hormones. Once starting fertility treatment take the consultant's advice as there are usually some restrictions later on in treatment where exercise is concerned.

    As to when pregnant again you want to take your doctors advice but in normal pregnancies an established exercise regime can be continued and if obese they usually don't mind you losing some weight during but you and your doctor should know best on that too.
  • K3rB3ar89
    K3rB3ar89 Posts: 263 Member
    Duchy82 wrote: »
    There is nothing wrong with having a good exercise plan and trying to lose weight during fertility treatment, Exercise especially will help keep you sane during, although if you are doing something like ivf or clomid don't be too hard on yourself with dieting it maybe pretty hard to stick to with all those hormones. Once starting fertility treatment take the consultant's advice as there are usually some restrictions later on in treatment where exercise is concerned.

    As to when pregnant again you want to take your doctors advice but in normal pregnancies an established exercise regime can be continued and if obese they usually don't mind you losing some weight during but you and your doctor should know best on that too.

    I have actually been on clomid and fremera total of 8 months.. i gained like 25 pounds so i deff know how that all goes! Im trying to control it now i guess. Get a more active lifestyle to try lose and counter the hormons cuz there awful.. im waiting for this cycle to start to start fremera so i can do insemination. Which also adds yet another hormone. This is why its soo important for me to get a stable eating and work out plan! With all that comes extreme hunger and bloating/ water weight which i dont think alot of people understand so it makes this weight loss journey that much more difficult. Most women will gain water and naturally want to eat. Unfortunatly for me i get that x10 and i ALWAYS feel bloated. I think less you understand the title may be abit misleading lol.
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