I started my weight loss journey, but then I got pregnant.

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AwkwardSprinkle
AwkwardSprinkle Posts: 21 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has this happened to anyone? I'm happy, but also a little frustrated. The people around me are losing weight, but I'm staying where I am for obvious reasons. I know that I can lose a little weight and exercise while pregnant. I was on birth control and about 12 pounds down starting from November. This month I found of the birth control failed. I'm wondering if there's anyone else out there in a similar situation. I'm due September 3rd!
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Replies

  • SmithsonianEmpress
    SmithsonianEmpress Posts: 1,163 Member
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  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
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    What everyone else said. :) Eat healthy and enough for your baby -somt worry about losing. I know some women who stayed in good shape and lost the weight birth after easily by keeping up a very moderated workout schedule. (Like they walked on treadmills at a reasonable pace). Or swimming /aquafit is popular with pregnant women. Let's you keep your body strong and then once you've had the baby you will lose quickly after . :)
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Now is a good opportunity to focus on a healthy weight gain. You can still keep/work on good habits while pregnant. Continue to log (accurately as possible). When you're post-partum and have the all clear from your OB you can focus on a small deficit and you'll already have the skills/tools down to do so. You should be okay to maintain your current fitness level as well. Staying fit will definitely help throughout your pregnancy and delivery. Good luck!
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Exercise as much as you were doing before - don't try to push hard to add a lot now, but keep moving!
    Watch what you eat but dont' try to eat at a big deficit - its okay to not gain as much as the calculators suggest, but you do NOT want the baby to have to pull all of its calcium from your bones and its protein from your muscles.

    (note: you'll hear people say that teenage girls need to get calcium for bone density because once you're done growing, you can't increase bone density. That's not 100% true. During pregnancy and nursing, calcium can be moved both into and out of bones, so now is the time to make sure you dont' lose any and stock up for the future!)
  • stephmph16
    stephmph16 Posts: 114 Member
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    Sorry, but as soon as you saw those two pink lines priorities change. Baby first, then you. Once baby is born (well actually, about 6 weeks after) then you can do as much exercise as you want. Go nuts. But until then, be safe, healthy, and moderate with what you're doing. The general rule is "do what you were doing before, plus a little more."
  • suzievv
    suzievv Posts: 410 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Congratulations! Put the weight loss goals on hold and be happy about the baby. Being pregnant is awesome. It is amazing what our bodies can do. Everyone is different... I hope you have a glowing pregnancy. I will just put it out there that sometimes we don't have a glowing pregnancy. Puking... crazy weight gain... feeling super tired and unable to move... Just take good care of your body and your baby and eat nutritiously, and enjoy this special time. Birth and the immediate post-partum time are a really big deal, so don't expect to jump on a big exercise & diet program right after birth. Personally I like to wait until 5 months or so. Then you can start losing weight. You can do it!!! You just have to wait until after that precious sweet baby is born! CONGRATULATIONS!
  • eissacf25
    eissacf25 Posts: 151 Member
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    Congrats!!! That happened to me with my first, I didn't think the odds of getting pregnant while on antibiotics were that great, but it happened haha.

    So you don't really need to be "eating for two". The baby will take what it needs from you, you really only need to add maybe 200 calories to maintenance. Eating healthy, exercising and drinking lots of water will keep the weight gain to only what you need for a healthy baby. Your doctor will go over all of that with you and monitor your weight and the babies weight to make sure you're on track. I gained 20 lbs with my first and 11 lbs with my second. They were both healthy, beautiful babies. good luck!!! <3
  • Karie2017
    Karie2017 Posts: 215 Member
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    I agree with the rest don't worry about weight loss. I just had a baby 2 months ago. I would exercise about 4 days a week. I changed my eating habits. I ate healthier. I gained 40lbs. Since I had him I started back exercising mainly body weight exercises mixed with cardio about 30-45 minutes everyday. I eat healthier and I don't go over my calorie intake. I also breast feed. I've lost 27lbs so far. Since I started eating healthier I'm able to eat more because of less calories. I make sure I get the protein I need everyday and load up on veggies.
  • Karie2017
    Karie2017 Posts: 215 Member
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    Also drink a lot of water. My dr told me to drink a gallon of water a day when I was pregnant.
  • magen830
    magen830 Posts: 33 Member
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    Congratulations! That happened to me I was down 60lbs and then BAM! I found out I was pregnant. Don't be too discouraged just do as the doctor says and you will be fine a healthy baby is what counts.
  • marieamethyst
    marieamethyst Posts: 869 Member
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    Congrats! Just do what you can for now and listen to your body. When I was overweight and pregnant with my first, the OB told me at the first appointment to go buy a scale and keep on top of my weight gain. I took her advice and only gained 14 lbs, which was gone by the time I left the hospital. Walking is a good way to get some exercise in without overdoing it (unless there's complications of course). Drink lots of water to stay hydrated (might help prevent stretch marks too), don't eat more than you need when the cravings hit. And everyone recovers differently, so you may feel like climbing back onto the wagon soon after birth, or it may take a few months (took two months after my first due to a rough birth, but was back to MFP/exercising a week after my son because it was an easy birth).

    Hope you have a healthy pregnancy and baby! :) That's the main thing to remember right now - always time for weight loss later, and before you know it you'll be chasing them around all the time and getting in exercise that way, lol!
  • alarmed123
    alarmed123 Posts: 87 Member
    edited January 2017
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    This happened to me, started my weight loss journey since 2015, went from 333lbs to 200. Got prego, gained weight, got into some nasty eating habits and I lost all the weight and more. I delivered my daughter 7 weeks ago and from 200 I am now 165lbs.... still have much to lose but I feel great! Pregnancy is just a pause, you will lose it all after.
  • suzan06
    suzan06 Posts: 218 Member
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    Congratulations.

    You can continue doing whatever exercise you have been doing as long as you have a normal complication-free pregnancy. In fact it's healthy for baby. Just don't try any crazy new things.

    For food and weight gain, depending on how overweight you are to start, you may not need to gain much. Your doc or midwife can advise you.

    I found with o e pregnancy I was careful about what I ate (didn't cut calories but really watched sweets and portions) and I gained 25 lbs. At least half came out with baby :). The next time I ate like mad and gained twice as much. Oops. Don't use pregnancy as an excuse to eat all the things- you barely need any extra food, as already mentioned.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited January 2017
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    While pregnancy should not be an excuse/reason to "eat all the foods", it's important to realize that sometimes more weight gain than you might like is unavoidable.

    I retained a *lot* of water both times I was pregnant. How much? I had lost *30* pounds within 2 weeks of giving birth. Apparently, pregnancy hormones make me swell up like a balloon - and I'm not the only person they do this to.

    With regard to the severely reduced weight gain recommendations these days, I think that they are working on the assumption that every woman is overweight when she gets pregnant. Because if you already have enough fat stores to support breastfeeding, you don't need to gain those 5-10 pounds.

    (Kind of like the horrifying default calorie recommendation for women from Health Canada. They've dropped it from 2000 cals/day to 1500 cals/day. The only people who maintain on 1500 cals/day are tiny and inactive. It certainly shouldn't be the "general recommendation for everyone".)
  • FeraFilia
    FeraFilia Posts: 4,664 Member
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    Congratulations!

    I ended up getting pregnant about 8 months in, after losing a little over 50 pounds (then I gained some back during a move and then holidays... then Happy Valentine's day! You're pregnant!). I still had 100 pounds to go!

    Like @SusanMFindlay, I retained TONS of water when I was pregnant. After the doctor yelling at me at my 39 week check, and seeing that I had gained a total of 45 pounds... I lost all of that plus a few within 2 weeks of getting home from the hospital. Every pound I gained during pregnancy was baby or water retention!

    I didn't get back to losing weight until my son turned a year old because I found restricting calories after he was born was affecting my milk production, and I was exclusively nursing. I gained a little over that year, and I'm just now getting back to my original "low" weight.

    And of course, hubby is making "but our kid needs a sibling..." noises.

    You take care of you and your new little one, don't stress your weight too much, continue your regular routine, and have fun! :)
  • melto1989
    melto1989 Posts: 140 Member
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    Actually happened to me twice, I got really motivated and started losing weight and fell pregnant unplanned with my last 2 . I was a bit like seriously I'll be fat forever but I didn't gain any extra weight during the pregnancies and returned to pre pregnancy weight. Now 1year later I finished breast feeding I'm ready to get back into it and hope I don't fall pregnant again! Lol
    Congratulations on the pregnancy. Enjoy it and don't worry about losing weight till after.
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
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    This happened to me. I started losing weight about 3 years ago, and I lost 35 lbs using MFP (but still had more to go). I found out I was pregnant, and though I was excited about the baby, my disappointment came from the fact that I still had more weight to lose and I was worried that once the baby was born, I wouldn't be able to regain that motivation.

    I started out the pregnancy wanting to be healthy and continue exercising, but somewhere around week 9 the extreme fatigue hit and carbs were the only thing I could keep down and eventually I just fell back into old habits. I ended up gaining around 50 lbs. I really beat myself up about the gain.

    There's a happy ending though. I was able to get back that motivation after the baby was born, and I was able to lose 90 lbs in the next year. I've now been maintaining that loss since April of 2016.

    So, congratulations! Enjoy your pregnancy, do what you can to keep up your new healthy habits, but don't beat yourself up about weight gain. You know how to lose weight now, and you'll be able to do it again.

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