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First time pregnancy on this app: Custumizing Myfitnesspal to my Pregnancy

justdoit362
justdoit362 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 17 in Social Groups
Hey everyone! I'm struggling with myfitnesspal and customizing it to my pregnancy right now. Do I still keep my goal weight loss like I have it at losing another 60 pounds but just change other options like gaining .5 pounds a week? I don't know how much I should intake, exercise, and what my macronutrient goals should be while pregnant.

I'm 304lbs at the moment
34 years old
5'10"
20 Weeks pregnant

I'm so lost... please help!

Replies

  • Hurricane_C
    Hurricane_C Posts: 806 Member
    Hi there! First of all, congrats :) I would say definitely discuss with your OB and see how much weight he/she advises you to gain during the pregnancy and go from there.

    What I did, and not saying that's the way to do it by any means, is. Ate whatever I could keep down during my first trimester. I had horrible morning sickness and wasn't able to gain anything. I lost about 6 pounds. During the 2nd trimester I set my calories to maintenance +300 and gained about 15 pounds (typing that out is super depressing... but that's also only 9 pounds above what I was when I found out I was pregnant). Since hitting the third trimester I've upped my calories by another 200 (for a total of +500 over maint.) I just had an appointment and my OB is happy with my weight (I ask every time we go in) so I've found what works for me.... doesn't mean that's going to work for everyone.

    Good luck!
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    Congratulations!

    This thread does a really good job of discussing calorie counting during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so I definitely advise giving it a read if you have some time.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10176233/gaining-weight-during-pregnancy-and-losing-it-post-partum

    Hopefully your doc discussed a healthy weight gain for you? If not, definitely talk about that at your next appointment and run everything you decide to do based on this post by them as well. It never hurts to make sure you guys are on the same page, we are not doctors!

    As for setting MFP up, they do not have a pregnancy setting for liability reasons, as this is considered a medical condition you should be guided through by your doctor. The general rule is to not try to lose weight while pregnant, focus on growing your baby and you can worry about weight loss later. Most people shoot for maintenance during the first trimester as the baby is not growing much yet, and start bumping up from there; typically adding 300 in the second trimester, and 500 in the third. You can adjust your calorie goal manually by going to goals, set calorie/macronutrient goals.

    As for exercise, unless otherwise guided by your doctor most people just do the best they can as long as it is comfortable. You want to be careful to no overexert yourself too much, advice I was given was to take the intensity down to a level where you can still speak while doing the activity. You want to ensure that while you are working out you are not working so hard that the baby may not be getting the blood flow and oxygen it needs. As it gets warmer too you need to be extra careful to not allow yourself to over heat. Take breaks and drink lots of water if you are out in the heat.

    As for macros, it largely depends on your situation. Try to get a decent amount of protein in. If you are at risk for gestational diabetes then you should definitely try be conscious of your carb intake. If you are diagnosed hopefully our doctor gave you a specific diet to follow or at least an allowance guidance.

    Hope that helps some, obviously if you have any more questions post them!

    ~Best wishes
  • MrsMason101212
    MrsMason101212 Posts: 15 Member
    I started out a bit above my goal weight. I set mfp to maintain. I adjusted my goals to a higher amount of protein to get the 80-100 grams a day I want to have. If you search pregnancy in the food section you will find a calorie adjustment for different trimesters. I add the second trimester each day.

    I hope that gives you an idea. Just tailor it to your own needs :smile:
  • cocolo89
    cocolo89 Posts: 1,169 Member
    edited April 2017
    Mine is set to maintaining weight. I'm 17wks and still gaining 0.5-1lb a week. Good luck.
  • TheSavatron
    TheSavatron Posts: 18 Member
    Like MrsMason, I just add "pregnancy second trimester" to my snacks every day, and it subtracts 300 calories. (Alternatively, I could just adjust my daily calories by 300.)
    I have it set to losing 0.5lbs a week, but at 25 weeks, I'm definitely still gaining (at least) a pound a week.
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