Well that's going to put a BUMP in the road for my weight loss plans - Pregnancy Calories + Fitness

Congratulations! I also found out this surprise news, right around Christmas! Even though I'm technically obese at the moment, when I mentioned my weight as a concern at my 8-week appointment my OB said I'm really not that bad and I could safely gain up to 30 pounds!!! What??? I'm trying not to do that. She also said the weight doesn't really count until your 20th week, and from there expect to gain about a pound a week. So 16-20 pounds just in the last half, if you go full term.

I have my calories set to lose "1 pound" a week (about 1800 a day). I probably go over, because I'm paying less attention, but that's partly why I set the calories on the low end. I walk about 2.5 miles a day for my commute, but that's all the exercise I've been able to find the energy to do. My weight has maintained so far (which means I've been doing this for about 2 months with no gaining). I have more appointments Monday and we'll see if they say anything. Everything looked good at the 8 week appointment and the ultrasound (which turned out to be 10 weeks, so I'm about a week further along then my menstrual cycle indicated).

Congratulations! Is this your first? Morning sickness may dictate a good deal of your diet for the first few months (it often doesn't kick in until a few weeks after you get a + so don't assume you're in the clear if you don't feel sick right away!) Edit - I see this isn't your first, so you're probably aware of what's to come

General rule of thumb for activity is, you can continue to do anything your were comfortably able to do before pregnancy, at least up until the final weeks, but of course it's always best to consult with your OB

Exciting new!

I would say, don't gain a hundred lbs, but some women do and manage to lose it all.

I only gained 19 1/2 lbs the first time & 21 1/2 the 2nd time but still kept 5 lbs from each pregnancy. Those kids are grown now so that extra weight is all mine.

Talk to your dr.

I would for sure eat at maintenance.

I have a friend who ended up weighing less after pregnancy then before - again, was overweight when she started, gained 16 pounds in total, then lost all that after the birth (second kid). I don't know that she was counting calories, but she has PCOS and was closely monitoring her carb intake because of the risk for gestational diabetes, so she was naturally eating less.

I also googled, curious about whether I should try to lose a little weight early on (I'm close to the "overweight" line, so I thought maybe I could get below). It's partly why I chose to have a slight deficit in my daily calories, but then the cravings for steak and hamburgers (from someone who rarely eats red meat) kept doing me in...it did seem safe to lose some in the first trimester, but that was generally for people who were already obese. If you aren't there, I'd say stick with your maintenance calories and get in the exercise and just let your body do what it will.

Overall, enjoy!

I'm going to link an article from ACOG about working out during pregnancy.
https://m.acog.org/Patients/FAQs/Exercise-During-Pregnancy?IsMobileSet=true I feel like it will answer a lot of your questions. Here is an interesting article if you are interested in continuing to lift during pregnancy. https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/pregnancy/5-myths-of-pregnancy-and-strength-training/ Girls Gone Strong is a pretty good resource for pregnancy and fitness during pregnancy.

My OB, who delivered all 3 of mine, prescribes the following diet for the first trimester:

"Does it sound like it will stay down".

Seriously. Maintenance or as best you can first trimester, 200-300 extra second trimester, 500 extra third. But beware, once you're big and giant towards the end there just isn't room and it's hard to hit that extra 500.

I'd say eat back exercise if you're hungry. My rule of thumb was to be thoughtful of what I ate. I tried to eat at maintenance the whole time (started out obese), and tried to 90% of the time make that my base. No matter what, I tried to eat that whatever 2017 calories or whatever it was. Sometimes, I really wasn't that hungry. Sometimes, I ate more. If I wanted ice cream, I had ice cream. My first two I gained less than 20 (12 and 10 years ago, respectively, so I don't remember exactly), and with my 16 month old I gained 12.

As far as exercise, the talk test is the rule of thumb for pregnancy. You should be able to speak comfortable sentences. You should also listen to your body and stop immediately if something feels wrong. For those who were not active prior to pregnancy, walking, yoga, and swimming are regarded as safe in pregnancy. You may consider finding a personal trainer with experience in pregnancy if you want to go beyond that. (I can't say enough for pregnancy yoga. Do it.)

You should definitely discuss any plans with your provider, as they are going to trump what the internet says. And give yourself grace. How many times in life are you going to be pregnant? And at the end of the day it's all really a wash any way. We can have the best plans, and then things go awry. Just try to enjoy the ride.

Congrats!

Also, did not see a plug for the Fit, Fabulous, and Pregnant group on here yet. They were a great sounding board and resource for me when I was pregnant with my youngest.