How to use fitness pal during pregnancy

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Mkneedtogetfit
Mkneedtogetfit Posts: 93 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I used to be obese and managed to get in my normal bmi after losing over 30kg. I am now pregnant with my 2nd baby and have already gained 2.5kg in my first trimester. I know I will put on weight during pregnancy but I am tending to eat lots of junk. I don't want to use pregnancy as an excuse to pile on excess weight. My exercise is also quite limited because of my pregnancy being high risk. My question is how can I best use mfp so that I remain accountable. It gives me weight loss or maintenance calories but I am concerned that the calorie goal may not be enough during pregnancy.

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  • sarahthes
    sarahthes Posts: 3,252 Member
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    For the first trimester maintenance is fine and after that your doctor can give you some guidance. You don't actually need a ton of extra calories in either the second or third either. For many women it is advised to gain 0.5 lb per week in the second and 1 lb per week in the third, but the appropriate amount varies so do confirm with your doctor.
  • babysaffy
    babysaffy Posts: 232 Member
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    Gave birth last June.
    I just used MFP normally with a slightly higher daily calorie goal and managed to maintain a decent weight throughout. Used it mainly to keep track so my eating didn't spiral out of control and was back to pre pregnancy weight in a fortnight or so as I only ended up gaining around 14 pounds in the last few months.

    I also still had excess weight from many previous pregnancy to begin with so this was a huge motivating factor lol x good luck with the pregnancy and don't beat yourself up or be too restrictive and you'll be fine.
  • ped6erzani
    ped6erzani Posts: 54 Member
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    I’m in the same boat I’m 29 weeks and I’ve gained between 15-20 lbs so far but I’m overweight. I don’t want to eat uncontrollably ecause that’s not healthy but I also want to get enough to help the development of the baby. Gah I’m terrified.
  • ashliedelgado
    ashliedelgado Posts: 814 Member
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    After talking with my OB and agreeing that less than 20lbs would be an appropriate goal, I calculated my sedentary maintenance calories and set that as my goal for each day. If I exercised, I ate every calorie back. If I just wasn't hungry, I didn't force myself to hit calorie goals, and if I ate my goal and was still hungry, I ate. I used my hunger as my guide and gave myself grace for growing a human. I gained 17lbs in total.

    Talk with your provider about what a reasonable goal is for you. Don't deprive yourself because what your body needs for baby it is going to take from you - IE calcium from bones and teeth, protein from muscle, etc - if you aren't fueling yourself appropriately.
  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    I used it for two pregnancies. Set it to maintenance and talk to your doctor about how many calories you should be eating. You'll increase it a bit each trimester but not a truly significant amount. Enough to get an extra apple and peanut butter snack in the afternoon.
    Good luck, but it works great and I was able to quickly get back to losing weight again once I had my second baby.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    edited May 2018
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    I tracked all through my pregnancy (and breastfeeding after). It really helped keep track of carbs when I found out I had gestational diabetes. Anyhow.

    I wasn't using mfp for weight control, just measuring how I ate. I basically ate at just above maintenance for the first trimester (and put on just under 5 lbs). In the 2nd and 3rd trimester, I was eating at about 300 cal/day above maintenance, and gaining at a rate of 1 lb per week and 1.2 lb per week, respectively. The first 6 months of breastfeeding, I was eating at about 500 cal above maintenance, and was back to prepreg weight pretty quickly.

    That's close to what I found on baby center, with the caveat that of course you'll need to adjust for individual needs: https://www.babycenter.com/eating-for-two

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