Pregnant trying to figure out Macro percentages

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bresciar
bresciar Posts: 4 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am completely new to counting macros. I guess i still dont completely understand them. I found my BMR and my TDEE to calculate my calorie intake. I am dropping 500 cal from my diet to lose weight. I am 27years old (6.5months pregnant) and weigh 198lbs. I was 198lbs before i was pregnant and have not gained any weight. Odd...i know. Im having trouble figuring what protein, carb and fat percentage will work best. I am also having a hard time with finding the balance in my meals. I type in the meal before i eat it to see if it fits with my calculated goal. Sometimes my carb or fat is too low or too high. Im not sure what foods have what macros. Is there a website that can tell you what veggies have more carbs or protein? I hope i worded this ok.

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  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    What has your doctor recommended?
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    You should really talk to a doctor or nutritionist about your plans. MFP isn't set up for pregnant people, and getting enough nutrition to make a new person needs to be your first priority, with weight loss only under a doctor's supervision.
  • bresciar
    bresciar Posts: 4 Member
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    I will talk to my doctor about it. I guess i was just embarrassed to tell her how much my weight is effecting my mental health. Doing things the safe and healthy way is what is important! Ive read that for pregnant woman the ratio should be 33% 33% 33% . I will discuss this with my doctor
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Unless your doctor has explicitly approved for you to lose weight, I would suggest at LEAST setting to maintenance, if not TDEE plus 500 calories to help grow your baby.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    You haven't told your doctor that you're eating in a deficit?
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    bresciar wrote: »
    I am completely new to counting macros. I guess i still dont completely understand them. I found my BMR and my TDEE to calculate my calorie intake. I am dropping 500 cal from my diet to lose weight. I am 27years old (6.5months pregnant) and weigh 198lbs. I was 198lbs before i was pregnant and have not gained any weight. Odd...i know. Im having trouble figuring what protein, carb and fat percentage will work best. I am also having a hard time with finding the balance in my meals. I type in the meal before i eat it to see if it fits with my calculated goal. Sometimes my carb or fat is too low or too high. Im not sure what foods have what macros. Is there a website that can tell you what veggies have more carbs or protein? I hope i worded this ok.

    You should NOT be eating at a deficit in your third trimester without discussing it with your doctor first. Your TDEE and your BMR will be higher than a calculator will tell you because your body is using energy to build a small human. Please eat at least maintenance (if not more, I've never been pregnant) and discuss this with your doctor ASAP. And don't be embarrassed to talk to your doctor. I'm sure you aren't the first pregnant woman struggling with body image!
  • bresciar
    bresciar Posts: 4 Member
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    I luckily have not started yet because i dont completely understand the system and how to meal prep. I will definitely talk to my doctor or wait a few more months until i deliver
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
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    Meal prepping is good for everyone! I always liked the advice in What to Expect when You're Expecting, even if you ignore the specific meal plans, the principle is good - eat nutrient dense foods and ask yourself whether the calories you are eating are the best ones to be giving your baby.

    A lot of people here are expert meal planners - feel free to ask for tips! Start by figuring out what you enjoy eating enough to want to eat variations of it several days in a row.
  • thisPGHlife
    thisPGHlife Posts: 440 Member
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    hobbitses333 wrote: »
    All you gain from here on in is going to be your babys weight...please stop trying to hold steady for the last 2 and a half months and let your body expand with your baby...I fear you will be too depleted to cope with being a new mother and healing from birth if you continue...you know what is good for you to eat...go ahead and gain 7 or 8 lbs for a good healthy start for your baby and nap while you still can...Best of everything for you!

    Also, if you plan on breastfeeding, (no judgement either way because it's a personal choice) I would talk to your doctor about caloric needs during the breastfeeding period. It takes a lot of energy to not only keep yourself running and take care of a newborn, but you are also making food for another human. That human is growing. Quickly.

    This may be out of line for me to say but you may want to consider talking to a mental health professional if your weight is causing you a great deal of distress. I know how much issues with weight and food can affect a person. And not that you will, but if you end up having post partum depression on top of those issues, it makes it that much harder to deal with on your own.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
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    Here's the thing about pregnancy. When you are pregnant, your calorie needs go up because it takes energy to build a human. Of the normal weight that you gain during pregnancy, only a small portion of that is fat. The rest of it is the weight of your baby, your growing uterus, your amniotic fluid and 50% more blood throughout your body, your placenta, etc. Here's a breakdown from the March of Dimes if you were to gain 30 pounds:

    Baby = 7.5 pounds
    Amniotic fluid = 2 pounds.
    Blood = 4 pounds
    Body fluids = 4 pounds
    Breasts = 2 pounds
    Fat, protein and other nutrients = 7 pounds
    Placenta = 1.5 pounds
    Uterus = 2 pounds

    https://www.marchofdimes.org/pregnancy/weight-gain-during-pregnancy.aspx

    That stuff weighs something. It shows up on a scale when you weigh yourself. If you weigh exactly the same as you did prior to pregnancy, that means you are losing weight. It means you are pacing any normal weight you would be gaining by losing fat elsewhere in your body. This is problematic, because pregnancy requires extra nutrients. If you are restricting, it makes it very difficult to acquire all the nutrients you need (like amino acids from protein, the thing your baby and all of their organs are primarily made from) to support a healthy pregnancy and prevent maternal illness.

    The March of Dimes recommends gaining 11-20 pounds during pregnancy for obese mothers. That means gaining less than the recommended amount, and still probably using some fat stores for energy during the course of your pregnancy, but NOT restricting so much that you deprive yourself of essential nutrients. The fact that this hasn't come up on your doctor's radar yet is concerning, but you need to address it. You shouldn't be trying to lose weight now. I will never understand how weight loss becomes such a priority to women only when they're pregnant. Concern yourself with it after your baby is born.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
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    Also MFP is not equipped to tell you how much MORE protein and additional macros you need during pregnancy. But you do need more of them. A registered dietitian associated with your healthcare provider should be telling you that. Not strangers on the internet.
  • bresciar
    bresciar Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you everyone for your input. I greatly appreciate all of it. and i am very new to this app and not sure how to specifically tag people. SKRAM01- I have started an antidepressant proscribed by my Gynecologist. I do have a fear of it getting worse after birth. I have informed my doctors of this feeling and i know postpartum depression is very common. I just want to prepare my doctors and myself for what MAY happen. I am eating quite healthy and have been doing yoga classes 3 times a week to help with mental health as well as physical health. I think i may be a tad too worried about what COULD happen instead of what IS happening.
  • DomesticKat
    DomesticKat Posts: 565 Member
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    Eating healthy is not the same as eating enough. Try to think of healthy weight gain as an indicator that you are getting enough nutrients to help your baby thrive in-utero. It's a sign that your baby is growing as they should be. It requires more calories to maintain your actual weight during pregnancy because more of them go toward growing your baby (that doesn't mean your weight stays exactly the same) and the rest of the stuff you gain is temporary and drops off after birth. If you have any further concerns about that, you should be asking your doctor for more thorough nutritional counseling (from a registered dietitian) than what you've currently received.
  • julie_broadhead
    julie_broadhead Posts: 347 Member
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    bresciar wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for your input. I greatly appreciate all of it. and i am very new to this app and not sure how to specifically tag people. SKRAM01- I have started an antidepressant proscribed by my Gynecologist. I do have a fear of it getting worse after birth. I have informed my doctors of this feeling and i know postpartum depression is very common. I just want to prepare my doctors and myself for what MAY happen. I am eating quite healthy and have been doing yoga classes 3 times a week to help with mental health as well as physical health. I think i may be a tad too worried about what COULD happen instead of what IS happening.

    I was at risk for postpartum depression too. One thing that helped me not worry so much about it was coming up with an action plan for when/if I experienced postpartum depression symptoms. Talk with your OB or your mental health provider about coming up with a plan:-)

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