Lose as much as I can before pregnancy attempt

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indyshea
indyshea Posts: 3 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys!

I need help!!

I am trying to get pregnant soon and I can’t really wait any longer since I’m getting older. I used to be at my high 180 and size 16 pants about 10 or so years ago. My lowest was 117 and not healthy. Covid did me a number and I’m at 154 at 33% fat and 5’5” in height. I gained about 15 pounds probably and am ashamed of it lol.

Based on what I can eat is 1200 calories but that’s still losing only 1.5 pounds a week I think.

Protein: 100 grams

I am having some trouble staying around there as it is. My thought is maybe I should do my bike/jog to burn about 500 calories in the early morning. At night do weight training every other night and stair masters on nights in between with one day off during the week.

Intermittent fasting has helped because it helps me meet the 1100-1200 calories goal.

What are your guys thoughts on getting off 20 pounds by mid October?

Any advice is appreciated.

Replies

  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    indyshea wrote: »

    Based on what I can eat is 1200 calories but that’s still losing only 1.5 pounds a week I think.
    That is a reasonable weight loss average or trend for your current body weight.

    indyshea wrote: »
    What are your guys thoughts on getting off 20 pounds by mid October?

    Any advice is appreciated.
    I feel this is a unreasonable goal that isn't sustainable at your current body weight for long term aspirations.

    Eat & train reasonably with patience and things usually get where you want and you adherence is better for both short and long term goals.


  • indyshea
    indyshea Posts: 3 Member
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    I’m just worried more about pregnancy weight gain and going into obese weight again and also way more stretch marks and extra skin. I also don’t want to develop diabetes while pregnant. Maybe I’m overthinking it lol. I just want to be as low in fat as I can but yea it makes sense that it’s not sustainable. I will just do my best to eat Whole Foods and work out and keep to my 1700 maintenance calories. The app did tell me 2 pounds of week and brought me down to 1200 but I’ll ignore that I guess.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,167 Member
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    The app didn't tell you 2lbs a week though, you did?
    1200 being the lowest MFP will give you, it probably doesn't even correspond with that rate of loss anyway.

    1700 sounds like a reasonable number of calories, based on my own experience (same height as you).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
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    indyshea wrote: »
    I’m just worried more about pregnancy weight gain and going into obese weight again and also way more stretch marks and extra skin. I also don’t want to develop diabetes while pregnant. Maybe I’m overthinking it lol. I just want to be as low in fat as I can but yea it makes sense that it’s not sustainable. I will just do my best to eat Whole Foods and work out and keep to my 1700 maintenance calories. The app did tell me 2 pounds of week and brought me down to 1200 but I’ll ignore that I guess.

    What's your goal weight?

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    The app told you two pounds per week because you chose the most aggressive weekly weight loss available. Change it to a more appropriate rate of loss and eat those calories.

    Overly aggressive weight loss is stressful. Stress is not good for trying to get pregnant.

    https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-prevent-stretch-marks

    ...You may also notice stretch marks after rapid weight LOSS.

    ... the best way for pregnant women to prevent stretch marks is to gain pregnancy weight slowly and steadily. You can work with your healthcare provider to find a diet and exercise plan that will help you avoid gaining too much while also giving you the nutrition you need to nourish yourself and your baby. If you do develop stretch marks during pregnancy, you may be glad to know that they will eventually fade. Over time, the red or pink color will mature into a pale silver or white color.
  • thatminivanlife
    thatminivanlife Posts: 12 Member
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    I've gone up and down in weight a lot, and I've had 6 pregnancies with 4 live births. Two of my pregnancies required major bed rest. Getting yourself healthy before pregnancy sounds like a great plan, but here is some food for thought: a severe caloric deficit is going to mean that you lose more muscle than your want to, which means that your BMR will be lower, which means that you'll be able to eat what you're eating to maintain your weight now but you'll gain weight.

    Obviously you want to be taking to a professional about this, but I would suggest that doing whatever you can do to be sure you have some cardio endurance (even just regular long walks) and maintain muscle tone is going to be really beneficial to a healthy pregnancy where you stay active and strong. That is going to give your body a great start for a delivery that you have a little more control over too. Also, creating good habits now that will be easy to maintain because they've been second nature when you are more exhausted than you can ever imagine right now (daily exercise, good hydration habits, getting protein and fiber and nutrients at every meal) are going to serve you better in the long run than just getting your body fat low temporarily.
  • HylesGallii
    HylesGallii Posts: 41 Member
    edited August 2021
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    If I may double check, that isn't a plan to eat at your 1700 maintenance goal while pregnant, right? Because considering you'd have a developing human in you who would be relying in you for nutrition, that would sound like a bad plan.
  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
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    indyshea wrote: »
    I’m just worried more about pregnancy weight gain and going into obese weight again and also way more stretch marks and extra skin. I also don’t want to develop diabetes while pregnant. Maybe I’m overthinking it lol. I just want to be as low in fat as I can but yea it makes sense that it’s not sustainable. I will just do my best to eat Whole Foods and work out and keep to my 1700 maintenance calories. The app did tell me 2 pounds of week and brought me down to 1200 but I’ll ignore that I guess.

    Makes absolute sense what your saying but if your trying to get pregnant 1 lb a week sounds more reasonable to me. And I understand about not wanting health complications in pregnancy and you want to be the fittest and slimmest to start. My daughter started at 118 prior pregnancy but was diabetic in pregnancy because of her weight gain, it's not guarantee that will happen to you, slimmer to begin with or not. But starting off healthy as possible for yourself and baby is best, so your not struggling especially in the last trimester. Best of luck and congratulations on your future baby.
  • deputy_randolph
    deputy_randolph Posts: 940 Member
    edited August 2021
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    So starting an exercise plan before getting pregnant is a wise idea. I was a jogger (not runner) before getting pregnant. I was able to continue to walk for exercise up until the week I had both kids. Childbirth is a strenuous, long marathon of exercise. Getting back into an exercise routine after childbirth is also a process. Increasing your cardiovascular health now by incorporating more exercise will help in the long run.

    1.5lb at you height and current weight seems a bit aggressive to me. Also, dropping to 1100-1200 calories a day...then having to increase calories while pregnant seems like a recipe for psychological stress to me. I loosely monitored my calorie intake while pregnant. Double check my numbers...I read that you generally need to eat 300-500 calories extra depending on trimester (same with breastfeeding).

    Definitely talk to ob and get his/her advice about calorie intake while pregnant/breastfeeding.

    For reference, I'm 5'3 (starting weight before each pregnancy was around 130-140). I gained 35/37 lbs each pregnancy. I lost the additional weight 8-9 month post-partum.
  • indyshea
    indyshea Posts: 3 Member
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    HylesGallii wrote: »
    If I may double check, that isn't a plan to eat at your 1700 maintenance goal while pregnant, right? Because considering you'd have a developing human in you who would be relying in you for nutrition, that would sound like a bad plan.

    No this is my non pregnant maintenance goal :)

    All great opinions. I am hearing all of them. I will I increase my exercise but I will be sure to eat more. You’re right that I will lose more muscle than fat and I definitely don’t want that.

    I will look into keto. I’ve done it before but it’s been a while.

    Thank you all so much!

  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,158 Member
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    I'm also looking to reach goal weight before getting pregnant again, so I can sympathize. Part of me wants to rush and get it done, but I also know that going so hard will make pregnancy harder even if the scale numbers are better, because I'll be worn out. If I have to take a break and go back to deliberate weight loss after having another baby, it'll be OK. "Taking a break" will mean maintenance and continuing exercise, not a free-for-all, and likely less weight gain than in previous pregnancies.

    YMMV, but all of my previous pregnancies (five) have started when I was overweight and they have been very medically boring. My last delivery was exciting but it was unrelated to my weight and it wasn't traumatic - just a series of crazy flukes that make for a wild story. I definitely would recommend eating nutritious food and exercising for sure - I've always been active and I eat healthy food even though prior to this weight loss attempt I was definitely eating too much of it - but I wouldn't push a hard caloric deficit to fit a deadline.

    The other thing is to just prepare you for the idea that you might not get pregnant as soon as you start trying, for a variety of reasons. As long as you're not, feel free to continue with your deficit if you're getting enough nutrition. You can start a prenatal now (I take one all the time and have for years) so you're in as good shape as possible. But no need to rush. Being gentle with yourself is a good lesson for pregnancy, postpartum, and in those early years of motherhood. :)

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