So pregnant and afriad of gaining all my lost weight

Options
mfpseven
mfpseven Posts: 421 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
lost 60lbs before finding out I was pregnant, now my cravings and appetite are getting me away from all the healthy habits I had been forming before, more veggies less sugar, less carbs. I know I'm going to gain but how much is too much? Would it be realistic to set goals to stay under? I know my health comes first but I can eat much healthier and scrape off 500-800 cals easy. I don't want to be one of those women that gains 80lbs for a 7lb baby.

I'm 5'3'' and 140lbs now i'm right at 14 weeks and its been hell so far, the only way i can describe it is that I feel like I have the flu, my muscles feel weak and achy and my bones and joints hurt. I'm super tired all the time and if it weren't for my anti nausea meds I'd be frolicking to the toilet half the day, I had morning sickness ALL DAY and frequently even now wake up from a dead sleep feeling like I may get sick.

The smell of some of the foods I used to eat scrunches my nose and sugar seems to settle my stomach. I had such a sweet tooth before and I made great stride toward curbing that but now it's the only thing I know will help. I've gained 6lbs after losing 15 since i got pregnant and I don't mind the pace now but if I continue I know the sugar is going to catch up with me.
«1

Replies

  • hollyb9871
    hollyb9871 Posts: 401 Member
    Options
    I completely understand the 'morning sickness' ha! I had it all day with all 4 of my children. It lasted 5 months with my first, I vomited everyday 3-5 times a day for 5 months and that was with medicine! I lost weight the first several months after the nausea went away I started gaining. Months 6 and 7 I gained 8 lbs. one month and 6 the next. My doctor told me to go for some walks as she was concerned it would continue like that. It didn't. By the end I only gained 30 lbs. and had a 7 lb. 4 oz little girl. My advice is to talk to your doctor about your concerns and ask what is a reasonable amount of calories for you to consume that will be the most beneficial for you and the baby. While you feel ill just eat what you can even if it is sugary. It will pass and you will start to feel better and have more energy. Don't actively cut back your calories before seeking medical advice from your doctor. There are so many crucial things going on during the early months of development and you need to eat the best you can for both of you. Hugs to you, rest when you can and I hope you feel better soon!
  • mallory3411
    mallory3411 Posts: 839 Member
    Options
    Go speak with a doctor.

    Losing weight while pregnant (or trying to) is not healthy for you or baby. Keep doing what you were doing. Keep some exercise going while pregnant.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    Options
    If your "morning sickness" is morning, noon and night then talk to your doctor because there are prescription options to make getting through your day easier (my 1st pregnancy I needed it). Eating healthy, clean foods would be beneficial for your baby as he/she is #1 right now. :smile: I would not try and limit calories though as you need extra calories when you are pregnant, but I would continue to exercise if you were doing it before pregnancy (just listen to your body). Also, don't focus on the number on the scale - even face the other way at your doctor's appointments when they check your weight if that is causing you a lot of stress.
  • bex1408
    bex1408 Posts: 39 Member
    Options
    You can follow slimming world whilst you're pregnant.
  • Kirkajuice
    Kirkajuice Posts: 311 Member
    Options
    I have never been pregnant, but my mother is a midwife. There are guidelines on how many calories to eat at each stage of pregnancy, you could follow those so you know you're getting enough calories though it's possible you might still be hungry. I'd suggest talking to your midwife (if you're in the UK, I guess talk to your doctor if you're in the US) about these calorie guidelines, maybe do some research before your next appointment and see if they think it looks safe.

    There are some medical bodies (I think they're mainly French) that say if a woman is significantly larger than average, she should be encouraged to put on maybe 10-20lbs for the entire pregnancy as putting on more could cause gestational diabetes and other birth complications. I don't really think you qualify for that category though if your ticker is correct.

    The important thing is that you are healthy and the foetus can develop with all the nutrients it needs, if you really have to eat, just eat! You can lose the weight later, you've already done it once and you can do it again though the ideal thing is probably to go over the calorie and nutrition guidelines with your midwife.
  • heathercrist1
    heathercrist1 Posts: 810 Member
    Options
    lost 60lbs before finding out I was pregnant, now my cravings and appetite are getting me away from all the healthy habits I had been forming before, more veggies less sugar, less carbs. I know I'm going to gain but how much is too much? Would it be realistic to set goals to stay under? I know my health comes first but I can eat much healthier and scrape off 500-800 cals easy. I don't want to be one of those women that gains 80lbs for a 7lb baby.

    I'm 5'3'' and 140lbs now i'm right at 14 weeks and its been hell so far, the only way i can describe it is that I feel like I have the flu, my muscles feel weak and achy and my bones and joints hurt. I'm super tired all the time and if it weren't for my anti nausea meds I'd be frolicking to the toilet half the day, I had morning sickness ALL DAY and frequently even now wake up from a dead sleep feeling like I may get sick.

    The smell of some of the foods I used to eat scrunches my nose and sugar seems to settle my stomach. I had such a sweet tooth before and I made great stride toward curbing that but now it's the only thing I know will help. I've gained 6lbs after losing 15 since i got pregnant and I don't mind the pace now but if I continue I know the sugar is going to catch up with me.

    I started a group called Fit, Fabulous, and Pregnant while I was pregnant. It is an awesome group of women who support each other and hold one another accountable for staying healthy while pregnant. I now have a beautiful, healthy baby...had gained 33lbs and have lost all but 5 of it and my baby is 2 months old today! I stayed active and worked out throughout my entire pregnancy and ate healthy 75% of the time. So it can be done! I'm an average woman who values being healthy so I'm not some freak of nature with abnormal genetics that I can eat whatever I want and am still thin... This group is a great place to have like minded women guide you through a healthy pregnancy! I hope you join!
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    Options
    Go speak with a doctor.

    Losing weight while pregnant (or trying to) is not healthy for you or baby. Keep doing what you were doing. Keep some exercise going while pregnant.

    Each person is different - I know of a lot of women who are not in a healthy weight range & some hospitals here in Australia make women lose weight or else they won't allow them to have their babies in their hospital as they are a greater risk.

    I know I will be losing weight or trying to. Of course I will speak to the doctor about it & see what her advice is. I've already stopped doing the hard core circuit training that I've been doing but I think if I continue to eat healthy it shouldn't be a prob.
    :smile:
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    Options
    With my first son, I had morning sickness soo bad. The only thing I knew wouldn't come right back up was McDonald's early on. I felt so guilty, but 3 months in, I had lost almost 20 pounds and needed any calories at that point.
  • millionsofpeaches
    millionsofpeaches Posts: 372
    Options
    You are pregnant... You are going to gain weight. You are in your second tri now so you should be adding approximately 300 calories onto your maintenance calories. Absolutely not dieting and making sure you are eating the proper amount. Make sure you are drinking a lot of water it will help with the sickness.

    MFP has plenty of us preggo's on here so I suggest that you stick with MFP throughout your pregnancy to stay on track so you find yourself gaining the right amount of weight.

    Here are links to some the groups... I am a personal fan of the "fit, fabulous, and pregnant group"
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/1903-fit-fabulous-pregnant
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/765-what-to-expect
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/138-ttc-pregnancy-and-post-partum-fitness
  • Irishmoonwitch
    Irishmoonwitch Posts: 97
    Options
    I'm pregnant right now, at 31 weeks. I had to stop cutting back on calories. As well as most of my exercise as it was to intense. I was on Insanity when i found out I was pregnant. I have 9 weeks to go and at first I hardly gained anything, because of morning sickness. However, I did start gaining weight but not to much thankfully. Until the holidays came. I gained a bit more then I would have liked but I am back on track with what I should be gaining. Your doctor will def know what you should do. My doctor actually gave me a list of how much of everything I should eat. How many carbs, fat, protein and so forth.

    Congratulations on your pregnancy. Just try to enjoy the roller coaster you are now on. And everything will work out.
  • sonyachan
    sonyachan Posts: 518 Member
    Options
    I'm a midwife, so let me help. :) You only need about 300 extra calories a day (extra on top of maintenance calories) which equals about a peanut butter sandwich. You are at a healthy weight now, so in total you should gain around 25 pounds, and the bulk of that should be in the second half of pregnancy. It sounds like you're not doing too bad now with weight gain, and you will most likely get over most of the nausea and food aversions that you are experiencing now, sometime in the next few weeks. For now, eat small frequent meals. Before your feet hit the floor in the morning, put a few crackers in your mouth. Then eat soon after rising. Eat at least every 3-4 hours. Add some protein to each meal/snack as well. Try dairy products, boiled eggs, nuts or peanut butter, protein bars or drinks, whatever you can stomach. When you start to get some energy back, start walking. A 30 minute brisk walk at least 4-5 days a week is perfect. Here's wishing you a healthy happy pregnancy! :)
  • tjpinch
    tjpinch Posts: 87 Member
    Options
    it's normal to put on 20-30lb in a pregnancy. The weight is more than just baby http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/eatingfortwo.html

    Talk to your doctor and figure out what an appropriate diet for you would be.
  • bella_babe_86
    bella_babe_86 Posts: 503 Member
    Options
    The simple fact of the matter is that you are pregnant...you are going to gain weight. However dont let pregnancy be your excuse to eat crappy foods. You didnt want to put all of that crap into your body when you were just eating for yourself why do it while you are eating for 2? Dont by any means diet or limit calories though! EAT!! And eat well just dont eat junk. Also try some crystalized ginger for the morning sickness, also try a sprite and some crackers before even getting out of bed. Above all else, enjoy this time and pregnancy and dont let that fear of gaining a little weight back ruin the experience for you! You've obviously lost the weight before and can absolutely do it again!
  • kelceyjean12011
    kelceyjean12011 Posts: 185 Member
    Options
    well i was one of "those women who gained 80 lbs for a 7lb baby" i really was. my son will be a year old on the 20th and ive lost 120lbs so far. you're going to gain weight. no if ands or butts about it. you could probably gain 30 lbs and thats ok. just focus on your pregnancy right now. plus you gotta remember alot of the weight you gain will be placenta, umbilical cord, the baby. and breastfeeding helps alot to lose weight after you have the baby
  • JessWolf1002
    JessWolf1002 Posts: 82 Member
    Options
    Yes! Do not be like me and gain 80 with my first and 70 with my second!! It took me 3 years to get the weight off with my first, mostly because I didn't start caring until he was 3 years old lol... My youngest is 9 months and I have 30 lbs to go until I'm under my pre pregnancy weight. Don't be like me and not exercise and eat whatever you want. If I ever get pregnant again I will be working out 5 days a week as best as I can and watching what I eat. Congrats on your pregnancy, hun!! Oh, and I also lost about 40 lbs within 2 weeks of coming out of the hospital... I retained ALOT of water.
  • KareninCanada
    KareninCanada Posts: 795 Member
    Options
    Do your best to eat healthy, drink lots of water, walk regularly and do some moderate strength training. Keep up your diary, and don't fall into the myth of "eating for two" - that is talking about quality of nutrition, not quantity of food. ;) If you're a member of a gym, their staff ought to be able to help you with a modified program that would be safe to follow. Being strong and healthy throughout pregnancy will help you to have a healthier baby, an easier delivery and a quicker recovery.

    The question of losing weight while pregnant is kind of a loaded one - you should speak to a professional who actually knows you, like your doctor or prenatal care provider. But you absolutely should be tracking your diet and your weight gain to ensure that you and your baby are both healthy.

    Toward the end of pregnancy #1, I had a doctor tell me I needed to stop gaining and that he'd be even happier if I lost a few pounds. I had gained about 40 pounds by that point and was at 232 pounds, which was starting to affect my blood pressure, etc. After I had my daughter, it took a long time to take it off. With my second pregnancy I gained nearly as much, but it came off much faster, and I credit a lot of that to my having exercised a bit more while pregnant, and having paid a bit more attention to my eating. Between breastfeeding and walking, the weight pretty much fell off after that pregnancy, so I was down about 60 lbs within 6 months.
  • noexcuses84
    noexcuses84 Posts: 100 Member
    Options
    first of all congrats!! secondly, u only need to consume something like 100 cals a day extra for ur baby. ur doc will b keeping an eye on ur weight gain so i believe he/she is the best person to talk to about this. while i was pregnant with both my kids i lost about 7 kgs in the first trimester, but i also had (and still do) weight to lose. When it comes to the cravings i always gave into mine as i'm a firm believer that its ur body telling u it needs something (i was a bit hippy like that) but i never over indulged in the cravings.
    I hope ur morn sickness goes away soon and u get to enjoy the rest of ur pregnancy!! good luck with it all!
  • samntha14
    samntha14 Posts: 2,084 Member
    Options
    My kids are now 7 and 4. I didn't even know I pregnant with the first until I was 13 weeks. I just thought I was gaining a little bit of weight. I was doing circuit training then and had to stop. Then the guidelines were about 250-500 extra healthy calories a day. and that sticks with you when you breastfeed afterwards. Breastfeeding makes the baby weight come off like quick silver. You want to keep exercising but you need to avoid anything that gets the heart rate too high. Brisk walking good, full out running may not be. Weight training is EXCELLENT. Again, always consult your doctor before doing anything, especially if your are pregnant.
  • ChristaS
    ChristaS Posts: 49 Member
    Options
    I had morning sickness up until my 7th month then it started again in the last month. eating crackers or anything carb made me worse. I ended up figuring out that if I used mouth wash ( I liked the orange Listerine) frequently and then again at times that I had extra nausea it helped a lot! I hope you figure out what works for you or that the sickness ends very soon!
  • StatutoryGrape
    StatutoryGrape Posts: 365
    Options
    Chat with a doctor about this, but keep in mind that you only need 150 extra calories until (I believe) either the second or third trimester, when you can have 300 extra. Sticking to those limits will help keep you from gaining more weight than you need to. I hope you feel better soon!

Categories