pregnant but want to still be healthy?

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  • SassyCalyGirl
    SassyCalyGirl Posts: 1,932 Member
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    consult with your doctor
  • akossen
    akossen Posts: 58 Member
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    I actually lost weight throughout my pregnancy, but not because I was counting calories...I was just more consious of what I was putting into my body and what my baby was eating, so I stop my caffeine, stopped fast food, and exercised. My doctor thought it was great I was using my pregnancy as an excuse to get healthy and not "pig out". At the end of my pregnancy I weight 14 pounds less than before and was taking kickboxing (my doc just said not to over do it) up until I had my daughter at 34 weeks. :)
  • theschmett
    theschmett Posts: 1
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    I went to Bradley Method classes with my wife (which makes me a "coach") and the eating plan she was put on stressed Eat Eat Eat. The food you eat becomes the baby you build. Don't take it from me - read up on the Bradley Method, well, the part about diet. The rest isn't for everyone if you aren't looking to do a natural childbirth.
  • amyy902
    amyy902 Posts: 290 Member
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    im a specialist pt in this field. its reccomended that an extra 300 a day is needed. :) congratualtions on the pregnancy :) low impact/low intensity work outs such as walking are perfect to help control excessive weight gain. 10 - 12kgs goign on tho should be expected!!!
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    i think you should eat to your heart's and stomach's content

    Very bad advice.

    I would talk to your doctor, but if you're overweight and you're doing it in a healthy way I wouldn't think it would be awful to lose weight when pregnant, especially in first tri. Afterall, being overweight isn't good for the baby either. But definitely talk to your doctor first.

    And congrats!! My husband and I are trying but so far 10 months in and no luck yet :(
  • CBM23
    CBM23 Posts: 36
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    Act your doctor. But I do believe it works out that you only need something like 300 extra calories a day, however, they need to contain the right type of nutrients and this number varies depending on what trimester you are currently in, less at the beginning, more at the end. But yes, you can and many women do lose weight while pregnant because they are being more health conscious. Also, I would argue that if you are at an unhealthy weight then it would be beneficial for your and the babies health to take off a bit more weight. Make sure you ask your doctor about what exercises are appropriate to keep up your fitness! :)
  • onedayillbamilf
    onedayillbamilf Posts: 662 Member
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    My sister lost weight with both pregnancies, and she wasn't trying. She has NEVER even considered calorie counting. She would just eat when she was hungry, stop when she was full, and tried to eat super nutritious foods. It also helped that she actually craved spinach and veggies. I wouldn't worry about counting calories while pregnant. You know what foods are good for you and what foods aren't.
  • Srdking
    Srdking Posts: 84 Member
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    I just had a baby 7 months ago, my doctor said take in 300 to 400 extra calories a day. He also told me to walk 30 minutes every day. That walking believe it or not kept my weight from getting to far up on the charts. But I did try to walk 60 minutes a day instead of 30 and he was ok with this. I would talk to your doctor he would know what's best for you.
  • IndigoVA
    IndigoVA Posts: 164 Member
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    Generally, if you're already overweight, they recommend gaining no more than 15 lbs. during your pregnancy. I definitely wouldn't focus on either gaining or losing when pregnant. Just try to eat healthy and get regular exercise. I gained 45 lbs. during my first pregnancy (started out only slightly overweight), but I only gained 14 lbs. during my second (started out "morbidly obese"). My eating and exercise regimen was about the same during both, so sometimes your body just does what it needs to do to make a healthy baby.
  • mmsilvia
    mmsilvia Posts: 459 Member
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    I would talk to your doctor. Everyone is different. For me my doctor told me not to count calories but, to make sure I was eating balanced healthy meals. I didn't cut anything out. If I craved something fried I would just have a little piece. I did cut way back on caffine.

    Your body will crave what the baby needs. I craved milk, fruits & veggies. I ended up losing weight in the begining & in the final trimester I was about the same as my prebaby weight.
  • reaolliemama
    reaolliemama Posts: 489 Member
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    Everyone keeps saying eat 300-400 extra calories a day...well that's okay if you're just eating what you need, but if you're already overeating by 300-400 calories and you add more that's NOT good...you need to consult a dietician who can advice you of the actual number of calories you need, not just "300-400 EXTRA"...the fact is you already may be overeating!
  • Kenzietea2
    Kenzietea2 Posts: 1,132 Member
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    You need to gain weight while this life is inside you, he or she needs the added nourishment.

    Nourishment for baby comes from food, not from stored weight on it's mother! Mom gains weight (2-5 pounds) as the uterus changes size to accommodate the growing baby! Also extra (2-7 pounds) in breast tissue and increased blood volume.

    Um is that the ONLY part of my post you read?? I said the exact same thing as you. Weight is a measurement of how much gravity you need to hold you to the earths surface. I didn't say she needed to gain FAT, at all!
  • 1Timothy4v8
    1Timothy4v8 Posts: 503 Member
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    I agree with those who say to talk to your doctor. The weight gain recommendations are loosely based on what you weigh before getting pregnant. I have one friend who was obese when she got pregnant and she was told to try to gain only 10 lbs. Generally, though, the guidelines are to gain about 25 lbs but eating 300 more calories than you need to maintain your weight. Eating healthy and listening to your body's hunger cues will be helpful in gaining what you and baby need. Like another poster said, much of the weight you gain goes to increasing blood volume, placenta, weight of baby, etc. Focus on being healthy rather than on the amount of weight you are gaining/losing.

    As for this:

    "I just want to add one more thing, I know a lot of woman who gained weight during pregnancy and their doctor kept telling them they need to lose it, cause it is MORE dangerous to be in a unhealthy weight during pregnancy, with high blood pressure, and deibetes, the list goes on and on, people really do use this as an excuse to let go but for your and your baby health this is the time you really need to show control, they healtheir and more fit you are the easier and faster labor will be for you, and the LESS likely you will have complications

    The thing is too you can lose wieght and have your baby still get what it needs, cause as you lose fat you will weigh less and if you lose more fat then the baby is gainning you will see it on the scale, but of course come up with a healthy plan for you from your doc, so he/she can monitor you "



    This is the most inaccurate info given on this thread so far. Yes, going into pregnancy at a higher weight can put you at a higher rate of some pregnancy problems, but it is still not advisable to LOSE weight in most circumstances. You don't want to overdo it and take license to eat whatever you want every single day and gain 50+ lbs, but you also don't want to feel restricted and like you are on a diet. Some people have huge appetites when pregnant (I was one of them) and others can't eat anything without throwing up. Some people eat all the time and only gain a small amount of weight while others are careful and still gain 40lbs. At this point you don't know which group you will be in. Eat healthy and know that you will be in a good spot to lose it quickly afterwards.

    I suppose you know more then a doctor, RIGHT!

    I am not saying restrict to 1200, but deff unfer s certain amount, thats why I said talk to a doctor, and yes I knwo woman who were told to lose weight and cause they didnt they got daibeties
  • Moodymona
    Moodymona Posts: 46 Member
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    Thanks everyone I talked to my dr she said to walk walk lol and don't worry about losing weight I only gained 19 lbs with my son . So I'm going to try to aim for a lower gain if I can with this pregnancy but if not then I will have mfp to help me to lose the weight I gain after this pregnancy
  • ImaSongbird
    ImaSongbird Posts: 126 Member
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    Thanks! I just will eat healthier :)
    That's the ticket!!! Try to eat food as close to its original sources as possible/practical.
  • abyssfully
    abyssfully Posts: 410 Member
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    This is probably an older thread but I figured I'd throw in my 2 cents worth anyway. There are different suggested weight gains for different BMI ranges. For example, those who are underweight (less than BMI of 18.5) are suggested to gain 28 - 40 lb, normal weight (BMI 18.5 - 24.9) to gain 25 - 35 lb, overweight (BMI 25 - 29.9) to gain 15 - 20 lbs, and obese (BMI 30 or more) to gain 11 - 20 lbs. Of course those are just suggestions. The point is that weight gain during pregnancy is normal and, if you eat healthy and get adequate exercise, all is accounted for by baby. For example, here's an estimate of weight gain for someone in their normal BMI category:

    At birth, a baby weighs about 3.3kg (7.3lb)
    The placenta, which keeps your baby nourished, weighs 0.7kg (1.5lb)
    The amniotic fluid, which supports and cushions your baby, weighs 0.8kg (1.8lb)
    The muscle layer of your uterus (womb) grows dramatically and weighs an extra 0.9kg (2lb)
    Your blood volume increases and weighs an extra 1.2kg (2.6lb)
    You have extra fluid in your body weighing about 1.2kg (2.6lb)
    Your breasts weigh an extra 0.4kg (0.9lb)
    You'll store fat, about 4kg (8.8lb) helps with breastfeeding, among other things

    Notice fat is only 8.8 lbs out of the 27.6 lb total. Pretty minimal.

    What I'm trying to say is just eat healthy (from all the food groups - whole grains, fruits & veggies, lean meats, diary and healthy fats) and exercise (exercise amount depends on your routine pre-pregnancy, whether you have complications or not, etc.). Listen to your body - if you are extra hungry, then eat, but make it a healthy, mindful choice for you and your baby! Take a good prenatal multivitamin but know that that is just an extra boost of nutrients - but nutrients from your diet are best and still needed.
  • abyssfully
    abyssfully Posts: 410 Member
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    Sorry, you asked about calories. As for calories I switched mine to maintenance plus the 300 cal pregnancy boost for the 2nd and 3rd trimester - However, I try to focus more on listening to my body than counting calories per se, so I log about 2, maybe 3, times per week!

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