Pregnancy and dieting

Ellenscheeler
Ellenscheeler Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I am 9 weeks pregnant. I am not strictly dieting but i am 3-4 day a week exercising and watching what i eat. I would love to know if there is a setting that takes into account adjusted caloric intake for pregnant women?

Replies

  • ItsMeRebekah
    ItsMeRebekah Posts: 909 Member
    maybe set your stuff to maintain? id ask my doc what my goals i should be going for and then try and hit those micro's daily. i wish i had been better abt my eating during my pregnancies!
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    think there is a setting you can change to indicate you are pregz
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    This is a great thing to ask your OBGYN!
    the know all about what goes on up there in that baby oven.
  • Kenzietea2
    Kenzietea2 Posts: 1,132 Member
    I'm 32 weeks and have been logging since day one. I ate maintenance until 3rd trimester, then added 300 calories PER doctors suggestion. Every time I gained a pound, I tracked it so my maintenance calories would also go up. Those are the typical pregnancy guidelines when it comes to calories but not every pregnancy is the same and a huge part of it depends on your current weight. Talk to your doctor :-) Be prepared to gain weight, but if you do it correctly only about 5-7lbs will be from 'maternal fat stores' and the rest from uterus, baby, water, blood, placenta, etc. Good luck and congrats on your pregnancy!
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    Don't diet when pregnant. Exercise, as long as you aren't high risk, is not only okay, but great! It can help you regain your before pregnancy body faster.

    You can select, "pregnancy, 1 day" in the food portion of your diary. It takes 300 calories off. :) Set to maintenance, use that extra 300 calories, and do your exercise, and you should have a pretty healthy pregnancy lifestyle. *use your calories to fill them with healthy foods that will help build a new human: good protein, good fats, and lots of veggies and some fruit.

    Don't do too strenuous of exercise though, and of course, get the exercise approved by your OB or midwife. :)

    Have a happy and healthy pregnancy!
  • shrednyc85
    shrednyc85 Posts: 30 Member
    I remember there being an article a few years ago stating the amount of extra calories a woman should have, you could try googling it.

    I think there is nothing wrong with watching what you eat when pregnant, so long as you are doing it in a healthful manner. When I was pregnant I ate when I was hungry and indulged here and there on things I wouldn't, but I didn't use pregnancy as an excuse to eat crap for 9 months straight day in and out like some women do. I gained a very average 29 pounds, mildly exercised throughout and 95% of the weight was gone in a few weeks.
  • FrugalMomsRock75
    FrugalMomsRock75 Posts: 698 Member
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/pregnancy_calorie_calculator.htm


    Wanted to add this. :)
  • raindance_maggie
    raindance_maggie Posts: 150
    how about you ask your doctor and not any of us??!!

    ps. its not about you right now...absolutely has nothing to do with you for the next nine plus months...think smart girl...some little person is counting on you
  • beckajw
    beckajw Posts: 1,728 Member
    Congratulations! I'm almost 8 weeks pregnant. What I was told is maintenance plus 300 calories per day is what you are supposed to eat (I haven't been making that because of m/s), but it's normal to lose a little during your first trimester. As far as I know this site doesn't have a pregnancy setting. However, there are some good sites out there for pregnant women. I still use this site, because it's so easy and you can set your calories manually once you know what you need.
  • sjewell79
    sjewell79 Posts: 45 Member
    I would def consult your doctor for calorie consumption, but as for exercise my doctor told me i could do whatever i felt comfortable with. Congrats!
  • Renae_Nae
    Renae_Nae Posts: 935 Member
    I just wanted to say CONGRATS! and good for you to still track your food during pregnancy.

    I know so many women who think they need to eat for two and gain 50-80 pounds because they don't realize you only need a few extra calories a day.
  • Ellenscheeler
    Ellenscheeler Posts: 2
    To the guy who said " why dont you ask your doctor instead of us," Thanks. I don't think my doctor would know where the pregnant button is on this app. I am on my sixth pregnancy and have a BMI of 21. While I am 44, I intend to maintain my healthy lifestyle, currently very active and full of good foods, but I was really just asking if there was a pregnancy setting.

    Thank you to all of you who offered great advice! I was totally new to this app when I found out I was preggo, so I was hoping to be able to keep it active without totally skewing the data!! Thanks again for the helpful advice. So far, so good! It is amazing to see how calories add up from little bits here and there!
  • tenunderfour
    tenunderfour Posts: 429 Member
    Are you starting out underweight? normal weight? or overweight? Recommendations for weight gain depend on the starting point.

    Typically you only need 300 more calories per day over maintenance during pregnancy, but that can be adjusted if you are over or under weight. I don't think there is any kind of pregnancy setting on MFP.
  • horribleath
    horribleath Posts: 1
    I figured out another way to "trick the system" & create a pregnancy setting. If you set your goals automatically, choose "maintain" and then increase your "normal daily activities." For example, moving from "sedentary" to "active" added almost exactly 300 calories to my daily intake -- though of course this will differ based on your BMI, etc.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    its not about you right now...absolutely has nothing to do with you for the next nine plus months..

    Well that's about the dumbest thing you could've said. You think if she eats twice what she should that would be healthy for the baby? Have you never heard of gestational diabetes? Or that if she doesn't eat enough, that the baby will do well? Pregnancy is ALL about the mother, because the fetus can't do anything for itself.

    I think tracking during a pregnancy is a wonderful idea. There is no need to just eat whatever you want "because your pregnant". I agree with everyone else, bring it up with your ObGYN at your next appointment, until then eat at least at a maintenance level to make sure you are getting adequate nutrition.
  • preetim22
    preetim22 Posts: 1
    i will suggest you read my blog. hope it will be helpful to you during and after your pregnancy period. it will tell what to eat and why.
    http://www.pregnancycareonline.com/tips-healthy-diet-during-pregnancy/
  • NakedLunchTime
    NakedLunchTime Posts: 559
    how about you ask your doctor and not any of us??!!

    ps. its not about you right now...absolutely has nothing to do with you for the next nine plus months...think smart girl...some little person is counting on you

    I don't even get why you posted on here. Of course it is about her AND the baby. She needs to take care of herself and that will keep her and the baby healthy, as we should all know.

    OP: I always think about this because I am married, almost 26 and think about having a baby and what eating and exercising will be like when I do get pregnant. I would recomment asking you doctor that way you know you get accurate info! And CONGRATS!!

    EDIT:: OHH a setting! LOL, I was thrown off by things I was reading! Sorry!!
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    Congratulations on your pregnancy. Honestly I didn't count calories during my pregnancy. I hardly ever weighed myself, I just became determined to eat the healthiest I could and not cut anything out that the baby needed. I ate lots and lots of fresh fruit and vegetable, drank plenty of low fat milk and ate low fat yoghurts, I ate fish and chicken and red meat maybe once a week. Limited things like tuna, tried to chose vegetables over potatoes but did have potatoes maybe once a week.

    I got weighed just before I had my second baby and had gained 15lbs. My "little" man weighed 10lb 8oz and the day after I got home from the hospital I got weighed and was 7lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight.

    You will follow whatever plan you want to, but from my experience if you eat healthily and get some exercise (careful near the end as your muscles loosen ready for birth and its quite easy to pull something) then you can't go far wrong.

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