Hungry hungry hungry

[Smiler80]

Hello there!

This is my first post here - I found out I'm pregnant about 10 days ago and am now 5+6 weeks (I believe that's the jargon around here? :) )

Luckily morning sickness has not really set in for me (yet?), aside from the occasional queasy day. I do find myself constantly hungry however! I try to stick to a normal eating pattern - surely the tiny pip can't need a lot of calories yet. However I just seem to want portions twice the size of what I would normally have, and then I'm still hardly full.

Do any of you out there have any tips on how to stop myself from gaining a stone in the first trimester?! Big healthy filling snacks is what I really need - especially when coming home from work. Simply an apple or banana really won't do!

Thanks a lot!

[Mahraih]

Hey, congratulations on your pregnancy!!

Well, I gained a stone in the first trimester but I needed to. Haven't gained much since.

Things I do ... making breakfast last til lunch! I'll have an apple as soon as I get to work, then a banana when I feel hungry again, then a bowl of strawberries (by this time it's about 10.30 am) then I have my wheatabix. By that point its pretty much lunch!

In the evening, huge stews/curries with loads and loads of veggies. As much as you can eat really. I tend to have a serving with carbs/protein, and then another serving of just veggies. Veggies all the time!

[jemsy87]

Hi there,

I am now 23 weeks, I know what you mean about the eating thing I litrally cannot function without eating....the hunger is unreal...My opinion is eat as much as you like ( obviously dont go crazy)and get the healthy stuff in there to but this is the only time you can kinda relax about putting weight on it is as the say Inevitable so enjoy! xxx Best wishes to you! xxx

[AllBellyandBoobs]

I found exactly the same thing and my hunger finally started to diminish at about 14/15 weeks although I still get moments where I'm suddenly famishing and have to eat or else I go all weak and pathetic. I had no sickness at all thankfully. Try not to worry about it, I don't seem to have ballooned to ridiculous proportions, although I do seem to have a bigger bump than others at the same stage. I haven't weighed myself but I'm still in size 10 maternity clothes and my pre-pregnant size was a 10 so I'm happy enough.

I suppose just eat sensible stuff, like have some wholemeal toast with nut spread (or even 2 slices) instead of 2 pieces of cake to dampen your appetite :)

[squirrel007]

Hello and congratulations :)

No idea, but I am exactly the same! I found out last week and am maybe 6 weeks pg. I can no longer get from breakfast to lunch without snacking, am starving again by mid-afternoon, and then about an hour after dinner I feel my tummy start to rumble again.

I am eating a lot of nuts, dried fruit, cheese and crackers, fruit (but that doesn't really do it for me), and doing a bad job of avoiding the chocolate. I'm trying to eat little and often, with normal sized portions for meals and more small snacks. It's hard to balance though, but i do think that being hungry is my body's way of saying I need food, so I can't feel too guilty about eating.

[ecuse]

I'm 17 weeks and have some days when I'm normal and some days when I'm ravenous.

I've been mostly eating like a horse for the last few weeks and managed not to gain any weight at all since 9 weeks.

Conversely I put on 6lbs between 7 and 10 weeks whilst eating about the same as normal.

So I figure you should just eat what you need to eat (being as healthy as you can reasonably be when starving all the time) and your metabolism will do whatever it does.

[RibenaBerry]

I had exactly the same both times. My advice is don't try to fight it - I gained the same overall as a lot of friends, but I 'frontloaded' the weightgain, as it were.

Just try to ensure that you have loads of healthy snacks. Where you really get in trouble is if you eat chocolate, etc, all the time. I tried to stick to toast, oatcakes, fruit, cereal, etc.

[japhrimel]

I had the same and hardly gained much - my metabolism shot up when I got pregnant. Now 35 weeks and I've only gained 6kg.

I'd just try to make it as nutritious as possible, but if you get sickness, just do whatever you have to do. During the first trimester I ate a lot of carbs and sugary foods to control the nausea. When it stopped, I started craving fruit and yoghurt.

[slimyak]

Like lots of people here, I don't fit with the eat the same until last trimester text book rule. With both my pregnancies I've eaten the most in the first trimester and by the third (where I am now) I'm on 3 small meals a day, as large meals give me integestion, and 2-3 small snacks which volume wise is probably what I'd eat when not pregnant.

I avoid the scales while pregnant and just go with the flow, but try to eat as healthily as possible. Don't beat yourself up if morning sickness kicks in and all you can eat is wotsits and pot noodles for 6 weeks, sometimes it's wierd like that.

Congrats and I hope your pregnancy goes well!

[nomoreheels]

I'm nearly 10 wks and luckily no morning sickness either, and my appetite is very healthy, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that my weight is still about the same.

For me the key is eating lots of small meals so I never get truly starving. At the same time, I try not to pig out in one go, so I just eat enough to stop the hunger.

Worst thing is waking up for a 5 am pregnancy wee and having a rumbling hungry stomach. I have to get up - there's no way I can get back off in that state.

Do you have a blender? I try to get a big chunk of my 5 a day by making a smoothie with a banana, a cup of frozen mixed berries, some soy milk and a bit of honey, and a handful of oats. The oats keep me fuller for longer.

I'm afraid I've been craving junk food as well though, and I've been giving in - though at least not in stupid quantities - but if I want pizza or potato waffles, I damn well have them.

And I did eat quite a lot of homebaked cookies today...

[Smiler80]

Wow thanks for all the quick replies!

Glad to hear it seems to be fairly common and not directly linked to massive weight gain overall :)

I hadn't actually thought of the possibility that my own metabolism may have gone up - a few weeks progress may tell... (fingers crossed that that's it!)

Am trying to have lots of veggies and fruit but they only seem to fill me for a very short time. Adding oats to smoothies is a great tip!

[Smiler80]

P.S. Am managing to stick to my rule of not buying treats at work, but nothing could make me refuse the bits of chocolate my lovely DH gets me as an after-dinner treat nowadays! You've got to enjoy the perks, right ;)

[autumnberry]

I guess I must be a 'frontloader' too. I was really hungry and seemed to gain weight quickly in the first twelve weeks. My appetite has returned to pre-pregnancy levels since then and I have not noticed a discernible difference in my since over the past 5 weeks, even though, like normoreheels I have been succumbing to the 5am rumbles and eating a bit of pizza and cheese etc! I can still fit into pre-pregnancy jeans around legs and hips but just need to wear a band around the top to accommodate my bump. I think it best not to worry. As long as you eat relatively healthily and try and listen to your body for cues.

[naturalbaby]

i'm into my 3rd trimester and have been eating like a horse! i eat until i'm so full it almost hurts, have chocolate with oh after the kids have gone to bed then have a bowl of cereal almost every night before i go to bed! on top of eating biscuits all day long and almost 2 sandwiches for lunch. sounds rediculous!

i'm counting on the fact that it'll all drop off within 6 months like the last 2 times - last pregnancy i lost so much weight so quickly i ended up at the gp.

[Longtalljosie]

I ate like an entire stye of pigs during my pregnancy and only put on 2 and a half stone, which all went quickly afterwards.

I firmly believe in listening to your body - so don't starve yourself. Rice cakes are good for morning sickness though.

[JBrd]

I'm 14 weeks now and have already gained a stone - but eating is the only thing that keeps the sickness at bay, and I have to eat every 2 hours. I've tried to reduce the amount I eat, but had to stop because it made me so ill.
I try to combine the carbs with as much fruit and veg as possible, which makes quite some strange meals sometimes. But hey, whatever works!

Naturalbaby - I also can usually be found in the kitchen munching cereal late at night before going to bed! One night, I couldn't sleep and actually had to get up and eat something at 3am because I started feeling queasy.

Just hoping it'll go back to 'normal' soon (can't even remember what that was like anymore, sigh...)

[lilly13]

Hi Smiler! Congratulations!

I am on my 15th week and put on less than 2 pounds so far. My initial BMI was 17. I have been quite fortunate and have had no morning sickness. I have been eating more frequently and a lot more food than pre-pregnancy. However, I have not been drinking anything apart from water, mint tea and lemon juice diluted with water... I eat lots of fruits and veggies and consume no added sugars. I cannot stand the thought of having deserts - these would just make me sick... I do not eat any fried foods - again, these just do not feel right to me... I do not eat past 7pm and try to go to a yoga class instead (I do yoga almost daily and this definitely has been helping my energy levels), and after yoga sometimes I have an apple or a carrot before bedtime if I am hungry.

I try to eat light in the evenings, ie soups/salads and lean protein, and heavy carbs/startches in the afternoon, otherwise I cannot sleep. I also get very hungry around mid-day so most eating is done then, and I am most of the time not hungry for a proper dinner...

I have been keeping a food diary with caloric intake of what I eat - this definitely helps. I try to eat not more than 300 calories more than pre-pregnancy, as recommended by pregnancy books (sometimes, it is a bit difficult though, as I end up mucnching all day long and calories do add up, even if you eat healthy!). I think it is best to listen to your body in terms of what it desires and allow it to eat small quanities of different foods.

Good luck on your pregnancy!

[8rubberduckies]

Hi and congratulations! Although you can't see much happening at the moment, your body is doing the hardest stuff it will do all pregnancy at the moment; forming lungs, heart, brain etc., and is using up all of the nutrients it can get it's hands on to fuel all of it's hard work making your baby the person he / she will be . This is why you're starving hungry, and why you will probably start feeling tired soon.

I had the first inkling I was pregnant this time as I hoovered up a massive roast dinner at the pub that not even my dp could finish, and then started on his! I have put on a bit of weight so far (I'm 8.5 weeks), but if this is anything like my last pg I put on very little overall; my mw weighed me at the end of pg and was really surprised, as I was overweight to start with I think she thought I was going to be gargantuam . You probably won't be eating much in the last few weeks!

It is not unusual to be starving hungry, especially in the first few months, and be prepared for morning sickness if you don't manage to avoid it, as most women only manage to keep it at bay by snacking on carbs and sugar constantly. I'm sucking on barley sweets all day and sipping hot chocolates , trying not to worry too much as anything to keep the sickness at bay so I can function, and it will all even itself out over the next few months. Oh, and top tip! I put a banana on my bedside table before I go to sleep and snack on that when I wake up hungry in the middle of the night, or if I sleep through I eat it before I get up to stave off the ms as long as possible.

Take a good multivitamin especially formulated for pregancy and listen to what your body is telling you it needs is my advice.

[happycamel]

Congratulations.

I found I was hungrier and that eating reduced the sickness. In fact if I went more than 2 hours without eating I'd retch.

I recommend brazil nuts. I'm 19 weeks now and found a handful of those (they're high in omega 3 too) and an apple good for the mornings. In the afternoon nothing will cut it but chocolate

Lilly, 17 is a low BMI. Check with you MW but from what I've read you should be aiming for a higher weight gain/calorie intake. Don't forget your baby relies on you for nutrition. Also baby will drain your reserves constantly so not eating for 12 hours+ ie not after 7pm will make it hard for your body to maintain your blood sugar levels. 2 lbs is very low for your second trimester, JMO though, check with your midwife.

OP this might help www.babycenter.com/0_pregnancy-weight-gain-what-to-expect_1466.bc