Eating too much

[MitfordSisters]

I'm 12 weeks, and estimate that I've put on about 9lbs already. Am I going to be a complete larda**e before this whole adventure is over.

I've always loved food, but my passion has grown deeper since getting pregnant. Today for lunch I had 4 very large crackers with cheese, two smoked salmon parcels and a yoghurt.

I'm trying to stick to a nutritious diet, but I have crisps or chocolate very regularly.

Am I normal?

[Rantmum]

I ate quite alot in the first trimester because I found that the only thing that temporarily got rid of the significant nausea was white bread. I did try to make up for it in the last 2 trimesters by eating really healthily, but then my activity level dropped as I got heavier, so the damage (in terms of gaining a bit too much) was done. After ds was born it took me over a year to get back to my pre-pregnancy size, with considerable effort. So it is not the end of the world, and you should never diet when pg, but you should probably snack on fruit and veg wherever possible in between meals, and keep your fluid intake high. I plan to try to follow my own advice with my next pg - we'll see!

[Mrswizz]

I'm the same. It doesn't help when people keep giving me free food. Get a family sized pack of kitkats every time I order anything from work's stationery company, so me an my colleague have scoffed 3 of them in the last month and a bit. Yesterday a new french deli opened down the road and they brought us a free enormous box of pain au chocolat, and have had some donuts from E-couriers. Fat knacker me! I bring fruit in to work, all good intentions.

[Naetha]

The only food I seem to be able to eat large quantities of is watery fruit/veg. I've eaten entire melons and cucumbers in single sittings and loved it, but thankfully even the thought of eating anything creamy or sweet completely puts me off.

Normally I'm a big fat bloater (well tbh I still am) and I generally eat far too much, especially when I'm bored, but since I got pregnant (I'm 16 weeks) I've lost about 8lbs.

Sorry don't mean for you to hate me, I'm just trying to point out that everyone's different - some people want to eat loads, some people want to eat nothing

I guess the key is to have everything in moderation - if all you want to eat is crisps, then try and stick to lower fat crisps like monster munch and hula hoops. Low fat alternatives are often no real different to normal ones as well, e.g. cream cheese, yoghurt etc

[dal21]

MF Sis - wouldnt worry, I ate stacks in first trimester. Bottomless stomach. My appetite settled just after week 12 and i went back to eating normally. Am roughly the same size as one of my colleagues who spent the first 18 weeks constantly throwing up and lost weight over that period - her weight gain was in 2nd/ 3rd trimester...every pregnancy is different, so you are doing what your body needs you to do!

[LackingNicknameInspiration]

I'd second that everyone different - I put on quite a lot quite quickly as I just couldn't keep anything nutritious down but was fine with chips, cheese and anything lardy . Sickness passed at around 13 weeks and I went a bit more back to normal and trying to eat healthily so didn't put anything on for quite a few weeks - so think I'll come out around average by the end of it. My rationale though was that's it's better to eat something than nothing and I just couldn't face anything healthy! At least your stuff sounds fairly good (and we all NEED crisps/chocolate here and there - I know I do!

[miniegg]

i also really struggled with healthy food in the first trimester - the only vaguely healthy thing I could keep down was baked potato. Other than that, cakes and bread were my main thing - it was that or nothing at all.
I am due next week and have put on almost 3stone, but i was quite small to start with. (have gone from 8.5st to about 11.5 stone.)
to be honest despite being a (former) fitness freak I kind of stopped worrying about it a long time ago and just decided to ENJOY! These last few weeks I have been eating treats every day. I know i'll pay the price but heyho - it's fun while it lasts!

[MuffinMclay]

I'm 10 weeks and have put on 7lb. For me its a combination of eating more bad stuff (white bread, crisps), and less exercise (gone from 2 to 1 dog walks a day because I'm too tired by the afternoon to carry ds on my back).

[LittleMissLate]

I found I was hungrier in the first trimester and eating also helped the nausea. I had put on about 12 lbs by 12 wks. My appetite actually decreased later on - particularly in the evenings. No idea why - I just didn't feel hungry at dinner time. Still put on 3 stone in total though but a lot was water retention in the last few weeks (huuuge ankles and feet ) and it had all gone within 3 months

[Scampynoodle]

Coo, it's good to hear that others have struggled to eat healthily in the first few months. Until I got pregnant I endlessly scoffed fruit n veg. Course, when I found out that there was a bun in the oven I became all smug about the fact that I had this fabulously healthy diet. But bugger me, did that go to pot! I reckon the day I conceived was the last day I actually ate a tidy pile of veg. Since then I've done nothing but wedge in buttered bread, monster chunks of cheese, steak and kidney pies, chips...anything that's likely to make my arse hit my ankles. I'm just ravenous and only fatty food will do. I'm not so bloody smug now, am I?

MitSis, try not to worry about this stuff. I reckon it's a balance between doing what you can and just giving in to the fact that your body needs those salmon parcels (which are packed with foetus-friendly oils, I hasten to add). And I don't know about you but after being so angst-ridden about my calorie/ fat intake all these years and fretting over the size of my belly/ bum I see this as a fabulous excuse to stick my fingers up at all of it.

Tuck in, girls, tuck in!

Sx

[MitfordSisters]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to ahve some toast and marmite to celebrate.