to ask how much you managed to control pregnancy weight gain?

[dietcoketime69]

I'm currently expecting dc1 and in 1st trimester. I'm curious to know more about how realistic it is to try to control weight gain during pregnancy.

I'm normally a healthy BMI and as I'm sure is similar for lots of women, I'm hoping to be able to monitor my weight gain to avoid it going through the roof... cue everybody telling me I'm looking at this through rose tinted glasses!!

I completely understand weight gain is inevitable/healthy etc and would never consider "dieting" during pregnancy - I'm just keen to hear experiences from women who have been there and done that :-)

Would love to hear your stories, whether you felt you succeeded in keeping your weight gain in check or whether your good intentions just went to pot?! :-)

I was also advised the only extra is 200kcal per day in the third trimester.

I ballooned during pregnancy.

I hopped on the scales the day before I went in to be induced with DC2 and I was 99kg....! I am very tall, but still!

However, I lost the pregnancy weight afterwards, and loads more with it, as well. Breastfeeding helped massively, but of course that's not an option for everyone.

By the time DC2 was about 2, I'd lost about 33-35kg. I'm a good two dress sizes smaller than I was in the immediate years preceding DC, and back to my teens/early 20s size. She's nearly 4 and I've maintained that weight, as it seems to be my natural weight. I'm 40.

I've found it easier to keep slim post-DC than I did pre. It's certainly not inevitable that motherhood = extra poundage. I'm not for one minute saying anyone has any obligation to lose weight post-baby (there's way too much pressure on women as it is), but just wanted to say that the way things work out body/shape-wise, post-baby, isn't necessarily to go larger. Everyone is different.

I put on 1.5 stone with first baby took eight months to lose, three stone with second, off in twelve weeks! I wouldn't stress too much.

That's funny about all the burger eating, I must have had burgers 3 times a week with DC2. It didn't help we lived in a small town at the end of the line, where we got the rubbish veg and fruit, so it was not very fresh and did not have a good shelf life. That's my excuse for going off it.

I've got some advice on this one! I had my first baby at 29, piled on four stone that took YEARS to get rid of. By 40 I was at my slimmest and fittest...and then at 42 had my second baby. As I was already a gym goer, I kept up daily exercise including body pump, body combat and spinning until week 39 (following advice from specialist gym instructor, obstetrician and midwife), ate sensibly and definitely not "for two" (biggest mistake everybody makes) and put on only 20 lbs, 9 lb 2 of which was my huge son!! Easy, straightforward birth (again helped by being fit) and back in normal clothes within a fortnight. I think keeping an eye on your diet and doing some sort of exercise (but not STARTING if you have not being doing it already) will help no end. Don't obsess over it though, enjoy your pregnancy! :-)

Hyperemesis. I can't recommend it.

I had gestational diabetes and ate a very controlled diet, so was 1 stone heavier at full term and when I'd had DS I was lighter than I had been at the start. Unfortunately I then put on about 4 stone in the year after pregnancy which I am now working on losing before any future pregnancies.

I put on 3 and 1/2 stone, I ate loads hes 2 now and I still have a stone to go.
If I had another I would try really hard to just not gain so much, I was complacent before because I've never in my life had trouble losing weight before dc but its so hard to shift now I was shocked.

I always put on loads (I don't weigh myself so don't know exact number) but I swell and have big babies, so a lot of that is fluid and baby. It doesn't matter what I eat, water weighs a lot

diet with dc1 I ate a very healthy diet in that I made sure I got 5 a day and more, correct carbs, dairy, meat etc but I also ate whatever I fancied on top of that, falling for the "you might as well enjoy bring pregnant and stuff your face" line . With dc2 I think I was so exhausted with the pg and coping with a toddler that I just ate anything (and everything) to keep me going.

This time the dc's are at school and things are lot easier and I feel more in control. I was always grazing (on carbs and cheese ) to curb nausea hence the 11lb but am resolved to do better now its lifting! Good luck with your pregnancy and congrats

To a certain extent you can control it, I think. Or at least you can prevent it getting out of control - you're the one putting food in your mouth after all... However it's easier said than done when you feel like shit for nine months and the only thing that stops the nausea for a few mins is cake!

I was v lucky and didn't gain much excess weight at all during either of my pregnancies. Breastfeeding wasn't the magic weight loss solution either. In fact my body actively clung on to the extra few pounds until I stopped.

Gained 2.5 st with dc1, breast feeding was a magic solution for me luckily, was thinner at 3 months post partum than before pg. this time round at 20 wks I haven't weighed myself yet - have to get round to it soon but trying to keep active and remember pregnancy is temporary as I don't want to freak out.

curioussuze I have the same as you you just had to eat bread constantly so as not to feel nauseous. I have very very mild morning sickness, no actual vomit at all. But I just felt mildly nauseous and weak if I don't eat crap. And it's not cake. It's horrible greasy food. Like mcdonalds burgers, greggs steak/chicken pies, cornish pasties. That kind of thing. This is what I meant I eat two lunches every day. I could have a mcdonald's meal late morning, and then I'd very hungry again before mid afternoon, and I'd crave a pasty.

I'm just lucky that I lost it easily last time with breastfeeding. (I know it's not a magic solution). But it worked for me and fx it'll work for me again this time! I was also another one back to same size by about week 6 or earlier. I never needed a size between. Normal pre-pregnancy tunic + leggings for post birth and then gradually move back to tighter things like jeans.

I gained between 11 and 13lbs with all 3 DC and lost it again about a week after the births.

I didn't control my weight gain, I just ate very healthily due to being pregnant.

This is such an interesting one: it always fascinates me as it seems like the body reverts to its natural state in pregnancy. So women who have to work really hard to stay trim (like me) just balloon and put on loads whereas women who are naturally slim don't. Do you know what I mean? It's like my body was doing what it always wanted to do and be a lot bigger than I was struggling to keep myself beforehand. You can always see the celebs who are not naturally as skinny as they are as when they get pregnant they just balloon e.g. Charlotte Church, bless her and Zara Phillips whereas Duchess Kate and Kate Moss just looked like they'd swallowed a beach ball and then went really skinny again within weeks.

Over 5 stone with dc1 who was v low birthweight to boot. Massively pigged out. Pack of ginger biccies before getting out of bed to stave off sickness, cheeky scallop as I walked past chippy. Ugh! I did lose it all and was thin before dc's first birthday

Second and third pgs about 3 stone. I tried to go easier. Lost it all pretty quickly once I put my mind to it

Missdread I understand what you're saying, but most 'naturally skinny' people eat less than non 'naturally skinny' people.

If that doesn't change during pregnancy, there's no real reason why they should gain large amounts of weight (unless a medical reason).

I put on 12lbs. I am very overweight so my eating habits were excellent during pregnancy. Ds was 9.7 & I lost it all straight away. I did pile on a lot during first half of mat leave after the birth though. I polished off a lot of biscuits.
I joined slimming world which was v good. I have yoyo weight.
All I fancied was fresh crunchy salad,fruit,no cheeses,no crap,much less meat & obvs no alcohol. I loved pregnancy physically,
I currently look about 6 months so need to stop the biscuits again before someone offers their seat.
Congratulations on your pregnancy,such an exciting time

I am not sure, I think it might be genetic. For both my pregnancies I didn't put any non baby weight on at all. A week after both arrived, I weighed the same as before I got pregnant.

I thought I would be huge as I do have to be careful not to put weight on the rest of the time and my family are all a bitoverweight except me. I tried to eat healthily, but had a massive crisp craving, so I don't think it's anything I did really.

I ate normally during my pregnancy, and continued to do the same amount of exercise (ie only walking the dog twice a day) so only put on the actual baby-related weight. Most of it came off right after I had ds, the rest disappeared over the next few weeks (suspect that breastfeeding and once again walking a lot helped).

I put on 2 stones, lost most on giving birth & the remaining half a stone within 3 months. I craved sweet peppers rather than anything more stodgy

I have had four kids; all I have put on was the baby really, back to normal within a week or two. I just ate what I usually ate, maybe a bit more fruit, the odd extra glass of milk.

To be honest I'm quite surprised that people put loads of weight on. Why would you?

I know what you mean too MissDread. I was very strict with myself before getting pregnant, keeping calories low and exercising most days. I was on the low side of normal BMI and very lean. As soon as I got pregnant I became ravenous (pukey, but ravenous). I stayed normalish till month 5, then it all went nuts. I had a huge baby though (DH is massive and was an enormous baby so I should have known) and my body struggled because I have a small frame and am short. I thought you only grew the baby your body could handle, but I think an almost 10 pounder was bordering on too much for me...I'm sure that's why I felt so hellish the whole time too.

I think I was lucky. I didn't feel ravenously hungry and I didn't have any cravings. I also was pregnant during the hot summer where salads and fruit was the dish of the day. If it was during the winter months things might have been different! I obviously put on a bit but by the time I went back to work 10 month later I was back in my old clothes.

Just don't believe your 'eating for two'. You only need an extra 200 calories - the equivient of 2 slices of toast moderately buttered - per day.

Tinkly Some people (me for instance) feel exhausted with pregnancy, and when I'm tired I seem to gravitate towards higher calorie food. I was just trying to keep myself going, and not vomit every five minutes! I didn't eat a vast amount more but it was heavier stuff - more bread and pasta. I'll know better next time, but if I feel the same way i.e. shocking and exhausted, I don't know how I'll avoid the weight