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?! :-)

This NHS page says anywhere between 10 and 12.5kg weight gain is normal. That's only 1.5 to 1.9 stone (according to google)

www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2311.aspx?CategoryID=54

mrskoala so 1 stone per trimester might be the norm in the UK but it is not healthy. And those who say they gained 2 stone isn't stealth boasting because it is actually on the top end of what NHS recommends.

This is interesting!

I get very low blood pressure when pg - hadn't connected that to the laziness and desire for stodgy foods at all.

2st with dd1 and lost it easily, 2 and a half stone with dd2 and it stayed (bf ing doesn't work for me). Currently 22 weeks pg and have put on 11lbs.

Try to imagine just eating the extra 200kcals every morning bit it doesn't quite go like that during the day!

Just remember you don't really need to eat any more (unless you were on a silly diet before), normal days calories for a woman are plenty but I tried to make them healthy calories and fats where possible, the more you put on the more you have to lose afterwards so it's just not worth it....

Stayed for ages that should say. Was back to normal about 15 months post birth which felt like for bloody ever.

Can't remember exactly but think I put on about 1-1.5 stones each time. Lost it all v quickly and went home from hospital in normal clothes both times. I ended up slimmer after babies than i ever had been before which seems to be unusual. No idea how I did it but if I knew I'd write a book and make a fortune!

I had a high BMI when I got pregnant so really didn't want to add extra weight on top of what I already had. I used MFP as a food diary to make sure I was eating enough fruit, veg and protein. I stuck with 1800-2000 calories a day and put on 21lbs.

That weight came off almost as soon as DD was born. By continuing with MFP and BFing, I'm 50lb lighter (not-so-stealth-boast).

I was overweight to begin with, had no morning sickness at all really, just ate very healthily loosely following the slimming world plan, gained about six or seven pounds in my first a second trimester, and I have gained about a pound a week since about 28 weeks, which is monitored and recommended by my dietician. She says that if you eat right and stay active, your body will always only gain what it needs to.

Hi OP, I'm in the same boat at you - first trimester with DC1, healthy BMI to start with (sadly to the upper level of healthy vut still healthy!). I'm 12 weeks on Monday.

So far I have been feeling pretty queasy & exhausted - starting to come out of it I think hope - I have had massive meat and vege aversions and basically subsisting on plain carbs. Really hope that I will turn a corner soon and get back to eating a balanced diet and having a bit more energy to exercise. I manage a few 4-5 km walks each week if I'm lucky. I've put on 3kg (about half a stone so far).

My mum constantly goes on about how she was the skinniest she's ever been while breastfeeding so I'm hoping I'll take after her in that respect!

Two different pregnancies...
1st, horrendous nausea, lost over half a stone from not being able to eat until 17 wks. Then the SPD kicked in. Permanently exhausted, wanted instant energy calories. Felt exhausted permanently. Lots of socialising with cake because my body couldn't move in later months. 4.5st gain (over 50% of bodyweight) in 6m. Tried to keep swimming, had to use floats as all buoyancy gone.

2nd, nausea/ sickness less intense, ate better. Less exhausted. Had something called a second trimester. Better food choices. Return ofSPD. Kept mobile by dragging myself round on a pair of crutches and trying not to buckle under my own weight in the final week again. 3 st gained, one less than before.

A month after both births I weighed the same, and think the main difference was water retention in that first stone. First time, I sweated like crazy, but not the second. Both times it took about 9m to return to my pre preg weight, and both times I have ended up lighter than my DC1 starting point. Fitness had to be rebuilt from walking to the end of the road both times, and harder second time because the SPD stuck around for months after the birth.

I see weight management in pregnancy as damage limitation, but its very dependent on how your pregnancy unfolds. I don't "let myself go" I just get screwed over by nausea, energy and the SPD. First time, I think my metabolism got messed up by a hyper sensitive gag reaction stopping me from eating anything remotely resembling food hence the crazy gain. There are positive choices you can make, but not everyone feels well enough to manage the optimum diet. My personal goals are to limit damage, then focus on losing it after, when I manage to feel half human again.

I gained about 40 lbs while pregnant. I lost almost all of it the first month post birth. :)

I genuinely thought that I would lose wieght in the first trimester as I was a reasonably big drinker prepreganncy ... maybe 3-4 bottles of wine a week. I assumed I wouldn't be taking in all those empty calories and instead of spending the weekend boozing or hungover I'd be going to the gym or for big walks.

Ha. I haven't been drinking but I feel hungover, and what's worse, I eat like I'm hungover!

With ds1 I started pregnancy overweight and unfit, and put on 4 stone

I was fitter and more active before I became pregnant with ds2, and after an initial binge on egg sandwiches and Frazzles, my cravings switched to apples and salad, and in total I put on just under a stone and a half. All gone less than two weeks after birth (probably before that but that was the first time I weighed myself).

I didn't gain any weight when pg, however I found it difficult to eat as much as I did before and was trying to be healthy so kinda of like a diet without trying. Infact I was concerned I wasn't putting weight on!

I put on 1.5 stone each pregnancy which came off natrally afterwards.This was just by eating normally i.e. not eating extra 'because I'm pregnant'. Must admit my body seemed to crave fresh tasting things so maybe that helped.

I was 8 stone at 16 week check so put on half a stone. Last 2 pregnancies went up to 9 and half but went back to original weight quickly. I am doing 40 hours + exercise though. I eat whatever I have had 2 cream scones and lasangne already this morn as I have work in mo.

Jas, is that a typo? 40+ hours?

Or is it 40 of work + exercise?

I just didn't overeat. I don't believe in all the "eating for two" bit. I can totally see why women like to eat whatever they want during pregnancy but I didn't want to put on loads of weight so I didn't eat any extra food than I normally did. I just drank full fat milk instead of skimmed, ate full fat yogurt etc to get a few extra cals. With both pregnancies I only gained a stone and a half. Ds born 8lb and dd 7lb12oz. I was back in size 8 clothes a month after each birth.

I did gain horrendous stretch marks though - tummy, legs, boobs, bum. So not all good!

Personally 4st for me was not too much. It was for a short amount of time, my health was fine, i was only wearing size 16s (i am over 5ft10 - so not outrageously massive). As i said i lost 2st at birth (remember if you have a big baby - mine was over 9lbs - almost a stone of it is baby) and i kept 2st on for about 10 months. I didn't try to lose the 2st at all while bfing, because altho it wasn't my ideal weight, i was only a 14-16 and still looked and felt fine (in fact i got more compliments then and DH said he preferred me with a bigger arse ). When i stopped bfing it just fell of with no effort and I went back to my normal 12st and a size 12. So for me 4st was nothing to worry about. It is personal isn't it. If you are only 5ft, then 4st is a lot more in relation to your size. So just like saying a 'x weight is too heavy' or a 'size y is too skinny' it totally depends on your frame. I don't think you can categorically say 'it is too much'.

I've put on less with this pregnancy so far tho, because i am chasing a toddler and not sitting on my arse in a call centre :)

Don't people find it a little sad for us as women that there are so many threads about pg weight gain? It's pretty trivial really as an indicator unless you are at either extreme.

I cut out the junk first two pg despite having stressful stuff like house moves happen during them but otherwise ate normally.

However I think the biggest thing was move at start of first pg put us in a location with huge massivly steep hills everywhere I had no choice but to walk up most days. After first pg I weighed less than at start - when we lived elsewhere - and baby was 9lb so clearly grew o.k.

Third pg we had loads of really stressful crap happen, we were in a flatter location so depite walking it wasn't as much of a work out and with two toddlers I wasn't always getting enough sleep and no time to exercise. I'm a stress eater so the weight did pile on.

It could be complete co-indene while all the DC were on large side - >9lb older two were born very muscular while youngest was much more a chubby baby.

So I'd say eat healthy version of normal and lots of everyday exercise is the key.

Don't people find it a little sad for us as women that there are so many threads about pg weight gain?

I have to admit it was the one time in my life I thought people would be o.k with me putting on weight. Unfortunately first two pg coincided with DH family on big weight loss gig as well as some in my family doing the same.

So I got lots of negative comments about not putting on too much and a few worrying me I was getting fat - even though it was all baby in the end.

I did enjoy pointing out that I weighed less after birth, despite it not being my aim not being my aim and just circumstance, and bf burnt a lot of calories afterwards anyway– but it got very annoying.

After third with bf and chasing round after three young DC - the weight came off pretty quick despite all the doom Sayers predictions.

So yes I do think there is far to much concern about it.

all of you stating that you just ate normally and saw no need to eat for two - I feel the need to point out that I did not use pg as an excuse to pig out and be greedy. I ate to my appetite, which was HUGE and uncontrollable.

I found the weight I put on during pg really horrible, I hated it.

I recognise I am overly defensive about this, so feel free to ignore. My first priority when I have the baby is to lose the weight again and I only start to feel like myself when I am back to what is normal for me, nine stoneish. As I can control my eating when not pregnant this is relatively simple actually.