Told to lose weight by midwife

[Paradii]

My BMI is 26 so I am classed as overweight.

I train horses for my job so I have a lot of muscle mass, especially in my legs. I have a flat stomach and definitely don't look overweight. I told her this but she insisted that I'm overweight and should aim to eat less calories/ more healthily.

Aibu to think I shouldn't try to lose weight, particularly when pregnant?

[mumda]

What was her BMI?
(Never take diet advice from a fat person)

[authenticforgery]

I would not be allowing her to be involved in my care any further. New midwife thank you!

[Justilou1]

How pregnant are you? 9 weeks or 37 weeks? Random!!!

[Chely]

Your midwife is an arse!!

No you do not need to lose weight in pregnancy with that BMI, at most she should suggest a healthy diet and try not to gain excessive amounts.
My BMI was 32 at booking with my last and they didn't tell me to lose weight, just eat healthy and exercise as long as possible which I did.

[peboh]

I think they just have to mention it to woman with a bmi over a certain number, it's a part of their job as medically being overweight/obese can cause problems in pregnancy. So it'll just be a box they have to tick to ensure they're giving mums every bit of information they need.
I wouldn't be offended, as you state you lead a healthy lifestyle and are comfortable that you're fit and healthy.

[ramabanana]

BMI is a useful tool for people with little muscle mass (which covers a very large percentage of the population) but as you know you have significant muscle mass in your legs and you just pass into the 'overweight range' YANBU

You would hope your Midwife would take this into account but in her defence the vast majority of people who she looks after who have an 'overweight' BMI will be overweight

[PerfectlyUnsuitable]

Ok @PurpleDaisies,

can you tell me:

• what does healthy eating means? Any description of some sort perhaps?
  
• what does staying active mean? Is it the same for everyone? Is it the same at every stage of the pregnancy?
  

-- if a woman is loosing weight, what is the consequence of their health/ What about all the toxins stored in the fat tissue. Is it Ok to release them into the blood stream when a woman is pregnant? Does that woman need more help to elimante those toxins?

• About loosing weight, can you loose SAFELY weight in the same way when you are pregnant and you're not? Issue with blood sugar regulation for example?
  

Has the MW gone though any of that, including past eating disorders? Issue with how a woman can feel about getting bigger? What would the consequence be for a pregnant woman is her EF is striggered again?

So yes I stand by my comemnt that it's the last time to do that.

{Proviso: I am not including ANY dietary change linked to gestational diabetes. Which really should be done under the supervision of a professional too.)

[MuguetRose]

You sound fine

[TheOrigRights]

@mumda

What was her BMI?
(Never take diet advice from a fat person)

Really? You think that someone being [insert condition] precludes them from being able to give our advice?

[authenticforgery]

@peboh

I think they just have to mention it to woman with a bmi over a certain number, it's a part of their job as medically being overweight/obese can cause problems in pregnancy. So it'll just be a box they have to tick to ensure they're giving mums every bit of information they need.
I wouldn't be offended, as you state you lead a healthy lifestyle and are comfortable that you're fit and healthy.

Wrong. They are not told to tell women to lose weight. Eat healthy and continue to exercise, yes. Lose weight? Please find that advice in the NICE guidelines...

[PurpleDaisies]

@PerfectlyUnsuitable

Ok *@PurpleDaisies*,

can you tell me:

• what does healthy eating means? Any description of some sort perhaps?
• what does staying active mean? Is it the same for everyone? Is it the same at every stage of the pregnancy?

-- if a woman is loosing weight, what is the consequence of their health/ What about all the toxins stored in the fat tissue. Is it Ok to release them into the blood stream when a woman is pregnant? Does that woman need more help to elimante those toxins?

• About loosing weight, can you loose SAFELY weight in the same way when you are pregnant and you're not? Issue with blood sugar regulation for example?

Has the MW gone though any of that, including past eating disorders? Issue with how a woman can feel about getting bigger? What would the consequence be for a pregnant woman is her EF is striggered again?

So yes I stand by my comemnt that it's the last time to do that.

{Proviso: I am not including ANY dietary change linked to gestational diabetes. Which really should be done under the supervision of a professional too.)

Where have you got the idea that I’m defending this midwife?

[BigYellowHat]

Don’t listen to any medical advice on here @Paradii I’m not saying posters are necessarily wrong but they’re not your midwife and they don’t have access to your medical notes. If I were you I would ask for a second opinion from someone fully qualified. Nothing is worth risking your health or that of your baby.

[CSJobseeker]

Unless the OP is an olympic gymnast or weight lifter, the range for a healthy BMI already does take into account muscle mass and differences in frame etc.

This. Lots of people trot out rubbish about BMI being meaningless, but it is incredibly rare for a woman (or a man for that matter) to be pushed into the overweight range by their muscle mass alone.

To give an example - even Serena Williams doesn't have enough muscle to push her BMI into 'overweight'.

Having said that - a BMI of 26 on an otherwise healthy person is not a serious concern. Just eat healthily and stay fit.

[PurpleDaisies]

@BigYellowHat

Don’t listen to any medical advice on here *@Paradii* I’m not saying posters are necessarily wrong but they’re not your midwife and they don’t have access to your medical notes. If I were you I would ask for a second opinion from someone fully qualified. Nothing is worth risking your health or that of your baby.

The midwife is wrong. Pregnancy women should not be told to diet. Look at the nhs page I linked to earlier. You can find that same advice repeated over individual trust pages.

Midwives have been giving awful personal advice telling pregnant women not to get vaccinated, or telling them that they themselves wouldn’t get vaccinated. There is clearly an issue with the training and professionalism of some midwives.

[PurpleDaisies]

I do agree with asking for a different midwife. You want someone who knows what they’re talking about.

[TheOrigRights]

The OP says "she insisted that I'm overweight and should aim to eat less calories/ more healthily" not that the mw told her to lose weight.

[PurpleDaisies]

@TheOrigRights

The OP says "she insisted that I'm overweight and should aim to eat less calories/ more healthily" not that the mw told her to lose weight.

That’s literally the title of the thread.

[me4real]

Did she say you needed to actively lose weight while pregnant? I would doubt they said that. They might say to try and make sure you don't put on so much.

As to you not thinking you need to lose weight- if your BMI is 26 it means you don't have a lot to lose, if you lost the few lbs to be under 25 it won't do you any harm and could decrease health risks. The BMI is accurate unless someone's a professional bodybuilder or something.

[ILoveAllRainbowsx]

What is your height to waist ratio? That is a much
better indication than BMI:

www.omnicalculator.com/health/waist-height-ratio#:~:text=The%20waist-height%20ratio%20is,waist–height%20ratio%20of%200.42%20.

[MaskingForIt]

@coffy11

Ignore her. BMI means nothing.

I’ve only ever heard fat people say that.

[ArblemarchTFruitbat]

I told her this but she insisted that I'm overweight and should aim to eat less calories/ more healthily

That's not the same as telling you to lose weight, though.

[PurpleDaisies]

As to you not thinking you need to lose weight- if your BMI is 26 it means you don't have a lot to lose, if you lost the few lbs to be under 25 it won't do you any harm and could decrease health risks. The BMI is accurate unless someone's a professional bodybuilder or something.

From NHS link…
If you are obese (usually defined as having a BMI of 30 or above) and pregnant, do not try to lose weight during your pregnancy. It will not reduce the chance of complications and may not be safe.

www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/related-conditions/existing-health-conditions/overweight/

[BlackAmericanoNoSugar]

@Aussiegirl123456

I would have eaten the midwife

PMSL

Do you know what your percentage fat is? And what it should be?

You're almost certainly fine, so I would smile and nod and take all her advice with a pinch of salt.

[WakeUpLockie]

Hahaha! Mine has been 35 for all 3 of my pregnancies, have never been told to lose weight in pregnancy (although I do as my body seems to run more efficiently while pregnant). Ignore her!

[GrumpyTerrier]

My issue with BMI is that it is often applied as a blanket rule with no common sense applied. A friend of mine, tall, statuesque girl, clear to anyone with eyes that she was not remotely overweight, was told her BMI made her obese.

Another NHS trick, saying your waist should be less that half your height (or something like that). I stood and watched a nurse tell an 18 year old, slim girl that she was overweight because her waist was slightly over. She was slender as anything, totally in proportion and in no way overweight. I challenged the nurse (I was mortified for the poor girl who possibly had just been given a pointless complex about her slim body) and the nurse just shrugged.

It sounds like you are similar to my first friend, heavy muscle mass but not actually overweight.