Is it safe to start a diet at 36 weeks pg?

[happyspider]

I went to this Slimming class the other day as I wanted to have a look and sign up for after I give birth (I am due beginning of June), but the leader convinced me to sign up now at 36 weeks pregnant, saying that this will help me to manage the weight even before I give birth.

She said it was safe for me to go on the diet now and that I would not only stop putting on any more weight, but I could do with loosing a few pounds before the birth as otherwise the baby gets too big and he's got to come out somehow.

As the diet seemed quite OK to me, not too unhealthy, I signed up and started the day after.
The problem is that the diet doesn't take into account cravings and the milk and cheese are very limited.

My doctor said that I should have never embarked on a diet in the last few weeks of my pregnancy, but should eat little and often and what I feel like, as my body is sending me signals of what I need.

What do you think, is this safe and have you ever heard of pg women at slimming classes?
I am very confused and worried.
Of course I don't want to hurt my baby, but in other country is quite normal that you go on a diet when pregnant if you have put on too much weight...

happyspider, if it were me, i would listen to the doctor and not the slimming class rep.

rather than thinking about "dieting" per se, you could think about eating fruit "instead of" dessert, low fat foods, plenty of fresh fruit and veg...

if you do decide you need to go on a "diet" you can do it once you have established breastfeeding and there will be plenty of time to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight.

as long as you are not binge eating on very high calorie food, i really would not worry about it just now and concentrate on getting through the last weeks of pregnancy with as much rest as possible!

listen to your doctor!

good luck!

Message withdrawn

The slimming leader's comments are pretty worrying (and stupid, in my honest opinion)- according to her logic if you need to lose weight because otherwise the baby gets too big then by dieting you are starving the baby. I'm sure that won't happen, the baby will take from you what it needs, but I really don't think it's in any way sensible or desirable to be dieting at this stage. What possible difference can 4 weeks make to you? If you are planning to breastfeed then you shouldn't diet after you give birth either, but if you are at all worried (and it sounds as though you are) then just forget about it for now, your weight for the next wee while is just not that important. Good luck with the birth!

As far as I am aware - WW advises not to diet whilst pregnant at any stage of the pregnancy and for some time after so that leader seems a bit off base. I would definitely ( as others have said) listen to your doctor.

happyspider, don't diet while pregnant. I think it's grossly irresponsible for this slimming leader to have recommended this. I think you should demand your money back and report them to their regulating authority. You could be putting your health and your baby's health at risk.
Anyway, wait and see what happens after you have the baby. I gained 45 pounds with each of my pregnancies and lost it all within 6 months of having the baby without even trying.

Thank you for all your replies, I stopped the diet soon after I spoke to the doctor, as it did not feel right to me to be "starving the baby" as Tamum rightly says.
Actually only thinking about the baby missing anything because of me being vain made me feel sick with guilt.
As I said the leader put me on the spot but I was quite reluctant to sign up now, I just wanted info for after the birth as I thought that when the baby is born I won't have much time to go around to check these kind of things out.
But when she weighed me ( I have put on 2 and a half stone already) she made me feel like if I was a whale and that I should stop the weight gain ASAP.
I am now due to go back next week and I don't know if I should just go and tell her what I think of her methods or don't show up at all. I think I was too weak to retaliate then,
but she seemed so confident and right that now I just feel sooo stupid!

I think if you were happy with all the other aspects of the group then just go on with what you intended ie to start after your baby is born.
I wish I had signed up with WW during my first pregnancy as I stacked it on..25kg and once I had dd I was flat out trying to walk, bf,cope and it didn't enter my head to diet.....6m later was preg again and for the first time in my life I had a real wt problem.
A long winded way to say if I had treated my weight as diligently as I had pelvic floor exercises I think I would have been a lot happier as being enormous added nothing to those early years .
Being already signed up will give you the push you need in those early days to get motivated. Good luck and be kind to yourself!

I went on a diet in my last 2 months because I had gained too much weight during my first trimester. My doctor didn't say there was anything wrong with that, and I gave birth to a healthy 7 pound 10 ounce baby. I think you should listen to what your body is telling you you need, but if you are concerned about your weight, try to stick to the less-fattening cravings, if possible.

The week before I gave birth I was 4 stone heavier than I was at 12 weeks pg! Spot the whale competition!
I lost 2 of those stone in the first 2 weeks ... and then when DS was 6 months old I went to WW and lost the other 2 ... or rather I lost 1 and a half!
My belief is that anyone can lose weight if they REALLY want to and if they have the will power ... and I have to permanently watch my weight if I want to be slim (not a naturally slim person!) What I am saying is that the only time in my adult life I was able to enjoy all my food without worrying about putting weight on was when I was pregnant and if you have only 4 weeks to go happy spider, why can't you just enjoy yourself and worry about the weight later? Also, if you are planning to breastfeed you really do need the calories to keep up your energy ... there was no way I could have dieted when I was b/feeding ... too hungry all the time!

happyspider 2 1/2 stone is quie a normal amount to put in on pregnancy, it is certainly less than most people I know. I joined Slimming World about 9 weeks after having my second baby, I had already lost a stone since coming out of hopsital, but I gad at least 3 more to lose. Therefore all in all I decided I must have put on about 4 stone when pg and was 1 stone overweight before

I found deiting while breast feeding quite easy, since Slimming World had loads of 'free' food, so I could eat bananas and jkt potatoes and baked beans as much as I liked. (I am not advertisng for SW ) Also weight was dropping off, so it was even more incentive. I would say that you should go back, ask for your money back, and tell her you felt very pressurised to join. Then suggest that if her class was any good and she was any good, then you'd be back once you had the baby. If she has a problem, and if thisis part of a national chain of classes, I would complain very strongly to head office. AND I MEAN STRONGLY!!! She is only telling to to join now because she gets your money, making you feel bad about putting on weight now is C**P.

I think that putting pressure on a heavily pregnant woman about her weight is awful. At that point you are likely to be feeling hormonal and unsure about things without this as well.

And happy spider - 2.5 stone I wish! I put on at least four (8.5 to 12.5) in 9 months. But I did loose it and I'm sure you should be able to. Be careful about reducing your energy levels by reducing your food intake. Believe me, you will be grateful for every ounce of energy!

Anyway good luck with the birth. You sound like you will be a really caring, thoughtful Mum.

Well, Bozza and Crunchie, I have put on 2 and 1/2 stones at 36 weeks and still have a month to go.
The problem is that my weight is spread all around me and not just on my bump.
Until a couple of weeks ago people would not even notice I was pregnant, but just thought I was plain fat.

I have read somewhere that if you are having a girl you grow a neat bump, while if you are having a boy you put on weight everywhere. I guess mine is a boy then.

That is why I was concerned and wanted to do something about it as soon as the pg was over.
You only read of healthy pregnancy weight gain being a maximum of 28 Pounds, but I am happy to hear that so many of you have passed that mark (like me!) and still managed to loose the weight afterwards.

I think I should really concentrate on the most important thing for me now: the baby!!!

happyspider - I too think that you should leave dieting for now, at least until you've had your baby, had time to get to know each other and, providing that is what you want, establish breastfeeding. The last thing you need to do now is worry about your weight.

However, there's nothing to stop you eating a healthy balanced diet (rather than one designed to make you shift weight) until the time is right to diet. Try not to eat cxxx - (easier said than done I know... there are five of ds' easter eggs and a packet of quavers in a cupboard downstairs, and I can hear them calling me) - I'm sure you know the sort of thing I mean. For instance, eat wholemeal bread instead of white, baked potatoes instead of chips, plenty of vegetables and fruit (bananas are good for energy and make sure you've got loads of relatively low cal but high energy snack foods like rice cakes (they come in yummy flavours now) for pigging out on. That way you'll be getting all the vital nutrients you and your baby need. Plus, when you inevitably turn to Mothercare World's vanilla slices for comfort (as all my girlfriends and I did), you can enjoy every morsel and won't feel bad as you'll be being good most of the time!!!!

Seriously though, your slimming class teacher should be taken out and shot.

xx

happyspider, I put on LOADS of weight when I was pregnant (4.5 stone) and it was all over as well, no neat bump for me, yet I had a girl. I guess this is just one of those "old wives tales".

Mothercare World's vanilla slices???
You've got to let me into this secret now.... Or maybe I should steer clear for the time being or will get heavier and more depressed?

happyspider - they are blooming lovely cream cake type things sold in the cafe at Mothercare world. my mates and I were so starving when we were breastfeeding that we came to the conclusion that vanilla slices were developed solely for us.

I see your point about the last month but you're going to be going at the vanilla slices some to get another stone and a half on to match me. I had weight all over and a huge bump (large baby) and I know it gets hard at that stage - the waiting is tiring but Willow's advice on food sounds good. Maybe you could start cooking some healthy, wholesome meals for the freezer for after your baby is born to stop you relying on junk as much. That way you would feel as if you were doing something positive. If you're too knackered feel free to ignore this idea.

Happyspider,

I'm stunned that the class leader signed you up whilst still pg - the usual advice for any sort of diet is to check with your GP first - OK, none of us usually do, but the advice not to diet whilst pg is fairly common, and dieting would only really be an issue if you were say diabetic. I guess that it is up to you as to whether you want to get your money back at this point, or just wait a few weeks - certainly if she is part of any reputable organisation you should be able to point out that dieting at this point would be against your own GPs medical advice - can't see how she could argue with this.

Two and a half stone is definitly still within the "normal range", and 28 lbs is at the bottom end of normal from most of the stuff that I have read. That said it is hard not to feel like a whale at this point regardless of how much you have put on (I'm 39 weeks pg, and desperate to be able to squeeze through the various narrow spaces that I used to be able to!). Do remember to keep up iron levels at this point in your pg. Whilst iron is usually found in disgustingly healthy food (dark green veg etc), plain chocolate is also a good source.

That said, I have just rejoined my gym - a bit premature as I'm having a c-section, though it does mean that I can put ds1 into the creche and have a cup of coffee in peace until my 6 week check.

Whilst weight gain slows down at this point, there can still be blips. I was dismayed to find that I had out on a while 7lbs in one week at 36 weeks - I spoke to the midwife and consultant about this, and they both viewed that it was not abnormal - probably a mixture of the baby laying down fat and me storing fluid. I couldn't work out how I had gained that much - I'm not even sure I could eat 7lbs of food in a week at this stage!

Soemthing I don't think anyone has mentioned here is that you often lose a few pounds at the very end of pregnancy. I didn't put on a massive amount all told, about 2st, but I lost two or three pounds over the last three weeks of pg. It's not a great deal, but every little helps!!

I don't know about you lot, but I refused to weigh myself after the intial "booking in" with the GP (and fortunately he didn't weigh me either at subesquent appointments).

I didn't see the point, as I wasn't going to be able to do anything about it, whatever weight I was!

So I have no idea how much I put on during pregnancy!

But the mean GP did make me cut out sugary snacks and drinks (just when I'd started to allow myslef to drink full fat Irn Bru!), as I was getting sugar in my urine (but not in my blood).

I know someone who went on a diet about 3 weeks before her due date and when the midwife found out they made the decision to induce her because they were worried about the baby. I don't know the full details, I can only guess she had put herself on a a very strict diet and maybe the baby was showing signs of distress which they put down to the diet.

JanZ i too never weighed and was never weighed during my pregnancy.

My point here is also that if you are hormonal you can be easily gullible, I went with no intention to sign up, but left with my diet sheet and ready to start... and I don't recognize myself in doing that.
I am normally a strong willed person and do things only after weighing the pros and cons accurately but in this case she had an easy ride...

What I can now understand ladies from your answers, is that the weight gain depends on many factors and most of them you cannot control.
Unless you eat very unhealthily you will gain your own normal amount of weight which can be very different from the others and will loose gradually.

I am not eating C* and try to go the gym at least 3 times a week, so I guess it's the way nature has made me. (OK, I can have the odd piece of choc or cake now and then, but I am not eating larger amounts of food than before getting pg) so I hope I will go back into my clothes with a little help, AFTER the baby is born and breastfed
PS. Meid, you really scared me now, where are the chips and the pies and the cream??????? I want them all...now

Happyspider I am glad that you have thought about it, and are not 'going on a deit'. If you eat reasonably OK, go to the gym etc, then you have put on weight which you will find quite easy to lose. I can only speak for myself, but I have a sneaky suspision that this is true for others, I put on 4 stone plus because I ate like a pig! Pregnancy gave me permission to eat everything in site! Near work was an eat as much as you like Indian restaurant, once a week I would go an stuff my face at lunchtime. I would eat huge fried egg and cheese (I was pg) sandwiches for breakfast. Supper of pasta etc and then chocolate/crisps as a snack during the evening. No wonder I put on weight.

Now 2 years after having a baby I am at target (as of last night) for the 2nd time, I've just got to learn to keep it off.