Worried about weight gain

[sundaesundae]

Hiya,

I am 9 weeks (just) and feel like I am eating just crap and ballooning :o(( I was 12st when I got pregnant (was trying to lose weight!!) so not skinny by any means. Morning sickness etc. means all I want to eat is carbs, today I have had a packet of crisps and four crumpets as that was all I could keep down!

The tiredness means I can only manage a shortish walk and I am just so worried I am going to put on stones and stones :O((

I said to my hubby that I didn't want to be more than 13.5 st max, but that is seemingly like pie in the sky.

Anyone else feel the same or got any tips for not ballooning? When I get some more energy I am going to start swimming, walking and aqua at least 4 days a week and from tomorrow I am going to try and count calories again, no idea what I should aim for, it is all so confusing!!

oh me too :) join the club! I was overweight (for me) at 10 stone 4 when I got pregnant (hadn't lost weight from a late 2nd tri miscarriage the year before). My normal weight would be about 9 stone 7. I'm only 5'3!

Anyways, I'm 26 wks pg and I already weigh 11stone 5. So fair bet to say I'll be over 12 stone by the time we're done - that's a hell of a lot of weight I'll have to lose

However, am trying to focus on the positive - we're making a baby! I got more energy once my ms had stopped about 15 weeks, so felt up to walking/swimming more then. Good luck! :)

I'm 5ft 3 too, so I am big for me too!! I started a new job with lots of travel and staying in hotels just over a year ago and just put on lots and lots.

I don't want to be weighed by people or told off for my weight or have a high risk pregnancy because of my weight.

I am going to make a conscious effort this week not to eat crap and to have three meals and two healthy snacks and see how I go.

I'm also worried I am never going to have a nice bump because of all the fat!

I've only been weighed once - and that was the very first midwife appointment. I just winced when she said my BMI made me overweight! Not been mentioned at all since then. I mentioned it to my regular midwife and she brushed it off and said so long as both I and baby were healthy it didn't really matter. You're clearly not massively obese so relax ! No one will tell you off. I really think you have to be like 15 stone or something at our height to be told you're in danger!

I put on 5st last pregnancy... started off size 8 at 5'8''. Lost it all, and a bit more, very quickly though.

This time, at 34 weeks, I have put on 2st. No difference in diet this time (eating everything in sight again!) but have a toddler to chase after and walk a lot more. This combo has kept it down I think.

I think 2-2.5st is average and expected. I would up your max limit to 14st :)

I don't want to spend the next nine months worrying about it, so will try and sort myself out now with some sensible diet and exercise (not restriction) that I can carry throughout.

Most guides say you need an extra 300cals from 12 weeks, so 1900 calories a day from then and 1500 for now, so will try and aim for that and 3-5 gentle exercise sessions.

We live in the country so planning long daily walks and lots of BF afterwards and hoping I can make some good habits now, I conceived first month we tried, so but unexpected!

I wouldnt think 1500 is enough for a pregnant lady!! :S I would say that is restriction.

www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/nutrition/caloriesadayexpert/

I was overweight when I for pregnant too. They told me it didn't matter because I wasn't hugely overweight or obese. Unfortunately in the first trimester it's all about what you can keep down - for me, that was cereal and bread, but I still lost a lot of weight at first due to vomiting and loss of appetite.

I would NOT restrict to 1500 calories - that's a restriction diet for a non-pregnant lady! Just try to eat very healthfully - get your 5 a day, eat solid protein, all whole grains and a good mix of foods. Make sure to get enough calcium. Fruity yoghurt is a nice replacement for ice cream. Just don't go crazy with sugar or fat. You'll be fine.

1500 sounds far too few calories! Eat healthily, but pregnancy is not the time to be restricting your calories at all.

I do understand your worries, no one wants to balloon during pregnancy, but please remember most of your weight gain is not fat. If you monitor it too closely you might end up restricting your calories and making yourself unhealthy when the weight gain is baby, water, blood etc.

I suffered from hyperemesis, I clearly lost a lot of weight in the first trimester and I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight within two weeks after birth - but I still was over 2st heavier at my due date. 13.5st is not an entirely realistic gain to limit yourself to.

I am 8 weeks and clothes are already feeling too tight. Am I overweight - no, but I'm definitely feeling bloated. Usually I would just go for a run or do some other exercise but I have been told to take it easy because I have been bleeding. As you noted, the nausea has meant I have craved carbs.

My way around this is to think round the issue. So I am craving carbs - my solution is to make nice tasty salads for dinner which I have with quorn fillets (I'm vegie) for added protein and I cube & roast butternut squash which I add to the salad. This sorts out my carb craving and it's more GI friendly than potato. It's also sweet, so it helps with the sweet tooth craving too. Crumble up some feta cheese on top and it is super tasty.

Lunch time I am making vegetable soup - to keep my greens intake up. Broccoli, spinach and courgette are all easy peasy and having them with toasted soda bread with humous on it. Again, helps with the carb craving but isn't bad for you - so to speak.

Snacking is something I don't usually do but since getting pregnant I can't stop (helps with the nausea). Stem ginger biscuits with jasmine tea and roasted almonds seem to do the trick. I only seem to need a little of both to keep things on an even keel.

...it took two weeks of tweaking and two weeks of eating utter crap to get to this point by the way. It was all cake, pizza, crisps and pies - alll of which I rarely eat - before I realised 1) what was going on (pregnant) and 2) found healthier alternatives that sorted out the cravings.

I was 10 st 5 before and 13 st 5 now at 30 weeks. I will def put on at least another stone before it's all over. It is a huge amount admittedly but I can't be bothered to worry about it. I feel fine, I eat what I want when I want it, and I'm sure the baby is all the happier for it. I'll deal with it post-birth. I just think us pregnant ladies have enough to worry about anyway without having to feel pressure to stay slim!

I don't think there's any need to calorie count when you are pregnant. Your likes and dislikes change so much when you are pregnant anyway - all I feel like is roast beef with all the trimmings! You need to make sure you and your baby are well sustained. After my last baby I lost 1 stone immediately (within six hours) and the rest of the weight went over about nine months. Getting into good habits regarding exercise is probably a good idea although it might just make you feel more hungry! Don't worry too much and enjoy your pregnancy!

Your pregnant, be happy enjoy it! I had horrific morning sickness am overweight and actually ended up weighing less after I'd given birth. I lost 19lbs instantly after giving birth.

It tends to level it's self out as your pregnancy progresses. Worry about healthy after your sickness has gone and you get that burst of energy. First 4mths just relax and give yourself a break! When baby comes you'll be too busy to eat

You gotta eat what you can in those early days. I was a curvy size 12 when found out I was pg and felt like all I did was scoff for those first 14 wks and defo put on weight. In the second tri my sickness stopped and eating went back to more normal foods/proportions,

At 37 wks now and not quite put on 2 stone. Considering I haven't deprived myself of anything and done v little exercise for other reasons I'm kinda surprised although was never worried about gain anyway. Tight bump but wobbly legs and fatter arms :) Hoping that'll go within the first 3-6 months.

Point is, early days aren't always a great measure of overall gain and try not to worry anyway. :)

It will all get much easier in a few weeks when the MS goes, and you can eat more normally and have the energy to exercise. It felt like coming out of a fog of horribleness when mine suddenly lifted at about 13 weeks.

I find that what works (sometimes) for me is to concentrate on what I need to add to my food intake, not what I should restrict. By the time I've managed to squeeze 3 portions of veg and 2-3 portions of fruit - plus some extra calcium - into my day, there's not that much space left for chocolate and cake cravings.

One thing I've definitely found since being pregnant, is that my natural 'stop' signal for sweet foods has completely disappeared. So, if I start eating chocolate, I just don't stop until it's all gone. But if I don't start it, then I don't really miss it. That's where shoe-horning extra veg helps: if I'm feeling a bit peckish, then reaching for a carrot will leave me satisfied... whereas reaching for the chocolate tends to end in disaster!

I've just noticed that you are also worried about being weighed by people. I can barely remember being weighed by anyone when I was pregnant. Really, they don't care about your weight, they care about bump size.

Luckily for me I cannot abide sweet stuff right now, everything tastes 100 x sweeter than before!!

Unfortunately fruit and veg is making me gag and I can't keep it down, very strange. I'm going to try making some smoothies and soup to see if I can manage that.

I'm going to get some Floradix to see if that helps with energy and try and concentrate on eating all the good stuff!

I was 11st and am now 14st 7 at 30 weeks. I have spoken to the midwife and she said nothing to worry about.
I did overeat in the first trimester, as eating was the only thing that made me feel better, however after that I have not eaten excessively.
I think it must just be the way I hold the pregnancy. I spent a lot of time fretting over it - but have realised there is no point.

If you are worried, I would suggest that the best thing to do is exercise - possible yoga, but I get a long walk every day as have a dog (although I must admit, my other half did most of the walks during the first trimester). Even if you do feel poo - just try a little walk, it will make you feel better.

That's really lucky you're off sweet stuff!

Food aversions are the pits. I wasn't able to eat meat or fish for several weeks - even thinking about it made me gag. Not the healthiest, but there really wasn't much I could do about it. I initially tried to force myself to eat them, but I'm pretty sure that made it worse (although it might just have got progressively worse anyway).

Not sure what to suggest for your fruit and veg aversion . Hope you can find something you can eat.

Don't restrict calories, just have a think about what you're eating. Crisps?? There are much healthier carbs - rice crackers, wholewheat pasta, cous cous...

I wouldn't worry about weight in the first trimester - I could only stomach stodgy carbs as well, and fruit/veg/smoothies all made me gag. Couldn't do much protein either as I found it was like eating cardboard for some reason. As soon as 2nd trimester started, morning sickness went and I could eat much healthier and get more protein and more of my 5 a day. I also started going for a walk a few times a week, after work and/or at weekends as I think any little bit of exercise helps. Couldn't do much in first trimester though as I felt so awful. I'm now 34 weeks with twins and have put on about 2.5 stone so far although I have lost my appetite again over the last few weeks - think my stomach is being squashed!

Definitely don't calorie count, or worry about being weighed regularly. I was weighed at my first scan but haven't been weighed since. As long as baby is growing at a normal rate and you have no other health issues, they won't bother too much about what you weigh :)

Blimey, I can't imagine being averse to vegetables. I would literally have nothing left to eat!

I am giving little & often a go and it does seem to help. More of a necessity in the mornings than the evenings now, although up until last week it was the other way around. The nausea seems to have moved from being evening focused to morning focused. I'm sure it will switch again though.

I hear (this will be my first so I am not speaking from experience) that breast feeding really does help you drop pounds and running around after a small human is pretty intensive too - so I think there are plenty of opportunities post birth to lose weight once pregnancy is over - if that is what worries you.

1500 calories is too little. You need to aim for your normal allowance 2000/2200 a day and I suggest don't build in your extra 2/300 pregnancy allowance a day (that way you can eat out in a restaurant (always more calorific) and have puddings and you'll already have that in the back pocket without stressing about it then) :)
A bag of crisps and three crumpets while not healthy doesn't sound like 2000 calories either... stop beating yourself up. I know a vegetarian organic foodie
who started hating vegetables and would only eat horrible processed chicken kievs for 9 months. It does weird stuff to you.
Breast feeding helps some, not all so I wouldn't personally bank on it as a magic solution. Much better to get into healthy habits now that will be routine by the time a midget turns up.
eg: proper porridge for breakfast, great for morning sickness, low cal and slow release - bonus - oats are also good for milk supply. Flapjacks not such a good alternative :)
Lots of fruit (not juices) - you'll be trying to get three portions a day into a toddler anyway so you may as well start having some at every meal now
Exercise - be realistic - unless you are already a regular gym goer you are not suddenly going to come over all Jane Fonda. If you are shattered and feeling grim esp first trimester then get some sleep ffs. You only have a few more weeks before you start feeling more human again. When you feel better get out for a walk, start taking the stairs at work - do the small stuff. Walking is really good for you esp in late pregnancy - gets the baby in the right spot so building in a daily constitutional or a weekly routine that gets you briskly walking is plenty of exercise.
Best of all - in about 10 weeks time you will actually have a proper bump and you will start to run out of space for large meals so little and often becomes a rule. In late preg, you will quite probably only eat because you know you should. It actually becomes easier to eat less in my experience. What you eat is within your control.
A doctor told me that there's a direct correlation between amount of sugar you consume and the size of your baby (ie it's fatness, not its actual genetic size). Worked wonders in keeping me out of the sweet shop.

Today I have had -

Yog for breakfast
Packet of ready salted squares (97cals) mid morning
Jacket potato with tuna and sweetcorn for lunch
Del Monte Mango fruit pot mid afternoon
Dinner will be chicken wrapped in bacon with mash and veg (forcing it in!)

My BMR means I only need 1500-1700 calories a day, 2000 is just a guideline based on an average height and averagely active woman. I have problems with my hip so struggle with exercise, so planning to start swimming when my energy returns!

Still worried I won't get a nice bump because of the abdo fat!

I was 14 stone when I got pregnant, and 5'5", so obese. I was never weighed by the midwives but self declared my weight. (I shaved off a few pounds but it didn't change me from obese to overweight so I reckoned it was harmless!) They were completely unconcerned about my weight and about my wish for a homebirth, saying only that they'd want that cleared by a consultant if I put on loads. Freakily, I ended up losing a stone overall during my pregnancy, although in the third trimester I lived mostly on sugar. (9lb 1oz baby although she was two weeks overdue and didn't look her size). I lost precisely no weight at the birth, go figure, and despite breastfeeding, put on three stone in the year after she was born owing to the dreadful eating habits I acquired. I've now lost a stone of it and am trying to get pregnant again as it was the best diet I ever went on.