Maintaining weight whilst pregnant

[yellowmellw]

Hi

I'm currently 4 stone overweight and I'm pregnant with #2 (8 weeks). So far haven't put any weight on and not much sickness either so it's just from eating healthy.

Is it possible to maintain my weight whilst pregnant so that when the baby's born I haven't put any weight on and hopefully lost a little instead. I am planning on following a healthy diet and not deprive myself when I fancy something, but I'm just being aware of the choices I make and cutting out junk.

I feel like I need to do this because my weight really affects how I feel and I want to enjoy the baby coming along without worrying about weight gain after.

Has anyone managed to do this and can share their experiences of how they did it please.

I didn't follow it but you can safely follow slimming world whilst pregnant- might be worth looking in to.
Congratulations and good luck.

I'm hoping this will be the case with me OP, I'm currently 19 weeks and not put anything on yet. I'd be perfectly happy if I put on half a stone, but the thought of getting much bigger terrifies me! Good luck!

Slimming world doesn't agree with me

@Thistles24 are you just eating healthy or what are you doing to maintain.

I think no matter how hard you try not to put on any weight whilst pregnant, you still end up putting some on. I'm currently pregnant with my first baby and over weight. From the beginning of the pregnancy to about a couple of weeks ago I had put on 10lb. I had a growth scan at 36 weeks (I am currently 37+6) and baby was weighing 8lb 10oz. I am being induced on Wednesday and after weighing myself this morning I have now put on 19lb. I am hoping majority of this will go once baby is here. X

@LittleFox01 thanks for you reply. Based on my weight I should not put on more than between 11-18 pounds throughout he whole pregnancy. So in my head aslong as I don't go over that then I can deal with my weight.

So I understand I will put some on but I want to try reduce it as much as possible.

I think mine is similar on what I should put on. I did so well up until recently! I can't eat as much as I used to, and I never finish any meals anymore, sometimes I will only have a couple of mouth fulls and I can't eat anymore.

I wouldn't worry too much about your weight as your growing a beautiful little human and the weight could be a couple of things , not just what you are eating :) enjoy your pregnancy xx

I’d just focus on growing a healthy baby, you can lose weight after all

@FranticallyPeaceful no I never managed to lose the weight I gained after having my daughter 4 years ago so it's a struggle I have which I why I don't want to put any on. Baby will be healthy regardless I've plenty of fat stores that my body can use up if needs be. But I will be eating healthy just not over indulging or eating for two.

Hi yellowmellw, no experience of pregnancy weight, as this is my first, but did the midwife not offer you any advice on nutrition & exercise?
If you are starting to eat healthy and cutting out junk you are already making good choices. What exercise do you do? Are you able to go for a 20-30 minute walk everyday? My midwife told me that as I'm already active I can carry on as I am for as long as I feel I can, but suggested as I get bigger I may notice my sense of balance changes so to be careful If I continue cycling etc
If you continue to eat healthy and take moderate exercise you will be making a positive lifestyle change that you should hopefully manage to maintain after pregnancy which will put you in good stead to help you on your journey to loosing any extra pregnancy weight.

@yellowmellw it’s possible you just grew, in pregnancy we release a lot of growth hormones (my feet even grew!) and people end up bigger than they were before even after trying to lose weight.

I suggest you go vegan maybe? feed yourself a tonne of healthy fats like avocados, nuts etc

I was 7lbs lighter that I started after delivering ds2 (ds1 I was whale sized) I ate healthy and worked out religiously until 4 days before he was born. Ended up with a 4 day labour and emcs they nurses couldn't believe how well my body coped and recovered and the physio said it was 100% because my body was in good condition before labour.

Ds1 I was fat and lazy and tool weeks to recover from a forceps delivery with 23 hour labour.

I maintained my weight to the pound in pregnancy, when I had DD I'd essentially lost 12lb & was a size smaller than pre pregnancy

I tried really hard to eat fruit/ice lollies instead of bulky carbs like cake and biscuits. Still sweet but not as heavy and fattening. Also walked where possible and getting enough sleep has a huge impact on metabolism

My partner is vegetarian so I currently don't eat much meat. Thanks for your experiences it makes me feel hopeful

@yellowmellw Are you under consultant care? As if your BMI is 30+ then you are considered high risk and should be. So even if the midwife you saw at your booking appointment said nothing then the consultant you see would give you more information.

However if your BMI is under 30 whether you are under consultant care or not they don't bother. They just tell you how much weight you should gain and hand you over leaflets/point to diet and exercise leaflets in you maternity notes.

In my case the midwife at booking was completely useless. Probably because I told her how much exercise I did before September (I use to do a team sport and lots of running) and now. Luckily for me due to the people I know , have been coached by and instructors I have I know what stuff to avoid.

Hi op, I'm similar to you, same goal, maintain as far as possible and realistically about a stone max weight gain by the end. So far at half way through I've put on about 3lbs.

@BlueBug45 hi no I'm under midwife led care. My BMI is currently 33 so although high it's under the consultant care 35plus for my area. I will be doing the GTT test at some point as that's for anyone over 30 BMI but aslong as my preganancy is smooth sailing then I am allowed to stay under the midwife led unit.

My midwifes made this clear at my first appointment as my first pregnancy and labour the first time was smooth sailing so I've no other high risk factors at all yet. I've no family history of diabetes or preeclampsia, or high blood pressure so weight on its own under BMI 35 shouldn't be a problem.

@yellowmellw then you should then ask for advice from your midwives about not putting on extra weight.

Also others have given you advice about doing regular exercise and staying away from processed foods like cakes.

Even though you may not be at risk at the during pregnancy doesn't mean you won't end up with type 2 diabetes in future. One of my sister-in-law's, unlike me, has no family history of it but ended up type 2 when her youngest was about 15.

Remember that even if you do put on slightly more then the recommendation some of it will be water weight too snack on fruit etc to keep you full when wanting crisps but don't cut all junk as you will go crazy especially being pregnant -- I've eaten what I want but I've put myself on a rule that at 25 weeks ( 5 weeks time ) I go back into slimming world ( I tend to crave junk more in the first and early second trimester ) good luck ! But you can always loose the weight afterwards if you want it enough so enjoy your pregnancy x

With my first 2 children I put on very little weight and after I gave birth actually weighing less. I just carried on as normal and I made healthier decisions overall.

This time round I've had awful cravings and really struggled. 16 weeks in and I've put on 5lb. So I know I need to be more mindful....thankfully going into a stage of craving vegetables!