HELP I can't stop eating!

[Jellybaby13]

One thing I always thought before I got pregnant was that I'd never be one of those that would stuff my face full of food during pregnancy. I was all for the "I'm going to be so healthy and in control when I'm pregnant".

Well. Now I'm 7 weeks 5 days pregnant and I haven't stopped stuffing my face over the last two weeks! I can't stop! If I try and be sensible and have the healthy foods I'm supposed to eat I just feel like I'm going to throw up! Like, I'm physically heaving at my desk in work and I can't have that because no one knows yet...but I can't go on like this because by week 40 I'll be the size of a house!

Any advice on what others have done in my situation would be greatly appreciated, especially if it's worked to keep you from piling on the pounds and also prevented the sickness. Also specific food would be helpful. No 'have some self control' responses please, I was a strict dieter that kept a healthy weight before becoming pregnant. So far I've gained around 3-4lbs. thanks in advance!

I’ve not had nausea but I was ravenous in my first trimester and had to eat every two hours and get out of bed for a late night snack (usually a hot cross bun or bowl of crunchy nut). I realise I’m extremely lucky that I’ve not had sickness so I’ve been munching on fruit, yoghurt, nuts etc but reading other ladies experience nearly everyone experiences hunger, also I’ve read a lot of ladies say they calmed down later on and although they gained weight in the beginning it evened our towards the end.
If you’re being sick then just listen to your body and eat what your body allows you to! Even if it is biscuits or whatever, take ante natal vitamins and just do what works for you and your body.

During my first pregnancy I could only eat jam donuts for a significant period of my first trimester.
Previously I had been a healthy BMI with daily exercise and healthy diet.

I put on two stone over pg and luckily was back in my pre-pg jeans in under a week after birth - literally don't know how, exceptionally good luck, probably BFing helped, and that's it.

This pg I have been so ill I could barely eat and lost a stone in about 4 weeks.
I'm now 15 weeks and can finally cook and eat my usual foods but am sugar crazy on top of that.

I am just doing what my body needs hoping it knows what it needs and in the knowledge that I will revert to my previous habits/diets again eventually.

My top tips were ginger nut biscuits and salt and vinegar crisps - the only things I could eat in both PGs regularly.

Don't sweat it, your body will do crazy things and I say just go with it. When you're feeling better later on you can eat your preferred foods!

Good luck and congrats!

I ate a lot in my first pregnancy, just to keep the naseau at bay. I think I put on 10-12lbs in 3 months, and got comments from my unknowing team like "you can't just eat all day you know.." (cheek, even if I wasn't pregnant). I tried to stick to things like ginger oat cakes and crackers rather than mars bars.

PS Try not to tell yourself what you will or won't do when you're a parent: it's excruciating hearing your friends recount what you swore you would/wouldn't do when you finally succumb to a dummy/bribe child with sweets whilst potty training/accept you can't expect children to fit around your pre-kid lifestyle lol

I too swore I’d never eat and eat, I would just control myself and if I felt a bit sick I’d have to put up with it. Ha ha ha. I had to eat every hour to feel well. Crackers and crisps were my favourite as I found I didn’t have to eat much to stave off sickness, so I’d have a few crackers or half a packet of Pom bears. That’s all that worked. Work was a nightmare because I never normally snacked pre pregnancy. Just do what you need to do to survive.

I had bad morning sickness and understand that need to eat. I made crudités like carrot, celary and cucumber. It really helped actually.

The first few weeks I went through about 2 packs of biscuits and a litre of milk a day, very out of character, it was so obvious what was up! Then there’s was the infamous time I ate a McDonalds meal and KFC meal in the same day (gag)... then the nausea and migraines set in for about 3 months and I could barely eat anything. Once that passed however I was back on track and now I’m about to drop and I’ve really ramped it up. It’s unusual to not find me stuffing myself with something or other. I dread to think how much weight is not baby.

I've been eating the mini bags of popcorn (on offer in Tesco at the mo for £1 for 6) only 42 calories a bag. Life saver. If I don't eat I feel sick.

First few months of pg I couldn't stomach much without throwing it back... I thought to myself gawd how long is this gonna last but thankfully im in my last trimester and can eat for England.. I eat proper food atleast thrice a day but mainly snack on crisps and choccy but manage to get some fruit in there too... Gawd as im typing this im craving some cake lol.

If you've only gained three or four pounds this is more about how you used to be, versus how you are now,

Ultimately do what you need to to provide for your child, you can lose it after, and as much as people might kick off, you can lose it quite quickly.

I was just the same in the first trimester last pregnancy. Just craved carbs all day long. I put on a fair bit of weight initially but it evened off as the hunger calmed down in the second and third trimesters. Gained about 2 stone but miraculously it came off pretty quickly once baby was born. Try not to worry and just go with it.

I found I wasn't hungry earlier in first trimester and actually didn't put on any weight. My doctor was confused and amused in equal measure. It all changed at week 18ish though and I put on a 2 kg in 2 weeks. Not ideal. I now have no idea what I weigh. I find I have to eat every couple of hours or I feel nausea or hunger pangs. I have a weigh in every month. I'm trying to resist getting a pair of bathroom scales but it is quite tempting just to be able to keep an eye on it all.

I found I could only eat dry food until mid morning when I'd lined my stomach a bit. I ate a lot of ginger biscuits and breakfast biscuits. I used to take smoothie to work for breakfast and salad or simlliar for lunch but if I had healthier food I'd just be sick. Remember that you're body is trying to tell you what you need so if you're really hungry then don't restrict yourself although ideally try and find some nice snacks that you can keep down. Also remember that you can worry about losing the baby weight afterwards. Make sure you take a good pregnancy multivitamin and try to eat what you fancy as it makes it much easier to keep down.

I'm 7 weeks 3 days and yep last 2 days I'm eating all the food ..I just can't stop. I'm disappointed as was already overweight so wanted to eat sensibly so I didn't gain to much but I so hungry all the time!

I'm 8+1 and ravenous all the time. Not due to sickness or nausea, I'm just starving. I will eat and then 10 minutes later my stomach is literally growling for more food. I've put on a few pounds since Xmas but I got a real shock at my booking in appointment when I stepped on the scales. This week I've taken loads of fruit and healthier options in to work so I can still snack throughout the day but hopefully will stick to stuff that's better for me. Otherwise I'll be huge very soon!

Yeah I too was ravenous at that stage but now at 11 weeks it’s tapering off. To be honest I’d just go with it as otherwise you’re going to be hurling everywhere if it’s the same as me. The moment I got hungry ms struck.
Just try to eat healthy rather than crap but if you’re like most out there you’ll probably find baby likes carbs lol

I’m seriously underweight (a miracle I became pregnant tbh).
In first three months I ate and ate and ate.
Middle 3 was normal
Last 3 my appetite plummeted as I felt I had no space.

I am the same - 10 weeks nearly and I just need to eat all the time. I've been taking double sandwiches to work for lunch, extra breakfast, snacks, the lot. I have already gained about 4lb. If I don't eat I feel nauseous and exhausted very quickly.

In my first pregnancy I put on 4.5 stone by the end - I was huge! I had started as a very fit and healthy 9.5 stone. I started at 10 at 5 this time so I dread to think what I will be by the end. Hopefully having a toddler to look after as well will mean I don't put on quite so much. But then I did lose 2 of those stones in the first 2 weeks post partum so I think there was lots of fluid!

In some ways pregnancy can be a gradual process of letting go - letting go of the body you had (yes you may lose the weight but it will never quite be the same again and that's ok), the life you had, the freedoms you had. Losing control of the way your body is changing is just one part of that. It's a weird time of life. Just do what you need to do to get through.

My morning sickness was just like a hangover I had to eat salty carbs to not feel sick. Later on I had cravings for junk food and went off my usual diet of healthy food and fish. It was so bizarre I craved meat and sweet things, my normal sf has no sweet tooth what so ever. I put on so much weight, I'm usually slim , my midwife was nagging me all the time. I told her relax I won't eat like this forever. I put on 4 stone ! A year later it was gone . Incidentally ds has a sweet tooth, I've gone back to not liking sweet things

Try and relax a bit! Ime once the nausea has settled could be a few more weeks then you can concentrate on healthy eating. Just go with what's getting you through the day.

Thanks so much for the advice everyone! Nice to know I'm not alone in this feeling! And nice to know that it will hopefully ease off during second trimester! Seriously wasn't prepared for how awful the first trimester can make you feel!...however, I suppose it's all worth it for the end result xx

No advice, just to say I am the same! And I am 10
weeks. Unfortunately all my favourite foods pre pregnancy just make me gag at the thought. Smoothies and salads are out of the question. All I want is stodgy carbs - I think nothing of a sandwich and crisps now when I would hve never have eaten that for a regular lunch at work, usually salads or homemade veggie soups.

Also, because I conceived over Xmas and found out early Jan, I think I used it as an excuse to carry on the over indulgence telling myself I “needed the extra energy”.

My cravings have been salt & vinegar crisps and Haribo Tangfastics

I find I am very very hungry in the daytimes and not so much in the evenings so I have been trying to keep it light during the evenings to hopefully balance out the daytime binging!

If you have put on 3-4 lbs by this stage I think that’s pretty much in line with what you are meant to have gained.

I have been too scared to weigh myself since before Xmas but going by how my clothes are fitting (or NOT fitting!!) I would guess I have gained more than 7lbs. Most of that is due to Christmas and pure greediness after finding out I am pregnant.

I’m all for eating whatever you can manage when you’re nauseous, the nausea is the absolute worst.

I was at an early pregnancy prenatal class the other day and the nutrionist said that what baby mostly needs is glucose, so if all you can manage is carbs and sports drinks that’s ok. That made me feel so much better because I’d been feeling guilty that I wasn’t eating healithy enough.

Im 38 and 6 weeks pregnant i have a 19 year old and a 6 year old we had ectopic twins in 2011 one we misscarried the other was ectopic so had op in 2014 had twin pregnancy but sadley no heart beats so had pills to flush i found out 2 weeks ago im pregnant again works out 6 +1 day i have no sickness but with all others i was constantly sick my boobs are sore and tender but thats it i have midwife on thursday valentines day and hopefully get reassured things are ok im so worried that no sickness is a sign of something bad was wondering if you all had some advise or been through same and opinions welcome my mind is on overdrive so hope she sends me for early scan to ease my mind x

I was like this, put on 3 stone during pregnancy!

I lost 2 stone of it within 2 weeks of giving birth! I wouldn't worry too much, just try and make healthier choices where u can, but enjoy pregnancy!