Weight gain

[Mangotango123]

I am 3 months pregnant, expecting our first baby and we are over the moon.
I used to be a very large person, and over the past 4-5 years I have lost significant amount of weight by following a low carb diet/Cambridge diet.
Over Xmas I gained a little weight and didn’t see it as an issue as I knew I could lose it in the new year. After embarking upon hard core dieting at that point, I discovered our efforts to concieve had been successful and I was in fact pregnant. This meant I had to eliminate all Cambridge diet products as they are high in Vit A and banned whilst pregnant.
Since then I have had to switch to conventional food and I am finding it really hard work as I already feel I have ballooned. I have gained weight and fear it is only going to get worse.
I know the baby is my priority but my biggest fear is getting to the size I was before dieting and feeling like all my years of hard work have been wasted.
Has anyone found themselves in a similar position? Just need some reassurance from people that it’s not all bad and I’m not alone in feeling like this. Thank you x

I didn't struggle with weight so much that I've dieted , but have always had a fear of becoming bigger and struggled with food.
Getting pregnant was a huge barrier regarding weight gain for me and absolutely petrified me!
But tbh, I didn't even care when the time came (did have some issues post natal before I could start properly working out and seeing results again, but that may have just been sleep deprivation induced too!)
Totally normal to feel anxious about the weight, just have to remember your body is growing another whole human it takes a lot for it to do that and will take time to get back to a new ideal body post baby

As for dieting, you can still follow a low carb diet. Could you maybe tweak your Cambridge diet to better suit your pregnancy needs so that you don't have to go full on 'conventional' food? Or look into other diets that might be better for during pregnancy?

Thank you for your kind response. I was worried I might get criticised for being somewhat ‘selfish’ in my thinking.
I can’t do Cambridge full stop as apparently the products are a complete no no due to the Vit A content during pregnancy and I wouldn’t want to risk harming the baby in any way but not adhering to that rule. I think it’s only in extreme cases ie obesity that someone might be able to have one product a day.
My midwife suggested slimming world as they do a NHS/midwife approved diet plan for pregnant woman, but I’m just anxious about doing it as it introduces carbs I’m not used to having.
I think your suggestion of following low carb, albeit without Cambridge, might be the way forward.

Thank you so much. X

@Mangotango123 I suggest speaking to your midwife and, if possible, a nutritionist. They'll be able to advise on what is healthy weight gain, so you can keep an eye on things. There are lots of healthy options in pregnancy and as someone has said, you can continue low carb. But you do need to put on weight so don't be afraid of that.

I was vegan prior to pregnancy but decided to reintroduce dairy and eggs for the duration as I really went off the idea of things like tofu and the other usual protein sources. I'm now 21 weeks and I worry I'm having far too much sugar but I'm still exercising and I eat a lot of veg and fruit - hopefully that's ok.

Also, if you feel you have ballooned, don't panic. It may be bloating. I felt huge!

Thank you that’s great.

My body has been used to very little to no sugar for so long now so I have worried too that having fair bit of sugar now is going to affect me/the baby.

Yes I definitely feel huge and I’ve not officially started showing yet as I’m only 9/10 weeks, but I just feel as though I’m not me and don’t like what I see in the mirror. That’s my worry that I already look like I’m showing but it’s simply bloating.

My previous pregnancy I managed to put on 5 stone! I ate anything I wanted because I was feeling so ill/tired, and thought it'd be fine as I was eating for two after all.
I managed to lose the extra weight a while after I had the baby by doing a strict low carb diet.

Now I'm pregnant again I felt myself slipping back into old habits. I
I've decided to just watch what I eat and be sensible, advice I wish I'd been told last pregnancy, tbh. You're not "eating for two". You only need something like 200 calories more per day in the second trimester and 300 more in the third (and nothing extra during the first!)

I do feel massive, but the midwife assures me I'm spot on with weight gain. A lot of it is bloating, but mostly it's psychological because I'm too aware of not wanting to put too much weight on again.

In your circumstances I would absolutely ditch the Cambridge products if they're not pregnancy suitable, and talk to your midwife (see if they'll refer you to a nutritionist?) about maintaining the low carb. Otherwise, keep the low sugar thing going (otherwise you'll just feel really sluggish if you start relying on sugar again) and just try to eat healthily.

You could follow Slimming world and avoid the Carbs element. There are so many free foods that it’s so easy to avoid carbs completely. Slimming world really is all about healthy balanced eating.

It might also be worth checking out the diet recommended for gestational diabetes here- gestationaldiabetes.co.uk

I’m not suggesting you are diabetic, but I was diagnosed in this pregnancy and the diet sounds like it might work for you. It’s low (but not no!) carb, no sugar, lots of protein and healthy fats. I’ve put on very little weight in this pregnancy compared to my first and feel amazing on it!