Weight gain

[MrsB20]

Hi,

Firstly thank you for reading and any comments are appreciated.

I am 17 weeks pregnant and overjoyed with how lucky we are, everything this going well and next scan is in 3 weeks time.

I am however putting on a lot of weight really quick (2 and 1/5 stone), it's not just going on my stomach, my whole body making me already 2 sizes bigger then I was..

I think I have overindulged and eaten a lot of unhealthy food (I'm not blaming it on the pregnancy, i know it is my fault) But i wanted to know if anyone else had something similar. I want to loose a bit of weight on my arms but want to know the best way to do it and if it's ok, What should I make sure that I am eating as I would never want to do anything to loose nutrition for my baby?

Has anyone had anything similar and done what I am asking?

Like I said any help and advice is appreciated!

Your baby doesn't even weight 300 gr yet, so you should really stop eating unhealthy crap which has zero nutritional value for the baby and will make you unhappy in the long run once you wish to lose the weight and face a - hopefully not - loose skin issue.

On the nutritional front, if you eat 5 or 6 different vegetables (a green said, green beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots, ...) every day, with a fist size of whole grains and quality protein such as a steak, grilled fish (not fried or covered in crumbs) , or legumes, some source of calcium such as piece of real cheese , not the plastic squares, a plain yoghurt, you are completely covered and you might control your weight gain, and try to stay stable.

Eliminate completely all the processed and industrial food. Clean your cupboard and gift everything unopened and bin the open packets and jars. Your baby will acquire your food preferences while in your womb, so get it used to fruits and veg and not junk.

Hi @MrsB20
There is some info on the NHS website which says that most pregnant women gain between 22 and 26 pounds during pregnancy, usually mostly after week 20 so most of the weight you have gained is most likely due to your changed diet rather than the pregnancy.

I think it would be a good idea to talk to your midwife or GP about your weight gain as they will be able to offer the best advice about diet and check if there are any other reasons for your weight gain.

Im sure you arent the only person to overindulge in unhealthy foods during pregnancy though, so don't be too hard on yourself, now you are aware of how your diet has changed you will most likely start to make healthier choices. Make sure you are getting plenty of water, as being thirsty can often make you reach for the food.

What type of food do you find you are eating? Do you enjoy cooking? Let us know a bit more and we can maybe offer some alternatives for you to try.

I'm 17 weeks too but haven't put on that much weight. I still fit in my clothes except trousers so I have swapped to stretchy top trousers to stop them feeling uncomfortable. I stick to what I was eating before but tend to steam vegetables rather than boil, eat seeded bread instead of white as it keeps you full for longer, have fruit and nuts for snacks and drink plenty of water (advised 1-2 litres per day) I try get 5 a day most days but will have the odd lazy day but that's made up by what I eat the rest of the week and we don't have take away. Also cut salt content. you shouldn't be eating any extra calories until your third trimester and even then you only need 200 more which is equivalent to 3/4 ham sandwich according to info my midwife gave me. I've even replaced snacks like walkers crisps for Snack a Jack's and don't have chocolate or biscuits in the house to.stop me snacking

As for exercise the general rule seems to be not to get out of breath or over do it so maybe swimming will help? I intend to start swimming regularly from next month to the end of my pregnancy to try help.keep me in shape too

I'm almost 18 weeks and have put on a bit more weight then I would like! It's easily done when you feel sick/tired a lot and you're hungry more.

I've found planning my meals really helps, I'm also using the myfitness pal app, which I've used before for weight-loss but it helps give you an idea of the nutrition and calories in your food.

Maybe try and have fruit or healthy snacks, and drink loads of water over the day. Add a walk/swim in and you'll lose some of the extra weight you've gained without losing nutrition

Can I just ask what your BMI was pre-pregnancy? 2 and a half stone weight gain at 17 weeks is a lot yes, but if you were underweight to start with them you should have gained some weight by now anyway.

I was borderline underweight pre-pregnancy and by 17 weeks I had already gained 9 lbs, and now at 27 weeks I've gained 2 stone exactly. This is more than what the average person is expected to gain by this time, but it is healthy for me as I needed the extra weight gain to support the pregnancy. I have been eating my normal diet throughout pregnancy, maybe just a few extra snacks sometimes, but nothing outrageous. I also exercise a few times a week, and I'm still gaining weight at a fast rate because my body needs it whether I like it or not.

Of course, 2 and a half stone at 17 weeks is a lot, and likely due to your eating habits now. You might not be able to lose that weight at the moment while pregnant, but you can try to minimise the weight gain for the rest of your pregnancy. Just choose to eat healthy options and healthy portion sizes, don't restrict yourself too much as it's not safe to extreme diet during pregnancy. Make sure you are keeping active, and try to exercise a few times a week. I just do 30 minute work outs 3 or 4 times a week, and it's helping me to keep fit as well as keep weight gain steady.

I know it's difficult, but you can do it! Good luck!!

You can’t spot reduce - what this means is you can’t “lose weight off your arms” or any specific body part.

I overindulged in my 1st trimester, mostly because I went off all my usual foods and the thought of salad made me gag. I felt bad about it but apparently it’s a self-protection thing, your body turns you off things that could be harmful, like potentially listeria-contaminated unwashed salad, much like most women go off coffee and alcohol before finding out they are pregnant.

Now I’m well into my 2nd trimester my nutrition is much more balanced and I haven’t actually gained any additional weight (to what I had in first 12 weeks) so I think it’s levelling itself out.

I still love chocolate though and crave this every evening.

I’d say just be sensible about it. This obviously isn’t going to be a slimming period but you do want to remain somewhat active and feed your growing baby the right things

I gained a similar amount by that time. For me I had to eat through the nausea so I was force feeding myself constantly through as my way of coping because of I didn’t eat the unbearable nausea became so awful I’d contemplate suicide (I’m not making light of this, it was absolutely awful and I’m still struggling every day now at 30 weeks and signed off work and on medication for the nausea). So I’d be eating every 30 minutes just to survive through as a coping mechanism. It was the same last time with dd. Last time I went up 2 dress sizes post pg and put on I reckon about 3 stone after dd had been born. Now I’m managing to eat a bit more variety so I make sure what I eat is healthy (even if quantity is too much). I eat about 6-7 portions of vegetables a day, I don’t eat any sugary foods, I don’t eat many processed foods. My mw said she could refer me to a weight person on the nhs to control my weight gain but that in my case it wouldn’t be useful (it’s quite complex) so might be worth mentioning to yours. At 30 weeks I’ve put on 40lbs (5 lbs above the max total I should put on in total given my weight). Last time I had my head in the sand and wouldn’t accept my weight gain. This time I’m regularly weighing myself and never giving up with my food choices. I know I’ll probably have a good couple of stone to lose post baby.

Firstly thank you for all your responses its nice to have support, sometimes I feel so alone and don't know where to go, so thank you :)

@LiliesAndChocolate thank you for your advice, I have started planning my meals for the week to get, like you said the 5/6 different vegetables :)

@NicciLovesSundays I think I will try and do some changes and if it persists I will nip to the midwife.. to be honest I have been on slimming world for 4 years, loosing 5 stone in total, I think I have brought in some bad habits whilst on it, not eating breakfast and doing speed days for 3 days out of 7 to maintain.. I think there is an element that I am eating normal which has made me gain weight, I used to do boxing and speed skating which the midwife advised me to give up. Along with a bad first 12 weeks and being so picky with food I think its just caught up with me. Answer to your question, I love to cook - I find I am so tired at times do you have any quick recipes your go to?

@EnjoyItAll great idea, remove temptation! I have started swimming, but the class is really late on a Monday (ladies only) sometimes I feel to tired to go.. I need to stop making excuses! lol

@Jennylou88 its so weird you have put that, I have re-downloaded it this morning, what do you have your calories set as? What about the nutrition, what am I aiming for?

@purplemama1990 it was 23.3 and now I'm classed as obese, I miss my work outs, what do you do? What's safe?

@HamCheeseHamnCheese as I mentioned above the first trimester was the same for me, I struggled with most food, it was how I felt on that day dependant on what I ate. I just need to be smarter! thank you :)

@MrsB20 I follow pregnancy / prenatal workouts on youtube. I do both pilates and cardio. The pilates helps with aches and pains, as well as strengthening and preparing for labour. And the cardio just to keep generally fit and maintain healthy weight gain I guess. I like the videos by BodyFit by Amy on youtube. She has a whole playlist of workouts for pregnancy, and all around 20 minutes long so easy to fit into the day and easy to motivate yourself to do just 20 minutes! Sometimes if I'm feeling good, I'll do 2 videos or 1 and a half. So depending how I'm feeling, it's 20 - 40 mins of workout. I also like that she shows different options for if you want to take it slow and easy or want to speed up and push yourself. And she only does pregnancy safe exercises.

I put on 4 stone with each of my pregnancies and all I would say gently is that if you know you're eating lots of unhealthy stuff, and you can refrain from it, then I'd probably do that. My body will never recover from the rapid weight gain x 3 and even though I'm now back to a size 8 it's took a hell of a lot of work and my skin is so damaged that nothing but a tummy tuck will actually get rid of it. At the time I felt so sick and ill that i didn't care that I was eating so badly, but now I regret it. (I ate nothing but white bread, cheese and ketchup for 6 months!)

Everyone is different so don’t worry too much. I gained about a stone by 20 weeks and I was still exercising and eating well.

@MrsB20

Pregnancy does funny things to a body and it is hard to gain any sort of control.
I agree, boxing is not ideal if you are sparing, however if your partner or a friend is willing to hold the pads for you, you could throw a couple of punches safely I would say. Speed skating has a risk of fall or being hit by someone, so you don't need to risk it.
However between speed skating and swimming there is a huge variety of exercise for you to enjoy.

When I was pregnant, there was a magazine called Fitpregnancy which belonged to the Shape magazine group. When I went on their website I was directed here www.parents.com/pregnancy/my-body/fitness but you might still get ideas.

Staying active will help your labour, so you should add some workout in your routine. Easier said than done , I know, when exhaustion such any energy from our life!

However, being active and eating real food will give more energy.

I am not a big fan of MFP or similar because you can be wishing your goals with pure junk food and the second you stop watching your calories like a hawk, the weight will shoot back up in no time. By all mean , you should watch what you eat, but aim at quality not a 99cal crisps bag or chocolate bar.

Go back to what food really is and should be, it is nourishment. You will soon be a parent, and you will want your child to have a healthy diet.

On a Sunday, put a nice show on Netflix, and prepare your weekly meals. Buy nice and fresh lettuces, not the ones in a bag, as the gas they fill it with, does yes preserve the leaves, but steal any flavour, a big head of radicchio for a purple touch of bitterness, cook a kilo a green beans , wash baby roma tomatoes but don't cut them, half a kg of brussel sprouts, remove the hard bit, cut in half , mix in bowl with generous extra virgin olive oil and salt, on a try in the oven until crisp, prepare kale chips, remove the hard stem, again mix with oil, salt, nutritional yeast and smocked paprika and put in oven at mid temperature 170 until dry, cook black or brown rice and leave in fried, two cups of quinoa, pat a chicken breast in a plate covered in herbs, pepper and a bit of salt, an cook in oven, dice a carrot, a stick of celery and half an onion and cook them in a pan with a bit of diced pancetta or speck, add a can of drained lentils, half a cup of tomato passata, cook for 5 more minute and ready, ...
I am big fan of soups, I love pumpkin soup, even for breakfast,. Sips are great for your body and amazing for your skin. And super easy, 5 min prep time or slightly more with pumpkin as the skin is hard to cut, but really, really super quick. Tomato soup is nice, take a bit pot, add two table spoon of olive oil, cut a whole big onion, add two carrots, a bit of celery, 6 big fat ripe tomatoes, half a bottle of passata, cover with water, put to simmer, while it cooks have a bath with a nice book, go bak to the kitchen, add some fresh basil or parsley, after two minutes, put in the blender, ready.

Eat real food, rich in colours and flavours, do your body good, and not some corporation rich.

Your body has been put through diets before, it is now time to be gentle and real. Nutrition doesn't have to be complicated. Eat real food, not too much, mostly plant, as Michael Pollan said.

WOW so many typos!