Managing Weight Gain

[tisonlymeagain]

I am really nervous about putting on loads of weight.

In my previous pregnancies I was about 9 stone and probably put on about 2.5 stone which came of relatively easy. This time I am already near 11 stone and the thought of creeping up to near 14 stone is horrifying, especially as I just don't seem to lose weight as easily anymore.

I know the bigger you are, the less you should put on but without actively dieting through pregnancy what is the best way to ensure weight gain is minimal?

Don’t ‘eat for two’, and be wary of friends and family trying to feed you up.
Your midwife will be able to tell you if you are putting on more than just baby weight then scale back on treats. Don’t weigh yourself during pregnancy, it’s depressing:)
I put on loads during second pregnancy but was eating family sized bars of chocolate and drinking loads of fruit juice, growing baby belly meant I wasn’t seeing the effect of that straight away so carried on stuffing face and using no common sense. I did lose it all after because of breast feeding, long walks with pram/exercise video when ds slept and dieting just enough to keep milk supply going but I was annoyed at myself

I carry loads of snacks rather than a big lunch to work so I can pick and chose when to eat but lean towards healthy snacks such as a range of fruit or nuts which I find helps as I do better grazing throughout the day. I also find not having chocolate in the house but lots of berries and grapes and sweet fruit keeps me from eating too much bad food.

Have you started anything like aquanatal? I found a brilliant class near me where you make a one off low payment and can use it term time until you give birth. Just gutted I didn’t start it sooner. I’m going to start the gym one when the one I attend closes for summer but the gentle exercise seems to help and I get the opportunity to do a few lengths before the class starts. I have found a few pregnancy yoga and Pilates classes that are reasonable prices for the number of sessions but haven’t started any yet but they could also be an option?

I know it might be a bit controversial but I have found using an app like MyFitnessPal to track (but not restrict!) my calorie intake has been a really good way to make sure I am not overeating when everyone else around me has been pushing me to “have a cake... for the baby”. I’ve been exercising regularly and very very rarely having days where I go over my calorie requirement and it’s worked well for me (only a couple of weeks til baby arrives now).

Thanks for the tips.

@Beldon - I am really conscious of not over-eating just because people say it's okay!

@EscapeTheOrdinary - I haven't started anything yet as I am only just coming up to 9 weeks but will do in a little while.

@muddlingmyway - Good idea, I used to use MyFitnessPal when dieting. Would be a good way to check I am not over-eating.

Obviously, I know I can't avoid putting weight on. I just don't want to wake up and suddenly be four stone heavier!

Another vote for myfitnesspal to make sure you aren't overeating, I just set it to maintain weight rather than gain or lose. I also found it really useful to make sure I had enough fibre as my digestion has slowed right down.