Help: Weight Gain/Eating Habits

[sarahtheredhead]

Hi all, I was wondering whether anyone else is in the same situation.

I am 12 weeks 2 days pregnant and have always struggled with my weight and eating habits. Before I got pregnant I was at a very happy weight, the lowest weight I have been for 10 years (I'm 21). I feel like my eating has gotten out of control and I feel so upset with myself and feel like I'm going to gain all the weight back that I have lost over the last 3 years. I lost just over 4 stone and have gained a stone back since my birthday in November. I find it hard to eat anything at the moment that is watery or mushy and I am finding it hard to eat vegetables and i usually love veg! Does it get any easier? Does anyone have any tips for maintaining weight and to stop overloading with food?

Thanks in advance

Hello! Please try not to worry about gaining weight. You definitely will gain weight in pregnancy, that is just a fact. During the early weeks and it's impossible to eat anything but carbs you might gain more. However once the sickness/queesyness eases you can go back to eating more veges, fruit etc and the weight gain will likely not be so much so quickly. It's normal to gain around 10 kgs during pregnancy, sometimes more. Your body needs the extra fat for energy and to protect baby and it will help you breastfeed. I've also heard that breastfeeding usually helps you shed the weight you gained, so definitely consider doing that if you aren't already.
Keep active, aim for aerobic exercise like swimming, light jogging or walking. Pregnancy yoga is also great.
You are going to be hungrier than usual while you're pregnant. Definitely don't try to diet. Just try to eat sensibly when you can; and if you can only stomach chips, eat chips. I've had awful nausea for about 6 weeks. I'm usually a vegetarian, eat super well, lots of veges etc, but I've mostly been subsisting on pasta, bread, white rice, and occasionally McDonalds!!
My advice is just try to go with it, love your body for the miracle it is creating, and have faith that you will eat well on the days you can, and that you will lose the weight again after baby is born. x

Choose foods that are nutritionally dense and help you feel satisfied.
Focus on small, frequent meals that are high in lean proteins, fibre and healthy fats. Eating every three hours should help you avoid overdoing it at mealtimes.
It might help to keep a food diary. By writing down what you eat during the day, it helps keep you more accountable and more able to see where you might be overdoing it and figure out what tweaks can be made.
Keep exercising
Breastfeed if you can. Obviously it won't help during pregnancy, but it's the best fix for losing the extra weight you've gained during pregnancy.