Is it safe to now start exercising? I’m feeling so down about gaining weight

[Whatthedoodle]

I’m 11 weeks pregnant and I’ve put on quite a bit of weight already. Some of it was put on pre pregnancy as I still had some baby weight on me from having my last baby. I am extremely self conscious. I’m the biggest I’ve ever been. Though not classed as overweight I’m really unhappy.
I’m now a size 12 which is beginning to be a bit snug (as opposed to being a 10 usually).

Due to nausea I’ve not been eating well so having about one meal a day and just having whatever I fancy, but I think this is the cause of the weight gain because I should be eating little and often.

I know what I need to do diet wise, and as the nausea is slowly subsiding this shouldn’t be an issue to eat lots of small healthy meals in a day. I want to take up jogging round the park, I used to love doing this a while ago but haven’t had the time, until now. I know it would be hard to shift any weight I’ve got whilst pregnant, but even if it just meant I didn’t put too much on. I hate how I look at the minute. I’ve got 0 confidence and though I know my body is going to change over the coming months, I think if I had some sort of exercise routine in place, it would help me mentally to just know I wasn’t just letting myself go.

If anyone has felt similar I’d love to know how you dealt with it. I know there are worse problems to have, and ultimately I just want a healthy pregnancy and baby so a little weight gain shouldn’t bother me, but it’s all I can think about at the minute.

@Whatthedoodle
I am in the same position!
11w2 and because of nausea been eating far too much crap in the first 10 weeks... and put on 4kg already. On top of the extra put on during holiday and ttc stress!
It is also on my mind all the time, and like you hope to stop gaining so much.
Midwife told me to just start eating healthy all day and drink a lot of water now that the sickness has subsided.
Tbh it has helped the past 10 days i haven't put on any weight. I feel better too.
But i feel you when you say you don't like yourself like this. I feel so not sexy and heavy even though i am not obese or anything.
I am waiting for my 12w scan and the midwife instructions re doing some exercise, as she said she wants to know where the placenta is first and just wants me to pass 12w before starting physical activity (had a loss before).

If you were running before pregnancy it’s fine to carry on during pregnancy. I’ve run throughout my pregnancy and I’m still going now at 27 weeks (about to head out for a 5k actually!) there is no evidence that running causes miscarriage.

@SunnySideUp2020 I’m 11+2 too! (My calculations though so may not be exact!) I have my 12 week scan tomorrow so I will double check with the midwife that it’s safe. It’s just horrible not liking your body any more. I know I’m not the only one who’s put a bit of lockdown weight on so at least I’m not alone!

@Turtleturtle81 I haven’t been running for a while. I do lots and lots of walking though so I don’t think it would be a huge shock for my body. I will double check with a midwife though. A 5K at 27 weeks is very impressive!! Is it more uncomfortable than usual?

It’s not really uncomfortable as such, it’s just more difficult. I get out of breath easier so I just need to go a lot slower and stop to rest a few times and put in a couple of walking breaks if I need to. It feels a bit like starting couch time 5k again!

I've run through my pregnancies until about 32-34 weeks each time. I just monitor my heart rate and keep it around 160, and you can get a bump support belt as you get bigger. Lots of power walking would give you the same benefits as running though in terms of calories burnt.

@Whatthedoodle was there a medical reason for you to not exercise before? I am not a measure by any means, but I never stopped exercising pregnant or not and while I still put 15kg (about 2 stones) I lost it back a few weeks after the birth fairly easily.

Depends on your usual level of activity, but all mu HV/midwives just say "keep up the healthy lifestyle" (but I did not share my activities with them as they were not pregnancy-approved for sure).

I cycled among other things which was great, and now preg with no. 2 and I still cycle (with baby in a seat too).

Basically I'd exercise unless told otherwise by doctor/midwife.

@ZooKeeper19 I’ve always done lots of walking, DP and I drive to Wales and do various walking routes regularly so it’s not that I don’t exercise at all. I used to go to the gym and had a personal trainer before I had my last baby (he’s 11 months old). But since having him + lockdown our walks are the only real exercise I get.
I have sciatica so some exercising can now cause bad flare ups, like using weights. I’ve found power walking to be manageable with sciatica, I just want to build it up to start running again. I had a failed epidural with my last baby which made my back 10x worse.

I think if I could start running again I’d feel like I’ve pushed myself to lose (or just maintain) weight more then. I know if it’s something you’ve always done then it shouldn’t be a problem in pregnancy I’m just wondering whether it will do morenharm than good to begin again now. Maybe if I go into it slowly it will be ok!

@Whatthedoodle I ran before too but somehow it was way harder when pregnant/post birth so I got to cycling. You can push yourself way more on a bike, I felt.

Anyways, unless advised otherwise you can lose weight in a healthy way during pregnancy and I completely understand your point. Good luck!

It's safe to do the level of exercise you were doing easily pre pregnancy but the thing is to not get over hot, keep your heart rate to an ok level and not to get so out of breath you couldn't keep a conversation xx

There's nothing stopping you exercising if that's what you're used to OP and you're otherwise physically well. The only thing to be mindful about is the elastin, that makes your joints a bit more susceptible to injury than usual. Just take more care with it.

I am 10 weeks and in a similar position. I've had horrible nausea and bread and crisps have helped ease it. I'm too scared to weigh myself but some of my clothes don't fit.

OP how about swimming? I'd be worried about jogging and your pelvic floor.

I ran throughout my whole pregnancy. I also owned a horse so was mucking out poo picking (lifting heavy things) all through pregnancy. I rode until a fair way in, it got to the point where I was struggling to get off the horse as my bump was in the way!

I have been doing weight training for 10 years and intend to keep on exercising whilst pregnant in whichever way is most comfortable for me as my pregnancy progresses.

I think that, unless your doctor or midwife has said you cant exercise, you can go back to doing whatever you are used to doing. I would start with some power walking initially to gauge how you feel and then maybe intersperse that with some jogging on the route. I cant see any issue with doing exercise and monitoring what you eat, now that your nausea has subsided.

How about some swimming, aquafit or yoga to start? You‘ll feel more in control of your fitness and hopefully more motivated to eat healthier.

If you have back pain and sciatica I wouldbe mindful what exercise you do. I think there's a big different between being someone who runs 5k a day then becomes pregnant and continues and someone who has injuries from a recent pregnancy just 11mo ago who wants to start running in 2nd trimester.

I would go for low impact exercise swimming and yoga.

My midwife told me to be careful taking up new exercise because you’re more prone to injuries, because all your ligaments start loosening up - so make sure you take care with your back.

I do yoga and even though it probably wouldn’t help you lose lots of weight, I find it helps with posture and toning, so I feel a lot better afterwards. Sometimes I feel about 2 inches taller after yoga once I’ve got my spine nice and straight.

I was unsure about this too, I'd already gained a bit of lockdown weight before getting pregnant and didn't want it to get out of control.

Pre-pregnancy I was doing strength and HIIT workout videos online, but I was worried about continuing those as I didn't know if any of the exercises weren't suitable for pregnancy. I hadn't been running for a while due to a bad knee, and with pregnancy hormones loosening joints I thought it was probably a bit risky to start again.

There are some pre/post natal exercise classes available - none near me unfortunately but I managed to find some online. There are modifications for pregnancy so I feel much safer doing those, plus was able to keep it up through lockdown. Have you tried searching for something like that?

Are you sure it's all weight and not bloat? My bloat didn't really go down until 14 weeks or so.

I haven't been able to do anything much until last week due to sickness, but now I feel a little better I'm trying to walk everywhere and we have an exercise bike so I'm trying to use that. I'm totally unfit now though - puffing away like a steam train!