Pregnancy weight gain .I feel out of control . Please help !

[Glitterypinkpants]

I’m a first time mum .
I want to stress I am sorry if I sound immature in any way . I will be honest and say I have struggled with weight gain / binge eating / restrictive eating .

I am 11 weeks pregnant and have gained 8 pounds . I am now out of the nausea stage where I was eating carbohydrates to stop myself being ill . However I am aware I am not eating very healthy and as a result I’m feeling sluggish . I have this “ it’s ok I’m pregnant “ mentality . But I’m concerned as I know I’m
Eating more than I need and eating a lot unhealthier than usual . Everyone around me is saying -Your pregnant so have whatever you want .
Now I will never starve or diet or be restrictive but Im feeling crap about myself as I’m eating crap and I’m over eating .

I’m wondering , can I turn it around ? Can I aim for 12,000 steps a day and 3 decent balanced meals and healthy snacks.
If my body really is hungry then I’ll listen but if not I will stop cramming in everything. My fear is if I don’t stop I’ll gain a huge amount and after the baby is born is will be so down about it .

I am so sorry if anyone is reading this thinking I’m immature and need to grow up . For some reason I have a really stressful relationship with food and I’m terrified pregnancy is spinning me out of control .

Any tips ? Experience? Advice ?
Many thanks .

Hi, I was worried this would be as I am
Already a larger girl and have a very good appetite usually.

However I'm nearly 18 weeks and as yet haven't gained more than 4lb.

I found that eating bad choices were filling me up and stopping me from eating good options. So I switched it up and now eat the healthy choice first.

For example I have a fresh smoothie most mornings packed with fruits and milk, full fat yoghurt so lots of nutrients and calcium.

It's tasty and fills me up. Then - if I still want toast I can only manage a slice rather than 4.

It is difficult when your feeling nauseous but if you're not being sick then unfortunately the weight will continue.

Of course remaining active and eating regularly will help but I would honestly restrict what it is you're even buying if you can.

People are right about don't worry to
Much about it however... you are worried and it will get worse of you continue to gain weight so quickly. There is a guide in line based on your bmi of healthy weight gain so look it up and try and use it for motivation.

Good luck and congratulations

Don't worry about it. It does get better and you can regain control of your eating.

I gained a lot of weight in the 1st trimester as I turned in to a carb loader. Couldn't stand the smell of cooking healthy foods and couldn't get out as much as I had 5 kids to homeschool. As the nausea eased I was able to get back to cooking from scratch so I stopped gaining weight and then lost a little. Currently 21wk and weigh less than I did at 14wk. Had a bit of a bad easter weekend with too much sweet stuff but I'm back in the gym today so can burn a bit of it off, keeping up with my weightlifting throughout has been one of the best things for me.

Don’t worry to much but my personal mindset has been that I’ve just eaten the same as before I was pregnant. I believe (someone correct me if I’m wrong), that you don’t actually need to eat any more until the third trimester so I’ve just had that in my head and haven’t thought much else about it! I wouldn’t ignore being hungry though and have made sure my meals are overall balanced x

Don’t panic - lots of time to recover good eating habits. The first trimester is rough. I have put on 10lbs at 14 weeks pregnant. I literally have felt nauseous 24 hours a day and have eaten so many carbs. Also I have to take it easy due to miscarriage history so much less active. Finally starting to feel like I can stand cooking and eating healthily. Similar happened with my DD and then the weight gain settled. I was back to a BMI of 21-22 by 6 months post-birth, through walking loads, mumfit classes and breastfeeding. Plan to do the same this time!

Please don’t worry! When I was weighed at 12 weeks I had already put on 9lbs and was absolutely mortified, as like you, could only stomach carbs through the hideous nausea. I’m now 30 weeks and only put on 3lbs in the second trimester so your weight gain is not necessarily an indication that you will end up piling it on.
What I did find was when the nausea stopped I was able to stomach healthy foods again, so had a much more balanced diet rather than just carbs in the first trimester.

I’m doing slimming world, I’ve found I’m eating g much healthier than in my first pregnancy where I gained 3.5 stones and I’m not going hungry.

@Glitterypinkpants - in my very first pregnancy I literally would eat for two and put on 4 stone. Once baby was delivered I was so shocked at the damage I’d done to my body. To be honest I barely moved around as I had HG and was off sick. I don’t want you stressing out during the rest of your pregnancy about weight gain but it’s good to be mindful and go for healthy options wherever you can. I know it’s hard as I’m currently eating so much junk food due to nausea and my body constantly craves crisps and chocolate. I even feel like I’m being a hypocrite with my advice to you as I’m hopeless at switching to a more healthier alternative x

I had high BMi when I became pregnant with DC2. I asked my GP if I could be recommended a nutritionist and also discussed with the consultant what the healthiest lowest weight gain I could have.

The GP put me on a nutritionist course. Every three weeks I would be weighed in. I was in a class with others (though I think everyone else was trying to lose weight.) Consultant said (for me, this is NOT advice for you...) my safest lowest weight gain would be 5 kg. I did manage to stick to this.

There were so many great tips on that course. Such as eating protein as a snack as this is healthier and keeps you fuller longer. I therefore starting snacking on half white toast with peanut butter. I'm sure others may say brown is better. hehe

Also, when I was pregnant with DC1, I used to have bolognese most mid-mornings. It was a very small portion of bolognese and pasta but it kept me so full during the day and then I could have smaller meals later on.

All the best.