22 weeks, 2st weight gain, sugar addict! Help!

[Mummamermaid]

Hello everyone

Hope you're all well.

I'm currently having a mini melt down & crying my eyes out.

I'm 22 weeks & have already gained 2st 4lbs & am now 17st. All I seem to want to eat is chocolate, tangfastics, hobnobs, crackers, pizza, all the bad stuff!

Half of the weight gain is more than likely water weight but I'm so worried about the amount of sugar my body wants to consume?

I've read sugar can cause autism, ADHD, obesity etc so now my anxiety is through the roof because of how much I'm consuming.

I take my daily pregnecare max every morning after breakfast to make sure bubba gets the good stuff first thing, I also manage about 3 pieces of fruit throughout the day but any veg I just can't seem to do.

I buy a weeks worth of healthy salad to prepare & majority if it just goes to waste.

Anyone else experience similar?

I'm back at the gym again to try make up for being so naughty.

Thanks for listening. Just feel very stressed & worried about my baby xxx

Snap I could have written this myself. I am now 27 weeks and due to feeling sick have eaten terribly through the whole thing, All I want is sugary drinks, have gained 2 1/2 stone …I am trying to be a bit better now but it’s not easy …

I didn’t know about the risks tho so that’s worrying.

Big hugs - don’t be too hard on yourself it’s not easy and sure we are not the only ones xx

Thanks for your kind comment xx

I've read sooo many women going through the exact same thing with the sugar cravings throughout but I can't help but worry about potential damage but midwife doesn't seem to be too interested?

There isn't a great deal of info online regarding development down the line with regards to adhd etc so not sure how much to believe it but have read a few articles when I've been trying to search for answers with having so much sugar during pregnancy.

I've been fighting the urge to have some hobnobs & tangfastics dropped off by deliveroo all evening ffs lol. Was hoping it would be a 1st trimester thing but nope! xx

Sugar doesn't cause adhd and autism.

Wouldn't be hard on yourself for the occasional treat or comfort food.

Though I'd strongly suggest considering what sort of diet and behaviours are most likely to give your child the best start in life. Moreover, minimise risk factors for gestational diabetes - a few of my friends have had it, not pleasant.

Best of luck

Have you been tested for gestational diabetes?

Try and est more fat and protein instead of sugar

Hi lovely, I just wanted to say I could have wrote this myself. It's caused me so much worry but now at 33 weeks pregnant and a 3st weight gain I don't care anymore - I'll deal with that afterwards. Baby is very healthy, midwife has no concerns and actually baby is measuring above average and I don't have gestational diabetes

Thanks ladies for your reassurance & kind comments. I need to stop googling stuff & going down a rabbit hole of unnecessary stress & worry which isn't good for me or baby & probably worse then sugar!

Last scan baby was cooking nicely & everything was healthy & fine & that's all that matters xxx

I've read sugar can cause autism, ADHD, obesity etc

eh, no. Obesity in the person eating the sugar, possibly.

Listen to your body. It is craving sugar because you need energy, you are growing a baby. Eat small regular nutritious food when you can that will help fill you up - pasta, baked potatoes, veggie curry and rice etc but if you want to eat some sweets or cake you can! You're pregnant. A human child is inside your body sucking your energy and nutrients up in order to grow. Cut yourself some slack. Stay as active as you want in order to feel good but don't punish yourself.

If you're finding the cravings and the weight gain worrying ask to be tested for GD, although there will be some monitoring of your sugars in regular midwifery appointments anyway.

Maybe think about some changes to the snacks you're having. Banana loaf, Soreen, peanut butter, frozen yoghurt, these might all give you a bit of a boost?

I just wanted to say that diet doesn't cause GD, it's to do with hormone production in the placenta. But GD could make you want more sugar (but tbh I am currently addicted to fruit for the sugar and it's not something I'm particularly worried about!)

Oh you guys make me cry!! Thanks so much for calming me down! Got myself into a complete tiz last night like a muppet.

It's so good to hear from real life women & mums rather than random websites & Google!

Yeah I'm currently trying to swap naughty stuff for fruit instead so at least there is some nutritional value lol xx

I've put on 3 stone by 27 weeks (started at 10st 6, now 13st 5) and I can honestly say I've not eaten badly at all! I've refused any photos because I just feel awful.

I eat a small bowl of cereal with semi skimmed milk, an apple, a cereal bar, a toasted bagel with chicken/salad and then a homemade tea each night yet I'm still piling on the pounds 🤷🏻 no "naughty" food for tea, just lots of veggies and lean meat. I only drink water (haven't been able to face anything else since start of pregnancy) and I walk the dog for my exercise. I take my vitamins and my midwife isn't concerned so I've just resigned myself to the fact there's not much I can do! My bump is pretty big and my boobs look like something from a 90s porno so hopefully a lot of the weight is there 😄

DP is baffled too as he's very into his cooking and has made a big effort to cook really healthy meals for us and only stock the house with good stuff.

As long as we get our babies safely and healthy at the end it'll all be worth it 🥰 don't beat yourself up, we're all doing our best x

@17:52Wifflywafflywoo

This tickled me a lot!! Funnily enough, I measured myself last night like an idiot & measured my boobs, I've gone from a size D to FF!!!!! Crazy what our bodies go through but fascinating at the same time.

My body seems to hold onto water weight 10x more than the average person so trying not to freak out too much lol, may be similar for you as well especially if you're eating super healthy xx

@Mummamermaid

Honestly it's a right kick in the face. I miss my biccies and Pepsi and fry ups. Made such a big effort to give them all up and still piled on the pounds. Here's to hoping it all magically drops off for us after we give birth 😂

@Wifflywafflywoo hahaha me too! And I'm sure it will.

My partner said to me last night, I'm surprised you've managed to get this far without having a meltdown, you're doing good 🤣 so I guess it's completely normal.

Talking of biccies, HOBNOBS!! 🤣🤣 swear they're like crack ffs lol

@Mummamermaid

I used to be one of the top 5 buyers of chocolate hobnobs from Sainsbury's in my area 😂 I was so proud when they emailed me the yearly stats. This year we were ranked top 5 for limes and tomatoes. I could live off hobnobs. I've replaced them with some cereal bars that are absolutely tiny 🙄

@Wifflywafflywoo

Omg how did they know you were such an addict?!?! Hahahahha that is absolutely brilliant 🤣🤣🤣 finally met someone who loves them just as much as I do hahahaha that's made my day! Omg I love them so much.

Last week I was craving a cuppa & some biccies at like 10 o'clock at night so deliveroo appeared 10mins later with teabags, milk & of course a pack of hobnobs 🙈🤣 pretty tempted to get some now!! 🙈🙈

Have you gone off them/not craving them or just being mega healthy & fighting the urge? Cos if you have I wanna know how you're doing it lol

@Mummamermaid

We do online shopping with a linked Nectar card and every so often they send us like shopping stats to tell us things like how many portions of fruit and veg we bought between X date and X date or if we were in the top 5 buyers of certain products in our area.

I used to just eat them constantly, sometimes a packet a day easily. We did IVF so I wanted to make sure I put all my effort in to getting healthier. Rationed myself to 3 a day then 2 then none. I have about ten full packets in my kitchen cupboard still. I now see it as an accomplishment to not touch the packets...

I've been really weird with food. I could only eat pickled things for weeks, then tinned tomatoes, had a soup phase, a plain spaghetti phase and now I'm just craving like "clean food". Six months ago I'd have sold my granny at anytime for a McDonald's, now I gip at the thought.

I think it's total fluke what we end up craving. I bloody love the idea of deliveroo bringing your stuff 😂

@Wifflywafflywoo

Ahhhh, got ya (I'm useless when it comes to nectar & things like that 🤣)

Wow this is amazing & you should be so proud of yourself! I think weaning yourself off sugar is great & you're proof that you eventually stop craving it when you start cutting it out. I must try cutting down as well as it's so easy to give in 🤣 first 12 weeks for me were horrendous, could only stomach carbs & more carbs! Even looking at veg made my stomach turn 🤣

I remember the day I was able to eat a salad again & I was like omg this is the best thing ever! Hahaha

You've inspired me to just have a cuppa tea instead now so thank you! Lol x

I also struggle with sugar cravings - and now have gestational diabetes to boot (I have PCOS and history of diabetes in immediate family so possibly it was always likely whatever I ate). I did gain nearly 2 stone in my first 2 trimesters though from eating too much junk as well as healthier foods

However since the GD diagnosis I've changed to only having sugary things or "white" carbs if they are eaten alongside a larger (healthier) high protein and fibre meal - so I can still have them up 3 times a day to calm my cravings but make sure I eat them with nuts/higher protein dairy/lean meat/or fish and lots of high fibre veg and some wholegrains. This seems to stop any sugar highs when I check my bloods and along with no longer giving in to any late night snacking when I can't sleep (I make myself stop eating by 10pm now like "normal" people ), it means I've only put on a couple more pounds in my 3rd trimester - I'm 37 weeks now.

Good luck, it isn't easy especially when you are feeling sick and tired!