If I don't need any extra calories then why am I so damn hungry?

[DomesticG0ddess]

Surely if I am starving all the time, it means I need more food? So why do we keep getting told we don't need any extra calories until 3rd trimester? I would have thought my body knows what it needs, but perhaps I am just happy for an excuse to eat more.

Anyway, I don't want to put on loads, but if I am really hungry between meals then I need to eat!

I've found I can't eat as much at one time as I used to but I am hungry every 2 hours. I'm probably actually eating less just feel like it's more because I'm eating much more often.

I'm not sure of the exact reasons but I do believe that the old saying you're eating for 2 is really not necessary. Just try to make your snacks healthy and don't eat more than you need to get rid of the hunger if you don't want to put on lots of weight!

agree with cinnamongreyhound, I cant eat nowhere near what I used to but have to eat every couple of hours whereas pre pregnancy I could go hours without eating, just do what you feel and make sure you've got lots of good snacks to nibble on carrots bananas etc, Says me say here eating a tube of smarties! ha ha

DomesticGOddess- you are my kindred spirit! Those people who say you don't need extra clearly haven't been pregnant! I've been much hungrier- although it has normalised after 10 weeks I'm pleased to say. To help combat it, I've upped my breakfast intake to cereal, toast, yoghurt, OJ and tea. I have a mid morning snack (today a biscotti) tonnes of fruit, another yoghurt and more fruit! Fortunately I'm no longer starving at 2200 or 0200! When I'm at home I've also indulged in extra toast when hungry. Anyway must stop writing about it, because I'm not leaving for lunch for another 35 mins!

When I was pregnant with both boys I found I was starving too all the time at the beginning but it did die down - while I was permanently hungry I just took to eating little and often in both pregnancies (and restricted myself to mostly healthy snacks like fruit between mealtimes).

DomesticGOddess - hello! Is this your first pregnancy?

My Top Tip is: anything you're told, take with a pinch of salt. We're all different.

I am constantly ravenous, and have to keep eating to keep excessive nausea at bay. Luckily this time I can stomach fruit, but last time it was processed food only. Literally nothing else would stay down.

Don't stress, don't compare yourself to other people, and remember - it's temporary.

Congratulations on your pregnancy btw.

I'm not convinced that all calories are created equal and I also don't believe that energy in and energy out is quite right.

I remember the starving feeling well but instead of reaching for the sugary stuff which just sends the insulin sky high and makes you hungry again later I upped my protein and fat which I found sated me much better.

Unfortunately I didn't discover this until my second pregnancy. It also helped a little with the nausea. If I was going for a third pregnancy i would be very inclined to make sure I had some protein with my breakfast (eggs?) to give me a good start to the day then follow that with a decent amount of protein and fat at each meal.

I'm newly pregnant, but noticed that I was increasingly hungry over the couple of weeks before I realised I was pregnant, and now seem to swing between hunger and nausea with alarming ease!

I'm off to the supermarket to stock up on fruit this afternoon!

I don't know about not needing extra calories...I heard that you need about 300 extra calories a day...don't know if that's just in the 3rd trimester?

At any rate, I was always hungry in my 1st trimester...and always eating...cookies, fruit, sandwiches, whatever...I only gained 4 pounds, so not so bad...Now in 2nd trimester and not as hungry, so don't worry!

It's my second pregnancy, but the other one was 4 years ago and I was able to do a lot more exercise. Haven't been doing too badly with exercise, but not as much as I would like. Yes, protein in the morning would be a great idea, I should look into that. I do find that if I eat loads of breakfast it does help later on.

Craved a lot of apples early on, and fruit in general too. I am now 12 weeks so perhaps the crazy hunger will wear off now?

I too, have been absolutely starving, but it wasn't like this in my previous pregnancies. I could barely eat in the 1st tri those times and lost a lot of weight. This time I have to eat approx every two hours just to stave off nausea brought on by hunger, and I def seem to favour things like chocolate, crisps, and other processed foods. I am really trying to eat veggies and fruit, but I am struggling to even want to. I am 10~+4 now and am hoping it subsides soon so I can begin a gentle exercise routine and up my intake of good stuff!

i found I was very hungry early on, I would eat much larger portions of food and was constantly snacking! This lasted not very long unfortunately, at about 8-9 weeks i found myself hit by the worse nausea and vomiting I've ever experienced. Anything would set me off, everytime i travelled i would be sick or come close to it. Lots of smells set me off to like people smoking in the street, it would make me physically gag! I ended up in hospital on a drip - I think they called it hyperemises? but this subsided by about 20 weeks and I found myself wanting to eat all the time again! by about 30 weeks I felt to large as though baby was taking up my valuable food space, but now at 38+4 I have my large appetite back again! All very confusing!
I would say listen to your body, if it is telling you it wants food it obviously does. Filling up on protein and carbs is probably better than filling up on junk or sugary foods. Also big breakfast are great Good luck

all to do with carbohydrate metabolism and the effects of pregnancy type hormones. makes you extra hungry because you do in fact need extra calories in early pregnancy (if you can stomach them)then again it all changes and you need more in later pregnancy too.

if you are hungry. eat.

maybe you aren't hungry for calories but for vitamins and minerals not provided by what you're eating? try a pregnancy supplement or something?

Yes, thank you guys, I agree I should eat! It's not all bad though, infact it's mainly OK. Ate 7 raw carrots in one sitting this afternoon! Am taking a supplement. I find I am not so hungry in the evening when i am less active.

As part of my breakfast this morning I had 2 eggs and I didn't need anything other than an apple til lunch, so the protein helps (had also done 5km walk before breakfast!).

Am going to post for protein rich breakfast ideas!

BTW GJ91, that sounds awful, glad you are past it now!