Help- pregnant and BMI =38

[lizardqueenie]

Hello all

Really looking for some advice about weightloss & exercise during pregnancy. I have just found out that I am pregnant (first time) and I was on a strict diet before I got pregnant and have lost some weight but am now expecting and am still v overweight

I went for my first appt with GP today - told him my concerns & he said the midwife would "probably badger me into not gaining any weight".

I really am making the effort to eat healthily and being pregnant is a massive motivator to do so. Luckily so far I haven't suffered any health probs due to my weight so i am really keen to try to reduce my weight whilst pregnant and also continue swimming. I would love to have an active birth or water birth. Will prob have a couple of weeks at least before 1st midwife appointment so would really like some advice of what I can do before then eating wise and if its still ok to continuing swimming - i am currently 6 weeks.

many thanks

The "What to Expect while you are expecting" book has some good eating advise, easy to follow and could help with weight loss. (basically, lots of fresh fruit and veg, avoid "empty" calories - sugar, white bread, white pasta etc, eat as much of the good stuff as you want) Good Luck!!

You're doing all the right things by eating healthily and being as active as possible. The thing to avoid is cutting your calorie intake severely.... it won't harm your baby necessarily but you'll feel washed out if you're not getting enough energy and nutrition and pregnancy can be tiring enough.

Particularly, because gestational diabetes is one of the big risks when someone is overweight and pregnant, pay attention to the sugar/starch content and the 'GI' of your diet. Ditch sugar as far as you possibly can. Swap refined starches for more wholegrain/unprocessed/wholefood alternatives e.g. wholemeal pasta rather than white pasta. And keep your fruit intake moderate as well. Eat/snack regularly. If you can adopt the kind of diet that will keep blood-sugars stable at an early stage you may well avoid that particular nasty.

Good luck

Swimming is a really good form of exercise in pregnancy and as you already swim there is no reason to stop. I have always ended pregnancy lighter than I start it btw - due in part to little appetite and vomiting!

Thank you all so much for your advice.

DB i've just bought that book so will follow the nutritional advice.

Chill thanks too, I think there are quite a lot of internet sites which look at the GI of foods so there are some fruits better than others - bananas etc.

NLurker thanks to you too - nice to know I won't be totally weird.

Its strange I don't really feel hungry at all, having just come off a strict diet it is strange but I am using what i have learnt rather than just carrying on eating. Bought myself little bits to pick at like carrot batons - dont really fancy anything fatty/ sweet (possibly for the first time in my life!)

I was very overweight at the start of my last pregnancy and was really worried as I knew i had to have a planned c section - I lost so much sleep over whether I would have to have a general anaesthetic (they had said if they couldn't get the epidural in because of not being able to find anatomical landmarks due to fatI might need to have one). I was worried I would not wake up and leave my hubby with 3 kids. Thankfully my pregnancy was uneventful and the epidural went fine and my little one is 5 this month. But I can remember the worries so don't feel you are the first (you certainly won't be the last) big lady to give birth - happy pregnancy !