Calories Needed While Pregnant

www.blueribbonbaby.org is supposed to be a great website but I can't get it to come up for me. Maybe you can? Otherwise, I know the Bradly diet is really good and REALLY high in protein which is what you need a lot of. I've always heard you need 500 calories more than usual and usually you should be aiming for around 1600 unless you're athletic or extra tall. I you usually eat less, then just ad 500 to whatever you usually eat. I think Dr. Brewer is supposed to have come up with the diet on blueribbonbaby, so maybe you can find it elsewhere using his name?
When it comes to pregnancy, it has so much more to do with the healthy things you eat than the calories you're eating. You NEED certain vitamins and proteins to grow and develop the baby, counting calories isn't a big of a deal if you are eating what you need to.
Here's the Bradley Diet:
http://www.bradleybirth.com/PD.aspx

Good Luck:)

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OH! I just remembered. fitpregnancy.com is GREAT. You sign up and then you can enter what you eat all day and it counts calories and protein for you! Awesome:)

To maintain your weight now you need to multiply your weighth by 10. That is what you should be eating now. 1200 will just keep you under nourished and plateaued. Then 2nd semester (mid) you add the extra 300 calories. You will be fine. Do not obsess about your past pregnancy and weight gain, because it may deter you to eat properly when you are pregnant again. Sounds like you are trying to make the right choices and to take care of yourself before pregnancy and during. Good luck to you!

You should eat about 300 more calories than you normally require to maintain your non-pregnant weight, but generally you do not need the calorie increase until the second trimester. I cannot imagine a doctor okaying a pregnant woman for 1200 calories--that is very low for a woman in general, and you will be more active with a toddler in the house. You can get your extra calories in a couple of glasses of milk or two small snacks--very easy and very little adjustment.

Do you eat 1200 a day now and maintain your weight, or do you eat that now trying to lose weight? If you become pregnant you need to focus on weight maintenance at first and then the gentle gain, but every woman's body is different. I gained 30 pounds with each pregnancy, but I always put the weight on steadily and usually got close to the 30 pounds early in my third trimester, then my gain tapered off. To balance your calorie needs, stay active (walking if you are not working out regularly now) and keep yourself hydrated. If you are really concerned or have specific health issues, you should probably meet with someone who specializes in prenatal nutrition to make sure that what you are doing is truly the healthiest thing for your situation. Good luck! I've never been able to count my calories so just estimate and it works well for me.

I guess I want to encourage you to make your priority the right type of foods not the calories. Fruits, vegies, nuts, grains, plenty of water. Avoid pop and refined sugars. Smaller more frequent meals are better also. Especially when you get bigger and start getting reflux.

Actually, it is really low if you talk to a registered dietician. Most recomment that only people who are bed-ridden, etc. be on a caloric intake that low because of the general metabolic needs of the body - especially at your age. Metabolisms slow considerably when we hit 30 and each decade after that.

When working in the world of Diabetes, my mother was diagnosed with type 2 and told to lose 60 lbs. She was recommended a 1700 calorie/day diet to accomplish it.

Also ACOG (American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology) modified their recommendations a few years ago to say that weight gain should be based upon mother's starting weight and caloric needs adjusted accordingly.

To ensure the safety of your child and a healthy pregnancy, I'd err on the side of the higher caloric intake.

Good luck.

I agree with S. D....blueribbonbaby.org....it's not about the calories, it's about the protein (80 to 100gm) and the variety of nutritious foods, get good exersize and eat good food, don't count your calories!
D. Easthon CD(DONA), LCCE, CCE, ELCS, CHBE,
Waterbirth Credentialed, Baby's First Massage certified
www.heart2heartbirthmatters.com

If you gained 125 pounds while pregnant, then one of two things happened: you were either severely underweight to begin with or you ate way too many calories. I'm going to guess you were underweight.

1200-1500 calories per day is not for regular maintenance of weight. 1200-1500 calories per day is for people who have excess weight (be it a few pounds or many pounds) to lose. You say you currently need 1600 calories to maintain your current weight - add the 300 to that and eat 1900.

Finally, unless you're needing to lose weight, you probably should be eating more than 1200 calories per day. If you are at a healthy weight, there is no need for you to consume fewer calories. Furthermore, if you are trying to conceive yet your body fat percentages are too low then that could possibly wreak havoc on your hormones, thus making conception potentially difficult.

the way my doc explained it to me is to not really go by the cals, because lets say someone says you need 350 cals extra, well eat a snickers and theres your extra for the day. That is not the best option, throughout the day always a small snack like fruits and veggies (obviously) and some protein. Good luck to you!

I am 15 weeks pregnant and have had the same question because I would like to gain a little less than I did the first two times. Seems you really should only get 250-300 calories more per day during pregnancy. At least that is what I have been reading.

My baby is two weeks old and I fit in my regular clothes! Yeah! This was my 3rd pregnancy and I gained 25 pounds. I gained 55 with my first, 40 with my second. This time, I had gestational diabetes. I met with a nutritionist (less than $100 if your insurance does not cover), so worth it, and checked out the book The Insulin-Resistance Diet from the library. Protein (nuts, cheese, beans, meat) and # of carbs is the key. Eat it with every meal, every snack. I watched carbs, not calories. Here's an example of what I did:
Breakfast 15-20g carbs (oatmeal, bit of apple, omelet w cheese, coffee)
Snack 15-20 (nuts, water)
Lunch 30-45 (salad w meat, cheese, fruit, yogurt)
Snack 15-20 (granola bar, water)
Dinner 30 (steak or chicken, broccoli, roll)
Snack 15-20 (nuts, water)

I was told to eat 200-300 more calories than I normally eat, but again exercise and eat healthy at the same time.

The old saying "you are eating for 2 now" doesn't mean that you have to eat twice as much, everything that you eat will be split and go to your child, which is why you only have to increase the calorie intake slightly.

Something that also might help-my friend's husband made her walk a mile everyday-she hated it, she tried to get out of it, but it helped her pregnancy to go smoothly and she was also smaller after she gave birth than she was before she got pregnant.

My doctor told me all you really need extra is all in an extra glass of milk. I gained 35 pounds with the first not counting fluid due to toxsema. And only gained 15 soaking wet with the secong. Both boys one 7-10 and the other was 8-7 and 3/4. Asl your dr. Each of us are to gain different amounts. My sister gained almost 100 lbs with all 3 of hers and lost it all right away. Skinny fart.