I was overweight before I got pregnant. Since I was queasy, I carried raw pea pods or carrots everywhere for the first three months or so, nibbling to keep from getting too hungry but never really eating a whole lot. I craved full-fatted dairy like nobody's business, but limited myself to a couple of spoonfuls of rich vanilla bean ice cream or a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese in a sitting (working full time kept me away from the fridge during the day).
I walked to my OB appointments (half-mile or so from my office) all throughout the pregnancy (into late summer) and my blood pressure soared at the end (I'd have to sit for 45 minutes after walking to lower it.
All in all, I gained 20 lbs. Colleages who didn't see me often saw me get smaller and smaller from the back, but enormous from the front. My son was almost 9 lbs, and I had lost 35 lbs. (all water) at his two-week appt.
Keep up the walking....you'll get slower and slower, but it'll do wonders to keep you limber. Eat small colorful meals more frequently to keep your blood sugar at a constant level. And make sure you try to stay away from salt and empty calories (one woman I met gained 85 lbs. because she had a sucker in her mouth non-stop) which do nothing for you or your baby. And water! Even though it may seem counter-productive, the more you drink the more you flush. It actually helps bloating.
Good luck!
My first thought is thyroid - and I see it has been mentioned previously. If you haven't had it checked, I would recommend having that done. If that's not it, at least it's ruled out... and it's very important to keep the thyroid working properly if possible. :) Good luck!
Stephanie,
During my first pregnancy I gained over 60lbs. I ate a lot of starchy and comfort foods because it made my stomach feel better. I am currently 6 1/2 months pregnant and have only put on 10-13 lbs. The change in my weight gain has to do with the change in my diet. I found out I am allergic to sugar and yeast. I had to elliminate both items from my diet and the weight gain this time has been very slow. I am not eating any empty calories anymore and I feel that it has made a difference. I also don't have the craveings that I had before. If I were you I would make sure that it is not a medical issue first (talk to your doctor get your thyroid checked and allergies tested). I read somewhere if your body is in antihistimine reaction all the time you will put on weight and not be able to take it off very easy (because your body is under stress all the time). I hope you figure out what to do. Jackie
I have been learning about this myself, but only because I am now done having children, and the weight was not coming off, actually, I was gaining more. I've been going to my chiropractor for several years and I have watched the way they have been doing things. I have recently started eating the foods they eat, and, WOW! what a difference for me! In one week, I lost enough weight to be able to again button up a blouse that I couldn't use one week earlier. I eat only fresh vegetables - like fully loaded salads, absolutely NO breads, rice, pasta, cereals, etc., and only very lean meats. I also only drink water or real fruit juice. I can eat as much fresh fruit as I want, and lots of beans (for the protein), and as much organic as I possibly can.
I know - sounds scary, right? Actually, I am not missing the foods I used to eat. I get enough calcium from vegetables, vitamins and minerals from the fruits, and I never feel tired, I have more energy, and don't get that sleepy feeling after eating, because my body is not having to work so hard to digest food that is not good for it, or is processed so much that there is no way for it to be digested. I load up my salads with all kinds of stuff - carrots, tomatoes, cooked pinto beans and black beans, freshly squeezed lime juice, a little cheese, and whatever else is in the fridge. I am loving it so much! I can eat all day long, and I don't gain a pound! If you do use a diet like this and still gain weight, then it's good weight, and will come off eventually.
I am a 32 year old SAHM of 5 children 8,7,5,4,2, and have been married to my best friend for 9 years. I homeschool my children and I love being the one to watch them learn and be able to help them as they grow.
Stephanie
Pregnancy is quite a learning experience. At no other time in our lives do I think we are shown how "NOT in control we are able to be over all things". Of course you are watching what you eat if this was already a previous issue. But if you are still gaining weight in SPITE of eating healthy...and you have had your thyroid checked...you may just have pregnancies like that. If it makes you feel any better, I threw up morning/noon/night for 9 months straight with my first pregnancy, and still managed to gain 40 lbs.!! Ironically, we had just checked my throid before the pregnancy and it was normal. We checked it right after delivery too, and it was still normal. About 4 months postpartum, we found it was really underactive (I got it checked again because I was beyond exhausted---not just standard sleep deprivation). We got it under control and I felt great/lost my baby weight. Then I got pregnant again and started gaining weight and throwing up again. My thyroid levels remained normal, but I gained weight easily again in spite of throwing up/not eating much.
Rule out thyroid, but our bodies do instinctively know how to prepare for a baby...it may be out of your control. And remember that when you deprive your pregnant body of necessary smart calories, it will go into a survival mode for the baby...slowing your metabolism to preserve calories for the baby.
After your delivery, keep an eye on your thyroid (mine was normal immediately after but then plummetted 4 months later). And whatever you do, don't beat yourself up and/or compare your weight gain to other women. Your body is growing a baby! Barring any mediacal problems (ie thyroid), your body knows what it is doing while it is pregnant.
Hope you have a great pregnancy!
Stephanie,
Don't sweat it! I'm pregnant with my 8th, and sometimes I gain only 15 lbs and others I gain 60. I don't know why. Probably the hormones. But, if you ask your doctor, and he can't find anything wrong, then, don't beat yourself up about it. In the end, you'll have a gorgeous baby, that you're going to fall in love with, and it really won't matter what size you are . . . that baby will love you too.
But, I can tell you for sure that, if you cut back on calories, when your body actually needs more, your body will store the fat to prevent starvation. So, just eat normally, but eat healthy.
God Bless You - Glenda
I would definately check into the medical reasons first with some help from your dr. (Thyroid, diabetes etc... ) From my own personal experience, even before pregnancy I have struggled A LOT with keeping my weight at a healthy level. I gained almost 60 pounds with my first and have been struggling to get back to a healthy weight ever since. I tried Weight Watchers before I had my second, and it helped to lose 20 pounds. Then I had a 3rd (and gained again). Then a year before I got pregnant with my 4th, I started making some life changes based on the research and science written about in the book You on a Diet by Drs. Oz and Roizen. Basically I gave up many foods (not all, I ain't a saint!!) that contain refined white flour, sugar, wrong fats and started exercising. I lost 15 pounds before I got pregnant, only gained 20 my entire pregnancy, had my 9 pound 2 oz. boy and went right back to my pre-pregnancy weight. And now (7 months after he was born) I have lost another 15 lbs. I feel great and I am only another 15 pounds away from my high school weight!!
I guess to sum up, If the weight gain can't be explained by a medical condition.. maybe look at the nutritional content of the foods that you're consuming? Since making the changes, I have so much more energy and I don't feel hungrey from the sugar rollercoaster I used to be on. But whatever you do... please make sure to check with your doctor!! There's a baby on board!!
Peace!
Be
I'm sure you know not to diet while you're pregnant, so I won't go into that. I suggest you ask your midwife or OB what exercises are safe during pregnancy. Ask if they can refer you to a dietician or other expert who will give you a meal plan to follow that will give you and your baby proper nutrition. It is frustrating to gain a lot of weight during your pregnancy, but keep your eye on the prize; a healthy, beautiful baby.
have you had your thyroid levels checked? My first pregnancy i only gained 24 lbs but when i got pregnant with my second, my thyroid was out of control (i did not know i had a thyroid prob at the time) and by my 7th week i was up 8 lbs as well and only eating 1700 calories a day. I'd ask your doctor because if it is your thyroid, it's best to get that under control soon.
Good luck!!!
Dear Stephanie T.,
Many ladies in my church have lost even more weight than what they started out at (pre-pregnancy weight). All you do is NOT EAT ANYTHING until your stomach growls and then only have a tiny amount, drinking diet drinks or water with it, eating slowly. Your body takes 15 to 20 minutes to tell your brain you are full, so if you eat fast, you eat too much. Form your hand in a small fist and that is the size of your stomach. If you don't stretch it out, you lose weight. Even people in wheel chairs with absolutesly no exercise have lost ALL their excess weight.
My church is affiliated with weighdown.org and the Bible studies teach you how to go to God when you have head hunger and are not actually hungry because your body is calling for it. You can do classes on line if you like.
My church is called Remanant Fellowship out of Brentwood, TN, which is a suburb of Nashville, TN.
Leigh C.
watch foods that hold water! (salt, celery etc.) also watch carbs and starchy foods. that is what got me into trouble at the beginning of my pregnancy. if you continue to have a lot of wt. gain, ask your dr. to help with your nutritional choices of to refer you to a nutritionist that can set you up on your own personal plan that fit your needs exactly!
I have gained 37 pounds with my second pregnancy and now am back to my pre-pregnancy body after four months of baby birth. I was drinking an organic weight loss tea called Mummy magic tea that helped me losing my weight without affecting my breast milk production.