June 2017 Moms

Dieting and Pregnancy

Hello Ladies! 

This is something I will definitely talk to my gyn about, but I was very curious about your opinions and experiences. We all know how nutrition is super important to the LO, especially during the first trimester when all the vitals are starting to come together, but was also warned during my last one that a woman's heaviness can also have a negative impact on the child's growth. I had gained (through a combination of variables) too much weight during my last pregnancy, and while the baby was - and is! - fine, I haven't been able to get rid of all of it quite yet. 

Eating healthier is always expected, and a little exercise is good as long as its not out of your normal routine, but is cutting back the calories a really bad idea? I''m already taking the prenatal vitamins, B12, and all sorts of yummy goodness for the LO. Am I just being a wee bit selfish? 

What do you ladies think? 

Re: Dieting and Pregnancy

  • I have never been pregnant before so take this with a grain of salt, but I would think if you're doing SMART dieting I can't think it would be too bad for you or baby. I know you said you'd talk to your doctor, and I agree they would have more information (knowing you) about where you should be for calorie intake.
    TTC #1 since May 2014
    3 failed IUI cycles
    Oct '15 - IVF 1 - 10R, 3M, 0F
    Sept '16 - IVF - 12R, 11M, 5F and 3 perfect day 5 blasts - MMC 7w5d
    Jan '17 - FET 1 - BFP, EDD 10/14

    Babysizer Geeky Pregnancy Tracker
  • So, I have had GD with two of my three pregnancies.  I've also lost weight during each of my pregnancies (I'm overweight to begin with.), but I've started the GD diet already and I started it immediately with my last daughter.  I don't cut calories, as much as I do carbs.  

    I'd definitely talk to your doctor, but I see no harm.
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  • I'm so glad that you brought this up. When DH and I moved from San Diego to Texas last year I gained about 15lbs (too much bbq and excessive heat? Lol) and I am technically in the "overweight" category now by a couple of points, which I have read means a weight gain of 15-25lbs from the American Pregnancy Association. 
    My plan is to just do what I should have (consistently) been doing this whole time and try to get my calories from quality foods like fruits, veggies, lean protein, whole grains etc. I think you should talk to your OB about it though, which I also plan on doing. I have known women who lost a little weight in early pregnancy just by changing up their eating habits and their babies were still perfectly healthy. I think the main goal is getting the nutrients. 
  • @devow27 yes yes yes! 
    Me: 28  DH: 30
    Married 5/8/2011
    TTC #1 since 9/2015
    BFP #1 1/14/16, MC 3/23/16
    BFP #2 9/21/2016, EDD 5/30/2017
  • I don't think you want to "diet" per se, but if you want to focus on whole foods, or eating more fruits and veggies and less cookies, etc, that isn't a bad thing.  You do need a good amount of daily calories to support a pregnancy, but your baby is essentially a leach right now...your body is taking what the baby needs FIRST and giving it to the baby, and then you just get the leftovers.  If you consume too little you're going to feel tired and worn out because there's nothing left for you to use.

     

    I would suggest staying active, or, of you're not active already, doing low impact activities as approved by your doctor (walking, etc) throughout the pregnancy, and trying to eat as much healthy unprocessed food as possible.  I definitely ate more during my last pregnancy than I normally do (and even more than that during the first several months of breastfeeding), but I always tried to focus on making sure that I was getting tons of fruits and veggies every day.  So I was cool to go get Chinese food, as long as it was veggie-heavy.  Figured that was a good balance.

     

    I'm not a doctor though, so obviously your doctor will know best what you should do.

  • This is definitely individualized so your doctor can give you more customized advice, but here's my experience. I started out my last pregnancy slightly overweight and my doctor encouraged me to eat healthy and definitely not follow the mentality of "eating for two". I wouldn't say I dieted, but I was very conscious about my food choices (leaned toward proteins, fruits, and veggies, limited bad carbs and sugar) and only treated myself on occasion. I also drank a on of water. I had a very healthy pregnancy and only gained about 10 pounds overall, which my doctor was happy with. Because it was so little, I lost the pregnancy weight pretty soon after birth, and I lost another ten pounds after weaning. But, I'm still following this same eating mentality this pregnancy. Hope we can all encourage each other to make healthy choices, while still indulging sometimes.
  • I've been counting calories via Myfitnesspal.  I have it synced with my Fitbit as well to keep track of calories earned from exercise as well.  I know it's not 100% correct but it gives me a good ball park for what I should be eating everyday.  I usually do pretty well I think.  Thankfully I don't have cravings for cookies or anything like that and I don't keep chips and stuff like that in my house.  But I haven't run across a taco yet I don't like :-) 
  • I just fell in love with you 
  • I wouldn't diet, but there's nothing wrong with trying to eat healthy. 

    It is possible to lose weight while pregnant and be healthy and have a healthy baby. A good friend of mine just gave birth to her son. She had gestational diabetes, so she had to be very strict with her diet. She was carrying a little extra but was by no means fat or obese (she is in the military so she was within weight limitations they require). With all the healthy eating, she gained just five pounds during the entire pregnancy. She gave birth and was immediately more than 15 pounds under her pre-pregnancy weight. 
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