Weight gain woes...

Melanntor

Anybody else freaking out about weight gain? I'm so sick of all the articles coming up about "normal pregnancy weight gain." My starting BMI was 26 (1 point over the normal BMI range), and I've gained around 20 lbs so far (I'll be 24 weeks Friday). The more I research, the more it seems that every woman is different (for example, we all carry water in different amounts) and that these guidelines mean little; I just feel so much pressure to keep my weight gain as low as possible, but at this rate I'll be over the recommended amount by the time I give birth. I exercise regularly (pilates, walking, yoga, light weight-lifting) and eat pretty healthily most of the time. I indulge a little bit, but who doesn't while pregnant? And when I say indulge, I mean I have half a donut or two Oreos after a veggie-loaded dinner, not two bowls of ice cream.

Blah, sorry for rant. I just feel alone in trying and failing to manage my weight gain, and like I'll never lose it and get back to normal. -_- Anyone else feel this way?

brie_and_almonds

I've always had... body issues... so seeing the scale go past the furthest it's ever been before has been uncomfortable for me. In the past, I used unhealthy methods to address my weight, so I've had to force myself to stop looking at the scale, and only get weighed at doctors' appointments. Your body will be yours again eventually. It sounds like you're doing a good job taking care of yourself. If your doctor is not concerned, you have to try not to be, because some (much) of it is out of your control at this point. You're doing great!  I promise you, I have never in my life eaten only half a donut .

wiseh

I feel like way too much stress is put on weight gain during pregnancy. My doctor said he would only be concerned if I ended up being morbidly obese at the end of my pregnancy and I had a starting BMI of 34! 

I know 20lbs may seem like a lot to you but I can assure you that in the grand scheme of things it isn't! Especially as during the first half of the pregnancy the majority of the weight gain is increased blood volume, increased breast volume, placenta, amniotic fluid, uterus size and fluid retention in your body. Most of that will remain stable as the rest of your pregnancy progresses and from here on it will be mostly baby's weight that will increase yours. 

As brie and almonds said, as long as your doctor is happy with your weight gain then I wouldn't stress at all. Once baby is born you will be able to "get back into shape" if you have the motivation to do so. If you want to do anything before then, then you can do some low weight bearing activities like walking or going for a swim. Clinical Pilates may be an option as well, in Australia they're run by physios and are claimable by insurance. My dad does low weight activities in a pool which may also be an option. That being said, I would clear any exercise with your doctor before commencing if you've not done any of it in the lead up to your pregnancy. 

Casas1989

Don’t stress too much. With my second pregnancy I literally gained 60 lbs. Guess what, I lost all that within 6 months or so. As soon as I was ok to workout postpartum, I immediately started to cut down on some calories, not too much since I was breastfeeding 🤱. I know it doesn’t work for all, but breastfeeding did help me a lot to lose the weight faster. 

lappymom2019

I know it is hard but try not to focus on those calculators and maybe stop weighing yourself. You know you are doing everything right by exercising and eating well so the weight gain is necessary for baby. The problem with those calculations is that they aren't always linear. Some women gain a lot in the first trimester and others gain it all at the end. Just because it says you should have gained around x at a certain date doesn't mean anything. Focus on ththe end goal of a healthy baby. Weight gain can come off after! 

SpaceBurger

Yea, it's hard to see the scale go up. I gained 60+ lbs with my first and regret it because it was so uncomfortable at the end/after, but I lost most of it without trying besides the last 15 or so. This time I'm working out more and not indulging as much, yet the scale still seems to leap up every chance I get weighed. Trying not to care this time, and I'll deal with it after the baby comes/I heal up from everything. Be gentle with yourself and keep up the good habits. You will have all the time in the world to tone up after. 

kmw611

I know it's hard but try not to stress too much about it. Every body and every pregnancy is different. With my first I gained 60+ pounds but so far with this one, currently 25 weeks, I've only gained 10. My midwife also doesn't weight me at every appointment because she said it just adds unnecessary stress for some women. Unless, she thinks I'm gaining too much, too fast or too little she likely won't weigh me again. It sounds like you are doing everything right. You will be shocked at how quickly the weight falls back off postpartum when you already have the right habits in place.

truth_trust

I wouldn't stress at all. I gained 90lbs with my first, yes we can blame must of the weight on the fact I had preeclampsia. But still just imagine being 108 and getting to 200. I had never been so big in my life. I had never even been 120 before, so 200 OMG. But I lost 85 pounds within 4 months. This time around, I have gained 20-25 pounds so far. I was 115 at the start of this and I'm now 133ish. Im 24 weeks. At this point, I am still small, but I know once the baby starts packing on the pounds, I will as well. Honestly eat when you hungry, snack in between. Don't focus on your weight at all. This is the time you can pig out, as long as the doctors don't say anything to you.

lovelybabybumpz

As mentioned, it’s not linear. I slowed my gains way down in the last trimester of my first pregnancy without doing anything differently. I’m curious if it will be the same this time around, but I’m always ready for things to change. 

ashleaf2018

I still am not at my pre-pregnancy weight due to HG. Biggest concern is healthy mama and a healthy baby (or babies for some of us). I’m already overweight to begin with so I can imagine seeing the scale going up and up would be stressful, but baby is growing, you’ve got a placenta and amniotic fluid to maintain, your blood supply goes up dramatically just being pregnant. The last trimester is mostly just baby getting chunkier, so the weight gain is much more significant (at least it was for me) in the last tri. And then with DS1 I lost 31 lbs after his c section. Breastfeeding affects everyone differently, some women lose weight easily and some hold on to fat more easily. I was lucky to be in the latter category but I did go back down to pre-pregnancy weight after we stopped breastfeeding. 

kipper-2

I agree with some of the other ladies that it is non-linear. If this is your first pregnancy, it’s hard to know exactly how you will gain. I found with my first I gained very quickly between 18-28 weeks and then slowed down the final trimester. And you will lose it again, although it may take a little time.

dfirstimer

It is hard seeing the scale go up. I do have a hard time seeing the number in the scale go up and as a FTM is hard to know how easy/hard it will be to get back to normal afterwards l. There is very little we can do though about the scale and so we can only focus on the few things that we can control. I am trying to focus on a healthy diet Monday through Thursday and allow myself a few treats on weekends, trying to work out 5 days a week and trying to drink at least 120 oz of water a day. Sometimes I do worry about the scale but try to focus my thoughts back on how happy I am that I can still keep up at the gym and can stay strong

mrsclark731

Good lord... I gained nearly 100 pounds my first pregnancy (I’m 6 feet tall and had a 10 pound baby, but still). Took a lot of hard work afterwards to take it nearly all off. I’ve been trying very hard this time not to over endulge and make smart choices. I’m chasing a toddler this time, which helps. My last appointment I got on the scale and cried. My doctor spent the entire appointment telling me it was okay and this is just how my body grows babies. Some women are blessed and have basketball bellies and snap back awful fast. Some don’t.


My mom told me she “spread” with all three of her kids no matter what she did... at some point it’s genetic and you have to try your best to make good choices. Know in the end it’s worth it and you have the rest of your life to get the weight off. 

Melanntor

@kipper-2 yessss that is exactly what I am finding...until 18 weeks I was right on track, and suddenly, without changing my eating habits (in fact, that was right around when I actually started working out regularly), the pounds were just piling on. 

Melanntor

@mrsclark731 yeah my mom told me the same thing

Melanntor

thank you all for your comments and reassurance 

nnewman4

Don't worry! It seems mostly down to genetics. Like you I exercise (kickboxing, running, weightlifting, etc) and at 27 weeks, I'm probably up almost 30lbs. I pretend some of it is muscle, but really, I'm sure it's not. I gained weight at a similar rate with DS and I didn't exercise regularly with him. So, I'm blaming genetics and hoping my good habits result in quick weight loss once DD is born!

tribemom5

I’ve been having a hard time seeing the scale move up as well. I recently lost 72 pounds and now it’s slowly coming back on and giving me anxiety. I know baby is the cause but it doesn’t help my body  dysmorphia.

eatinwatermelonseeds

@nnewman4 I worked out regularly my entire first pregnancy and gained 40lbs. I'm basically a big lump this time and looking to be on track to gain the same amount..I agree, mostly genetics. 

dgiselle2015

Yes i feel the same I feel uncomfortable I’m 24 weeks pregnant and gained about 20 lbs This is my third pregnancy I’m eating much healthier this pregnancy then the others; Why I’m still gaining weight so fast? 

first two pregnancy’s  ive gained 60 lbs and lost all the weight in 2 months
I know i will loose the weight again but i hate it feeling this way

mamajojo1981

I'm having the same issue - always had body issues growing up and 9.5 yrs ago, I had weight loss surgery and lost 90 pounds. Over the years, about half came back and then I got pregnant. I was doing great for the first 20-21 weeks or so, only gaining 8-10 pounds, but now as I am at 26w5d, I believe I've gained a total of 20. I am pretty much almost at my starting weight prior to surgery which is scary BUT I can see that I carry my heaviest weight pre-surgery much different than while pregnant, cause the majority is in the mid-section where baby is and that's where I'm guessing most of the fluid is.

It still messes with my head when I see 230 on the scale and I still have 14 weeks to go, but I'm hoping that the weight slows down in the last month or so, as it has with some of you.

All I know is that I'm getting a treadmill before she is born so after baby is here, I can walk on that at home.