Weight Issue

AndromedaEclipse

I bounce between two boards, this one and weight watchers.  I've done WW my whole adult life.  With this pregnancy, I'm only allowed to gain between 10 and 20 pounds according to my doctor.  I started at 208 and I'm now 225 at 32 weeks. 

I'm getting flamed over there for being upset about having gained 5 lbs in 3 days.  I track my calories to ensure I'm in a healthy range.  Sometimes I don't end up staying within my calories due to lack of willpower (eating junk), and I get frustrated with myself.  But over there I get yelled at for worrying about my weight and calories while pregnant.

Is anyone else in the same boat?  Does anyone else struggle with keeping an appropriate weight gain and others' reactions to how much or little you eat?  I need someone on my side here...

drbethc

I would pay them no attention....The only opinion that would matter to me is my OBGYN and only if he had concern for the health of the baby or with me....

With that being said, who cares what others think? 

Stefaniepr

1.  Where is this Weight Watchers board of which you speak?

2.  I wouldn't stress too much.  Chat with your doctor about the choices you're making and go from there.  I gained 52 pounds with DS and I was so uncomfortable by the end, that I literally couldn't walk to the end of my street - which is the equivilant of 5 houses!  This time around, I'm measuring portions, and trying my hardest to stay away from junk. I do give in now and then, but I try my best to balance everything out.  I'm literally 2 pounds under where I was this time last time.  Part of me feels like saying "what's the point?  I'm just going to go and buy myself that box of Lucky Charms I've been craving for 7 months".  But then there's the part that remembers that it took me 2 years to loose the weight.  My OB said I'm doing everything right, and although I'm at 37 pounds already there isn't much I can do about it. 

If your doctor is concerned, chat with them about what you can do differently. If he/she isn't concerned, I woudln't be either.  Sometimes your body just gains what it needs to.  Try not to beat youself up over it.  I can certainly relate though! 

AndromedaEclipse

It's just that I feel alone in this.  Everyone I talk to (IRL or on boards) tells me to stop worrying about weight, and I can't.  I'm not wired that way.  So it's this stress that just sits on me that I can't get rid of.  When I try to vent, people yell at me for being too stressed out.  It's an annoying little cycle.

richards897

I worry about my weight gain... but I really haven't gained much at all.. in fact I have people telling me all the time that I need to gain more... I'm not supposed to gain more than 20-25lbs and so far it looks like I'm doing ok keeping everything in check. I was working so hard to lose weight before I got pregnant that I can't just turn it off.

AndromedaEclipse

Stefaniepr:

1.  Where is this Weight Watchers board of which you speak?

Over on the WW site, I still visit there pretty frequently.  There are four of us that are expecting, but we keep in touch with the others.

I think that what frustrates me is that it doesn't seem like my eating is correlated with my weight like it used to be.  If  I overeat by just a little bit (like an overage of 1000 calories in a week), I gain a TON of weight (3-5 lbs).  Even though 3500 calories is supposed to equal a pound.

alifoote

You are probably just dealing with fluid retention anyway!  My weight can fluctuate like 2-3 lbs from day to day.

mamameg11

Unfortunately sometimes with pregnancy it seems like we can't control out weight gain even when we try. With DD, I started out a little overweight and proceeded to gain 60+lbs! I have a degree in nutrition, so I know how to count/estimate calories. There were weeks where I would watch my calories so closely, go in for an appointment and had gained 5lbs that week! It was so frustrating, but I was able to lose most of that weight gain before I got pregnant with this LO. In my opinion, your weight gain so far is not bad at all. You might wind up gaining a little more than your doctor wants, but at the end of the day if LO is healthy and you aren't developing too many complications, then I don't think its such a big deal. I was shooting for a 20lb gain this time around and due to bad morning sickness til 18 weeks, I will be very close to that when I deliver. Probably around 25lbs, which is fine with both me and my doctor. Good luck and don't let that WW board stress you out. Gaining weight is never fun or easy to accept, even when pregnant!

AndromedaEclipse

richards897:

I worry about my weight gain... but I really haven't gained much at all.. in fact I have people telling me all the time that I need to gain more... I'm not supposed to gain more than 20-25lbs and so far it looks like I'm doing ok keeping everything in check. I was working so hard to lose weight before I got pregnant that I can't just turn it off.

That's exactly how I am.  I took up running and lost 35 lbs right before I got pregnant.

AndromedaEclipse

mamameg11:

Unfortunately sometimes with pregnancy it seems like we can't control out weight gain even when we try. With DD, I started out a little overweight and proceeded to gain 60+lbs! I have a degree in nutrition, so I know how to count/estimate calories. There were weeks where I would watch my calories so closely, go in for an appointment and had gained 5lbs that week! It was so frustrating, but I was able to lose most of that weight gain before I got pregnant with this LO. In my opinion, your weight gain so far is not bad at all. You might wind up gaining a little more than your doctor wants, but at the end of the day if LO is healthy and you aren't developing too many complications, then I don't think its such a big deal. I was shooting for a 20lb gain this time around and due to bad morning sickness til 18 weeks, I will be very close to that when I deliver. Probably around 25lbs, which is fine with both me and my doctor. Good luck and don't let that WW board stress you out. Gaining weight is never fun or easy to accept, even when pregnant!

This is really comforting.  A lot of times I feel like it's my fault that I'm gaining so much.

jyoung01

I know how you feel!  My body doesn't seem to respond to my eating habits the way it used to.  I have some weeks where I feel like I eat tons and stay the same, then other weeks where I eat normal-ish and gain 5 lbs.  You sound like you're doing great, though!  I know you're close to what you were supposed to gain for the pregnancy, but you're so close to the end!  Even if you gain a pound per week until the end, you only overshot by 5 lbs.  Not bad!  Annnnddd...like others mentioned, 5 lbs in 3 days sounds like water retention.  Or (and this is gross)...are you pooping?  My weight fluctuates a lot throughout the week because my digestive system is so messed up!

jc0n15

I know exactly how you feel. I worked so hard to lose 40 pounds 4 years ago and was able to keep all but 10 pounds off. This was more important to me than getting my MBA and nobody could understand that. So when I got pregnant everyone was like oh aren't you excited you can eat whatever you want?? Not the case at all, I was so stressed out about going back to my old habits and gaining an unhealthy amount of weight and people were not making it any easier. What I did (I haven't been good since Easter because of the candy in the house) was I continued to follow WW points and just added 2 or 3 points and if anyone says anything I just tell them its the only way I know how to eat now, nothing wrong with it the baby only needs 300 extra calories and I have figured that in. Don't get me wrong I am still gaining more than I think I should be, I think I am already at 30 pounds. But its much better than 50 plus I might have gain otherwise.

Don't let them get you down!! Maybe get off that site until after you have the baby, they might be a little hostile because you can gain some weight right now and they can't and might be struggling with losing.

notfrancie

20 pounds is definitely on the low end of the range for healthy weight gain in pregnancy.  It sounds like you are working really hard to stay fit, so try your best to follow your prescribed diet and try not to think of it too much.  I know it is hard, but it should help to know that everyone I know loses at least 15 lbs before even leaving the hospital.  

If you are this vigilant now and keep it up you will shed the extra 5lbs you might put on in no time.