Warning:This is a really stupid question

Thusadeedoo · March 2009

I realize this is probably my most stupid question ever. But I blame it you BOTB'ers because its excruciatingly(sp) slow here.

So here is my thought. If you eat the same as you always do in order to maintain your weight pre-pg, while you are pg, but are growing because you are pg are you going to actually burn more calories? And then maybe not even gain weight at all?

This is totally flame worthy because I don't even make sense to myself right now, but I guess what I am thinking about is does your body automatically crave more food/calories because you are pg? Or do you have to make an effort to eat more in order to nourish your growing baby? I would have thought it was second nature to just be more hungry when you are pg. Kinda like breathing? You shouldn't have to think about it right.

iowandfw · March 2009

not stupid. I don't know the answer cause I gained WAY too much. whatever anybody else says, it is NOT ok to over eat. Unless you are told to by the doc. but being that I am 4 months pp, and 20 pounds heavier.....don't put the fork in your mouth unless its healthy and you are hungry.

mickey1330 · March 2009

I really didn't eat more when I was pg than before. Except hot fudge sundaes- I ate a lot more of those when I was pg. But normal food I ate just about the same.

buckin · March 2009

I think I understand your question and I don't have an answer really but I do have an anecdote. My SIL who was on the chunky side for her Second pregnancy got so sick that she actually lost weight during most of her pregnancy. When she had baby she weighed LESS then prepregnancy.

So I'm assuming that if you did EVERYTHING the same as before pregnancy you may still gain some weight as the baby is gaining mass etc. but after pregnancy you may be smaller then before pregnancy?

Probably a totally stupid response to the stupid question Wink

tri047 · March 2009

I did not make an effort to eat more just because I was pg. I found I was hungry more often, so I snacked more. I made sure I was eating healthy snacks though...fruit, granola bars, crackers, etc. I tried not to eat junk for snacks.

HTH.

tmj2008 · March 2009

iowandfw:
not stupid. I don't know the answer cause I gained WAY too much. whatever anybody else says, it is NOT ok to over eat. Unless you are told to by the doc. but being that I am 4 months pp, and 20 pounds heavier.....don't put the fork in your mouth unless its healthy and you are hungry.

Ok ...now I feel really crappy that I just jammed a giant TWIX bar in my mouth without really even tasting it.!!

OH God...I need to smarten up!!

chassy1 · March 2009

Thusa- This is where the wt usually goes while you are pregnant.

7 1/2pounds is about how much the baby will weigh by the end of pregnancy. 1 1/2pounds is how much the placenta weighs. 4 pounds is attributed to increased fluid volume. 2 pounds is the weight of the uterus. 2 pounds is the weight of breast tissue. 4 pounds is because of increased blood volume. 7 pounds is attributed to maternal stores of fat, protein and other nutrients. 2 pounds for the amniotic fluid.

armandos_girl · March 2009

The books say that you are supposed to increase your caloric intake by 300 calories/day. I was told I didn't need to do this until 2nd tri or so. Even at that, I haven't done that. I try to choose foods that are high in protein (my Bradley class recommends that pg women take in 80 g of protein/day) and high in fiber (helps with regularity issues).

I'm slightly under the average weight gain so far, but that isn't b/c of anything that I have deprived myself of, if that makes sense.

Jason'swife · March 2009

Well, you're going to gain some weight from things like the placenta, extra blood volume, girnomous ta-ta's, extra fluids, and the baby itself, regardless of how much you eat.

I don't think it's a stupid question though. I don't think I eat a whole lot more now than I did pre-pg (for the most part, there are definitely days where I do). I think theoretically, if you were to maintain exactly the same diet and calorie intake "you" might lose a little body fat during your pregnancy. But the number on the scale is still going to go up because of all the things mentioned above. Know what I mean? You might end up weighing less a week or two after giving birth (after the fluids have a chance go to away) than you did pre-pg, but you will have still gained weight during your pregnancy. Is that clear? Kinda?

That being said... I have a friend who didn't gain a pound during her pregnancy. She was not overweight (at all) to start with and had a healthy baby. She said she felt underweight right after giving birth though. Her doctors weren't happy with the lack of weight gain and had her drinking Slim Fast shakes with her meals for extra calories. Basically, the kid sucked all the extra nutrients out of her and grew perfectly normally while mom was depleted.

easjer05 · March 2009

By a certain point, you do need more calories. Not tremendously more, but more. I often felt like I was eating more, but I was really eating about the same, only spaced out. I could go from not interested in food to STARVING, DEAR GOD FEED ME NOW in about 60 seconds, but then I didn't want as much food in one sitting any longer.

Your metabolism does increase when you are pregnant, which is how I lost 5 pounds between my 5 week appt and my 9 week appt with Chickadee.

You should gain some weight - because there is a baby and tissue and placenta and amniotic fluid, etc. But the reason they suggest that overweight women like me gain no more than 15 pounds is that it shouldn't take more than that to cover the basics. Many overweight women end up losing weight during pregnancy because of the increase in metabolism and because many of us consciously work towards healthier eating habits than we might otherwise. My mw told me one of her overweight clients who was pregnant with twins did not gain a single pound because of the changes to diet and exercise and the changes in metabolism - but that's not a goal one should strive for.

The thing to focus on always is not weight gain (you can expect to gain weight) but on eating nutritiously. You need to make sure that the food you do take in meets your nutritional needs as well as the baby's nutritional needs. So the change in nutritional goals can also lead to feeling like you eat more. If you suddenly start eating a salad everyday and a bowl of steamed veggies instead of, say, potato chips with lunch and rice pilaf with dinner - well, your caloric intake is a lot lower. So you may eat additional food to compensate for the lower intake of calories, but not actually increase your net intake of calories.

mrsDinMarch07 · March 2009

I found that my appetite has increased somewhat. Some of it is due to the fact that I have to eat smaller amounts more frequently due to less room, but overall I reach that "starving must eat!" feeling more often, sometimes less than 2 hours after eating. So yeah, I think some of it is kinda pre-programmed.

Not all of my weight gain is nature taking its course though. Ex- chocolate cake and ice cream do not help my baby but they certainly can improve my mood.

Jason'swife · March 2009

mrsDinMarch07:

Ex- chocolate cake and ice cream do not help my baby but they certainly can improve my mood.

Hey.... as far as I'm concerned improving your mood IS helping your baby. Stick out tongue

Thusadeedoo · March 2009

IT all makes sense. Its why I love you ladies! I had totally forgotten about the breakdown of fluids, blood ta-tas etc.!

iowandfw · March 2009

hmm, maybe I should get pregnant with number 2 and perhaps come out a little lighter (after reading these responses, is seems like that may be a possibility!)

Mrs_Hamlin · March 2009

As stated previously, you only need 300 additional calories per day. As you know, the most important thing is to eat healthy. Also, your metobolism speeds up while pregnant. The way I see it, I probably eat more than I should now, so I plan to not increase my caloric intake very much, but eat more healthy and fruits and veggies throughout the day. I hope to not gain much more than baby related weight because I am not very good at dieting.

officer's*wife · March 2009

I also know people who lost weight their first trimester due to a lack of ALCOHOL. They weren't alcoholics by any stretch of the word, but a glass or two of wine a night can add up!

oh-zysbaby · March 2009

You can totally lose (your) weight, as long as you're careful - I've only gained 6 lbs so far in 20 weeks, and I'm sure that it is coming off other parts of my body because my belly is certainly growing!?

?The MOST IMPORTANT thing to remember is that you have to be very careful - your baby will be fine, because they are basically little parasites, they take what they need first. It is YOU that will suffer, and if you are not healthy after the baby is born it will really really hurt you.?

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