Dr Lukes weight gain suggestions...

Puppins · December 2009

I just got Dr Luke's book and am freaking out about how much weight I need to gain. Mostly because I havent gained any and feel like I need to gain 40lbs in the next 2 months- yikes.

Did your MDs agree with the weight gain suggestions? Did you gain as much weight as Dr. Luke said to? I feel like tonight before I go to bed I need to eat a Whopper, a gallon of ice cream and a chicken salad!

I see the specialist for the 1st time next week so I will bring it up- just looking for previous experience- TIA ladies!

Temp6313048411121614 · December 2009

I never read the book and my OB never gave me guidelines as far as what to gain. I only looked at the scale once while pg, I know my doc would've told me if I needed to gain more or less.

ETA: Even though I didn't read/follow the book, I did put on a HEALTHY 48 pounds.

RobynK · December 2009

The nutritionist at my MFM swears by Dr. Luke and gave me some ideas for how to pack in the calories. For example, she told me when I crave a cheeseburger get the quarter pounder from McD's, no fries and a shake. I ate ice cream every night and drank protein shakes. You'd be suprised how quickly you can gain weight if you just add some protein shakes and real ice cream to your existing eating habits.

preheatedoven · December 2009

Neither my OB nor my peri think I need to go by Dr. Luke's recommendations. Talk to your dr, they know your personal case the best.

GL! Don't let it stress you out:)

clarku2000 · December 2009

I freaked out when I first read Dr Luke's book too. It was a little overwhelming to think of HOW I am going to put on the weight. I was doing pretty good by just having something around me to snack on at all times, and also kept protein shakes around. I had a little hitch with the stomach flu this weekend, but before that I was up about 5 pounds.

ancjph · December 2009

I used it as a guideline with the triplets. I also did lots of ice cream and protein shakes. I gained around 65 lbs and have to say that I really believe that is why they had such great weights. All three around 4.5 lbs. Try not to stress to much about it I think its better to make good choices about what you eat which I took from the book.

atc282 · December 2009

Like other posts said, don't let it stress you! I really believed that the protein shakes (2-3 a day!!) later in my pg helped me--I wish I had started drinking them sooner and encourage you to do so.

I also would suggest seeing a nutritionist/dietician. I was wiggin' about the proper weight gain and all I had read from Dr. Luke, so I did myself a favor and went to an experienced nutritionist to help me get the weight-gain-ball rolling. Insurance can hopefully cover a session or two like mine did.

GL!

lnle · December 2009

my nutritionist had triplets, and she swears by Dr. Luke. Meeting with her really helped me figure out strategic food combinations to help with the weight gain. Really it hasn't been that hard since I'm hungry all the time!

Temp159135562506975 · December 2009

my OB pretty much agreed with everything Dr. Luke's book said - though, he never read it - i asked him about the major points and he agreed.

I put on 19lbs in the first 24w - and that was REALLY trying to gain - it just wasn't happening as fast as I wanted. I ended up gaining 40lbs total, and my boys went to 38w and were 6lb 6oz and 7lb 15.6oz --- so it all worked out great for me - just not with the exact timing in the book.

BeccaLandes · December 2009

My OB doesn't agree with the guidelines. He told me to just eat a "few hundred" more calories a day, and not worry about it. I have found that after losing in the 1st tri, my body just started putting on weight, and it does not appear to have been a problem. I am really not eating much extra (although tonight I had a cheeseburger... it tasted so good!) and it seems the babies keep right on growing.

jenkm · December 2009

My OB doesn't agree, he only thinks you should gain 35 - 40 with twins. I disagree with him. He's not a specialist and I think it's likely he sees a lot of normal pregnancies where women use pg as an excuse to blow up like a balloon, so he advises caution.

I have stuck with Luke's recommendation, just stayed on the low end of her chart. So, I'm 23 weeks right now, and I'm up 25 lbs - her chart says 24 - 34 as of now. I feel like I'm doing well. I'm 5'9" and started with a healthy weight, and I feel like I'm doing well - it's all in my abdomen (ok, and a little in my hips/thighs, lol).

I'll lose it when I'm done. My #1 goal is to make sure that when I'm discharged from the hospital, my babies come home with me.

To do it, I'm eating more cals, not junk. I've added more egg, avocado, yogurt, fruit, etc. to my diet. I feel really good.

PianoPlayingSarah · December 2009

Don't freak out. I gained 50-55 pounds TOTAL with my triplets and I carried them to 35 weeks and 6 days. They weighed 5.3, 4.13 and 4.13

My MFM never recommended this book - I didn't even know it existed until after I hit the internet.

The babies will only take so much from you - eating and eating doesn't guarantee birth weight. My start weight was 105 so it would have been impossible to walk if I had gained more weight than what I did.

Listen to your body - eat when you are hungry and stay relaxed.

Wantastickybaby · December 2009

My OB specialized in maternal fetal medicine and she recommended 35 pounds for a twin pregnancy. I gained 38 and had two beautiful, healthy girls - 6.12 and 4.10. They didn't have any NICU time. I think protein shakes are a great idea, but didn't get much else out of her book.

janjag · December 2009

ha ha! you can eat that now.. but later you might get some serious heartburn... just kidding, don't eat ALL that tonight.

i liked the book, but just followed the spirit of the book, not to the letter, and the majority of weight gain was well into the 2nd trimester. don't think i gained more than 3lbs by 14wks. eventually gained 45lbs. she does emphasize early weight gain, and i did my best... but it can be really hard to gain early on.

good luck!

rasuhu · December 2009

I've never heard of Dr. Luke's book, but here's my experience. My doc wanted me to gain at least 30 pounds with my twins. I actually lost about 5 pounds during the first trimester because I was sick. Once I felt good again, I ate as much as I wanted of pretty much anything (mostly healthy food, but occasionally some sweets too!), and even tried protein shakes to help put on some pounds. I only ended up gaining 20 pounds...I guess my body-type just isn't made for gaining a lot? I don't know. I did end up having them at 31.3 weeks, so I'm sure I would have gained more if I had carried them to term.

kristyn&ken · December 2009

I agree with the PPs who say to follow the spirit of the book but not to the letter. My docs (OB and specialist) don't agree that it's a good idea to gain so much but I'm following the finer points (dairy products and protein, etc).

eileenm21 · December 2009

I did try to follow the book - my ob did not give me a guideline and told me he would tell me if he thought I was gaining too much or too little, not to let it stress me out. I had a regular BMI in the begining so I aimed to gain what the book told me. thus far I am at 40 lbs and I am a day shy of 31 weeks. The twins are developing right on track as of now. I have been doing the same as many others on here, nothing crazy in terms of extra meals, just shakes, ice cream and extra protein. I am not too upset to be on track to gain 5lbs more than the 35-45 lbs I have hear thrown around by other OBs/books, because I was an avid exerciser before and I know sometime in the next year I will get all the weight off some way some how. with what time after the twins are born is beyond me lol, but that's my mindset. I would rather an extra few on me if it may help them.

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