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2nd Trimester
Drumski
member
Weight Gain
Drumski
member
Before I found out I was pregnant I was a calorie counter and healthy eater. Now that I am pregnant I gave myself a little more freedom. By freedom I mean I allowed myself to eat carbs, ice cream, 1% milk, french fries and fat instead of low or no fat products. The result = I've gained 29 pounds and I am only 23 weeks.
To be honest, I'm embarrassed and freaking out. I'm afraid to eat. I've gone back to my calorie counting ways, walking, drinking water and cut out sugar.
My doctor has already scared the living hell out of me and I can't stop crying over it. I feel doomed.
I'm scared I'm hurting the baby.
Baby #2 coming in August!
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Re: Weight Gain
Don't feel so bad. It's your fist pregnancy and it's hard! I gained around 60lbs with my son due to craving junk all the time and I stopped working out.
This time I'm working out at least 2-3 days a week and I'm lucky to be craving fruits and veggies.
Don't start calorie counting now, your baby needs it! Maybe cut out the icecream and fries and start walking.
I usually avoid the weight gain posts..but I'll share my thoughts. With my first pregnancy I ate the way I did before I was pregnant (no more, no less)..and I was a healthy weight to begin with. I continued to exercise as well. I gained 70-some lbs.
This time around same thing is happening. There are just some women who gain more weight than others. That is a fact.
I wouldn't worry too much and continue to be healthy. The weight will eventually come off. I spend way too much time worrying about my weight..and I am telling myself now to stop it!
Health during pregnancy (and really any time) is about so much more than the number on the scale. So, I'd ignore the weight but focus on the choices you make without obsessing. You know you've been splurging too much, so now you can work on that. But, cutting down splurges does not mean counting calories or restricting calories. Can you be more active (but not go crazy)? Walking is nature's perfect exercise and requires no gym membership, no commute time, and no special gear.
Can your doctor recommend you to a nutritionist? How you defined "healthy eater" pre-pregnancy might not be the same kind of healthy that a professional would say. No fat and low-fat versions of food are often more processed, and have more additives and salt. Eating whole foods and healthy fats in reasonable quantities is more the style that a nutritionist will guide you to. As for ice cream and fries--even those can be part of a healthy diet in moderation. But, figuring out the moderation part is key. Something else you might find eye-opening is reading about the Brewer Pregnancy diet. It is the total opposite of calorie restriction; it is all about nutrient counting while basically ignoring the scale. In all honesty, I can't keep up with it--it is so much protein, but it helps me keep good perspective.
Are you craving these things? Oftentimes cravings are driven out of genuine nutritional need. A craving for sweets is often your body saying it needs more protein. The PG body needs a TON of protein, so that isn't surprising. Obviously meat is protein, but so are cheese, baked beans, eggs (deviled, scrambled, egg salad, etc.), guacamole + whole grain crackers, quesadilla with cheese and beans or meat, jerky, hummus, fage, couscous, edamame, and oatmeal for starters. A craving for sour things may be the body's desire for probiotics (found in fermented foods in traditional diets of some cultures): yogurt, taking probiotcs, and eating fermented foods are all ways to address that.
I gained 50 pounds with DS, and no one batted an eye or questioned my healthiness and I started out at the top of normal weight for my height. Healthy weight gain in pregnancy can look very different for different women, and in different situations. I threw up for 30 weeks of that PG, so the goal was for me to simply eat whatever I could keep down. That was a healthier choice that focusing on the scale. There was nothing unhealthy about that weight gain for me. So, while heeding your doctor's advice is fine, so is getting a second opinion or finding ways to address the choices you know haven't been great without obsessing over pounds or calories.
More Green For Less Green
I can really identify with your feelings and want to offer some comfort and perspective. I've noticed both on these boards and in my circle of friends that those of us that are very health conscious/exercise conscious before pregnancy and at quite a low-normal weight for our height are the ones to pack on the pounds quickly. Even when looking at each of my 4 pregnancies (I'm currently 23.5 weeks) this is true. It seems the body simply needs padding and will go about getting it however it needs to.
My two friends that are currently pregnant with me ran a marathon shortly before conceiving and were very lean. I had been low-carbing for nearly a year and was also very thin (5'8" and 125 lbs). ALL of us gained rapidly this time around, which did not happen in previous pregnancies where our weights were more "normal" (I started my other pregnancies between 135 and 140 lbs).
My solution is something like the Brewer diet or the maintenance level of Atkins. Lots of protein, green veggies, low-sugar fruit like berries as well as full-fat dairy like Greek yogurt. I occasionally eat starchier veggies like sweet potato or squash. What I don't eat are sugar, grains (especially refined ones) or potatoes. This way, even if my weight keeps going up faster than I personally like, I know that everything I'm giving the baby is whole and nutritious. A clear conscious goes a long way, let nature do the rest.
My three little ones
Thank you! Thank you! You have all helped me breathe a little easier today. I'm going to be aware of what I eat and eat more healthy snacks.
I'm not going to let weight stress me out.
I highly doubt you're going to hurt the baby unless you have unmanaged gestational diabetes. I think calorie counting is probably fine so long as it doesn't mean that you're also restricting calories. Just because you're now pregnant doesn't mean you no longer need to know how many calories are going into your body.
I agree that low fat products don't necessarily mean high nutrient products. Many highly nutrient foods have a higher calorie count than their lower nutrient counterparts. Whole grain bread is much more nutrient dense, but is also higher in calories. When I worry about fat grams, I worry about getting ENOUGH fat. I've discovered that when I try to "eat healthy" I wind up eating hardly any fat at all and I get extremely hungry and eat too many calories. When I get 25-35% of my calories from fat, I feel great and eat less. (The recommended daily calories from fat is 30% of your daily diet.) When I'm not pregnant and eating like that, I lose weight.
People might think I'm crazy, but I eat nuts, and fish, and whole (yes I said it) milk, and cheese, avocados... etc...