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Doc says I'm 3 Pounds Overweight - Eating right, doing what exercise I can. Advice?
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Anonymous
| I think that your weight gain is fine. At 20 weeks I had gained 16 lbs and by 24 weeks I had gained 21 lbs and the doctor never mentioned anything to me to slow down. Now I am 31 weeks and have gained 29 lbs and am trying to watch it because I don't want to gain more than 34 lbs total. |
Anonymous
Same here. I think a lot of it has to do with body type. I too am big in boobs and hips, but small waist - makes it annoying to find clothing. I have similar measurements - 5'6.5", 144 pounds. I haven't been 128 lbs since 8th grade! Even when I ran varsity track in high school, I was about 136. Granted I was much more muscular then so I probably wear two sizes up now, even though it's only about an 8-lb difference. To get down to 128, I'd either have to chop off my breasts (which I've thought about) or starve. |
Anonymous
| Is there any chance your doctor was referring to a specific period of weight gain, like too much in one two-week period? |
Anonymous
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My doc told me that they generally tell people to try to gain the recommended weight because then they won't have to go through hell trying to lose the extra weight after the baby comes. Most people can lose a small amount of weight on their own, but it can be difficult for the average person (especially a new mom) to lose 20 pounds.
And yes, I was told this because I started gaining a ridiculous amount of weight sometime early in my third trimester. I initially freaked out, but because I was tracking my calories and exercising daily, I stopped worrying much about it and the doctors backed off. I ultimately gained 54 pounds (on my 5'8", muscular 140-lb frame) and ended up about 20 pounds over my pre-baby weight afterward. And yes, it was hard to lose, but not impossible. (I still have 5 lbs, 17 months post-partum, but I blame candy for that.) I wouldn't worry about 3 lbs, but I would maybe keep an eye on my diet and activity level in case the 3 lbs is a sign that you're totally pigging out without realizing. You'll have enough to do after the baby comes, without adding dieting to the mix. 
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Anonymous
Yes, along with 11:30. |
Anonymous
| 11:30 went out of way to be as polite as possible and stroke your ego while she told you the truth. I will be more direct. OP you were fat and you are getting fatter. Its good that you eat healthy and exercise but bottom line is that you are eating more calories than you are burning. The weight gain guidelines are lower for overweight woman. 3lbs over is not that big a deal if you end up only 3lbs overweight but your doctor is probably looking at your pattern. You came in overweight but think you are not, and you have gained almost all of your weight before the weight really goes up. Time to get control. |
Anonymous
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I am rather surprised at the last comment - though given what I have seen on these boards I should not be that surprised. To the OP, if you are concerned raise the issue at your next appointment. If your dr is rude or mean (and I don't mean giving you an honest opinion) - find another doctor. While the concern is likely over weight throughout your pregnancy, if you are eating healthy and exercising - keep doing more of the same. Far worse than 3 lbs would be added stress from reading this board!
I take all weight tables with a grain of salt without looking at someone's body composition and overall bone structure. Your height and weight could look completely different on three different women as a result of a different build and fat/muscle. I hope you have not spent too many hours stressing over this. Have that conversation and just aim to be as healthy as you can be - while being overweight is not healthy, added stress given is not good for your mental health OR your pregnancy. |
Anonymous
Wow. 11:30 here. I'm not sure I really care, but did people actually read what I wrote? It might be that OP's doctor is a moron, but I think that's a huge rush to judgment. It's his JOB to try to keep his patient healthy. You may disagree, but are we really criticizing him for telling a patient EARLY ON that he's got some concerns? I didn't read this as something where he told the OP "you're fat" or "you need to go on a celery diet". I read it as him telling her he thought she was slightly going in the wrong direction. Isn't this what we want from our doctors? Or are our feelings more important than our health? Are we suggesting that he should wait until she becomes 10 pounds overweight before saying anything? I don't know... |
Anonymous
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OP - I can't believe some of these people! And, i agree that your doctor sounds a little over the top. Point of reference for you. I'm 5'8.5" tall. My first pregnancy I started at about 155 pounds, size 8. At 20 weeks I was weighing in around 170 pounds (15 pounds gained), By the time I gave birth I was 195 pounds (40 pounds total)!!!! At no time whatsoever did my doctors ever say I was heavy or overweight to start/finish with.
Now I'm in my second pregnancy. Never lost all the baby weight from #1 (babies will only be 15 months apart!). So I started this pregnancy at 165 pounds - sizing in at 10. Now I am 20 weeks along and I weigh about 180 (again 15 pounds gained). Again, no comments whatsoever from the doctors about my weight. Take that for what you will, but 3 pounds seems silly and a little arbitrary...I think I could lose that weight from peeing this time! |
Anonymous
| OP: I wouldn't spend 1 minute worrying about it. You are fine. There are wide variations in weight gain, and at least some of it is genetic. I know there is a general recommendation to try to stick to 35 lbs, and it is a noble goal. But I tried like heck during both my pregnancies and with both I still gained 50 pounds. No lie. I'm 5'2" I went from 125 to 175 both times. I went to a well respected practice frequently mentioned on this board and none of the doctors ever said A WORD about my weight gain. In fact, when I asked about it, they would reassure me that it was OK. A year later, I'm down to 120 pounds It runs in my family (two sisters gained 75 and 60, respectively, and both of them are tall and thin and mom gained at least 50 with all three of us--although that was admittedly before they encouraged exercise and reasonable diet. The point is: weight gain is what it is as long as you are eating healthy and exercising. So be reasonable and don't worry about it. There are so many other things to worry about during pregnancy. And consider switching doctors--who needs that? |
Anonymous
| PP - Are you glad your doctor didn't say anything? Looks like you put on an extra 10 pounds of non-baby weight... how does that make you feel now? With the benefit of hindsight, are you still glad? |
Anonymous
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Gosh. Seriously, no WONDER doctors don't say things more often about our weight. Apparently anyone who dares mention it is a "moron" and should have his medical license taken away.
Are we going to doctors for actual health care? Or for an "I'm Okay, You're Okay" affirmation?? No wonder we are a nation of obese people. (And, OP, I'm not talking about you in the slightest). |
Anonymous
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It's 3 pounds. A person's weight can fluctuate more than that on a given day, based on the time of day of measurement, amount of food and drink consumed, and the urination/bowel movements.
So, yes, it's pretty dumb to make that comment. Also weight gain is not linear, so it does not follow that OP will end of gaining "too" much weight by the end of her pregnancy. |
Anonymous
| OP is not overweight. At 5'6" BMI charts say that she can be up to 150 lbs and at a healthy weight. |
Anonymous
Yes, I had an extra 10 pounds that I didn't lose...but it was because I was still nursing Baby 1. Unfortunately, I am not someone who can diet and nurse without losing my supply. I have always felt fine about my weight and always looked good, even with the extra 10. Maybe because I'm taller. Some people on this board must be quite vain about their appearance/weight. Or maybe just insecure. My point was that my doctors never said anything BECAUSE IT WAS NORMAL! I, too, go to a large practice in DC that is frequently mentioned on this board. At my last appointment, the OB specifically said "your weight gain has been fine." |