First Trimester: Overweight and starving

[Anonymous]

I started this pregnancy more than 50 lbs overweight. Five of that I gained before I miscarried this summer. I am always hungry, and my nausea seems to get better with eating. But I don't want to gain any more weight, especially because I am borderline hypertensive and don't want to be stuck on bedrest like I was with my first DD.

Got any advice for me? I know about small, frequent meals, but do you have ideas for good low-cal snacks that will help me feel better?

TIA.

[Anonymous]

A couple of ideas.

Beans are really good for fending off hunger, and are great for weight management or weight loss. I like to mix a mild bean like great northern with applesauce and warm it up in the microwave.

If you have a good blender, you can make a very nutritious "green" smoothie, where you won't even taste the green ingredient, but will be getting lots of vitamins and phytonutrients. I like to start with a base of unsweetened soymilk, and add banana (frozen chunks will make the smoothie very ice cream-like), frozen cherries, baby spinach, a couple of fresh dates (take out the pit first!), and a spoonful of ground flax. Close your eyes, and it tastes like a milkshake or softserve ice cream.

[Anonymous]

Lots of protein, especially w/ the borderline hypertensive bit. The pp was right on with the beans suggestion.

[Anonymous]

You have to gain *some* weight, though, right? I expect you know that, but just making sure! Maybe you could ask your OB/midwife for a referral to a nutritionist (or maybe they could counsel you). I know if you take a Bradley childbirth class (which I haven't) they give you a ton of info on a healthy high-protein diet.

Bean burritos is what comes to mind! Fresh fruit and veggies... Skim milk cottage cheese/yogurt/other dairy. (I LOVED the Greek yogurt cups in my first trimester.)

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for suggestions. And yes, I do know that I will gain some weight. I should have clarified that I am worried about gaining in the first trimester (I am only 7 weeks and already gained a couple pounds). Luckily I made it through my last term pregnancy with only 25 lbs.

[Anonymous]

Veggies and/or fruit BEFORE meals can really help to fill you up so you don't want as much of the denser foods. I know in my first trimester fruit was one of my biggest cravings, veggies not so much. Plain lowfat yogurt is good, as is lowfat cottage cheese (Breakstone makes individual serving size portions). Go with what you can tolerate now and do the best you can.

So sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Wish you all the best with your pregnancy!

[Anonymous]

High fiber foods! Fiber one bars are VERY filling, but watch out- they are also known for causing lots of gas. Also, weight watchers snacks are very high in fiber - they have various cookies, brownies, muffins, and even ice cream that have at least 5 grams of fiber in each.

[Anonymous]

Great suggestions above. Make sure you are not consuming a lot of empty calories in drinks. Try to drink only water and not fill up with lots of juices. For my first pregnancy, I really craved lemonade and I swear I gained 10lbs just from that...

Now I like the 10 calorie/serving Vitamin waters and a splash of light cranberry juice with club soda.

Also, don't beat yourself up...I am 8 weeks and my weight has fluctuated up and down a few pounds depending on the bloat factor (which is another reason to drink lots of water). Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Hi, OP. Congrats on your pregnancy! I was 50+ lbs overweight when starting my pregnancy and I felt the same way. Fortunately, wanting to do my best for the baby was a wonderful motivation. It was just a question of finding the right ways of going about it. I agree with the PP's suggestions about beans and avoiding empty calories like drinks. I'm not anti-carb and especially not during pregnancy, but at the same time, I recommend avoiding eating meals that are mostly carb or doing things like downing a bunch of "healthy" granola bars a day. One friend gained a ton of weight during her first trimester b/c she snacked all day on granola bars to keep away nausea. You're on the right track with small frequent meals. Some ideas in addition to above are oatmeal with ground flax, low fat cheese pieces, relatively low sugar (but not fake sugar or diet) yogurt, Kashi Go Lean cereal with milk, Luna bars, apple or celery sticks with peanut butter, low sodium soups, small portions of whole wheat pasta.