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Weight gain if you're overweight
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Anonymous
| Hi there, my doc and most stuff I read said that a 15 lb weight gain is ok for me for this pregnancy. If anyone's been there, any tips for keeping the pounds off? Obviously, I'm not going to be dieting...really, I'm just eating what I normally do and so far have kept the weight gain down, but know it's the later months to worry the most about. I know many out there will say just not to worry about it, but for both my and the baby's health reasons, there ARE reasons to worry about it, so suggestions please! |
Anonymous
| Don't eat what you normally do if you are overweight-try to eat a more nutritous diet and get an estimate of how many calories you should eat per day from your doctor and plan some menus. |
Anonymous
|
The average pregnancy considers a diet of "healthy" calories to be between 300-500 daily.
So, cut out the hidden calories - juice, sodas, breads, too many desserts, etc. Are you allowed to exercise? Even light workouts such as prenatal swimming classes, yoga, walking, etc.? That can help if you need to indulge every once in awhile. |
Anonymous
|
I would not recommend you go on a diet (you already made the right decision) but like previous responses mentioned you need to eat healthy and cut the hidden calories.
One important thing I would like to point out is try to NOT stress out because that can definitely have a negative impact on your weight or your baby's health. Best of luck to you. |
Anonymous
|
I was overweight during my pregnancy. Honestly, if you gain 25 pounds, you'll still be ok - just try to keep it between 15-25.
I too found very little info on HOW to do it - just was told to do it with no help on how. Luckily I only craved fruit and salads. |
Anonymous
| 22:38 Here. I forgot to add that you need to watch your sugar consumption which can affect the diabetes level. |
Anonymous
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I was overweight before getting pregnant and was told to keep my weight gain to around 20 lbs. Right now I'm 33 weeks and total gain so far has been 18 lbs. Can't say that I've been super conscious about what I'm eating, but I try to walk a fair amount, am trying not to eat too much sugar, and am staying hydrated with 8-10 glasses of water a day - but avoiding sodas and juices, all of which are high in sugar. One suggestion I've seen is to stick to a diabetic diet -- which would mean plenty of protein, veggies (esp green ones) and limiting carb intake to complex carbs. I'd also suggest steering away from any artificial sweeteners - just cuz you don't know what those things do to your baby and studies show that they increase appetite and decrease metabolism.
Eating 3 meals and 2 snacks a day will help as well. One big change I've made in pregnancy is to eat breakfast every day -- usually just a bowl of cereal or an egg. Makes a big difference in controlling my hunger thruout the day. Limiting portion size is also always good (at some point, it'll be hard to eat a lot at once anyway) and opting for healthy snacks (i.e. a couple ounces of low-fat cheese, some nuts, or celery w/ hummos) instead of unhealthy ones (potato chips; chocolate; etc) makes a huge difference. My weakness has always been snacks -- especially during the work day when it's hard to find something healthy near my office. So, even more important than bringing my lunch to work has been bringing an adequate stash of mid-day snacks. It's easy to find a salad anywhere downtown....less easy to find a packet of nuts (and way more tempting to buy a packet of M&Ms) Good luck! One piece of advice is to not beat yourself up over it -- do your best to eat what is good for Baby (omega 3s, green veggies, etc) and it will be easy from there.... |
Anonymous
| I'm also overweight and at 24 weeks have gained 8lbs, which is a success for me as in prior pregnancies I had gained at least 25lbs by this point. What I've done this time is to be more active, I actually snack very little (if at all). I bulk up on eating in the morning by eating some whole wheat toast around 7 and then at 10am I have some yogurt and granola. The remaining two meals are relatively healthy and portion sizes are "normal" vs. supersized. On weekends I might splurge and get a burger but normally we head somewhere I can get a really good salad. That being said, i think keeping active is a really good way to keep the weight from sneaking up on you. |
Anonymous
I'm assuming the poster meant 300-500 EXTRA calories per day. No way is 500 calories a day enough. The daily total is closer to 2,000. I agree with the others...try to focus on making healthy food choices. That combined with some light exercise should be enough. I'm overweight and the OB is suggesting around a 20 pound gain. Last pregnancy I think I gained about 30 lbs but I lost all of it right away. I was nursing and with the fatigue - I just didn't feel like eating a lot of the time. I'm at about 18 weeks now and have gained 1 pound so far. I can't say I'm eating particularly well/healthy but after lunch, I usually don't feel like eating much more the rest of the day (indigestion and heartburn). One thing I think that has helped me, is to try to eat more fruit in the morning. Ob suggested cutting carbs. |
Anonymous
| I was 30 lbs overweight before I got pregnant. I lost 13 lbs in the first 12 weeks; then gained a total of net 5 lbs. I wasn't really sick; just modestly ate better and the no wine really seemed to help. |
zumbamama
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|
I have you all beat, I was about 10 pounds overweight pre-preggers then gained 60 pounds. I was sooo bad with the carbs and worked ALL the time. I lost it all then gained 40 the second time. Lost all again and then some.
Just eat with common sense, drink your h20 and get some light exercise. |
Anonymous
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I was overweight and they told me to keep it under 20 as well.
I ended up with no appetite the whole pregnancy, was craving fruits (I usually hate those). I ended up gaining only 13 pounds and it was very obvious that I lost weight in my face, arms, and legs. Stomach and butt still grew, however. 
In any event, I was eating healthy (no straight sugars, no diet soda), and I think my body, given a very healthy diet, just "knew" what to do. I lost almost 40 pounds after giving birth in those next few weeks. |
Anonymous
How long did it take you to lose the weight? I was 15 pounds overweight at 140 when I became pregnant with #2. I am currently tipping the scale at 170. I am hopeful some if bloating but if my a$$ is any indication I will assume it is mostly soft, cushy fat  with 6 weeks to go! I am trying so hard not to pack anymore weight on but that is not looking hopeful. If I gain 3 pounds every 2 weeks for the next 6 weeks I am still looking at 9 more pounds. Ahhhhh!!!!
What was your strategy for losing the weight PostPartum? |