I am now a little over 9 weeks with my second child. (My first will be a year on the 6th). I went to the doctor for my first exam and my BMI was like 28. I know this is considered overweight. I am 5'7'' and weight like 177 pounds. WOW!! I was wondering if I started walking and watching my diet, ie keeping a food journal and eating more veggies etc, if I would loose weight without really trying? The baby would still be getting all the nutrients but I wouldn't be getting the extra fat, does that make sense?
2006-11-01 01:53:04 · 20 answers · asked by flaminfortune 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
Yes honey, it does make sense. However........
I know that we live in a world that values being thin almost above all else. We are taught that being over-weight is the ultimate sin. I just want you to be sure that you are eating enough to give the baby everything that he/she needs and still getting enough to nurture yourself. You know, dieting, just the actual act of losing weight, stresses your body. Your body must actually be forced to "eat itself" in order for you to lose weight. You have to reduce your caloric intake enough to make your body turn to itself for nourishment. This is a stressful thing for your body to deal with. Pregnancy is in its own way also stressful for your body. If you are losing weight ( or in your case just not gaining weight) that means you are stressing your body to the point that it is consuming itself. Do you see what I am saying? I am not saying that you should use this pregnancy as a reason to throw caution to the wind and eat all kinds of fattening foods, I am just saying that pregnancy is not the time to try to lose weight. You need to gain about 35 pounds in the nine months that you are pregnant and that is true whether you start out skinny or over weight.
I hope that you have a doctor that will take the time to talk to you and is up to date on these issues.
You are correct in your assumption that the baby will still get all that it needs. Nature is brutal in that respect. The baby will take from you all that it needs to survive but what does that leave for you? If you are not taking in adequate nourishment so that there is enough for both of you, YOU will be the one that is left short handed. Also, even tho your developing baby will take what it needs from you, do you want your baby to subsist on a bare minimum or do you want her to have an abundance of nutrients?
Some things to remember: Pregnancy is just not the time to diet. Gaining 25 to 35 pounds is normal and healthy. Eating well and including lots of protein in your diet will maintain your health.
Even today there are some doctors that erroneously believe that gaining a small amount of weight is healthy. This is an old fashioned belief and one that can actually endanger your health and that of your baby. If you are not healthy how can that be good for your baby? You will find it easier to lose weight after the baby is born if you breast feed. Nursing a baby is one of the only times in your life that you will burn calories like crazy while doing absolutely nothing. You will use about 1000 calories a day if you nurse your baby full time.
After you have your baby is the time to lose weight. It may not seem that way right now but you have the rest of your life to lose weight and this time of nursing and being pregnant is only a small sliver of your over-all life.
You sound like you have a good grasp of the kinds of foods you should eat and what is healthy. Lots of protein has even been linked to the baby's future IQ and intellectual development, it is really important. Be sure to take your prenatal vitamins also.
Please take care of YOU. Enjoy your pregnancy and the beauty of your changing body. You are beautiful even if it is hard to believe when we are bombarded with images of skinny, anorexic looking women everywhere we look. Don't let this false idea of feminine beauty deter you from gaining a healthy amount of weight.
You are beautiful. You carry the precious gift of life within you. Cherish this time of your life and nourish and nurture yourself as well as your baby.
I hope I have addressed your questions and given you some things to think about.
Love and Blessings
Lady Trinity~
2006-11-01 02:58:24 · answer #1 · answered by Lady Trinity 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Dieting while you are pregnant is not a good idea. The weight is already there and you are going to gain more. Just aim to gain only about 25 pounds. If you eat a very well-balanced diet with lots of fruit and veggies, you are eating all the right things oyu need for pregnancy. After the baby is born, you can diet as much as you want after you get done breastfeeding, and if you do decide to breastfeed you lose weight a lot faster. When I got pregnant with my son, I was 5'8", 172 pounds. I delivered at 202 lbs. I breastfed and was back in a size 12 in two weeks.
2006-11-01 01:59:08 · answer #2 · answered by Good Gushy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Honey you sound just like me, I was 5'5" and weighing like 163 pounds when I was like 9 weeks pregnant with my first and the doctors didn't say anything about my weight and I sure didn't really watch what I ate, well when I delivered I was 206 at my 6 week check up was 170 then got pregnant like 2 months later with my second child and again gained a bunch of weight up to 216 then I got down to 170-175 within a month after having him and just worked really hard after I had him well then when I finally get to where I wanted to be weight wise I decide that I want another baby, so I get pregnant and I started at 165 with him and when I delivered him I weighed 236 and for the first 6 months of pregnancy I couldn't keep anything down and when I did eat I ate healthy food I actually craved veggies and fruit. And I go for my 6 week checkup Fri and I ain't sure but I think I am probally down to 200-205lbs. So the healthier that you eat the better but sometimes that doesn't matter you might still gain more weight then what you wanted but the most important thing is that you take care of yourself and don't over do it. Eat if you are hungry don't if you ain't exercise if you feel like it and if you don't feel like it then don't. Just relax and enjoy your pregnancy you will have plenty of time after you deliver. Good Luck and I wish you the best.
2006-11-01 02:24:59 · answer #3 · answered by Tink 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That is a very good idea, even for people who are not overweight. Do not cut calories but the calories you take in should be from healthy foods. More fresh fruits and vegies. You have to remember though you may loose fat but you will gain weight from baby, breast, etc. You should not be to concerned about your weight, esp, according to the scales. You can loose weight after the baby comes. If you are 5'7" and 177 you are overweight but not grossly overweight.
2006-11-01 02:08:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Right now is not the time to go on a diet but you can start taking good care of your self. By eating right and walking. There are also aerobics type classes for pregnant women. Don't be disappointed if you don't lose weight though. As you know, you will gain weight with this baby but you don't have to gain too much. The problem with alot of pregnant women is that they think they have to eat for two and use the pregnancy as an excuse to overeat.
Congratulations! And good luck.
2006-11-01 02:00:39 · answer #5 · answered by saved_by_grace 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
don't try to lose weight while you are pregnant. I was much heavier than I wanted to be when I found out I was expecting, but dieting is out. As long as you maintain a healthy balanced diet while you are pregnant, you will be fine, but don't try to lose. I didn't gain a single pound for four months, but after that you and the baby will need to gain a little bit, at least 10-15 pounds, if not more. I gained much more, and am a little disgusted, but I know I can lose it after I give birth. Just make sure you are getting enough vitamins, protein and fiber, take a prenatal vitamin and don't stress about it. Best wishes!!
2006-11-01 01:59:41 · answer #6 · answered by 2much2do 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
your right. it would be best to fix the problem now that way when you are tested at the doctor for gestational diabetes it will come back negative. another problem with being overweight during pregnancy is toxemia. that is very dangerous and can harm you and/or your baby and i'm sure you do not want that. i have done pretty good with my weight throughout my pregnancy. i've only gained about 25 pounds and i am now 37 weeks. my results for gestational also came back negative, however i was slightly anemic but he gave me some iron pills for that and now my iron is fine. my cousin, however, did have the gestational diabetes. they told her that she had to start eating better or should would have to start taking insulin shots so that scared her enough to eat better and she actually lost some weight even while pregnant and ended up not having to take the shots. so if you get a hold of the problem now, you will most likely not have to worry about those things. good luck, i know it's hard!
2006-11-01 02:18:23 · answer #7 · answered by ? 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You should start walking and watching your diet...but don't make the goal for weight loss. You probably won't lose weight...but on the flip side, you won't gain a lot more which is healthier for you and baby and will also make your post partum recovery better...as well as getting back into shape. Don't obsess about it though. You are pregnant and it doesn't mean you can't indulge in the ice cream now and then! Take care of yourself for now..but don't worry about the extra weight until after baby is born. Also...breastfeeding burns lots of calories!! Good Luck and Congrats!
2006-11-01 02:23:06 · answer #8 · answered by Sunshine 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dont worry about the BMI. Mine is 39 which is classed as awful and I am not worried because last pregnancy I was teh same and lost loads of weight and ended up with a much lower BMI by the time the baby arrived!!!
2006-11-01 02:05:16 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You shouldn't try to lose weight when you are pregnant. You should try ot keep your weight gain to a minimum. You should check wiht your dr but I weighed 168 and was 5'7' when I got pregnant with my last and my dr was fine wiht the typical 25-35 lbs weight gain. I think I gained 39lbs. I have been able to lose the weight since giving birth. By the way my son is 20 months old.
2006-11-01 01:59:00 · answer #10 · answered by mktk401 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋