Calorie Counting.36 weeks. Hospitalized.

[ShadyAmy]

Im experiencing the same thing.. I get compliments on how much healthier this pregnancy is vs my first where I was morbidly obese yet whenever I go into the dr.'s if i'm even a pound down I catch major shit. My dr first agreed with me that 2000 calories was plenty but now he's saying 2500 but I think he's only saying this number because he's convinced him not eating the full 2000 which I am!!

I'm just so frustrated by it all.
I know I cant gain that much weight in just a few days from a 500 cal increase but the one day was much more than 500.. The day I caught heck for "starving myself" ... i went out and ate a huge pizza, chocolate and cheese breadsticks .. and tonight i'm going for dinner so I know the cals will be horrendous there as I have no self control when it comes to the restaurant that i'm going to lol.

Oh well if anything i'll be up a few pounds for my next appointment and that should stop my dr. from harassing me.

 

[marymoomin]

I know it sounds crazy to be counting cals while pregnant but i'm kind of an all or nothing girl.. I know if I stopped I would gain all my weight back as I'm still learning moderation .. I was a very very big girl to the point where my dr didnt see me living past the age of 35 and I don't know any other way to eat healthily now so that I dont gain or go back to my old habbits...

You are pregnant. This post is clearly for self assurance, and frankly you wont get it from me. What is more important? Your health and that of your unborn baby or your weight? The hospital have told you straight- it made you ill. Seriously, seek some help before something awful happens.

 

[aliss]

I know it sounds crazy to be counting cals while pregnant but i'm kind of an all or nothing girl.. I know if I stopped I would gain all my weight back as I'm still learning moderation .. I was a very very big girl to the point where my dr didnt see me living past the age of 35 and I don't know any other way to eat healthily now so that I dont gain or go back to my old habbits...

One thing to keep in mind is that people's habits and addictions tend to transfer. It is not unusual for a formerly very overweight/obese person (food addiction) to end up underweight with an eating disorder. It can take years, if not a lifetime, for some people to learn to balance eating proper amounts.

You see, 2500 for a pregnant woman is minimal levels, especially if you are someone who still has 50ish pounds to lose. I don't know your weight, but I'm5'5 and 136lbs and my maintenance is 2100-2700 (not nursing, and nursing). And I'm not pregnant.

2000 is not enough to maintain your bodyweight let alone nourish your baby. You've been dieting on such low calories for so long that it is inevitable that you will suffer from it (and when you undereat, its YOU who suffers, as your baby takes so many of your nutrients).

I would recommend a dietician. Good luck

I have to disagree with you there .... Before getting pregnant I was marathon training and averaging 1500/1600cals a day. I always had enough energy and was tipping scales at 138lb , 5ft3 , uk10. Throughout my pregnancy my calories have stayed exactly the same. . . I have gained 14lb and my baby is 95th centile. Everyone is different

I have continued calorie counting in my pregnancy and I always get praised by midwives and hospital team for how healthy I am including weight , bp , pulse , general appearance. I truly believe keeping an eye on what I ate is the reason I am so healthy.

Okay, but that would suggest a serious metabolic condition because it contradicts basic sports nutrition. Everyone is different but physics is still physics. Not going to argue this but if you are training for a marathon on 1500 calories (weighed and appropriately measured) and not catabolizing muscle or losing serious wieght then there are issues which need to be examined by a doctor. If you are burning 500-600 calories with typical marathon training depending on what stage of training you are at, and eating your BMR, you are looking at things like athletic amenorrea.

OP, sounds like you are still struggling with some form of eating disorder. You should really be able to speak to a prenatal nutritionist, I've been an athlete for 10 years (after being obese myself), I can see that a professional in nutrition and ED recovery might be able to help you better than a doctor or nurse.

 

[ShadyAmy]

I know it sounds crazy to be counting cals while pregnant but i'm kind of an all or nothing girl.. I know if I stopped I would gain all my weight back as I'm still learning moderation .. I was a very very big girl to the point where my dr didnt see me living past the age of 35 and I don't know any other way to eat healthily now so that I dont gain or go back to my old habbits...

You are pregnant. This post is clearly for self assurance, and frankly you wont get it from me. What is more important? Your health and that of your unborn baby or your weight? The hospital have told you straight- it made you ill. Seriously, seek some help before something awful happens.

Have you ever heard the saying " If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all?" you might want to consider removing that stick from your ass your judgemental hag.

My baby is just fine .. it's my body that's suffering from it in the long run if my nutrition is even the actual cause of my symptoms. You don't know the lengths I would go to for my children .... so do not pretend to. Keeping myself at a healthy weight is beneficial to them. I eat LOTS of protein and vitamin rich foods. My baby is far from starvation. They were taking a guess at what could be wrong in the hospital.. it was not proven with any blood work or actual medical testing. Also 2000 calories should be plenty and if it's not i'm willing to up it as I said previously. I was more or less wondering if anyone else had these symptoms at the end of their pregnancy incase it is related to something that I cannot just fix with nutrition alone.

Next time you go to post on someone's thread with a rude and hateful comment I suggest you think twice because god knows you arn't perfect, none of us are and if we are posting in here it's for support.

 

[dan-o]

My maintenance calorie intake is approx 1800, so to me 2000 sounds about right for 3rd tri. Maybe you are more active than me tho?

I've personally given up counting calories for now, if I restrict my food intake at all while pregnant I end up craving sugar which is even worse lol!
In would say eat try to 3 sensible meals a day, plus some healthy snacks and plenty to drink, you can't go wrong then!
Lots of time to track calories afterwards!

EDITED TO ADD: I've just re-checked my BMR and because of my pregnancy weight gain it's gone up to just a tad under 2000, so I should actually be eating approx 2200-2300 a day now on average! (5'9'' and currently around 83kg) so your 2500 doesn't seem high at all compared to mine! Enjoy getting the extra snacks in while you can!!

 

[rose.]

If I don't drink enough water I feel off. So I'd definitely say try to drink as many fluids as possible. At this stage I think it's quite common to feel a bit off anyway - late pregnancy is such a strain on your body, especially as you've already got a little one to run around after. Take care of yourself!

 

[Vidal0123]

I dont think you should worry about your eating during pregnancy, IMO.

 

[jensha]

I totally agree with everything Aliss said.

2000 cals is definitely not enough for you. I'm 5'6 and currently 145 lbs and I need 2100 cals on a lazy day (laying on the couch all day). You're just too used to the 1200-1400 cals number that is brainwashed in everybody's mind when we start calorie counting. When you eat under your BMR, you slow down your metabolism. then, you have problems trying to make it faster. Also, you said you ate pizza, breadsticks and chocolate. Those are carbs and you must know carbs create water retention. It's just temporary and is not a real fat gain.

 

[justmeinlove]

OK, I hope what I'm going to write is helpful
Try 2200 kcal a day. That is, if you follow generic UK guidelines, what your requirements are at the moment. Also, as you're doing now, make sure you keep drinking lots of water every day
It's really good that you're managing 2000, but try 2200 - and an extra 200 kcal a day for 3 weeks or so won't make an epic difference to weight.
I'm never entirely convinced by the 'baby takes what it needs from you' and honestly, even if so, you need to make sure you're looking after yourself too, regardless

If you're really struggling, ask to speak to a dietitian. I don't know if you're planning to breastfeed, but if so, you're looking at increasingly your calorie intake again to match it (so 2500). Hopefully they should be able to see you, as you're in an important life stage

For what it's worth, I did 3 years of a dietetics degree before having to stop due to relocation so I hopefully am talking some degree of sense

 

[ShadyAmy]

I just wanted to thank-you ladies for the positive feedback. I'm going to up my cals and see if it helps.
I can totally understand that I was dehydrated the other day as I had forgotten to drink as much water as I normally would and was drinking more coffee at work. But I've fixed that and been on a strict water only , no java, for the last few days.

I know that calorie counting sounds like a selfish thing to do but when you have such a huge problem with over eating like I do and it's the only thing that has ever worked for you it's really hard to give up. ... Someone mentioned that I may be switching one eating disorder for another and i'm not going to argue that i'm not but hopefully in time I will be able to find my happy medium with food.

I did see a dietician at the beginning of my pregnancy and she recommended 1600 cals first trimester,1800 second and 2000 in the third ( if i was going to remain a cal counter ) ... Hence why i'm a bit worried that it may not be my nutrition causing these symptoms.

I will most def try and up my calories to see if that makes the difference and of course increase my water intake .. only 3 weeks left of pregnancy! I can dooo this!
Thanks again for being so supportive!

 

[Wobbles]

Not acceptable shadyamy and I will decide which action to take when I can get to my desktop.