Weight Management & Caloric Intake

[cskme_]

Hey everyone,
I am 16 weeks today. Started off at 168lbs and am now 181. I am very disappointed in my weight gain as I had just lost 30lbs to get down to 168 (the lightest I have been in YEARS).
After I found out I was pregnant I started eating carelessly and wasn't watching my caloric intake.
Before I got pregnant I was eating 1200-1300 cal a day. I understand that you are supposed to eat around 300 calories more per day while pregnant.
Because the 1200-1300 calories a day I was eating was helping me lose weight, should I just add the 300 to that and eat around 1600 per day?
My BMR states that for my height, gender, age, I would eat around 1500 cal per day to maintain my weight, so should I be adding 300 to 1500 or to the 12-1300 that I was previously eating?
I do not want to deprive my body of calories but I also want to keep track of my calorie intake, as that is the only way I can manage to keep my weight down and not eat everything in the house.
My midwife hasn't mentioned my weight yet but I have a feeling she will at my upcoming appointment, my BMI is around 31, so I am considered obese.
I have searched online everywhere and cant find the specific answers I'm looking for. Can anyone help pleaaaaaseeee?!

 

[Nikko88]

Take dietary advice around pregnancy with a grain of salt. It's all based on theory and assumptions that don't apply to everyone. There's nothing to account for your genetics, metabolism and environment.

Technically, the recommendation is for 0 extra calories in the first and 150-350 in the second trimester and 300-500 in the third, depending on your source. Based on...? An average idea of how fast the baby should be growing.

The trickier thing is determining your basal caloric requirement. It's very hard to estimate resting caloric requirements because it will greatly depend on your metabolic rate. A recent study of Biggest Losers participants found that those that lost the most weight actually lowered their metabolic rate and caloric requirement. So they needed to eat even less than people of the same weight who hadn't had such a large weight loss.

Now estimating caloric requirements based on activity level is also difficult. Most caloric burner trackers over-estimate the number of calories burned.

You could drive yourself crazy figuring out the exact calories you should be eating. How you feel is probably a better indicator of what you need. If you are hungry, eat something healthy. If you aren't hungry, don't force yourself to eat. Everybody gains weight differently.

I've seen everything from a recommendation of no weight gain in the first tri to 10 lbs. When I started at a normal BMI my first pregnancy, I gained 15 lbs. I've previously had a 60 lbs weight loss so I wouldn't be surprised if my metabolism is slower than it could be. When I started with an overweight BMI in my second pregnancy, I've gained 14.5 lbs by 17 weeks (10 in the first tri).

I've had to accept that I can't obsess over the numbers. I read a blog post of a fit mom who gained 50 lbs and just focused on losing it after. I'm not saying binge, just try not to worry about the numbers.

I worked my ass off to curb weight gain last pregnancy and it didn't matter. I gained 37 lbs. I'm trying to gain less this time because I started out heavier, but I have no control over it.

Sorry for the long post but this is definitely something that I struggle with as well. No matter how much weight you gain, you will get back to yourself (or a new version of yourself) just give yourself time.

 

[cskme_]

I see what you're saying. What I'm going to try to do is stay within the 1500-1600 calorie range for now, but as you said if I feel hungry, eat something healthy.
By next tri I will move up to around 17 - 1800 calories ish.
Its hard for me to not count calories because I will honestly binge on everything.
Yesterday I ate yogurt with berries and granola, a nectarine, a big container of raw veggies, a HUGE sub, a large chocolate milk, fish and veggies, a few pieces of cheese, a couple cookies and a Klondike icecream bar.
and that was me trying to be healthy.... lol. Just because I wasn't counting the calories in everything, I don't have physical evidence in front of my face that I am taking in entirely too many calories.
Today I am trying harder, and counting my calories, I have eaten 369 so far. Chopped up mango and peach, low fat yogurt and granola, and pickles with cheese.
We will see how today goes now that I am keeping track of calories.
I know its not something worth obsessing over but because I had previously been SUPER obsessed pre-preg, trying to lose weight, I feel soooo upset at the end of the day before bed when I look in the mirror and see how huge I look from eating so much all day.
I just don't want to have this crappy feeling anymore, and at least feel like I have eaten an sufficient amount for the day but haven't over-eaten.

 

[Nikko88]

*big hugs* I felt the same way the first time around. Do what makes you feel in control because so much will be beyond your control.

Sounds like you've got a good plan and lots of knowledge on the subject.

ETA I found some good advice about body image during pregnancy. One thing is to remember the amazing things your body has done. For me it's the scale numbers that scary me the most because they remind me of how long I was overweight and how hard it was to lose the weight. However, I still kicked ass when I was heavier. At this weight in college, I earned a black belt in karate.

 

[cskme_]

Aw that's awesome! I think if I had an actual bump I wouldn't feel so gross. I don't look pregnant at all, and have a feeling I wont for quite some time. I am 5'2, pear shaped, and my belly just seems to hang there with no shape to it. I like to lay down and feel the small hard(ish) bump to remind me that there IS something under my fat also causing it to push out a bit more.
And I have to remind myself that I am not back where I had started YET. and that I did lose this weight before and I will be able to do it again after the baby is here. I just want to minimize this weight gain as much as possible so I don't have an extra 50-60lbs to lose after. I know how hard it was to lose 30 so I cant even imagine having an extra 30 to lose on top of that.

 

[Nikko88]

Don't forget the weight you are gaining isn't only storage fat. 2 months after delivering I had lost 20 lbs (baby was 7.5 lbs and you'd be surprised at how huge the placenta is, never mind all the water retention). Within 6 months postpartum, I had lost 34 lbs and I still wasn't back to my normal workouts. Gained 10 back when I pump weaned and couldn't adjust my caloric intake fast enough.

Everyone shows different. With my first, no one could really notice baby bump versus fat until 20-24 weeks. Your abs are a lot stronger and will hold better than in subsequent pregnancies. Having a bump does really drive home the weight gain is going somewhere different from if you weren't pregnant.

 

[MissCurly]

Ahh, I have been thinking about my weight gain too. But really, I think just cut out the junk.
I know it's much easier said than done.
sugar and processed stuff can do one !! (I am telling myself this too, I've been indulging a bit recently...!!!.

calorie counting is a bit crap, but I think if it helps you to stay accountable to your eating habits, it's not all bad.

 

[cskme_]

That's really great to know! I am relying a lot on the fact that breast feeding does help you drop weight quickly. I can only pray that it works out that way for me!!