Can anyone help me?

[letswork]

I'm 12 weeks pregnant with baby #2 and I am trying reeeeeeeeally hard to stay active and eat healthy. While I am NOT obsessing about my calorie intake, I think it's important for me to keep track so that I don't go overboard. I am nauseous all the time and the only thing that helps is if I eat small meals every so often. I gained over 50 pounds with my first baby and I'm only 5'0".

So, my question is...how many calories should a girl like me be consuming and does anyone have any hints on how to control the cravings? I end up indulging myself way more often than I should. (McDonalds, ice cream and pasta come to mind) I want to stay in a nice healthy range, eat treats in moderation and keep the weight gain at a healthy pace, but I’ve already gained 10 pounds in 12 weeks! I really need to come up with a sound nutritional plan that will work throughout this pregnancy.

I know a lot of people are going to say that I shouldn’t worry about it, but honestly, even my doctor mentioned that I shouldn’t gain as much weight as last time. It was a long recovery and a lot of hard work to get my body back and with two babies to care for, I’d like to keep the damage under control now rather than worry about it later.

I’d love to hear from ANYONE who is struggling, or thriving for that matter. Any hints, help or suggestions would be enormously helpful. Thanks.

 

[Kathy02]

WEll, this may or may not help, it seems to have been helping me though. I haven't gained a pound yet, but I may be losing muscle right now due to my situation. But, I tend to eat fruit if I want something sweet, and if I just want to munch I eat veggies and light dip. I really like T. Marzetti's light ranch. I eat what I want for dinner, in moderation.
A week ago I was still working out 5 days a week 2 days with Power Hour and a half hour of cardio. The other three days I would do just one hour of cardio.
I hope that this will give you an idea of how to control your weight gain. Good luck with your pregnancy!

 

[renodebbie3]

I am right there with you. I am expecting number 3. I gained 42 and 44 with the first two and I was hoping to gain less this time. However (just like the 1st 2) I gained 9 in the first 12 weeks. The first trimester when you are only supposed to gain 3 or 4! I swear the MINUTE the sperm meets the egg in my body my butt expands! I have yet to determine why, I mean what function can this serve? I have plenty of fat already there is no need to add more!

I have done better the last couple of weeks and now at 15 1/2 weeks I've gained 12lbs. I believe the difference now is that I was not able to exercise much in the first trimester because I was so sick and so tired. I also ate whatever I wanted and all the time to help keep the nausea at bay. I was at the Doc this morning and we discussed nutrition. She gave me the following guidelines of servings per day:

4 of dairy
2 to 3 of protein
1 to 2 eggs/day (minimum 7 per week)
4 of fruit
4 of vegetable
6 to 11 of carbs

I was a little shocked at the amount of protein and eggs that I should be eating but she said during pregnancy the body does not absorb cholesteral or triglicerides (prob spelled wrong) so eating lots of eggs are OK and very good for the baby. She said that the baby is made of protein and that getting enough of it is very important.

The important thing is to hang in there, you are not alone and try to get exercise almost everyday.

Hope this helps!

 

[HelenT]

Hi! I just wanted to mention a little tip that has helped me - I don't count calories although try to get a variety of food into me that meets your standard daily nutritional requirements. The main thing is that generally everything I put in my mouth - I make sure it's real food, chock full of nutrients for the baby. So, for instance, I eat whole grain carbs, leafy greens, veggies and fruits with Vitamin A and C, dairy and lean meats and fish. I try to eat foods especially high in folic acid, iron, and essential fatty acids. Of course, I have junk food indulgences too - I like Wendy's Cheesesburgers for instance but I don't eat this stuff too often because what is it offering the baby? I seem to be able to eat healthy because I know that by snacking on an orange, for instance, instead of a chocolate bar, I'm helping the baby. I'm not that good when I'm NOT pregnant though! But, I just thought I'd pass on this tip - just try to think of everything going into your mouth as being nutrition for the baby. Once you do that, you'll feel less comfortable having a Big Mac for dinner when you realize the baby won't really be getting much use of that food.

I'm at 35 weeks pregnant - I've gained about 30lbs so far and I do exercise regularly (4-6 times a week) so if this sounds high, I suspect it's because my body wants to be this weight. In any case, except for the first trimester where I gained about 8-9 lbs, I've gained about 1/2 to 1 lb a week which I'm pretty sure is normal.

I hope this helps along with the other tips you're getting!

I should add - it's still HARD not to worry or not to overeat. In the first part of the pregnancy and now in the last part, I was hungry every 2 hours!! Try telling a ravenous pregnant woman not too eat! I try to limit my junk indulgences to one day a week though. I found the first trimester the worst because I was so sick - I couldn't eat anything but carbs, dairy and juice!

But, I'm sure if you try to eat properly and not over indulge, your body will know what to do!

Good luck and enjoy your pregnancy!