first pregnancy: exercise and weight gain questions

C

cathefan73

Member
Hi! I've been reading on the boards but dont usually post. Hopefully you experienced ladies out there can help me.

I'm almost 6 weeks along and I already feel like i'm getting chubby! I am trying not to focus on it and I'm eating a healthy diet and still working out at least 5-6 times per week but my pants are getting tight. I keep reading that i'm only supposed to gain 3-5 pounds max in the first trimester but i worry that i'll be way more than that if i keep going. What could i be doing wrong or is there anything else i should or could be doing? did any of you gain more in the first tri?

My other question is in regards to exercise. i feel short of breath more easily and have since i conceived (strange i know but i swear it's true) and i have had to take it easier. i'm an advanced exerciser and even still, i feel my heart rate gets up to that 140 bpm stage pretty easily. can anyone recommend certain dvds for me or did any of you continue exercising at a relatively high level (above 140bpm at times?) or how did you monitor how hard you were working?

Thanks, i know i sound manic....sorry
 
First off, Congratulations!!!!! You must be so exicted!!

I will give it my best shot to answer your questions.
When I was pregnant with my daughter I put on 10lbs. in the first
three months. Could be I was always underweight, who knows. I
think that is what my body needed. I too exercised 6/7 days per
week and ate pretty clean. I noticed too as early as 6 weeks
my legs/hips seemed to get a little padding that I never had.
I thought I was in store to becoming quite large. Well that didn't
happen. The weight gained slowed down. I went full term and put a
total of 23lbs. on. I continued to exercise and eat as healthy as
possible which can be tough especially when it seemed I was always
hungry. As far as your heart rate I experienced that too early
on the last time and this time too( I am 18 weeks along.)
I was able to keep up with my workouts until I hit 20 weeks
and then invested in Pregnany DVD's. I recently purchased
" The Perfect Pregnany Workout." I really like it and feel that
I am working out. Some days you will feel stronger than others.
Many women are able to continue to exercise with modifications
as they did prior to pregnancy. If you feel out of breath take
it easy and don't over do it. It really is a fast 9 months and
you should not worry about the weight gain if you are eating healthy
and exercising. Good Luck to you.

Jennifer Claire 12/24/05
? 8/10/07
 
i echo what suzanne said. i put on 10lbs the first trimester too, and i was so alarmed by how tight everything felt depite very vigorous workouts and a good diet. that said, i gained just under 20 total, and while the true numbers don't matter so much, my point is that people put it on at different times. the advice i got that really stuck was to do what feels good as you go along. there may be whole weeks you will be too tired to exercise, then, things will change and you will have more energy than ever in your life. good luck and congrats
 
Morris and Suzanne, thanks for your replies. i do feel better. I know what you said is true and that if i relax, eat right and exercise, the weight gain will just be what it is and when it is. there is nothing i can do to control it.

In your first tri, when you had the energy, what workouts in particular did you do?

i just finished doing low impact circuit (cathe's new one, green cover, i think that's the name) and at times, i was breathing really hard but i would say a sentence and be able to speak...i purposely slow down once i'm breathing hard. it's weird, i just never had to pay attention to how hard i was working before and i'm finding it hard to gauge how hard i'm realy working and if i should take it easy. i dont know what moderate really means maybe. maybe i should invest in a good heart rate monitor? did either of you do that?

thanks for your advice and for the congrats! we're so excited and we feel so blessed. good luck with the rest of your pregnancies!
i hope to hear back from you on this!
thanks,
cathe fan
 
Cathe Fan,

Yes, you will be just fine. You care about staying fit so right there
you are in the right mind set ( we all must think that or we
wouldn't be on this site.)

Okay, My first trimester this time and last. I can do the low
impact Cathe cardio also do the Gym Style Series. I also should
mention I had to modify the Kick Boxing pretty early on like 7-8
weeks it was becoming harder to breathe for me like it was never a
problem before. Even running up my stairs my heart would really
pump. This is all normal since your blood volume increases.
Do what feels right to you. As you progress to 12 weeks and beyond
be mindful of no longer laying flat on your back. Also be mindful
when lifting weights as the body produces a hormone while pregnant
that can leave you open to injury. I don't lift as heavy in fear
of tearing something.

I didn't purchase a heart rate monitor but that is a good idea.
Just my opinion but as your pregnany progresses you will become
more comfortable as to what is going on with your body. Some days
you may be too tired/unmontivated but don't feel guilty!!
You will be fine and think about the end result, your beautiful child.
Keep us posted!!!

Suzanne
 
I gained the MOST weight in my first trimester. I had twins and I carried them full term (38 weeks)- my doctor was mean and wouldn't induce me! ha

I gained 31 total pounds and my babies' combined weight was 13 pounds. I gained 12 pounds my first trimester! (I started at 115 pounds and I am 5'4 to give you an idea) I was starving, tired, barfing, and miserable the whole first trimester. I didn't exercise, but then in the second and third trimesters I was back working out and eating healthy...and, not barfing! YEAH

So, just listen to your body - it will tell you what you need. Follow your gut (literally:) ) your baby's development is soooooo important in the first trimester. That is when all the important stuff is being "created.'

BTW -CONGRATS TO YOU!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

jen
 
Congrats! You will relly enjoy your new bundle!
It is really hard to say what you will do b/c everyone gains weight differently. I know people who gained most of their weight in the beginning and it slowed down in the end. And then there are others who gain weight in the end...and then there are others who don't gain much weight at all....we don't like those people:)

With my first pregnancy I didn't gain much weight b/c i was very sick...actually, I gained 32 lbs which is normal but she was 8 lbs of that and I lost my weight in no time.
With my 2nd baby, who is only 10 weeks old, I felt the same way you do. I felt bloated most of the time but I did lose 2 lbs in the beginning. I got pregnant in Mar, found out in Apr and I gained 10 lbs in July and another 10 in Aug! At that point I was really getting nervous cause I thought I was gonna be gaining 10 lbs a month! But I was starvig ALL the time and if I didn't eat, i would get sick. The weight gain did slow down but I ended up gaining 45 lbs. I tried not to stress about it to much b/c I was eating healthy so I really couldn't control what happened.
I am now 10 weeks PP and only have 8 lbs left to lose.The weight does come off, but you need to clean up your diet and get some good workouts in. I came home from the hospital thinking that b.c I was breastfeeding I could eat whatever I wanted but the scale soon stopped and so did my mindless eating.
Just try to enjoy your pregnancy. If you eat healthy and stay active, you will be fine.
Good Luck,
Lori:)
 
thank you so much to everyone who posted. it's so nice to have support and a source of information from like minded people (staying in shape and eating clean etc). some just dont understand. some of my friends never exercise, pregnant or not, so they just didnt quite understand. thank you thank you thank you!!
i'm sure i'll be posting around the boards in the future....
hugs,
cathefan!
 
Cathefan,

I was reading the other replies and was wondering how you were
doing. I agree with you as far as friends/family not understanding
the need to continue to stay fit while pregnant. I don't know
anyone in my circle that eats as healthy or works out as much
as I do so people just can't indentify. My Mom says things like
I hope your not still jumping around or a sister will say I hope
your eating more. They all mean well. I feel selfish at times
when I exercise and put my daughter in her exersaucer to watch
a video. I have received support on this forum not to feel so
bad. You have to be healthy to raise children and I feel
terrific even pregnant and I know its because of the heathly foods
and exercise. I think to myself my daughter and the baby due
this summer may even be proud of their Mom someday and that is
a great feeling. I hope your pregnancy is progressing well
and someday your new dilemma will be fitting in exercise around
a newborn which you can do too.

Good Luck

Jennifer Claire 12/24/2005
? 8/10/2007
 
Hi Jennifersmom,
thank you for your post. i'm doing okay. it's really hard for me to get used to the idea of modifying everything i do and i also have a pretty nasty cold, which means my heart rate elevates really quickly.
i feel so guilty that a couple of times or maybe more, i've allowed my heart rate to get higher....i dont do intervals or anything like that though. i felt so guilty afterwards and during but i needed to feel like i was working out. (selfish, i know) one thing that probably helps in my favour is that my body is totally used to high intensity training and working out at a high heart rate. And, i have read some things saying getting your heart rate over 140 is okay esp if you are athletic before pregnancy so that does make me feel a little better.
I havent had any spotting or cramping or anything negative after exercise. truthfully, i am having pretty bad nausea and the ONLY time it feels any better is when i'm exercising.
I know what you mean about other people in your life not understanding your committment to exercise and healthy diet. so many women use pregnancy as a bit of an excuse to eat anything they want. I can not say that i havent had a weak moment of gluttony or two but definitely trying to keep my diet in check. the hard part is that right now, only certain things appeal to me due to the morning sickness and they arent the healthiest things. refind carbs are going down the best, unfortunately.
i definitely agree with you that exercising and staying in shape is only going to benefit you and your baby. i love the idea of working out later in pregnancy and having a built in workout partner. Babies born to active moms are usually healthier and active moms usually suffer sig less of the serious complications that can occur with pregnancy as well as fewer of the less serious but equally as annoying things like constipation, water retention and back aches etc.
thank you for checking in wtih me. i hear you loud and clear and it's SO nice to have women with similar mindsets and opinions and experiences and priorities to share this experience with. :)
 
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