Is it possible to workout with Cathe while Pregnant & still gain weight?

Daniela78

Member
Hello everyone- I have a question for all you Catheletes who have been pregnant: I have always enjoyed working out with Cathe 6 days a week to keep in shape & lose weight. Now I am 3 months pregnant with my first baby and would like to continue working out with Cathe at my same pace. My question is, will working out 6 days a week keep me from gaining the appropriate weight I need to gain? Will I need to eat A TON of extra food to counter-act my calories burned in order to gain weight for the baby? Or does that extra weight naturally appear on my body anyway, even if I exercise? Thanks everyone!!! :D
 
Well, I've never been pregnant, but when I read your post, I thought of the pictures Cathe herself posted once when she was pregnant. She still looked very fit and lean, and quite healthy.... and quite pregnant! And I do know that it's a good idea to keep exercising while you're pregnant, as long as you feel comfortable doing it. I would imagine that once the baby really starts to grow, you'll need to modify and take out a lot of the jumping, just because you'll be off-balance with that front load. :D I'm sure you also know to talk to your doctor about it, and keep tabs during your regular checkups. Have fun!
 
First of all, CONGRATS on your pregnancy and your commitment to being a fit momma! :)

Do check with your ob/gyn first--I was an avid Cathe exerciser prior to pregnancy, and I was told I could continue working out during my pregnancy as long as I stayed in the safe HR zone for pregnancy (your ob/gyn will give you those numbers.)

But much to my shock, my HR elevated REALLY fast during pregnancy--my Polar went off right away even when I lifted three pound weights, etc. so I ended up NOT being able to do Cathe at all! I walked on the treadmill (a nice, slow, turtle walk) until month 7 and did Crunch Yoga Mama yoga right up until November (My daughter was born in early December.)

So your body will tell you what is right for you (and baby!)
 
I worked out with Cathe through a few pregnancies and gained an appropriate amount of weight. You definitely need to talk to your doctor to see what they recommend, but if you're not high risk and were been doing Cathe before you became pregnant, you should be able to continue.

Some of the weight will come by itself as your body starts building up extra blood supply and doing all the things necessary for the baby to grow. You will have to eat a little bit extra, though, even if you weren't planning to do Cathe - again, your doctor can give you more information, but I think it's about 300 additional calories a day, plus whatever you burn off working out.

The important thing to do is to make sure those extra calories are good ones! There are plenty of ways to get those extra calories without having to eat all day or resort to unhealthy choices - stick to whole grains, good proteins, start including a moderate amount of healthy oils and safe fatty fish, make whole egg omelettes (the yolks have nutrients that are really good for your baby), etc. It's not a 'ton' of extra food, but maybe an extra snack before bed or between meals (or both).

Just one note (not that you asked, but I can't help it! Feel free to ignore me :) ): your body will change as the months progress, so don't get hung up on a certain number of workouts per week, or what days you do strength, cardio, etc. As long as you stay active and make an effort to eat healthy, you'll do fine! Trust me - I've been there, and so have many other women right here on the site

Which brings me to my second bit of unasked for advice (sorry! :D) there's a check-in specifically for pregnant, TTC, and postpartum here on the forums that was a HUGE help to me during my last two pregnancies - lots of support, a shoulder to lean on, and good info. Definitely worth popping in there to say hey and ask any question that comes up.

Congratulations, and I hope the months fly by for you and that everything goes well!

KC
 
I worked out with Cathe at the same intensity I was used to pre-preg. I gained 25 lbs with my pregnancy, which is in the recommended range.

You will gain weight regardless, and your body will put on what it needs to make your pregnancy healthy. You have *some* control over how much you gain based on what you eat. But overall, regardless of working out, you're going to gain what you're going to gain.

But working out through your pregnancy will definitely make youre delivery and recovery much easier! I had my little guy out in 10 minutes of pushing, and I'm convinced it's because of all of that Cathe work I did up until the very end!

I'm now 6 weeks pp, and have been back in my regular pre-preg clothes since week 3. I'm also back to my pre-preg weight, and have been since week 4.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!
 
Hi. I was exercising with the Firm mostly until I found Cathe. I was 3-4 months pregnant at the time! I worked out with her (and still did some Firms too) right up until I went into labor and TRUST ME, I still gained the weight that was necessary PLUS some!:eek: My weight gain was more then I had hoped for but it was not out of control by any stretch of the imagination and I credit Cathe's work outs for that! I'm sure you'll be fine! :)
 
Thank you!!

Thanks for the advice everyone!! I have heard the advice about not letting your heart rate go above a certain number, but I have never actually monitored my pulse during my workouts- I just stop for alot of breaks when I feel I may start getting too winded- anyone else just resting when they're tired, or should I be closely be monitoring my heart rate?
 
The latest info says ditch the hrm when pg. Your hr is already higher just from being prg. Better way to tell is perceived exertion. As you progress in your pg you'll just *know* when you're doing too much. I'm 29.5 weeks and I've cut my cardio down to 30-45 minutes, it totally depends how I feel that day. I've gained 16 pounds so far. Eat healthy food when you're hungry, stop when you're full. Allow yourself an occasional treat, just don't make a food group out of it. Exercise when you can, if you and your belly are up to it. Some days you'll kick butt, other days your baby will kick your butt!

Enjoy your pregnancy! It is such a wonderful and FAST time!
 

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