[Alacritous~Andy]

Before getting pregnant, I was actively losing weight.

Bad morning sickness is doing my head in at the moment, and I am just eating whatever I can keep down. I am looking forward to when it settles down, and am hoping that when that happens, I can get myself into some good routines and a healthy eating plan that can see me through this pregnancy without gaining massive amounts of weight like I did with DS.

I started out this pregancy overweight, with a BMI of 27. This is much better than the BMI of 32 that I was last year. I have lost 20kg in the lead up to getting pregnant, which is a great start, but still 5kg off my pre-pregnancy weight with DS! I am determined that this time around, I will not gain so much while pregnant, or while breast-feeding. Last time around, I let my weight get so far out of control, and I am not willing to go through this all again.

I thought it might be nice to have a support thread for those who are trying to stay healthy/minimise excess weight gain (obviously healthy gaining is par for the course) while pregnant.

Would anyone like to join me?

[emnut]

Awesome weight loss before getting pregnant - well done.

I will join you - a similar BMI & atm am reasonably happy with what I've been eating & have still lost a few kgs since finding out. I haven't had continuous bad MS that has affected things every day, but more every other day type sickness.

[tanglez]

I think it is a fantastic idea! Well done on all the weight loss too, that will no doubt make a difference to how you approach things and your pregnancy weight gain! I wasn't overweight before my pregnancy by any stretch but I was a bit bummed because I had put on 4 kilos and I am pretty sure it was due to being on Depo Provera (I had been eating really well and going to the gym 3-4 times a week yet could never shift any of it, just kept adding). I had been looking forward to stopping the Depo and getting back to my normal weight but somehow managed to conceive two days after my next shot was due Clearly losing that 4 kilos is not on the agenda now, but I do want to make sure I stay within a healthy range to make it easier at the other end to lose the baby weight! Bring on healthy bodies and minds for all of us!!!

[Spring Chickadee]

This is brilliant, I was thinking about this today and if anyone would have an interest in doing this.

my background is, always been on the chubbier size as a child and teen despite eating normally. I always found if I let go a little I would gain weight extremely quickly (eg. 4kgs over 5 days). So it turns out I have an autoimmune Thyroid Disease. Once I got on medication for that my weight didn't shift (82kgs and BMI 29.4).

Under the guidance of a nutritionist/ naturopath with a masters in endocrinology I lost 11kgs by doing a 3 month no carbohydrate, no caffeine, no artificial sweetners or flavours, no soy, no alcohol diet. Since then I've now found the right 'balance' to maintain my weight which is a Gluten and soy free diet ( which also does wonders for my overall thyroid health). I still enjoy some naughty foods but have found cutting out a few simple things has made my weight totally maintainable. I do struggle on a daily basis to avoid the gluten and soy as I crave it terribly.

When I fell pregnant I was 73kgs, I'm now 71kgs at 8.5 weeks. so my BMI is 25.5 (just over the normal range by 2 kgs). I am hoping to gain the minimum weight during this pregnancy as I know that will be best for my health long term and if I don't I have the potential to gain weight at a crazy rate. 2 specialists have reminded me how important this is.

So I'm on board!

Just a reminder to not go overboard with artificial sweeteners. these often make you crave sugar and carbs more and has been shown to have detrimental effects on fertility and pregnancy in studies on mice. I personally avoid them all together but a little here or there is unlikely to cause issues for you.

[Alacritous~Andy]

I'm so glad there has been a positive response to this thread. I was a bit worried I was going to be flamed about being vain and shallow, and that I should be focusing on the baby, etc (even though logically I know that me being the healthiest I can is the best thing I can do for both of us). Anyway, lovely to see that I will have some companions.

I have been posting in the "Lots to Lose" thread in the fitness section for ages, but felt a bit silly since I am the only pregnant one, and don't want to keep blabbing on there about being pregnant.

My current weight is 89.1kg, which sounds super massive, but I am just shy of 6ft, so that is why my BMI is still "overweight" not "obese". Last pregnancy I started at 84kg, and got up to 102kg when I delivered, then went up to 106 while BF. Since June last year, I have slowly lost weight, and got back down to where I am now. Since getting pregnant, I have been hovering between 88-89 kilos. My goal is to stay under 90 for as long as possible.

My biggest struggle at the moment is that I usually eat a fairly low-carb diet, but with the morning sickness, I have found toast/crackers etc one of the few things that stave off the nausea. Also, I usually only drink water and tea, but again, have found that like with DS, red cordial is the only way I can get any liquid into me (and keep it down) at the moment. All the liquid calories really add up. I REALLY hope the MS eases off soon.

Just a reminder to not go overboard with artificial sweeteners. these often make you crave sugar and carbs more and has been shown to have detrimental effects on fertility and pregnancy in studies on mice. I personally avoid them all together but a little here or there is unlikely to cause issues for you.

I avoid artificial sweetners too. I have IBS and find they really upset my stomach and also give me migraines.

[LadyMorgana]

I'm on board too. This is my 1st pregnancy and I'm very over weight. Since finding out I have been eating a lot healthier, and walking every day. I've started at 20 minutes and hope to increase it slowly as I improve my fitness. I checked my heart rate while walking and it was 175 bpm which kind of freaked me out...
I use to eat nothing but junk, including at least one block of chocolate a day and no exercise at all. So eating mostly healthy and walking daily the doctor said I may lose weight and thats okay as long as its slowly.
Looking forward to hearing everyones progress!

[bubaburns]

Firstly i just want to say thankyou, im new to all this and am currently trying to concieve my first and this is the exact topic i have been thinking about .I have been whatching what i eat and am loosing weight to try and be at my healthiest when it finally does happen but in the back of my mind i still hope im not going to end up this large person thats pregnant and doesnt even look pregnant. God that sounds horrible. Is it normal to be thinking like this?

[SnowbunnyNZ]

Is it possible to lose weight in yr first 1 to 12 weeks? By this I mean if u were eating the amount of kilojoules in a calorie controlled diet beforehand to lose weight and stayed eating this amount when u got pregnant then would u lose a bit wouldn't you? I'm not saying this is a good thing but just wondering.

[JKan]

Great idea for a thread!

I've always been athletic (ate heaps of healthy stuff, but exercised my but off, literally - I'm a fitness instructor).

Since discovering my pregnancy, had shocking MS, then a planned trip overseas to Japan (which Im currently in my 2nd week of a 2 week holiday) my eating choices have been shocking. Add to that the fatigue which set in around week 4, which means I've been exercising much much less. guess what? Ive already gained 5kgs!!! (Im 9 weeks PG).

Feeling very self conscious already, hopefully my MS will subside further and upon my return home i can get into a healthy routine. All that seems to help is high carb foods (biscuits, hot chocolate, noodles, tinned spaghetti!!)

good luck to you all!

oxox
jkan

[Spring Chickadee]

Just thought I'd update with my starting figure. I have always carried alot of my weight in my belly and have on occasion been mistaken for pregnant. since loosing weight my stomache flattened somewhat but since being pregnant I am bloated again. Thankfully I can dress to not look as bad as the picture. Usually I have a muffin top but It's not filling out to have more of a curve at the bottom where i can feel my belly firming up. I have lost weight, reduced measurements under my bust but increased on my bust and hips. SO here is me now (with a combo of a tiny bit of baby, lots of bloating and some fat):



ETA- I am totally excited for a big beautiful bump and the normal weight gain that comes with pregnancy. I just want to ensure I stay as healthy as possible including my weight. I don't need to be super skinny, will happily gain the required amount to ensure a healthy pregnancy, but don't want pregnancy to become an excuse to go overboard and gain too much weight. I am really not a very weight focused person, but it is a part of my health and I need to stay ontop of it.

This post has been edited by Spring Chickadee: 02/04/2012, 11:47 PM