In general it can be so hard to predict weight gain with pregnancy. We don't even really have good reasons to recommend the 25-35 pounds that we do. I have had some ladies this week who are so barfy (first trimester) that they are on survival mode....could be potato chips and lemonade for a week or so.
So you might gain a few pounds the first trimester or you might lose a few. Weight gain in pregnancy is rarely linear, so while I think you have a good plan (depending on the quality of foods you choose---and I have total faith in you that they will be high quality calories), know that the best laid plans going awry is never quite so true as it is with pregnancy, birth, and parenting. You have the knowledge and the tools to optimize your chances though!
Also, when the time comes (second and third trimester), you may want to get a maternity belt for extra support to help your back. Try to have some nice strong abs going into pregnancy, cause that will help a bit.
I'd been trying to lose 10-12 lbs for years and I think part of the reason I was never successful at it was that I knew I'd want to get pregnant in the not-so-remote future. So I ended up getting pregnant at 13 lbs above goal, too. But anyway, to answer your question, I didn't find it hard to control my eating at all. I'm at 39 weeks tomorrow, and I never got ravenously hungry like everyone said I would. At first people said "wait until the 4th month. THAT's when the hunger begins!" The 4th month came and went, and nothing changed. Then they said "Ha! You'll see when you get to the 6th..7th...8th..."... nothing. If anything, I've felt a little less hungry than usual, especially now at the end because my stomach is so compressed!
Also, I agree with midwife that weight gain during pregnancy is rarely linear. I gained most of my weight in the second trimester, and very little in the other 2. Again, "they" said I'd gain more in the third.
But that's just my experience. Some people do starve when they're pregnant and eat everything in sight, so it's hard to tell. Whatever happens to you, "they" also say the weight will come off eventually. I hope they're right about that!
I gained a total of 17 pounds during my one and only pregnancy.I was fortunate I was back to 148 4 days post partum. I threw up every single day so it isn't much wonder I barely gained.After there is no better way to lose the weight than to breastfeed.
I gained a total of 31lbs. during my pregnancy. I ran until 7 months and exercised until the day before the baby came. Honestly I never had unhealthy cravings until my last month of pregnancy and then I ate everything in site. But I didn't gain wait at all during the last month. My cravings were of milk, orange juice, and cheese which are all pretty healthy.
Also a week after the baby I had lost twenty pounds of the weight.
I gained way too much with my first, 60 lbs. I was hungry a lot, and I found grazing helped to quell the low grade nausea that lasted for 7 months of that pregnancy. This time I'm on track for about 40 (hopefully). Still too much, but better than last time. We'll see how it turns out. This time it really is hunger, and most of my cravings are for things like oranges and grape nuts, with the occasional steak or milk craving thrown in there. Go figure.
I don't have any statistics, but it seems to vary so much from person to person. Among the big gainers (~60 lbs) I either know personally or are friends-of-friends include a triathlon coach and an OB. On the other hand, I've had obese/overweight friends gain 10 lbs during a pregnancy because they weren't hungry.
As much as my body was in gaining mode when I was pregnant, it was also in losing mode afterwards. I did breastfeed for 8 months, but I never lost the last bit until I stopped. I had to pay some attention to lose, but I wasn't very disciplined about it either. The extreme fatigue and accompanying sugar cravings were the worst part of that. But, I was within a couple pounds of my starting weight when all was said and done. As were the aforementioned coach and OB.
Sounds like your plan is a good one. Try hard to listen to your body and make healthy choices the rest of the time.
I understand your concerns, but it is really hard to predict. I ended up having gestational diabetes with both pregnancies and it was ironically a blessing-- I was so careful about eating I only gained 11 lbs with my first pregnancy and 15 lbs with my second (and I gave birth to two 10 lbers)!
Also who knows how long it might take you to conceive? It took 3 months with my first baby but 7 months this time around. I wouldn't let those 13 lbs dictate whether or not you are going to start TTCing.
Also who knows how long it might take you to conceive? It took 3 months with my first baby but 7 months this time around. I wouldn't let those 13 lbs dictate whether or not you are going to start TTCing.
This would be my bigger concern with waiting. It took us 6 years to conceive (not to scare you) & I do think in part the reason I conceived when I did is because I was closer to my goal weight but still 23lbs away. But my understanding a lot of the initial weight gained is mama weight - the extra weight our bodies need to sustain the pregnancy. If you start out a little over you don't generally need to gain as much.
The weight gain does seem to be very different - two women I know (one in labour as we speak) who are VERY slim gained very little weight & another I know who was heavy gained over 60lbs. But almost everyone I know fairly quickly landed back at their prepregnancy weight.
You may get sciatic regardless of how much you weigh or how much you gain. I haven't gained any weight and I am almost 5 months. I didn't have any sciatica before and now I am having it very mildly. It will all depend on the baby and where everything is sitting not necessarily how much weight you gain or don't gain. Yes sciatica really sucks! I constantly have this pain in my right butt cheek, sometimes it is really bad and other times I can barely feel it but it is pretty much always there and I imagine it will stay there until the baby is born. Both my SIL's who are slim and didn't gain much weight had it as well. Good luck with the TTC'ing and hopefully we'll see you on this forum soon as a mom to be!
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