Well and doesn't your body release any toxins that are stored in you fat when you lose weight? Just a thought although I know from experience of being "bigger" when I had my kids that my main worry was health and diabetes from weight issues, you just need knowlegable dr's IF that IS the case, looking for the update next week!
Good Luck

I have had three babies, and I am a gestational diabetic (so I had to watch calories) during pregnancy, and I exercised all the way up to labor. If you are indeed pregnant-give me a hollar! :)

I have calorie information for pregnant women during the different trimesters, etc. :)

I'm just curious: I thought it was also not great to be pregnant and very overweight all at the same time? Surely a very healthy diet together with appropriate exercise is the right thing for all bodies, even pregnant ones? Why would it be a big deal, so long as she's taking in plenty of healthy calories for herself and the fetus?


(I readily acknowledge that I have absolutely no direct or indirect experience or knowledge on this subject, but I've seen several women at 3FC trying to lose weight so that they can become pregnant and have healthy pregnancies...)

The current thinking is that it's fine for very overweight women to continue to lose weight during pregnancy. Doesn't seem to hurt the baby at all.

baffled-to answer your question:

It is perfectly fine to lose weight BEFORE your pregnancy, to get to a healthier weight for pregnancy.

However, if you are already overweight and you become pregnant, then pregnancy isn't the time to TRY to *lose* weight.

You can, however, eat a moderate calorie diet, and continue to exercise throughout your pregnancy-but there are modifications that have to be done with your exercise.

We are all calorie counters in this section, so think of it this way: Most of us, depending on our current weights, are currently eating between 1200-2000 a day for weight LOSS. (Obviously on the lower end if we are nearer to goal, and towards the higher end, if we are still very overweight.)

During a pregnancy, you have to not only support your own health, but the health of another person-which means more calories.

Also, there are changes in your weight that have nothing to do with your body fat, or the weight of the baby. Your blood volume actually increases during pregnancy, causing a pound or two of weight gain. By the time you are full term, the placenta and the bag of amniotic fluid can weigh up to 4 pounds. Your breasts will increase in size and weight, due to their preparation for breastfeeding, and they will gain 1-2 pounds in weight alone.

A healthy weight gain for the average pregnant woman is 20-35 pounds in most cases. Babies can weigh between 5-10 pounds on average, so if you gain weight accordingly with those standards, a lot of the gain is in the things that I stated above, with only a few pounds left that are fat stores. These few pounds of fat stores are SUPPOSED to be there, to support breastfeeding. (Which uses more calories-because you are creating food for another person.)

So, that is why it isn't good in many cases to cut calories to weight loss level while you are pregnant.

My doctor recommended 2000 calories a day during the first trimester, and 2200-2300 a day for the second and third.

There are a few cases where a woman might lose weight during pregnancy if she follows these guidelines-if she is very overweight, and switches to a healthier lifestyle, she might drop a few pounds in the process. (If she was normally eating 2500 calories a day or more to maintain her being overweight to start-dropping down to a more reasonable level would cause a slow loss.)

However, you don't want to say, eat 1500 calories a day, like you would see in here, purposely trying to lose weight with a low calorie diet. It is too low for a pregnant woman.

Some nice oversight here. :yes:

I really appreciate all of the info. It will be helpful if I am pregnant or if I'm not, then when I do get pregnant.

I would definitly not starve myself. I don't starve myself right now....and I couldn't even think of doing that if there was another life depending on me for food. I already eat between 1600-1800 calories on most days and I know I would easily up that a couple hundred at least.

I can't wait to be the pregnant woman that goes to the gym. :lol: We have one of those at ballys and I think she's awesome and I envy her. She had the baby and had almost no baby tummy...I was amazed!

I, too, think it's possible to lose weight during a pregnancy without really trying. Exercise alone for me really helps. Not to mention I eat very healthy foods, so if some natural weight-loss occurred I would be more than happy. I am carrying enough fat around that I don't think it would hurt my baby (if there is one ;) ) to lose a few.

My two cents here.

I had gestational diabetes for both of my pregnancies. I was given a diet that not only set out the amounts and kinds of food but also when to eat it so as to keep my blood sugar levels even throughout the day. I went to a special clinic for pregnant women with diabetes (gestational and otherwise) and saw a nurse, a prenatal dietician, and an endocrinologist every week, plus my monthly appointments with the OBGYN. I had to keep records of everything I ate and the time I ate it, plus nightly counts of the baby's movements (I was given a "clicker" and every night for 15 minutes had to keep track of how many times the baby moved).

In short, my baby and I were monitored very carefully by medical specialists.

I kept to my diet religiously while I was pregnant because I was doing it for my baby (funny how that was a better motivator than doing it for myself :rolleyes:). I lost about 10 pounds during each pregnancy and while at first I was concerned (my mother was frantic with worry) I was assured that when very overweight women eat and exercise properly during their pregnancy, some weight loss is expected and is safe. After the deliveries, I was about 30 pounds lighter than the day I conceived. Both my boys were born in perfect health, the first one at 8 pounds 3 ounces, the second at 6 pounds 8 ounces.

So it is possible to lose weight safely while pregnant. However, I was under the care and close supervision of medical experts. I'm in Canada and therefore these services were free. I would not want to deliberately set out to lose weight while pregnant without that kind of care available.

I think the biggest key is medical supervision. I think every woman should have the best prenatal care available, and even more so if there is anything unusual about the woman or her pregnancy. With a balanced diet with sufficient calories for both mother and child weight loss or maintenance during pregnancy may be safe, but I think it's definitely important to have that medical care. Some nutrients like folic acid are so vital to prenatal development, that a woman should make sure she is getting enough even before she gets pregnant, because a deficiency causes such severe birth defects so early in pregnancy (usually before a woman knows she is pregnant). For example, it can cause spinal defects such as spina bifida.

The other problem with "dieting" while pregnant is that the intent to lose weight itself sometimes makes less than healthy eating so very tempting. Fats are very important to fetal development, and something we often limit or eliminate when dieting. I don't know if they baby can pull fat from the mother's body to use, or whether it has to come from the diet. An OB/GYN would have better answers in terms of what you should eat and why. The baby absolutely has to come before the desire to lose weight.