So DH and I are thinking about starting a family! I am so excited! I do have one question that hopefully you all can help me with! I have calorie counted for about three years. I rarely miss a day. It helps me feel in control, watch my portions... And now its just integrated into my every day. With a growing baby- ill obviously gain some weight (a whole other issue in itself for me but I'll worry about that later)... But here's my question I guess- I feel like I have NO idea how to read my own hunger cues. I just eat my allotted calories- and eat on a schedule that rarely changes. I don't know if this will be a good way to continue eating once I'm pregnant. I'll keep the healthy foods, but how much do I eat? Can I still count calories? I just want to keep myself as healthy as possible and of course do the best thing for the baby-- it's just scary I guess because I really don't know how to handle it! I'm not even pregnant yet, its just something that's been on mind. Maybe it's silly but going from counting calories to not will be a big, scary transition for me!!

Thanks a million for any opinions!

You can still count calories.The doctor will advise you how many calories to eat.

I agree with Bargoo. Just ask your doc and they will be able to give you a calorie range, usually only a few hundred over what you'd need to maintain your weight. They usually have an idea of how much they like you to gain during pregnancy and will likely give you a recommendation at your first appointment. Ob/Gyns tend to appreciate weight discussions b/c it can help mitigate gestational diabetes risk(although that has a lot to do with pregnancy hormones), which is known to cause pregnancy complications and put you at a higher risk for Type II diabetes later on in life. Just eat sensibly, good nutrition is key. You can't really predict or control weight gain during pregnancy but you can control your nutrition for the healthiest pregnancy possible.

Best wishes!

Assuming you eat healthy now, just carry on as usual. Doc will give you new calorie range and you just do what you do -- calorie count. Take a prenatal multi now while TTC. Make sure partner is taking his multi.

It's really not like "eating for two" -- the other person is an infant and not even full size til the END anyway. It isn't YOU gaining the weight, it's the developing embryo too -- and the systems to support it -- uterus, placenta, cord, extra blood volume, etc. After birth there's a whoosh of scale weird as your body deals with that birth process, milk coming in process, etc. So try not to obsess on the scale too much.

GL!
A.

having had three, i assure you, there's nothing magically mystical about being pregnant. dietwise, it's BIA.

except***

eat clean - that's so important now. avoid artificial sweeteners, colourings, preservatives, and salt as much as possible. more and more research coming out about the effects on babies that i don't like.

caffeine? fine - 300mg a day max if you're a junkie, but if you're moderate use, 150mg is the really recommended level.

calorie-wise, same old, same old, although 129 at five-eight's a bit on the spare side, pregnancy-wise, so you might find yourself bingeing/craving more than, say, me. add 200 calories to your daily limit. you really won't puff up like a balloon and if you're textbook, you'll have gained about 30lbs by labour day. figure a pound a week during 2nd and 3rd trimesters.

note: if you happen to not gain weight during pregnancy as predicted (iow, my god-daughter hadn't gained any weight by her 6th month), don't worry about the baby - the baby pulls from your body reserves. starving ethopian mothers delivered babies with an average birthweight of 6-1/2lbs even though they themselves were skeletal.

*********************TAKE LOTS AND LOTS OF FOLIC ACID************

that's the number-one defence against non-genetic neural tube defect such as spina bifida and cleft palate.


about "you can't really predict or control weight gain during pregnancy" - you most certainly can. my dr told me with my last that he wanted me to gain nothing and if i went down some he wouldn't be displeased. i laughed at him and said "yah, right - i'll gain 40lbs" and that is precisely how much i gained.

a pregnant woman only has to consume 200 - 400 more calories per day. the doctors just encourage you to eat what you want and not deprive yourself. just eat healthy and go for walks or do some other mild excercise and you should stay about the same size, if not smaller (except your belly of course)

Thank you all SO much! I was totally having a moment when I wrote this- But I REALLY appreciate all of the advice! That's what I kind of figured... It's nice to hear it from someone with experience though!

i have about the same advise to give. I am TTC as well, and on my 3rd round of IVF. I was told to calorie count at maintenece+ about 200-300 a day. My maintenece is 1800 so I will eat about 2000 a day.

Good luck on baby makin!!

So true. I had a huge whoosh of 22 lbs out of the 42 gained in the first 2 weeks after delivery. I know people who've gained like 50+ pounds during pregnancy and 2 weeks post pardum, had only retained 2 lbs! There's a lot to account for with pregnancy weight gain, from water retention to increased blood supply. Don't worry about it unless your doc gets concerned. All pregnancies are different and each on you have will have it's differences and similarities.

Here's an article that breaks down how pregnancy weight gain works.

http://www.webmd.com/baby/guide/healthy-weight-gain

During the beginning you probably won't need too much calories, maybe a banana and an extra bowl of cereal a day exercise and keep healthy. Def start the prenatal vit early, actually, going to prenatal visit is what you need to do, gather up your questions and go!

Up to 3-5 lbs first trimester is not that much, the 300 cal increase is only for the 2nd and 3rd trimester. With the morning sickness, might not gain weight after all! jk who knows. Also it's true about your body reserves going towards formation of placenta and the fetus..

400mcg folic acid
iron 27g from lean meats, dark green leafy vegetables
protein 60g

overall, at the end, 35-40lbs weight gain is good range, that's all I can remember from Maternity, I'm a RN student!

Well..while you can certainly control your calories intake, you can not always control how much you actually gain. My best advice is to eat healthy, add the said 200-300 calories a day and you will KNOW you are fine. Do not obsess with the scales. Enjoy your pregnancy and love your baby, and do not let weight-worries spoil the wonderful time of expecting.

I gained around 50 pounds with my twins even though I ate healthy (and I had lot of troubles with sickness too). I was scared how can I gain so much while I do not really overeat or eat junk? Well, turned out most of it was water. Three weeks after my children were born, I weighted 10 pounds less than before I get pregnant. That's why I'm saying you can not always control how much you gain, but you have perfect control over what you eat and that's all that matters. Trust your body it will figure out the rest

Depends on the woman too, OP is only 128lbs at 5'8, at the lower end of the scale, she might need to gain a bit more than typical

I was the same BMI with my son, had to gain more than 25-30lbs due to low bodyfat.

Not this time haha