Help! Want to get pregnant, need to lose first!
 

Happy Fall, everyone! Listen, I need some serious suggestions here. I have been married for eight years, and I am 26 years old. (Yep, that's right, I got married at eighteen.) Anyway, for the past few years, I have been using the excuse that I'll get pregnant when I lose weight. (I am 5' 1" and weight 198 lbs.) Well, I have yet to lose a pound, every diet I start lasts about a DAY, if even that long sometimes. I just have zero willpower! Now I really, really ready to have a child in our lives, but I just hate to do it with this weight on me! By the time the pregnancy is over, I will probably weight around 230, and I just can't stand the thought of that. I considered joining the Weight Watchers online, but I'm not sure if they send you the paper materials that they would if you joined the actual classes. It looks like you just have to enter in your food intake on line, and I would rather have the books and not go to the meetings. (My hubby and I our own company, and I wouldn't have time for that.) Is anyone here on the Weight Watchers online? Does anyone have any good diet suggestions, something that actually worked for you? My doctor says I'm healthy, and that I shouldn't worry about losing the weight before pregnancy, because I plan to breast feed, and he says I'll lose the weight afterwards.

What do you guys think??

Please, please, I need help, advise and serious inspiration!

Shannon

Me too! Pregnancy is one of the many reasons I have to lose weight ant get healthy!
Good luck Shannon!!

In general, breastfeeding requires 500 kcal per day, which equals a pound/week. I am all for breastfeeding (and for breastfeeding for a long time), but I would not expect breastfeeding alone to bring you to your dream weight postpartum. It may bring you back to your prepregnancy weight. If you are not exercising, I would recommend you start prior to conception, as being active will help you during your pregnancy and birth. While being overweight can be associated with complications of pregnancy (gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, inductions/internal monitoring/cesareans), it is not guaranteed and I have cared for lots of women with high BMIs and perfect pregnancies and births. I would just point out that it is a lot simpler to change your lifestyle to incorporate good nutrition and exercise and form those habits now than it will be with a newborn in the picture. Also make sure you are getting enough folic acid (that actually goes for all of us women of childbearing age!)

Good luck and congratulations in advance!

Whichever diet you go with, you should definately make exercise a part of your daily routine. I recently read an article in the Lifetime Fitness Energize magazine from a pro volleyball player who recently had a baby. She mentioned that she had to tailor her exercise routine around the pregnancy, but by exercising and being fit prior to the pregnancy, and continuing some exercise during, she was able to get her body back into shape better than someone who starts exercising for the first time after the pregnancy.

I agree with everything midwife said, except - I am one of those people with high BMI's who had all of the complications that can come with it - preeclampsia, gestational diabetes etc. NOw, 1 year post-partum, I am struggling to get down to a healthy weight so that we can have another child. I feel like I am contstantly searching for the right thing and have no idea what WOE I should follow. I feel for you and wish you the best of luck - keep me posted!

Congrats on wantingt to lose weight before you get pregnant. Although I cant recommend a good diet-still searching for what will work for me, I can tell you good reasons to get healthy first. You will have pregnancy cravings and they will be even harder to control while you are pregnant. It is hard to go to the gym and eat healthy after having a baby (and even while you are preg and too tired to do anything!). It is possible to lose weight after pregnancy, but breastfeeding alone is not going to be alot of help. MOST doctors will tell you that you need to make up for the calories you are losing-meaning if you are supposed to be eating 1500 cal a day normally, when you breastfeed you will be taking in an extra 500-to equal 2000. This is not, you need 1500 cal a day normally, so if you use 500 up breastfeeding you will lose weight-for a total of 1000. Also if you have your eating under control, when you get preg, you will know how much more to eat-they say X amount of calories in addition each day, i think (dont quote me) it is like 250 the first few months. Also eating for two is not true until later on in the pregnancy-so be careful. I gained 55 lbs with my first one, lost of all it, gained over 75 with my second and am still working losing some of that-she is 6 months-but then I had preeclampsia with both, so I lost a lot of water weight right away. Good luck!!

Hey there.

I'm in the same boat as you are.

I've learned while it's best to be at a healthier weight when I am PG, I mainly want to be more fit and accustomed to better eating. So, I've started that. Many women gain a ton when they are PG, and from what I've read, those who maintain exercise, fitness and healthier eating don't gain as much. You never know, but I am not going to deny myself the ability of becoming PG because of my current weight. As is stands, we've been TTC for a few months and based on my poly cystic ovary, it will be hard enough to become PG...so I'm working on the fitness and eating and we're going to see what happens, me losing weight along the way.


Of course, once I become PG, I'm not necessarily going to aim for weight loss, but getting the nutrition I need but continuing the exercise regimen. Then after the baby, I will go back to weight loss mode to lose any baby weight and more.

Girlie

Girl, let me tell you about gaining weight. I was 243 lbs. pre-pregnancy weight anf I delived by first child at 318 (68 lbs gain) . I said that I would not have a child until I lost 50 lbs. It will never be the perfect time... so go ahead and have your baby.... it wAS THE BEST EXPERIENCE..I LOVE SON. (he pushed the caps lock.. I guess he wanted to be the star of the paragraph) I am back at 255 lbs but I thought that I would never see it. I'm real close to pre-pregnancy weight.. Im still working hard at it a year later.

Wow I think every here is giving out great advice! I am totally inexpercianced with pregnancy and WW all around but want to throw my two cents in.

From what I've heard about WW they are a great company and really willing to work with people. Maybe if you called them or went to a local chapter of WW for one visit they could answer your questions for you. (Like whether you get paper materials online). I've also recently learned. It doesn't hurt to ask. Maybe they don't usually send out that info but would be willing to if you signed up. Plus there is a good chance that women there have had the same experience. Maybe you could pick up a mentor that used WW pre-preg and is willing to keep in contact via e-mail.

Hmmm ... I may know little about pregnancy and all, but your doctor's advice sounds a bit off to me ... you do need to lose a bit to reach a healthy BMI and the weight loss from breast feeding would mostly be weight gained during pregnancy (and from what I know from friends/family members who've been pregnant there's usually some left over!)

I'd say don't let your weight hold you back from trying to concieve now, BUT in the meantime, get yourself started on a healthy eating/exercise plan, then modify it once you do concieve to mimimise the weight gain expected during pregnancy and make it easier to lose at the end, plus surely you'll feel more energetic during and after pregnancy if you get regular exercise :)