Can I lose weight, even though I'm pregnant?

I've gained a noticeable amount in my mid-area over the past two months, 12 pounds to be exact. As I was getting back on my 'diet' (or rather- cutting out the junk food) I found out that I am five weeks pregnant. I know if I go back to eating & exercising like I was that I'd shed off these 10 pounds over the next two months. Is that ok, as long as I'm getting the proper amount of calories and nutrients that I need for the baby and my body? (I want to go by 1500 calories. I'm 5'4 weighing at 131lbs right now)

No. Your doctor will tell you the same thing, no losing weight during pregnancy. What you CAN do is moderate exercise where you don't get your heart rate too high and eat healthy! Right now you need an extra 200 calories a day on top of what you need to eat to maintain your weight for fetal development.

Why would u want to lose weight.  Just eat sensibly and you will be ok.  If you eat sensibly and healthy u might not gain weight as fast as u did.  Don't worry about the weight worry about ur baby being healthy.

You need to check with your doctor, but generally, the answer I've seen is that no, you should not try to lose weight while you're pregnant.  Your current BMI is 22.5, so you are right in the middle of a healthy weight range if you were not pregnant.  Cutting out junk food and eating healthier is good for the baby, restricting calories to diet right now is not.

You should talk to your doctor.  Certain kinds of exercise are very good for baby, and can help during labor too.

You definitely want the proper nutrition during your pregnancy, counting calories might be wise as well.  Your doctor should be able to help with this.

I know some women that totally let themselves go while pregnant.  Eating for two doesn't mean eating twice the amount of food as normal.

Oh boys....tronjo, you can't cut calories during pregnancy!  And 'letting yourself go' is probably not the best way to describe an emotional pregnant lady with cravings for ice cream.....But you are right about not eating for 2, you're eating for you plus an itty bitty person, so 200-500 cals is all you need generally. 

But definitely talk to your doctor, make healthy choices, and do moderate exercise (make sure not to let your body temperature or heart rate get too high) and you'll be ready to have a healthy baby.  AND you'll be in a good position to get rid of baby weight quickly after you deliver!

With my first baby, I remember being told that 20-25 pounds in weight gain is not only normal but necessary for the health of the baby. With my second, I was slightly overweight and was told I should gain less. But never was I told to lose weight or to restrict calories while pregnant.

Get thee to a doctor. You will find out all this for yourself. You will need to start taking vitamins and possibly increase your protein-- but again you need proper medical advise, not advise from a bunch of folks on an online forum.

Original Post by thermal:
Where in my post did I say to cut calories? :)

Oh boys....tronjo, you can't cut calories during pregnancy! And 'letting yourself go' is probably not the best way to describe an emotional pregnant lady with cravings for ice cream.....But you are right about not eating for 2, you're eating for you plus an itty bitty person, so 200-500 cals is all you need generally.

But definitely talk to your doctor, make healthy choices, and do moderate exercise (make sure not to let your body temperature or heart rate get too high) and you'll be ready to have a healthy baby. AND you'll be in a good position to get rid of baby weight quickly after you deliver!

Original Post by tronjo:

Original Post by thermal:
Where in my post did I say to cut calories? :)

Oh boys....tronjo, you can't cut calories during pregnancy! And 'letting yourself go' is probably not the best way to describe an emotional pregnant lady with cravings for ice cream.....But you are right about not eating for 2, you're eating for you plus an itty bitty person, so 200-500 cals is all you need generally.

But definitely talk to your doctor, make healthy choices, and do moderate exercise (make sure not to let your body temperature or heart rate get too high) and you'll be ready to have a healthy baby. AND you'll be in a good position to get rid of baby weight quickly after you deliver!

 

" (I want to go by 1500 calories. I'm 5'4 weighing at 131lbs right now)"

That's a restricted calorie diet, aka, 'cutting calories', which is probably very unadvisable when you're pregnant. Talk to your doctor, definitely. Remember, you have all your life to lose those 10 pounds, but the baby only has nine months to reap all the health benefits you can give him or her.

Original Post by thermal:

 And 'letting yourself go' is probably not the best way to describe an emotional pregnant lady with cravings for ice cream.....

I agree, I wish men could feel pregnancy hunger, even for an hour! Cravings, too... prego cravings and PMS cravings can't even compare.

the problem with cutting calories during pregnancy is that YOU do not get to decide where the calories are being lost from. I am not sure of what the real scenario is (for most women, remember everyone is different!) but your body does not target ONLY fatty areas first. when there is a shortage, it cuts down on the calories being used EVERYWHERE so as to have as little impact on 1 certain function as possible. So the amount of deficit you create to lose fat would also affect the baby and the nutrients you are sending to the baby.

Everyone here has told you not to diet while pregnant. I hope you listen to them. If you absolutely feel the need to follow a diet of some sort in order to feel more in "control" of the pregnancy, your doctor will probably put you on a modified form of the American Diabetes Diet which is designed for pregnant women. HOWEVER, I urge you to ask yourself if a possible 10 pound difference -- in the end -- is worth risking poorer nutrition for your baby. So many studies are being done about the importance of pre-natal nutrition. And we're talking about your BABY here.

Now, having said that , I can assure you from personal experience that every body is going to gain weight differently during pregancy. I gained 70% of my total weight in the first 5 months with both pregnancies and was in total panic. Guess what. The weight came off both times with a little work and patience. Not only. During my second pregnancy I actually tried to be careful about what I ate so as to possibly gain less weight. No such luck. I gained more than in my first pregnancy.

Regadless of whether you diet or not, you will need to diet after the baby is born and after you have finished breast feeding (NOTE: another reason to eat as nutritionally as possible during your pregnancy - your initial milk supplies will be more substantial and more nutritious) should you choose to breast feed. It will take about a year for the weight to come off and your tissue to return to normal. Some people do it quicker, but unless you're an actress with a personal trainer, cook, nanny and housekeeper it is difficult to do it in less than 8 months. So we're talking a minimum of 8 months of dieting after. Do you REALLY want to stress about dieting now, when you have no control over the final weight gain, when you're going to need to be diligent and patient in the near future?

I'm not trying to be mean, but if you are so against gaining weight..then why did you get pregnant in the first place when you know it's a main part in being pregnant?

You can't deprive your baby of nutrients for selfish reasons. It is not safe to diet at this point. Just do some yoga for relaxation and to strengthen muscles it may even make your pregnancy easier for when you deliver. Not only that, but should help in a faster weight loss after the pregnancy.

You can't just think about yourself now. Even though it has not been born yet, that child now is an important part of your life and the nurturing starts now. If you have any questions regarding weight I would highly suggest you talk to your doctor. Good luck.

I couldn't have dieted while pregnant even if I'd wanted to. The only time I wasn't nauseous was when I was eating!

Definitely talk to your doctor, I was very over weight  when I got prego and I asked mine if I should lose weight and he said he didn't recommend trying to lose any while I was pregnant.

 A lot of women use this as a time to just relax about what they eat. Try to make healthy choices, but don't stress too much about it. There are a few kinds of foods you are supposed to limit or avoid, so talk to your doc or go online.

Good luck to you!! Have fun!

Original Post by silentdeadlyrose:

I'm not trying to be mean, but if you are so against gaining weight..then why did you get pregnant in the first place when you know it's a main part in being pregnant?

You can't deprive your baby of nutrients for selfish reasons. It is not safe to diet at this point. Just do some yoga for relaxation and to strengthen muscles it may even make your pregnancy easier for when you deliver. Not only that, but should help in a faster weight loss after the pregnancy.

You can't just think about yourself now. Even though it has not been born yet, that child now is an important part of your life and the nurturing starts now. If you have any questions regarding weight I would highly suggest you talk to your doctor. Good luck.

Lots of people don't mean to get pregnant, just like me.  It just happened - a surprise.  And when that kind of stuff happens, it's hard to suddenly shift gears mentally, especially when you've been working hard at something that you can no longer focus on.  Of course the OP knows that nutrition is important and she's not the only one getting the benefits of what she eats, but cut her a little slack.  I have known I'm pregnant for a little over two months and it's still hard sometimes to get that mentality.  When you've planned for it, maybe you're a little more mentally prepared, but I wouldn't know.

Ok, sometimes pregnancies happen..but if you weren't on the pill or didn't use protection then that is the mistake and the fault you made on your part. If you did use the condom and it broke then my apologizes. All I'm saying is you should not starve your baby. That is inhuman.

If you aren't ready for a baby or the weight gain then there are medical procedures to take care of that.

My apologizies for the harshness, but it is the truth.

Original Post by silentdeadlyrose:

Ok, sometimes pregnancies happen..but if you weren't on the pill or didn't use protection then that is the mistake and the fault you made on your part. If you did use the condom and it broke then my apologizes. All I'm saying is you should not starve your baby. That is inhuman.

If you aren't ready for a baby or the weight gain then there are medical procedures to take care of that.

 

My apologizies for the harshness, but it is the truth.

 I'm pretty sure the OP was just asking if it was healthy to continue a weight loss plan while pregnant. Obviously if it's her first time she wouldn't have this information, and most OBGYNs don't set your first appointment until the eight week point. I think the OP was showing CONCERN for herself and her new passenger! Just because a pregnancy isn't planned, doesn't mean it isn't wanted. I have a beautiful four year old to prove it! So please try to be considerate and stop trying to assign blame.  It didn't sound to me as if she was trying to blame her situation on anyone.

I was not blaming anyone. I'm not sure what the original person's story is. I just thought she was more concerned about her body shape then the baby inside of her. That was my only concern. I mean yes there's a lot to learn during pregnancy, but one of the common things known is that you have to gain weight and not lose it.

Another factor is weight gain is the last thing of being worried about while pregnant there are so many other things you should be worried about and if you're just stuck on that fact then there's a lot of work to do.

Original Post by tronjo:

Original Post by thermal:
Where in my post did I say to cut calories? :)

 

 You're right.....I read 'cut calories' when you wrote 'COUNT calories'...my mistake.