In the 6th month :)

Hi everyone! My name is Lyndsey. I'm currently in my 6th month of pregnancy. Due December 15 with a boy named Camden. I used Calorie Count in 2008 to lose 30lbs. Now, in my 6th month of pregnancy I've put 22lbs back on. Doc says I'm fine. She expects me to gain the equivalent of 1lb per week during pregnancy (which would put me at a 40lb gain and weighing 160lbs).

 I'm 5'6 and 142lbs at night after dinner. The first few weeks of pregnancy were difficult as I had morning sickness and could only stomach certain foods (which unfortunately led to cravings for fast food). I hadn't had fast food in OVER A YEAR when I got pregnant. I haven't had any for the past 3 months either, since the morning sickness subsided.

I've been using calorie count because it's so easy to go crazy with food while pregnant. I'm trying to keep my calories around 1800. I was keeping them below 1500 before pregnancy. Some days are better than others, but I'm truly comfortable with the weight gain.

I weigh every single night and every morning. It was a habit that I started when dieting last year and it helps me stay on focus with my weight. I usually weigh anywhere from 3 to 4 lbs lighter in the morning! Currently night weight is 142 and morning weight is 139. This is definitely mostly water since I'm up to use the bathroom every 2 hours :)

Anyway, that's me. Nice to join the group!

Welcome to the group and congratulations on your pregnancy. I consider that time period to be the "fun" part of pregnancy. :) It sounds like you will do well maintaining your weight, so don't worry about it too much! I bet you will bounce right back afterwards.

I was curious though--did your doctor agree with you eating 1800 calories? I know they recommend taking in 300 extra calories to help support your little one's growth. And I hope you are eating very well--your nutrients are being given to the baby first, and then the leftovers to you, so if you don't have a very good diet, you're nutrients will definitely be restricted. It sounds like you eat well, but I just wanted to check. I don't think I've heard of restricting calories while pregnant. I was under the assumption that you should be eating to maintain weight, as well as adding some additional calories for the baby. Obviously much less calories than streotypes suggest ("You're eating for 2") but still, slightly more.

Did you reach your goal weight before becoming pregnant? If you did, I guess I have a hard time understanding why you are still eating at a deficit.

I'm not eating at a deficit. I only need 1600 or so calories to maintain my weight when pregnant. Also, I don't need a full 300 calories extra yet. That won't be necessary until closer to the end of my pregnancy. I take 200 calories extra over what I need to maintain. This will put me at a healthy weight gain (around 40lbs) by the end of my pregnancy.

Not every woman needs to eat 2000 calories or more to maintain weight. Our metabolisms are different and that's often overlooked by people who don't have the same issues. My doctor is completely happy with my weight gain which has been a relatively steady 1lb per week throughout pregnancy. I started out at 120 in the evenings. I'm currently at 142 in the evenings. That's 22lbs in 25 weeks. That's actually more weight gain than what is recommended. If I followed all of the "recommendations" I would have gained less than 5lbs in the first trimester (in which I gained about 12) and would now be gaining the 1lb per week. Which would now put my weight gain at 18 or so lbs.

So, while I appreciate your concern for the health of by myself and my unborn son, realize please, that women have different caloric needs, even during pregnancy.

I did reach my weight goal before becoming pregnant. I dropped 30lbs in 6 months with a calorie intake of 1200 per day approximately plus daily walking. I went from about 150 to 120. I had been at my goal weight (maintained at about 1500 calories per day plus walking) for 5 months when I got pregnant (planned, I might add). I'm simply trying to not gain over 40lbs with pregnancy, which is the "recommended" weight gain for me.

Good to know. I have actually been curious about that--it seems strange that 2000 calories is what everyone eats to maintain, regardless of weight (or other factors) so I have wondered what I will need to take in to maintain my goal weight when I reach it. Glad I finally know that it's not 100% true before I'm there.

Good luck with your pregnancy. :)