Nice chat
Overweight and pregnant
wientje
Hi ladies,
I'm actually looking for more info on how to manage my weight gain during pregnancy. Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything about it here.
Before I got pregnant, I weighed 90 kg and was 1.68m tall. So, overweight. Luckily, I've been a high-level athlete for most of my life, so my weight seems bigger than it actually is. I quit smoking during my last period because I wanted to conceive, and it worked right away. I'm now 9 weeks pregnant but also 5 kg heavier. The pregnancy and quitting smoking are to blame for that. I don't eat any differently, and I'd been stable in my weight for years.
The midwife wants to keep an eye on my weight gain, and if it gets too much or too fast, a dietitian will be brought in.
I eat healthy and not too much according to the Nutrition Centre. I move quite a lot. I cycle to work, 45 mins there, 45 mins back, 4 days a week. Then I do Les Mills group classes twice a week and dance once a week. That's 9 hours of intense exercise per week.
Still, I put on weight easily.
Has anyone here experienced this or can give me tips?
I'm actually looking for more info on how to manage my weight gain during pregnancy. Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything about it here.
Before I got pregnant, I weighed 90 kg and was 1.68m tall. So, overweight. Luckily, I've been a high-level athlete for most of my life, so my weight seems bigger than it actually is. I quit smoking during my last period because I wanted to conceive, and it worked right away. I'm now 9 weeks pregnant but also 5 kg heavier. The pregnancy and quitting smoking are to blame for that. I don't eat any differently, and I'd been stable in my weight for years.
The midwife wants to keep an eye on my weight gain, and if it gets too much or too fast, a dietitian will be brought in.
I eat healthy and not too much according to the Nutrition Centre. I move quite a lot. I cycle to work, 45 mins there, 45 mins back, 4 days a week. Then I do Les Mills group classes twice a week and dance once a week. That's 9 hours of intense exercise per week.
Still, I put on weight easily.
Has anyone here experienced this or can give me tips?
Replies
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sietske #2
Hi sweetheart, if you're pregnant, it's mostly important that you eat well and healthily. But I read that you're already doing that. So in that regard, I wouldn't worry too much.
Gaining weight can be due to many things. It's very normal to gain about 12 kilos in 40 weeks, but if you're already retaining fluid now, it could be more than that.
Have you ever had your thyroid function tested? That could also be a cause. I'd suggest getting referred to a dietitian who knows a lot about pregnancy. It can't hurt to ask for their opinion. I don't quite understand why the midwife doesn't suggest that. Not that you should go on a diet right away, but just for an expert opinion. -
wientje started this #3
Hi Sietske,
Thanks for your reply. I’ve seen several dietitians in the past. As a kid because I was too thin, and as an adult because I was gradually gaining weight. We found out that I wasn’t eating enough. I’ve always had trouble eating more, even as a kid. I just get sick from it. As a teenager, I used to joke that I had “natural anorexia.” If I did eat, it would come back up a few hours later. Blood tests as a kid and teen showed nothing. As an adult, I started eating more under guidance and lost weight. Unfortunately, my weight stabilized at some point, and two years later I gradually gained 5kg back. The dietitian couldn’t find anything. Several blood tests were done to check for metabolic issues, but again, nothing was found.
It seems like 90kg is just my weight. I should also say that I don’t look like someone with a lot of extra weight, but I definitely don’t look slim either!
The midwife wants to first see how things progress. She did emphasize that I really need to eat at least half a sandwich more than I used to, because my body needs more energy. That half sandwich is barely manageable.
But since I’ve had eating issues my whole life and have been to dietitians, it seemed wise for her to first see how my body reacts before I have to monitor everything I eat again.
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