Diet while Pregnant

[KellyFL]

I suppose this is kind of related to Eric's thread about longest break from dieting, lol. I was wondering, for those of you that have been pregnant, what did your diet look like during that time compared to your "normal" diet? I have always been a very concious, healthy eater, but I'm finding myself craving more processed carbs and "junk" food than ever before. I've been sticking to a pretty healthy diet overall, but definitely allowing myself more dieting freedom than I think I ever have in my adult life. Just curious as to the experiences of others. :popcorn:

[trinitylove]

For the most part, I ate the same....just ALOT more! :D

[MichelleS]

Erik ;)

I didn't eat healthy when I was pregnant cause first I was 16 and didn't know what healthy eating was then second we were super poor so I ate on WIC.

[laurawd]

Hi Kelly,

I was pregnant from March '08 - Dec '09. I didn't have major cravings - just for tomato things (I had horrible morning sickness until about 15 weeks). I hated egg whites for a long time, which is odd since these are my favorite food. I also couldn't cook meat/salmon because I couldn't bear the smell. Eating them was OK however - as long as someone else did the cooking.

I ate quite healthily - not a lot of grains but plenty of fruit and nuts and proteins. I had no problems with blood sugar. I think I actually lost fat during the pregnancy - I weighed less afterwards than I did going in, but I did not weigh myself AT ALL throughout the pregnancy, so have no idea what I gained.

I'd look at this as a terrific opportunity to let yourself explore food. You can eat plenty healthfully without eating the diet of a figure competitor!

[Maria]

March '08 - Dec '09

Huh? Long Pregnancy. :lol:

[laurawd]

March '08 - Dec '09

Huh? Long Pregnancy. :lol:

Haha! THAT would have been hell. March 08. :)

[KellyFL]

Erik ;)

I didn't eat healthy when I was pregnant cause first I was 16 and didn't know what healthy eating was then second we were super poor so I ate on WIC.

Wow, I can't believe I spelled it wrong, I think I was in a hurry, lol. :blondmoment:

[kszal]

I eat whatever the heck I want. :) When I have cravings, I eat what the craving is - I figure my body might be trying to tell me something. Last pregnancy I had a lot of eggs, but couldn't eat plain egg whites (made me sick). This time I have been eating more salt and tomato sauce, including plenty of pizza. :)

I also don't weigh myself and tell the people at the dr's office not to tell me how much I weigh - it makes a big difference, otherwise I would freak out.

[laurawd]

I also don't weigh myself and tell the people at the dr's office not to tell me how much I weigh - it makes a big difference, otherwise I would freak out.

Yeah that. My doctor didn't even require weight check. With ultrasounds, they can see how much the baby is gaining and whether there's enough amniotic fluid, so weight check isn't necessary. People focus wayyyy too much on weight gain. (But I also think that most information out there about how much you need to eat for pregnancy and nursing is incorrect. You need a balanced diet, but you don't need to eat more than you would to maintain your weight, IMO.

[Scarl3tbutt3rfly]

You need a balanced diet, but you don't need to eat more than you would to maintain your weight, IMO.

Pregnancy requires an additional 300 calories or so per day over maintainance. Breastfeeding an additional 500 calories.

I think it is important to eat a balanced diet while you are pregnant and not to become overconsumed with dieting or weight gain necessarily. Just dont eat junk, you arent really eating for two. You should be ok.

The last thing you want is an underweight baby, or a premature one. Take care of yourself.

[Inatic]

Pregnancy requires an additional 300 calories or so per day over maintainance. Breastfeeding an additional 500 calories.

I think it is important to eat a balanced diet while you are pregnant and not to become overconsumed with dieting or weight gain necessarily. Just dont eat junk, you arent really eating for two. You should be ok.

The last thing you want is an underweight baby, or a premature one. Take care of yourself.

and with all our recommendations, check with your dr because you are carrying twins.

[laurawd]

Pregnancy requires an additional 300 calories or so per day over maintainance. Breastfeeding an additional 500 calories.


No no no. This is out of date information. New research suggests that pregnancy doesn't require more calories, and breastfeeding especially does not. I have some abstracts on my other computer. My ob-gyn also said to eat at maintenance. Unless you're starving and at an extremely low fat level, you do not require extra calories. All calories/fat stores are partitioned to the fetus(es) first. North Americans in good health do not require extra calories to maintain a healthy pregnancy nor breastfeeding.

ETA: I've been breastfeeding for 11 months and have consistently lowered calories for the past 5 without affecting my milk supply.

[Scarl3tbutt3rfly]

No no no. This is out of date information. New research suggests that pregnancy doesn't require more calories, and breastfeeding especially does not. I have some abstracts on my other computer. My ob-gyn also said to eat at maintenance. Unless you're starving and at an extremely low fat level, you do not require extra calories. All calories/fat stores are partitioned to the fetus(es) first. North Americans in good health do not require extra calories to maintain a healthy pregnancy nor breastfeeding.

ETA: I've been breastfeeding for 11 months and have consistently lowered calories for the past 5 without affecting my milk supply.

Hmm, well that interesting. Not something I've ever heard. I work in a Special Care Nursery, and the lactation consultants still say that the amount of calories required when breastfeeding is about that much over maintainance. I dont know how one can say that breastfeeding does not require calories, since you are providing 20cal/ounce of milk that is coming out of your body. Doesnt make since. Not saying you NEED to consume more, but if you were trying to maintain you would. In some women's cases it may effect milk supply. I see so many women who actually have trouble maintaining milk supply, but then my population that I deal with is kinda unique. Also growing another human being costs no extra calories? I can see how resources from the mother would be transferred to the fetus, but that would be at the expense of the mother's nutrients also. My point anyway, was that it doesnt take ALOT more in calories over normal maintainance to maintain a pregnancy anyway. But I dont' think a healthy pregnancy should involve dieting period. Just my opinion anyway. (I dont mean healthy diet, I mean lowered calories, in the hopes you dont get fat, etc). I personally wouldnt risk it anyway. And if she is having twins, that is alot tissue to grow and healthy brains to grow. Again, just my opinion.

[trinitylove]

Interesting opinions and information :thumb:
Honestly, I don't see 300 extra calories as really being all that much. it's like piece of bread with 2 Tbsp peanut butter.
I think different women require different caloric intake when pregnant and nursing.
I've known women who eat the same amount when pregnant and gain a lot of weight.
I've known women who eat WAY above maintenance and barely gain anything.
I nursed my daughter for 3 years and ate at maintenance....probably a little below. I had NO problems lactating! At all!
That being said, when pregnant and nursing, women should just make sure they never go hungry and mostly unprocessed whole foods.

[Erik]

I've known women who eat WAY above maintenance and barely gain anything.

That by definition can't be 'way above maintenance' then. :p

[trinitylove]

That by definition can't be 'way above maintenance' then. :p

When you're pregnant, many "rules" are thrown out the window! our bodies start behaving however they want and you can't count on any dietary or physiological rules to hold true.
So many weird things happen to women during and because of pregnancy!
I know women who suddenly became severely allergic (in an anaphalactic way) to certain foods.
personally-i've had several weird things happen.
One foot is now a size bigger than the other.
My hair won't hold color or curl. at all.
I developed certain food intolerances.
I stopped nursing 3 years ago, but am still producing milk. :wigging:

I see what YOU'RE saying. :)
I'm just saying, once pregnant and nursing-many hard and fast dietary rules can become irrelevant for some women.

[Erik]

When you're pregnant, many "rules" are thrown out the window! our bodies start behaving however they want and you can't count on any dietary or physiological rules to hold true.

Thermodynamics is thermodynamics :lol: Pregnancy doesn't change physics.

If a person is eating over maintenance and not gaining, then clearly it's not over maintenance - again, by the definition of 'maintenance'. That's all. :shrug:

[Cathie]

I agree with Erik. :shock: :p


Doesn't it really just mean your "maintenance" could increase when pregnant for some people?

[Scarl3tbutt3rfly]

I guess that is what Im saying is that your 'maintainance' calories go up by about 300 calories or so per day when pregnant. I actually read it can be anywhere from 100-300, but even more depending on the person. A healthy pregnancy usually gains about 20-25 lbs while pregnant, depending on the weight of the person to start with. An overweight person may gain less, and a more lean, thin person may need to gain more. 300 is just average.

Same with breastfeeding, maintainance calories go up by about 500 calories on average while breastfeeding. So you could technically eat "normal" amount of calories and be in a deficit by breastfeeding. Although like I said, for some women this can cause a problem. A breastfeeding mom, also needs to make sure they are getting lots of fluids and rest also. As well as regularly breastfeeding to encourage milk production.

[laurawd]

Like I said, the information on calories required is outdated. Even in the US, where agencies (such as the FDA) are slow to update or even wrong about nutritional guidelines, there are recommendations now that women NOT gain as much as 25 lbs during pregnancy. The point is that it all depends on the woman. And a woman will gain weight during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, not simply because of a positive energy balance. I do not think that the cost of adding amniotic fluid, etc., is measured exactly in terms of our calories in/out.

And to give a blanket prescription of 300 -500 extra calories a day for every American woman is, IMO, irresponsible. Lots of women are already overweight and they do not need extra calories to sustain a healthy pregnancy. And women vary in their calorie requirements.

There are millions of women in developing countries who do not eat substantially more during pregnancy or lactation, and they have healthy pregnancies. (To be sure, plenty of them don't, as well.) (As an aside, I was really really hungry when I first started breastfeeding...)

Scarlet - I have some scientific papers on the subject and if you PM me w/ your email address I'll send them to you.

Please don't misunderstand me: I think it's really important NOT to diet while pregnant, and to relax somewhat with food intake. But I also think that people in the US get obsessed with the weight gain prescriptions during pregnancy, and the calories required during breastfeeding, and there's just no need for it. Eat healthily and things will take care of themselves. (One of the reasons I didn't weigh myself/or get weighed during pregnancy...)

Problems with milk production have little to do with nutrition for healthy Americans. Even in countries where food is scarce and where people are malnourished, women are able to lactate. I think I have a paper on that, too - discussing the threshold of bodyfat at which lactation is compromised.

[MichelleS]

Like I said, the information on calories required is outdated. Even in the US, where agencies (such as the FDA) are slow to update or even wrong about nutritional guidelines, there are recommendations now that women NOT gain as much as 25 lbs during pregnancy. The point is that it all depends on the woman. And a woman will gain weight during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, not simply because of a positive energy balance. I do not think that the cost of adding amniotic fluid, etc., is measured exactly in terms of our calories in/out.

And to give a blanket prescription of 300 -500 extra calories a day for every American woman is, IMO, irresponsible. Lots of women are already overweight and they do not need extra calories to sustain a healthy pregnancy. And women vary in their calorie requirements.

There are millions of women in developing countries who do not eat substantially more during pregnancy or lactation, and they have healthy pregnancies. (To be sure, plenty of them don't, as well.) (As an aside, I was really really hungry when I first started breastfeeding...)

Scarlet - I have some scientific papers on the subject and if you PM me w/ your email address I'll send them to you.

Please don't misunderstand me: I think it's really important NOT to diet while pregnant, and to relax somewhat with food intake. But I also think that people in the US get obsessed with the weight gain prescriptions during pregnancy, and the calories required during breastfeeding, and there's just no need for it. Eat healthily and things will take care of themselves. (One of the reasons I didn't weigh myself/or get weighed during pregnancy...)

Problems with milk production have little to do with nutrition for healthy Americans. Even in countries where food is scarce and where people are malnourished, women are able to lactate. I think I have a paper on that, too - discussing the threshold of bodyfat at which lactation is compromised.
:goodpost:

you know after reading this it really makes me wonder I think you are very right. Its a very blanket statement and when you're pregnant you are 'allowed' to gain weight in the western culture and you are not seen as just fat.

I even lost weight during breastfeeding and my milk never dried up in fact I had to take something to make it dry up :unsure: and I didn't eat much cause we couldn't really afford it so I know I wasn't getting enough calories but both my girls grew just fine and I only put on 15lbs with the first. Not sure with the second cause I didn't weight myself at the beginning.

[Scarl3tbutt3rfly]

Like I said, the information on calories required is outdated. Even in the US, where agencies (such as the FDA) are slow to update or even wrong about nutritional guidelines, there are recommendations now that women NOT gain as much as 25 lbs during pregnancy. The point is that it all depends on the woman. And a woman will gain weight during pregnancy due to hormonal changes, not simply because of a positive energy balance. I do not think that the cost of adding amniotic fluid, etc., is measured exactly in terms of our calories in/out.

And to give a blanket prescription of 300 -500 extra calories a day for every American woman is, IMO, irresponsible. Lots of women are already overweight and they do not need extra calories to sustain a healthy pregnancy. And women vary in their calorie requirements.

There are millions of women in developing countries who do not eat substantially more during pregnancy or lactation, and they have healthy pregnancies. (To be sure, plenty of them don't, as well.) (As an aside, I was really really hungry when I first started breastfeeding...)

Scarlet - I have some scientific papers on the subject and if you PM me w/ your email address I'll send them to you.

Please don't misunderstand me: I think it's really important NOT to diet while pregnant, and to relax somewhat with food intake. But I also think that people in the US get obsessed with the weight gain prescriptions during pregnancy, and the calories required during breastfeeding, and there's just no need for it. Eat healthily and things will take care of themselves. (One of the reasons I didn't weigh myself/or get weighed during pregnancy...)

Problems with milk production have little to do with nutrition for healthy Americans. Even in countries where food is scarce and where people are malnourished, women are able to lactate. I think I have a paper on that, too - discussing the threshold of bodyfat at which lactation is compromised.

You are welcome to your opinion, and although you may have papers on the subject, as far as I am aware the medical community is not using this information as of yet. This is stuff I have learned not only in practice, but in nursing school and nurse practitioner school. And my specialty is neonatal medicine (which does relate alot to OB management). I see numerous premature and growth retardation related to mothers not caring for themselves. Now granted, there are those that do everything right. But I see a number of teenage births that in reality are related to either poor nutrition and/or healthcare. How, what Im saying being irresponsible is crazy. Although I do agree that there are Americans in poor health and that are overweight, in their case the amount needed to gain in pregnancy, like I already stated would not be as great as someone in the 'ideal' weight range, or those underweight. I never gave a 'blanket' statement. I gave a general average. And 100-300 more calories a day is not going to make someone obese when pregnant. I doubt it. That is nothing more than a half a cup a rice, 3-4 ounces of chicken and some veggies at most. Im not at all, and have never said to eat your face off.

Although a huge amount of gain during pregnancy is water, in relation to increase blood supply and amniotic fluid. 6-8 pounds is baby (which hopefully is well developed, and has the fat stores it needs to start a healthy life), 2-3 pounds is placenta (which needs to be healthy to supply a healthy baby), the uterus can gain about 2-5 pounds, breast tissue 2-3 pounds. Already we are at 15-20 lbs, not even including fluids.

I would also say in relation to people who are malnourished continuing to have children and breastfeed. Many women barely can sustain health while pregnant under such conditions, getting further malnourished, producing milk which may be less nutritious to their infants, with less calories, etc. Calorie and nutritious value of breastmilk can vary depending on the nutrition of the mother as well. Ive seen breastmilk water thin, to nice yellow thick milk. I work with it on a daily basis. The differences are tremendous.

Anyway, not here to argue. I was only giving some info on nutrition while pregnant. And in reality it was just to say to eat healthy foods and dont worry so much about dieting :/. You are welcome to your opinion. And seeing papers, unless they are endorsed for sure by an accredited entity, I believe you can prove anything you want in research. Some people also pick and choose findings that suit their opinion in papers and ignore the rest. In fact someone at work had a paper, discussing how bad breastfeeding is to the newborn, and they have the research to back it up. Just saying.

[laurawd]

Hi Scarlet,

I did not mean my post to attack you personally, at all!! (ETA: though I see how it may have come off that way)

I choose to gather my information from a range of sources, including scientific studies (and I read as many as I can -- I am a professor and have access to most academic journals) and the official agencies. I do not trust anything that government agencies tell me about food. ;)

I'm happy to agree to disagree, and please know that I do so in an amiable way. No hard feelings. (As I type this my son is grabbing at my breast while happily sucking away)

[KellyFL]

I guess that is what Im saying is that your 'maintainance' calories go up by about 300 calories or so per day when pregnant. I actually read it can be anywhere from 100-300, but even more depending on the person. A healthy pregnancy usually gains about 20-25 lbs while pregnant, depending on the weight of the person to start with. An overweight person may gain less, and a more lean, thin person may need to gain more. 300 is just average.

Same with breastfeeding, maintainance calories go up by about 500 calories on average while breastfeeding. So you could technically eat "normal" amount of calories and be in a deficit by breastfeeding. Although like I said, for some women this can cause a problem. A breastfeeding mom, also needs to make sure they are getting lots of fluids and rest also. As well as regularly breastfeeding to encourage milk production.

I was actually told by both my reglaur OB and the multiples specialist that twins require an extra 500 calories a day, slightly above the 300 rec. for singles. Also, I was informed that weight gain in the early second trimester is especially important to decrease the risk for premature birth and underweight babies. I'm 15 weeks, 2 days right now and I have only gained 5 lbs. I started off very lean at 107. My main concern is holding onto these babies for as long as I can to give them time to mature and get ready for the world. I just want to do this in the healthiest way possible, ie eating as nutritious as I can and still getting in the recommended cals.

It's just tough to do when all I want to eat is a gooey brownie smothered with peanut butter :p

[KellyFL]

:goodpost:

you know after reading this it really makes me wonder I think you are very right. Its a very blanket statement and when you're pregnant you are 'allowed' to gain weight in the western culture and you are not seen as just fat.

I even lost weight during breastfeeding and my milk never dried up in fact I had to take something to make it dry up :unsure: and I didn't eat much cause we couldn't really afford it so I know I wasn't getting enough calories but both my girls grew just fine and I only put on 15lbs with the first. Not sure with the second cause I didn't weight myself at the beginning.

Well, you HAVE to put on a certain amount of weight to allow a healthy pregnancy, especially if you are starting off lean, as many people on these boards do. The body requires a certain amount of maternal fat stores to be able to produce milk and hold onto the baby(s) to term. I definitely started off on the lean side, so I accept that I have to add a little padding as well as just the weight of my babies/ placenta/ fluids. I just dont want to go overboard.

[KellyFL]

Hi Scarlet,

I did not mean my post to attack you personally, at all!! (ETA: though I see how it may have come off that way)

I choose to gather my information from a range of sources, including scientific studies (and I read as many as I can -- I am a professor and have access to most academic journals) and the official agencies. I do not trust anything that government agencies tell me about food. ;)

I'm happy to agree to disagree, and please know that I do so in an amiable way. No hard feelings. (As I type this my son is grabbing at my breast while happily sucking away)

I guess I just don't see how you can nurish a baby to a healthy weight without eating anymore than your prepregnancy maintinance calories. The baby needs extra calories from somewhere for the energy to grow, so where would those come from? I think there may be a maintinance level for YOU WHILE you are preggo, but the baby still needs nurishment..

[Erik]

My wife with her first pregnancy started off at a lean 118 - full abs, etc. She topped out at 154 lbs and was training up until the day before Alyssa was born.

She was lean to start so she made a point of eating well, as I too have heard that the leaner you are, the more you should gain. If you're not lean, then the opposite holds true.

She got down to 113 post-pregnancy and is now 20 weeks pregnant again, and as of today she weighs 124. So she's up 11lbs so far, and very much showing.

I don't imagine she'll get as heavy as last time as she's not carrying as much muscle anymore. I'm going to guess, hmm, 140 or so.