Dumb question about pregnancy weight gain..

why do people actually gain weight aside from the weight associalted with the baby and the babys placenta etc?

do you really eat/get hungrier that much more?

is it genetics?

is it the lack of excercize?

im just curious why some people gain a ton of weight while others gain nothing

this may seem like a dumb question. i hope i did not offend anyone.

thanks

Message edited 8/15/2006 3:49:04 PM.

Re: Domb question about pregnancy weight gain..

I don't know the "real" reason, but I think it's probably a combination of everything you mentioned. I think genetics plays a big role. I have a friend who ate all of the right things and excercised and she gained more weight than I have. I haven't been nearly as good as she was.

Re: Domb question about pregnancy weight gain..

I think it can be a bit of both.

I've known women who have had fairly large babies and they just look like they swallowed a basketball at nine months... I wish.

Then I've known women who blow up, all over and have a relatively small baby.

I think it also has more to do with what number pregnancy and how far apart the last pregnancy was spaced.

My MIL says she and her daughters weren't as big with their firsts.

Re: Dumb question about pregnancy weight gain..

I think it really is all of the above factors you mentioned.. but genetics do play a big part..

I knom some EXTREMELY healthy ladies who were in fabulous shape pre-pregnancy, eat perfectly during pregnancy and still gain a LOT. Others eat a lot of junk, don't work out, might not have been in great shape pre-pregnancy and gain much less...

There really is no rhyme or reason to it. I started out loosing weight due to nausea in the beginning, never really developed a big appetite until midway through the pregancy and somehow it all caught back up to me anyhow

Re: Dumb question about pregnancy weight gain..

sometimes each pregnancy is different too. I have a friend who the first pregnancy looked like she swallowed a basket ball, i saw her the other day she's 10 weeks and looks like she could be going into her 5th month!

Re: Dumb question about pregnancy weight gain..

Well I gained 87 pounds with my daughter.All the women in my family gain ALOT of weight when pregnant.but I also did eat ALOT too.I think it just depends, all women gain weight diffrently.Some more than others.

Re: Dumb question about pregnancy weight gain..

Also, a lot of extra weight comes from increased fluid, blood volume etc.

I for one am A Lot hungrier and eat a ton but I have not gained more weight than I'm supposed to.

Re: Dumb question about pregnancy weight gain..

My mother told me that she gained 10 pounds with me and I was a 9 1/2 pound baby. She gained much more with my siblings but she was much thinner before those pregnancies. To some degree, pre-pregnancy weight may be a factor.

Re: Dumb question about pregnancy weight gain..

why do people actually gain weight aside from the weight associalted with the baby and the babys placenta etc?
I think your metabolism changes. I know parts of your body go into a resting phase, for example your hair doesn't shed much because your body is putting that energy into the baby (lush pregnancy hair). You have increased circulation (that "pregnancy glow"). Some people retain water giving them an all over weight gain look

do you really eat/get hungrier that much more?
Yes you are hungrier - but that's mainly because your body is completely geared to take care of the baby once you're pregnant. So any nutrients you eat go to the baby first. For the first time in my life, I started eating breakfast. I felt nauseous if I skipped it.

is it genetics?
Genetics plays a role in terms of where you carry the weight you gain, where fat is stored, how quickly you lose it.

is it the lack of excercize?
I don't think carrying around an extra 20 lbs of baby, fluids, etc. is lack of exercise at all. I do know that your legs start to get thicker because of the new weight you're carrying around


im just curious why some people gain a ton of weight while others gain nothing

At the end of my second pregnancy, I weighed less than when I first got pregnant. I only gained about 12 lbs by the 9th month. I only ate when I was hungry. I gained the bulk of my weight after I stopped breastfeeding.

Hope this helps!

Message edited 8/15/2006 10:19:21 PM.