Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I felt so sick the first 8 weeks that I ate whatever I felt like eating...I'm still down a lb or two, just from feeling sick.

I'm worried if I continue eating at this rate (not a ton of food, but probably not the best food to be eating), the lbs will soon start showing. I'd love to stay within the 25 lbs the doctor suggested, though of course I know much of that is out of our hands. I'm average height and weight, and 25 lbs more will keep me under 150.

Did you limit yourself as to what you can eat, or just eat whatever your cravings dictate? I also used to eat a lot of the fake sweeteners, and cut all of that out on the advice of my doctor.

I used to eat a lot of salads, but the thought of them now totally turns my stomach. Lately all I've felt like eating is pizza...

I shouldn't have said diet, because I would never even think of restricting calories during PG. I guess I just think I am eating all the things I tried to limit before PG.

Message edited 11/16/2008 5:46:41 PM.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

For myself, I never felt any sickness, but I just knew I couldn't eat salads, vegetables. I couldn't even look at them. I think you should eat whatever you are able to stomach. This was only in the first trimester though.

I do try to watch what I eat...just meaning that I try not to overeat. I also try to make healthier choices when eating out. I would never consider actually dieting while pregnant. If anything, maybe you should just talk to your doctor about it. Good luck.

Message edited 11/16/2008 10:37:42 AM.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I'm with ya Beth. I say eat what your body is telling you. I eat pizza and bagels everyday. I can't look at salad chicken salmon all the things I used to eat. I do still go to the gym you will change at least that is what I hear!!

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

last time around i was so sick for the first tri that i ate whatever i wanted and still lost 10 pounds. for a couple weeks i could only stomach apples and almonds after that, i still ate basically what i wanted but i had little appetite/heartburn for most of my pregnancy. i gained about 22-23 pounds.

this time around, even though it's still extremely early, i'm feeling a lot more hungry and having more cravings. i have a feeling i'll need to watch what i eat more to avoid blowing up.

i would eat whatever you want within reason - you don't need that many more calories than normal to sustain a pregnancy, but you don't want to deprive yourself either...

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

Right now I am still feeling naseaus so I am eating whatever I feel like I can eat. I figure I will try to be more health conscious once the nasea goes away!

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I never got sick and usually ate pretty healthy before I go pregnant so I do ry and keep that up. But there were days I felt like not so healthy foods, and I just ate them. So I say the same as others, you need to eat what your body wants and wont make make you sick.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

Perhaps if you are very concerned, you can try to eat just a little bit of a fruit or vegetable. Lettuce makes me sick now, so I try to get in just a little bit here and there.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

Previous to this pregnancy I was dieting, as soon as I got my BFP I stopped HOWEVER with my 1st I gained 50 lbs and it was HARD to lose it so I do consciously make an effort to make healthy choices.

I am human though, and I do give in to the occasional craving

Message edited 11/16/2008 2:43:40 PM.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I actually craved a lot of fruits and salads, which I'm normally not a huuuuge fruit person, so go figure

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I approach eating while pregnant the same way as I did before-- which is pretty healthy and balanced. I do allow myself to go off the rails more while pregnant, but not too much. If it's too much, I do feel guilty and yuck, since crappy food tends to not make me feel good.

Although I will echo what others have said-- the first trimester is hard, and a lot won't appeal to you. Just try not to go out of control, you will get back to normal eating habits once you feel better.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I have been very bad so far the last 6 mos.

I am trying to incorporate more meats and veggies and take out the carbs.

I will still treat myself to ice cream/pie/or chocolate daily. I just cant resist.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

When I felt horrible in the first trimester, my doctor told me to eat whatever I felt I could keep down. I had huge food aversions and the only thing I wanted was carbs. As I started feeling better, I started eating healthier foods. I still ate a lot of carbs, but I also began eating salads, vegetables, meat, etc. again.

I haven't had a lot of cravings. I eat when I'm hungry and I definitely eat more often. My body seems to gain weight regardless of what I eat, especially since my swelling issues surfaced 5 weeks ago.

Your body is going to gain what it needs to. You can eat healthy and exercise and still gain 50 lbs. It all depends on how your body handles pregnancy. Unless your doctor says something, try to not worry about the number on the scale.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

yes. i am overweight to start and i really can't afford to gain anymore weight. i was actually seriously dieting and then got PG so I stopped. Now, I am just trying my best to eat a lot of fruit and veggies. I do give in to some things sometimes... i have been eating more crabs than usual because my stomach has been off.

I see the doctor for the first time next week and will ask if he wants to put me on a diet.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

Yes. I always did. I eat REALLY bad when I am not PG. Like I will eat some salami for lunch.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

Posted by 05mommy09

Previous to this pregnancy I was dieting, as soon as I got my BFP I stopped HOWEVER with my 1st I gained 50 lbs and it was HARD to lose it so I do consciously make an effort to make healthy choices.

I am human though, and I do give in to the occasional craving

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I barely had any appetite for about the first 18 weeks. Even after, not a huge appetite which I usually have. So I pretty much had the motto ANYTHING I want to eat, that actually seems appealing, I would eat. Even if that meant pizza everyday, I wanted to get down whatever I could. I wasn't really gaining since I wasn't eating much, didn't start gaining till about 25+ weeks with the way I was barely eating (but eating fatty/high cal foods when I did to make up for hte lack of eating).

Now at 35+ weeks, I still don't have a huge appetite. I am up a total of 17 lbs (and I know DD is at least 5.8 lbs of that as of my 32 week sono), and it's all belly. I have always been average weight but always watched in general to stay in my weight range. I have never been so indulgent in my life and probably am eating the worst I ever have, but I had to do what I had to do to just find something appealing.

I feel very bad i have not eaten healthy, but eating at all was the most important thing to me.

Message edited 11/16/2008 11:04:13 PM.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

At the beginning I ate whatever didn't make me hurl/want to hurl. So that was carbs really, and cheese.

I would say I ate a little better than normal while pregnant, but not by much. So many days I have had just no appetite whatsoever. Chicken was always my main staple and the second I got pregnant I couldn't even look at it - cooked or uncooked. So I ate a lot more red meat than ever would, which maybe explains the large size of my baby!

Either way, I have been able to keep my weight under control, which was my concern.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

Thankfully, I have been very lucky and I didn't have M/S, I did, and still do have major food aversion, but I don't think you can even attempt to compare that to M/S.........I would not dare to complain !!

I also don't have a normal appetite, I can't eat much in one sitting, and if I eat something 'bad' I end up feeling awful. - So, I think it's a bit easier for me to 'stay away' from the 'bad' stuff -

But, I personally think the whole "The BABY wants X" thing is lame - My sister tells me this all the time - Doesn't the baby want Ice Cream?? Ummmmmmmm, no, I would LOVE to shove a Friendly's Reeses pieces sundae down her mouth every day, but the baby has nothing to do w/ it -

There is NOT some cosmic force that holds you down and forces whatever you are craving down your throat KWIM? You are still in control of what you put into your mouth.

My 1st trimester I ate a bagel every morning. - B/c I wanted (or craved) it, and I allowed myself to have it (which I normally wouldn't) I just made sure the rest of the day I ate 'better' - For me, eating that bagel in the AM meant no pizza, no burgers no dessert -

I do not 'diet' as in restrict my calories but I am very conscious of the food choices I make - moreso than I ever have been. - And it's annoying to me when I refuse something offered to me and I hear the "oh you're PREGNANT, this is the only time in your life you are allowed to eat whatever you want" .....and then I get the
I would NEVER ever tell any woman, pregnant or not what she could or could not, should or should not eat - Everyone views their pregnancy differently and everyone's experience is completely different and personal to them - What works for me would not work for another woman and vice versa -

I personally view being pregnant as the only time in my life I shouldn't eat 'whatever I want' - It's not just about me and my body now, there's someone helpless in there counting on me to feed him/her too ...... -

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I didn't have M/S at all. I'm 21 weeks now and have gained alot more than I am comfortable with. I was up 10 lbs before I even got PG because of late onset OHSS with IVF.....I am having twins and although my doctor hasn't said anything about my weight gain, I don't feel good about myself at all. I have weight issues (I used to be 275 lbs and had gastric bypass in 2006). I was a happy size 12 before I did IVF and am very scared of blowing up again.

I am so blessed to be PG at all, with all the infertility problems I had. I just have to stop giving in to every craving that I have, because I have a tendency to go out of control with my eating.

I'm very glad you posted this question because it was actually good therapy for me to write this and maybe it will give me a kick in the arse to stop strapping on the feed bag!!

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I've always been somewhat of a healthy eater (except maybe for my sweet tooth). Prior to TTC, I tried extra hard to eat healthy and take my prenatal vitamins.

That went all down the drain when morning sickness hit. From weeks 6-21, I ate anything that would make me not want to hurl. Unfortunately I threw up most of the time anyways.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I am someone who always watches what I eat. Once in a while I will treat myself to something I would not normally have. I see a nutritionist every week who monitors what I am eating and my weight. I have battled an eating disorder for almost 10 years. So my first concern was getting pregnant and being able carry the pregnancy and be healthy.
Every person is different and their caloric needs are different. My doctors and family were concerned about me restricting food and dieting. I would never think of such a thing! ( I have also been in recovery for a long time and have been at a healthy weight!)
Since becoming PG I have eaten the same way as before. I eat healthy and when I am hungary. I don't have cravings and I don't act as if this is a free ride to eat anything and everything. Breakfast lunch and dinner with a healthy snack or two (usually fruit) and the meals aren't huge. I can't eat that much in one sitting.
I am 18 1/2 weeks and have gained 4 pounds.
If you have food aversions, eat what you can handle. The aversions come and go and will probably change. I couldn't look at meat for the first 12 weeks. Now I am okay with it.
Good luck! And everything will be fine

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I want to so badly eat healthy, however, even chicken is not appealing to me these days.
I've been eating pizza, toast, cereal, soup, and sometimes cookies.
We went to Friendlys the other night and the BEST sandwich I had was a BLT with cheese. It totally hit the spot. Im usually one to order a supermelt or chicken basket.

Im hoping I start wanting healthy foods more. I do have an apple or banana during the day as well.
Salad also tastes awesome.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

Not really. I have been eating pretty much the same as I did before I got pregnant.
I am ok with my weight gain, I hate seeing the # on the scale, but its pretty much all belly for me, so I am hoping it will come off pretty quickly once the babies are born.

I am a little worried now that I am on bedrest that I will start gaining too much weight since I am not active at all.

Re: Do you try to diet/eat more healthfully while PG?

I want to desire healthier foods but I just don't have the taste for them. I am not nauseous or anything, just healthy foods are blah to me. I do try to get a lot of water in daily and I make sure that I eat at least 1 fruit & veggies daily. Other than that...I eat a lot of carbs and usually not the good ones.