Would it be bad to have a weight goal while pregnant?

[KBecks]

OK, I think I started this pregnancy somewhere under 160, or thereabouts. Right now I'm 183 with a little over 2 months before I'll deliver around 37 weeks. With each of the boys, I was over 200 pounds at 37 weeks, and I kind of don't want to go there. Especially as my legs are looking kind of fat.

Not that I'm not going to eat or anything, I'm just thinking of skipping sodas and eating a little more healthy things between now and the end. I'm not exercising much at all, haven't made it to the water aerobics classes I wanted to do, but I am getting outside with the kids.

I'm thinking all this is fine, but I'm not sure if I should focus or care too much about the scale numbers. I want to get back to the gym 4 months post partum when the little guy can go to childcare.

[SnuggleBuggles]

You can certainly try. Just eat healthy and stay active. I had a goal too but it got blown out of the water the last few weeks. I didn't change anything but all of sudden I started gaining crazy weight. I was healthy (no pre-e or GD). Baby was 9lb9oz so some of the weight went there. But, I set this goal of 25-30lbs, like I gained with ds1. I was on track all of pregnancy for that goal. I wound up gaining 40lbs! It was all gone by 4m pp and I am now 6lbs under that. Point of my ramblings is to say that to try your best but don't get too stressed if the scale does something you don't want it to. :)

Beth

[MontrealMum]

I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to eat as healthfully as possible while pregnant. If it keeps your weight gain in check - good, but it's good for the baby too if you eat more nutritiously. I had hoped to do that when I was pregnant, but between the morning sickness of the 1st trimester (when I basically ate whatever stayed down), and the extreme swelling at the end, I had a hard time doing it. I was told to cut out salt, and let me tell you - salt is in everything - even bread! Now, if you wanted to try to lose weight while pregnant, that's another story, and a very bad idea.

There was a news story up here maybe a year ago spring about how women should be aiming to gain less than the recommended 30 lbs for an average-sized woman. I was already on my way to that, and I have to say, not much could have prevented me gaining what I did, but it looks like some docs are recommending the lesser 20 lbs. weight gain. Personally, I don't know. My doc never had a problem with the 30-35 lbs that I gained. I've known tiny women who gained 60 lbs each time, and dropped it all several months later; and I've known other women that watched what they ate, before and after, exercised, and it took a year to take it off again. So, I think some of it depends on genetics - like everything else ;(

[sidmand]

I wouldn't stress about it too much, but I don't think there's anything wrong with kind of having a number in mind as long as you don't do too much differently between now and then.

Like PPs said, eating more healthfully is great! I gained 50 lbs with DS and really didn't want to do that with DD. I ended up gaining 20 lbs. Toward the end I really didn't want to gain more than 25 lbs total (I was overweight to begin with, so it wasn't so much an issue!), but if it had happened, that was okay too. I wasn't eating any differently during the beginning/middle/end, but sometimes weight just piled on and sometimes it didn't. As long as you're not gaining weight because of pre-e or diabetes and as long as you're not losing weight for an unhealthful reason it's probably fine.

FWIW I'm three months pp. Just started really exercising again, but found chasing DS and breastfeeding did wonders this time around! I was back at my pre-pregnancy weight at about 2 weeks pp and now weigh about what I did in college (15 years ago!).

[pb&j]

You shouldn't focus on scale numbers, but you should focus on eating right and staying active. My OB has a saying - if it's good for the mother, then it's good for the baby. Eating healthier is *always* good for you! As long as you're healthy and not having any complications, there's no reason not to maintain or gradually/slightly increase your activity level as well.

[ThreeofUs]

If you want to be healthy and keep your weight (and blood sugar) under control, try the ADA (American Diabetic Assn) diet. It's all proteins, good starches, veggies - no processed sugars, no sugared drinks.

They lay everything out so it's easy to understand and follow, too. This is, btw, the diet that preggo moms are put on when they have gestational diabetes, so it's really safe.

[caheinz]

The diet changes you're suggesting sound fine, but I would suggest ignoring the scale until the baby arrives. You're hitting the point where the baby is going to be picking up weight, and his gains look the same as yours to the scale.

There's good evidence that moms that are malnourished during pregnancy have kids that have a multitude of issues affecting them throughout their lifetimes. (The best dataset is one from WWII, where an entire population in northern Europe were put under very strict rationing. They've followed the kids that were born just before the rationing as well as the ones who were gestated during the rationing...)

Also, I don't know how this applies to singletons at all, but with multiples, it's looking like early weight gain is the best way to avoid preterm labor. The dynamics are different -- there's no way for a mom carrying multiples to keep up at the end, so the stores are necessary.

[Wife_and_mommy]

I wouldn't focus on weight being gained while you're feeding yourself and baby good and healthy food. I'd cut out the sodas except occasionally and stay as active as possible.

Whether or not you eat healthy, your eating habits will most likely continue postpartum so it's in your best interest to eat well.

[lizajane]

i always heard that gaining 25-35 lbs was the goal. so that is a goal. i don't think having a goal is a problem at all- something to shoot for. it is a problem if you try to lose some of what you have gained or if you eat fewer calories than your body and your baby require in order to meet that goal. my sister lost body weight during pregnancy and only gained baby weight (does that make sense? as in, her face got smaller as her belly grew.) women who are plus sized are instructed NOT to gain weight like an average sized woman and it worked out really well for her. i think she gained about 10-15lbs total and had a 7 lb 15oz baby. it worries me when my underweight friends only gain 20lbs. they are taking away from their own bodies to feed their babies and that really isn't good for anyone. but they got away with it and had 6lb babies.

as for me, i am average, i gained 35 with my first, 30 with my second and went under my pre-preg with my first by 9 months old and got within 8lbs of pre-preg within a few weeks of having my second. (and then all hell broke loose... but that's another post.)

[kmak]

My SIL gained 50lbs with her first and didn't want to gain that much with her second, so she stayed away from juices and drinks with sugar. She gained 50lbs with her second as well. She retained lots of water with both pgs. So, it's always good to eat healthy, but your body is going to do what it's going to do.

[ShanaMama]

I agree with all the pp that trying to eat healthfully is a great idea. I think you can have a goal, but don't stress about it. The main thing is probably to remain as active as possible.
With this pregnancy I've only gained 15 lbs (I'm almost 41 weeks now)- and I'm HUGE. It's pretty strange to me because I did not watch my eating *at all* although I attempted to make healthier choices. The thing I regret most is not excercising throughout. I think it will be much harder for me to get back in shape than it will to lose the actual poundage. I won't be too happy if 6 months pp I've lost all the weight but haven't excercised or toned at least a little. So to me, it's not the number on the scale but what shape I am in.

[kijip]

I think you should congratulate yourself! You have gained about 23-25 pounds instead of 40+ at this point in the pregnancy. :cheerleader1: I would tend to think that most weight you add from here on out will be baby and water...ie the weight you lose right after birth. You will only have about 20ish pounds to lose postpartum which sounds like you ate better this time around.

I would encourage you to drop soda and limit sugar but I would not focus on a pound limit. Also, if getting to water aerobics is not working, how about pregnancy tapes at home? There are yoga ones, step ones etc.

[Puddy73]

You can certainly try. Just eat healthy and stay active. I had a goal too but it got blown out of the water the last few weeks. I didn't change anything but all of sudden I started gaining crazy weight. I was healthy (no pre-e or GD). Baby was 9lb9oz so some of the weight went there. But, I set this goal of 25-30lbs, like I gained with ds1. I was on track all of pregnancy for that goal. I wound up gaining 40lbs! It was all gone by 4m pp and I am now 6lbs under that. Point of my ramblings is to say that to try your best but don't get too stressed if the scale does something you don't want it to. :)


I agree with Beth - a goal of eating healthy is great, but it may not be reflected on the scale. I ate whatever I wanted with DD and gained 50 lbs. With DS and this pregnancy I've been very careful to eat healthy foods, but I'm still on track to gain 45-50. I guess my body is just very efficient at fat storage! I was able to lose most of it within 9 months after having DD and DS.

[KrisM]

I think it sounds good, too.

I ate about the same for all 3 of my pregnancies. With DS1, I gained 48lbs and lost it by 3 months. With DD, I gained 33 lbs and lost it by 2 months. With DS1, I only gained 25 lbs and I've lost 14 already at 9 days. I don't know why the different weight gains, since I ate about the same, other than I was more active with #3, just due to having #1 and #2 around :).

Anyway, my point it, that for me anyway, it didn't really matter how much I ate or gained, so long as I ate healthy for the most part, as it came off in the long run without a ton of work.

Of course, I gained between pregnancies, which is the big bummer! I'm hoping to get to pre-DS1 weight this time!