BMI 27 & told to gain 0-15

[isfa]

I had my first prenatal visit yesterday. The nurse told me that because I am overweight with a bmi of 27 (5'8/178 lbs), I should gain ZERO to 15 pounds this pregnancy! Is she off her rocker or is that really what they're recommending? I keep thinking I must have misunderstood. I mean, I would have to lose weight (fat) in order to stay the same weight. I can't imagine that would be healthy!

[MaerynPearl]

Thats insane

im 5 8 and over 200 and was still told to gain weight (just not TOO much)

[etsdtm99]

i have had overweight friends who naturally only gained 10-15lbs while pregnant.. but i wouldn't aim for that.. they told me to gain no more then 35 (i was 5'7" 138) or it would be near impossible to lose the weight .. i gained 42lbs with my first and 48-50 with my 2nd and i lost it all no problem (with time).. nothing i did slowed/changed my weight gain (or loss)with my first, so i did what felt right with my 2nd and i started this pregnancy 3lbs lighter than my first.. in my experience my body has known what to gain and when to lose it..

[teamsalem]

I'm pretty sure she is wrong. I think that if your BMI is over 26, the recommended weight gain is 15-25 lbs. If your BMI is over 30, I think it is 0-15 lbs. Regular BMI 20-26 = a 25-35 lb gain.

But , you know, I really think that everyone's body is different and some people naturally gain more even when they are eating well. If you listen to your body, it will gain the right amount.

[hck73]

I think you should just smile and nod. Then just listen to your body and do the best you can. Personally, I think there is way too much emphasis on how much to gain or not to gain.

[Monkey Keeper]

My first pgcy, I was 160lbs and 5'6". The told me to gain no more than 20lbs. Yeah, right. I lost 11lbs in the first tri and still managed to gain 28lbs from the starting weight. Interestingly enough, I started off my 2nd pgcy 15lbs lighter and ended at the exact same weight. I think our bodies do what they need to do.

[teamsalem]

Originally Posted by PinkBunch

My first pgcy, I was 160lbs and 5'6". The told me to gain no more than 20lbs. Yeah, right. I lost 11lbs in the first tri and still managed to gain 28lbs from the starting weight. Interestingly enough, I started off my 2nd pgcy 15lbs lighter and ended at the exact same weight. I think our bodies do what they need to do.

I totally agree with this. I Had a similar experience with my two pregnancies, lost weight before I got pregnant with my 2nd, but was the exact same weight around delivery time. My midwives kept telling me I was gaining too much, which I don't really get -- I am 5'8" and my pre-pregnancy weight was 145, and I gained 30 lbs. From my understanding, this is normal. But, different providers think about this differently, I suppose.

[prothyraia]

DDC crashing.

Pffffffffffffffffft! My BMI at the start of my first pregnancy was 26-27. I ate extremely healthily, gained somewhere between 35-40lbs (all in the second half of my pregnancy, before that I lost weight) and was within 15lbs of my pre-pregnancy weight at my 6 week post partum visit.

I would be...um...skeptical of their advice in that department, and in any other.

[crittersmom]

The past 3 years it has been getting pretty popular to restrict weight gain again.Smile and nod and keep on growing a healthy baby.Most of the older books I have read have said it is not a good thing to break down fat that is already there and possibly risk releasing stored chemicals.You are growing body parts and a brain from scratch, now isn't really the time to restrict.If your body is already cutting back on weight that is different than counting how many calories you ate in a day and worrying that you went over someone else's version of ideal.
Personally I have to be very overweight to get pregnant (195) and all four of my other pregnancies I could substitute charts because the weight gains were the same each week even though I was in different parts of the country, nursing during some and different levels of activity.I also lost that pregnancy weight very quickly without thinking about it.Your body knows what its doing relax and enjoy the pregnancy.

[RedOakMomma]

Originally Posted by crittersmom

it is not a good thing to break down fat that is already there and possibly risk releasing stored chemicals.You are growing body parts and a brain from scratch, now isn't really the time to restrict.

This is what I worry about.

I am overweight and would like to carefully manage my weight gain this pregnancy, but I don't expect to stay at 0 and I certainly don't expect to lose weight. The lowest amount I'd want to gain (if that makes sense) is 15. Anything below that, and I think you're dipping into maternal fat stores going directly to baby...which to me is NOT a good idea, no matter how healthy/organic my diet has been.

[umsami]

Ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.

I've been morbidly obese (BMI 40+) and told to try and limit my weight gain to 15-20 pounds... .but somebody with a BMI of 27??? Told to gain nothing??

They recently released new guidelines on weight gain and said that obese women (BMI 30+) *may* not need to gain anything...but it's based on ONE study. Other guidelines say Obese women should gain 11-20 pounds.

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20090...or-obese-women

[MaerynPearl]

yeah... even at my size (with a bmi of 30) my midwife said to try to keep weight gain around 15 pounds. eat healthy, exercise... your body will do what it needs to.

[Kelly1101]

I gotta second the "pfffffft."

I've got a little extra weight to lose, I just looked up my "BMI" and I'm a 25. I'm sure as hell not going to gain NOTHING during this pregnancy. That's crazy-talk.

Just ignore the silly woman. 15 pounds sounds like a good lower-end limit. Not 0. *enormous eye-roll*

[kgrands]

I agree - totally nuts!

I think, like other posters said, over 26BMI 15-25, over 30BMI 10-15. Eat healthy and see what your body does...best way to do it.

We're close in weight and height - I'm 5'8" and 168lbs...we'll see how this goes.

[buttercups.nest]

I am about 180lbs, 5'4, and with both pregnancies gained about 15lbs. I ate fairly healthy, tried to get some walking in when I could, and stayed away from the junk food (as much as I could!). My mom was always on my back that I wasn't gaining enough weight...I was constantly eating though! I would've had to start eating McDonald's 3x a day to gain the kind of weight she wanted me to!

[MacKinnon]

That's crazy! I was almost exactly your weight and an inch shorter with DS and was told to gain around 25lbs, as long as I was eating sensibly and excercising. I have a BMI of 29 now, and my fat-phobic OB's office will probably tell me to gain 0lbs as well. I hadn't heard there was a trend in this "low weight gain" direction. It was pretty moderate advice with my last two! 15lbs to 35lbs, with the low end for heavier people and the upper for thinner. This seems logical. ZERO pounds does not seem healthy or logical, I would have to be exercising and LOOSING weight to make that happen (as baby gains). That would have to be what, a net loss of at least 15lbs to balance out amniotic fluid, baby, etc?

[kalamos23]

Must have been a man doing the study I was 140 and 5'10" (small boned so really I had some chub on)when I got pregnant with Riley and gained 27lbs even though I was sick sick sick (caught everything). Fwiw, I was in my "fat" jeans 4 dayspp so yeah. I'm guessing if I don't get sick that I will probably gain closer to 35lbs this time around. I don't think it's smart to release the toxins in our already stored fat while you are pregnant by not gaining!

Also, I read a study somewhere that said that babies that are grown while the mom is restricting food in utero - their bodies believe they are born in a "famine" environment and so they will be more likely to be in a "gain weight" mode throughout life. Babies where the mothers are mroe nourished have better ease at regulating blood sugars and regulating body fat. I wish I could find the study on that again!!

[isfa]

Thanks guys. That is very reassuring. I swore I would trust my body more this pregnancy, but it's so hard when you get conflicting information!

[gradstudentmommy]

My BMI is around 30 now and was 29 when I was pregnant with DD. No one has ever said anything about my weight and have always recommended the usual 25 pound weight gain.