Constantly Hungry, Gaining Fast

[WifeofAnt]

So far today I've had pop tarts (poor choice I know), spaghetti-o's (the whole can in one bowl), and a spinach salad with ranch. Its 3:41 and I just woke up from a nap. I'm not sure how long it lasted (felt like 2 hours) and I'm STARVING again. I feel like I haven't eaten anything at all. (Just got a small bowl of cottage cheese, I don't function well hungry.) Up until a slightly over month ago I was on a great weight gain curve and it looked like I was going to stop at around 25-28 lbs. That was awesome because I'm a normal BMI but I'm kind of on the short side. Of course then I got a kidney infection. My weight gain stopped for a few days because I couldn't make myself eat anything but when it started back up I went immediately to gaining 3 lbs a week instead of the 'recommended' 1 lb a week (I've gained 10 lbs, almost half of my total gain, in just the last 3 weeks). On this new growth curve I'm pointed to gain about 65 lbs. And I'm not swollen anywhere or obviously retaining water.
I really don't know what to do though. If I try to eat less it feels like I'm starving myself, if I try to get up and move around more I get really uncomfortable Braxton Hicks and have to take the rest of the day off.

[Baby~Braatens~Mama]

My vote: Eat if you are hungry. Especially if you feel like you are starving! Several small, healthy snacks a day are good for you, IMO.

I know it is hard not to worry about weight gain! Hang in there, mama!

[sattygirl99]

If you're hungry EAT... I went through this just a few weeks ago... It lasted about 3 weeks and then subsided. Pregnancy is no time to worry about weight gain and just because you're gaining 3lbs a week now, doesn't mean next month you will. That little baby is going through growth spurts and if your body is telling you to eat, it's because it needs fuel!

You actually don't sound like you're eating ALOT really... I just came off a stint of eating every 45 min. And not SMALL amounts either. I was eating full meals in 1.5 or twice the amount I normally would, every 45 min to an hr. Now it's gone back to more normal of every 2 hours-3 hours, which is how often you're supposed to eat.

It does seem like you could use some protein though... Looking at what you've eaten today, you've had very little to none. Add some chicken or beans to your salad for some protein. Snack on various nuts, yogurt and cheese. You may be really hungry because your body needs something it's not getting.

It won't last forever mama!!! You're growing a little person in there and that's hard work on your body!

[MaerynPearl]

I go through spurts of starving + eating = weight gain and nauseous + avoiding most foods = not much weight gain

we need to ignore how much weight gain we are getting and just focus on getting baby fed healthy choices when we get hungry.

[oliviab]

Originally Posted by sattygirl99

You actually don't sound like you're eating ALOT really... I just came off a stint of eating every 45 min. And not SMALL amounts either. I was eating full meals in 1.5 or twice the amount I normally would, every 45 min to an hr. Now it's gone back to more normal of every 2 hours-3 hours, which is how often you're supposed to eat.

It does seem like you could use some protein though... Looking at what you've eaten today, you've had very little to none. Add some chicken or beans to your salad for some protein. Snack on various nuts, yogurt and cheese. You may be really hungry because your body needs something it's not getting.
!

I was going to say....by 3:40 I have eaten way more

Its 4pm here and this is what I've had today

1.5 cups of oat cereal with handful of walnuts and handful of raisins with 1.5 cups of whole milk

About a ton of grapes

A whole package of Indian Fare (premade indian food that serves 2) and Naan (bread)

(a couple bite sized baby ruth,...shhhh)

an Apple with 2 Tbs of peanut butter

mmmm and I am not done yet!

[Gucci&Granola]

Definitely add more protein to your diet. It will keep you fuller longer and help to stabilize your blood sugar. Also keep snacks on hand that are easy, nutritious, and minimally processed. Things like an apple with a small amount of peanut butter, or carrot and celery sticks wit hummus are great choices.

[Monarchgrrl]

I was constantly starving the whole first trimester and a little into the second. I would eat a full healthy dinner and feel absolutely starving 15 minutes later and I'd eat a whole other meal! I started out overweight and it didn't make me gain anything, surprisingly. I agree about not worrying about any weight gain. I bet if you eat a bit healthier (and more substantial foods) then you might even see the weight gain stabalize. I also add glasses of milk to feel full.

This is what I usually eat in a day:
Breakfast:
2-3 egg omelet with cheese, tomatoes and spinach
ww toast
large glass of milk

Then every hour I eat something small like:
fruit and cheese- 10am
almonds- 11am
carrots and hummus- 12pm
grapes and greek yogurt- 1pm
cottage cheese- 2pm
ww toast w/ peanut butter- 3pm
hard boiled egg- 4pm
banana- 5pm

Dinner:
chicken or steak and veggies and sweet potato for dinner- 6pm
(a second dinner in 1st tri of the same)- 7pm
large glass of milk and either hard boiled egg or almonds- 9pm

[expat_canuck]

I was also going to say that I tend to eat more than that by 4 pm each day, and also that you seem to be taking in more carbs than protein. I'm not one to shy away from carbs, but I know that if I don't get enough protein in my day I feel incomprehensibly hungry.

For days when I can't seem to eat enough protein I keep a store of cliff bars (or whatever brand you might prefer) on hand. And I actually keep them by my bed at night, too as I've noticed that days I don't get enough protein, I tend to have terrible insomnia - which can become a vicious cycle, for me - not enough energy for the day, choose a quick high-carb food to get the quick energy boost, feel crummy during the day, sleep poorly at night again...

If B-H ctx are slowing you down during the day, you may also find that you feel better if you drink more water. I also find that eating more protein helps me hang on to the water I drink better, too, although I' m not exactly sure of why that is.

[lillymonster]

I gained 45 pounds with DD and I ate all the time. This time I was doing well until I hit 20 weeks and my appetite came back. I don't care. I am not eating too badly, sometimes I have some major cravings. I eat ice cream once in a while, but I eat a lot of healthy stuff too.

Almost everything I eat contains protein, so I know that is not the issue, I eat lots of meat, nuts and nut butters, and shellfish, eggs, beans... I am just hungry every 2 hours! Hasn't helped my sweet cravings either. Oh well!

After DD was born I lost it all plus another 10 pounds!

[camprunner]

You are hungry and pregnant so you should eat. That being said, I got a systemic yeast infection when I was pregnant that caused me to be starving all the time. Since you said something about a kidney infection, I'm wondering if maybe you took antibiotics for it and this contributed? I'd sit tight and just wait until the baby is born to do anything about it anyway.

[nova22]

enter Devil's Advocate
You know, Spaghetti-O's with Meatballs are really yummy with Ritz crackers and/or grated Parmesan on top.
exit Devil's Advocate

I go through spurts, too, and often I am craving the nastiest and most unhealthy junk imaginable. I try to satisfy my junk food cravings to a degree but I also balance it out with things that I enjoy but are also more healthy - a salad with balsamic vinaigrette and croutons, a fruit smoothie, stove-top popcorn (MW praised me for eating that, WOOOT! - it's actually very healthy w/ nutritional yeast on top!). I also try extra hard to take ALL my prenatals when I am not eating well regularly. My list:
acidophilus (probiotics)
omega-3 from fish oil
iron
chlorophyll
b-6

[WifeofAnt]

I'm trying to cut out most of my sugars right now... I was drinking a 1.24 liter of green tea every day (85 grams of sugar!). I really can't keep that up and not expect to gain weight! Of course that should probably mean cookies and ice cream are not a good mid-afternoon snack either... I have such a horrible sweet tooth.

[Lady Lilya]

You definitely need more protein and fats. It isn't just sugar, but carbs too that are going to create weight gain and make you feel hungry all the time.

Can you make your own unsweetened green tea?

[spatulagirl]

I remember gaining weight fast with my first. Not enough protein and too much juice.

I don't know if you eat meat or not, but I am a vegetarian and eat protein every two hours. Little bits and bites but it helps. I also eat about three times more than you in the day. Nothing processed (except occasional mac and cheese and potato chips).

Yesterday I ate:

-green smoothie
-gluten free sugar free homemade breakfast cookie
- 20 kettle brand potato chips
- bowl of mac and cheese
-bowl of grapes
-cheese and rice crackers
-half an apple with peanut butter
- Pineapple-Cashew Quinoa stirfry
- half an apple with peanut butter
- cheese and rice crackers

Today I had two glasses of green smoothie and I think I am going to have some mac and cheese as a snack. LOL