LITERALLY eating for two-- Calories a day question.

[cynthiamoon]

Help... 

I feel like all I do is eat and cook/prep and then eat some more.... I have work to do! 

 

Before getting pregnant, I had been on track for a health overhaul in my life, losing 20lbs over two years by eating more balanced foods, biking and walking, and keeping my calories to about 1700 net a day when at my best. 

I want to gain a healthy amount of weight in pregnancy, and that's supposed to be about 5lbs in the first trimester for my weight and height (5'5"/160lbs). Everywhere I read, I see that in the first trimester, that works out to about 2100 net calories a day.

BUT... I'm eating 2100 calories by 4pm and still starving by 5pm! Most days I am netting about 3000 calories to be satisfied. I am LITERALLY EATING FOR TWO, but I am legitimately hungry when I eat! I'm not just gluttonously pounding down oreos or anything. It's mostly eggs, milk, oats, fruits, nuts, cheese, bread and whatever else isn't making me nauseous that day. 

Did anyone else find their calorie requirements SKYROCKETED so soon, when baby is barely the size of a lentil?

If I am needed 3000 cals a day at 6 weeks, and I going to be eating for THREE by the end of this pregnancy? 

If anyone out there was into food logging like this (I used myfitnesspal and still do, but changed my settings to "gain 1/2 lb a week") and still does it during pregnancy, how did your caloric needs change? Is this kind of eating normal?

[LilyTiger]

Daily caloric needs differ dramatically based on height/weight/muscle mass/activity level/metabolism and so on.  You might just need more calories than the average person.  While it's true your daily extra caloric needs in the first trimester are actually quite minimal, your body may also be set at a lower metabolic threshold because you just lost weight.  It's an unfair aspect of weight loss and gain that your body "resets" itself to a higher weight, making weight loss very difficult indeed.  Thanks to your relatively recent weight loss, your body might be signalling that you need much more food than you actually do.  The important thing to do is actually step back from the calories to see what your body is doing.  Are you actually packing on weight?  Or is your body just using those extra calories in a different way? 

Excessive first trimester weight gain is associated with lots of things like diabetes and increased risk of childhood obesity, so it's important to keep it in check, but it's also important to eat what your body needs to grow a human being.  I gained five pounds right off the bat during the first trimester (which was much more than I should have) but then plateaued in the second tri (to the point where my doc told me I should be eating more).  It all averaged out to a healthy weight gain.  So keep in mind that people have different patterns of gaining too.  I purposely put away the calorie counting devices during pregnancy and focused on weight gain.  I also kept a very high level of physical activity, which I think kept a lot of the weight at bay and helped with a natural med-free labor.  I know I'm not exactly answering your question, but I hope some of this helps.

[phathui5]

If what you're eating is real food, I wouldn't track calorie intake. Don't let it stress you out. 

[~Shanna~]

I agree with both of the ladies above - It's much more important to be focusing on nourishing yourself and your baby over gaining weight.  If you're eating whole foods, it takes away a lot of the motivation to eat more than you're actually hungry for. One of the things you may just do a quick check-in on how you're eating is to make sure you're eating enough fat. Fat evens-out the absorption of sugars, and this might be helpful if you find that "hungry" for you feels weak and lightheaded. You didn't mention that in your post, but that signpost can give a little more information than just "hungry all the time". That can help you parse out the symptoms of diabetes that LilyTiger mentioned above.

Good luck, mama!
 

[ella'smommy]

I agree, if you are eating healthy, whole foods, then you are doing just fine. I started at 5'4 and 150 lbs, and gained 15 lbs in the first trimester, 5 in the second, and none in the last 6 weeks. I asked my OB and he said it was fine, he looks at the big picture of overall weight gain, and it was nothing to worry about. Meanwhile at 32 weeks baby measured 5.5 lbs in the 90th%, I haven't been restricting calories  AT ALL so I am convinced this little one has a crazy metabolism and is going to eat us out of house and home for the next 20 yrs, lol. Everyone is different and puts on weight at a different pace, so listen to your body and eat when you need to, the rest will work itself out. :)
 

[Quinalla]

If you are eating when hungry and eating mostly whole foods (and I would try to get in some extra protein, but sounds like you are already are) then I wouldn't worry about it. Some women's bodies just want to put on more weight for pregnancy and some burn through more calories when pregnant than others. I gained somewhere between 50-60lbs which is way over the recommendation for my height/weight, but that is what my body wanted to do and it used it all up BFing without any issues. I trust my body, not some one-size-fits-all advice and luckily my OB was on board.

[cynthiamoon]

I feel better about this now having read your experiences and talking to my doctor. I think that I can cut down on some of the junkier stuff I was having and do better by getting those calories elsewhere, but it's so hard when only bread and fruit sound good. 

Quinallia, I'd never heard of losing that much weight from breastfeeding alone! That's awesome, and I am so glad you listened to yourself because I can't imagine what going through those calories while bfing would have been like without a reserve! 

[cynthiamoon]

I also think I just need better high-protein food sources. I am still working on finding some that don't make me retch by their smell. 

[Brendalee]

I was STARVING for a while in my 1st trimester.  I felt like I had to eat every 1-2 hours to keep my m/s down to just 'serious nausea'.

Once I got away from eating cereals & such - which I had initially been eating because I was just so. darn, hungry & couldn't wait for food to cook - I did MUCH better.  I had a bacon, egg & cheese sandwich for breakfast every morning, and I'd not have to eat again for hours - like a normal person! ;)

I did pack on a little more weight that I'd like (an extra 4lbs over my 'goal'), but that leveled out once I figured out I needed a LOT more fat & protein than I'd been giving myself.

My appetite has dropped considerably now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, and I'm back to 'normal' 3-4 meal a day eating, and they're normal sized meals.  In fact, sometimes I have to remind myself that I gotta go eat something, since it's been a while since my last meal & Kiddo needs some fuel! ;)  Which is a nice change from "don't anyone in this house TOUCH MY FOOD! if the food I want isn't here when I wanna eat it - THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!", which is what happened in my 1st trimester. ;)

Good luck!!

[BabySmurf]

I agree with all of the other posters.  Do be aware that the really carby foods can cause your blood sugar to spike and crash, which will mess with your hunger signals and can contribute to the nausea...if bread is all you can stand (and that does happen), try putting some kind of fat or protein on it.  Like a heap of butter, olive oil, coconut oil, or even peanut butter to add some protein too - this will help keep your blood sugars stable for longer. 

FWIW, I also gained 50 pounds with my first pregnancy (mostly from eating junk food) and I lost 70 pounds nursing my little (or not so little, as it were) guy while eating a healthful diet of at least 3000 calories per day.  It's really important that you are listening to your body and remember that the guidelines are based on averages.  I am 15w4d in my second pregnancy, and I think I've gained 7-10lbs...but I'm just guessing, and I'm not paying too much attention to the numbers. Eating too much junky stuff and gaining a ton of weight, not so good.  Eating nourishing foods and not gaining weight on the line following the "average"? Probably not a big deal. 

Good luck, and I hope you feel better! I know that pregnancy weight gain/loss is hard when you've been working on being healthy for so long, but just try to focus on the end result and try to nourish yourself and your baby. 

[cynthiamoon]

BTW, after a couple of weeks of this my weight is staying fairly steady, so I think I'm just gonna trust my body, keep finding good protein sources, and keeping my simple carbs down to a minimum. I also made a point of shopping for easy-to-prep foods and following the "easy/no cook" thread:  http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1369686/easy-no-minimal-cook-meals-for-morning-sickness/0_100

I am also making a point of keeping fit, and I think being active will make me feel better about all the food.

Thanks for so much amazing info! I shared your BFing stories with my SO, and he was majorly shocked and impressed by how much energy it takes! 

[Quinalla]

Originally Posted by cynthiamoon 

I feel better about this now having read your experiences and talking to my doctor. I think that I can cut down on some of the junkier stuff I was having and do better by getting those calories elsewhere, but it's so hard when only bread and fruit sound good. 

Quinallia, I'd never heard of losing that much weight from breastfeeding alone! That's awesome, and I am so glad you listened to yourself because I can't imagine what going through those calories while bfing would have been like without a reserve! 

I was lucky, I didn't even hold onto that last 5-10 lbs a lot of women do while breastfeeding which is normal for a lot of women, but yeah I do think my body knew what it was doing! For me, breastfeeding definitely required more calories than a singleton pregnancy, sure once she was eating more solids it wasn't as big of a demand, but yeah it was pretty demanding!

I always think some extra protein during pregnancy is a good idea, great to hear you are doing well

[Voondrop]

I've noticed that while we've been in different stages of life (& income brackets) my nutritional needs have varied w/ each & every pregnancy. First baby, well off middle class & I gained 60lb. being at the 200 mark at delivery. 10 or 15 of those were in the first trimester. I had gotten out of the army some months earlier & lost all of the extra muscle that I wasn't maintaining anymore so I guess my body was doing the same thing to me as it sounds like it's doing to you. BF caused me to lose 80 lb. in 6 months which probably wasn't healthy, but husband was deployed for a year & I wasn't going to cook for just myself.

I was still carrying baby weight from my second pregnancy when #3 came along & gained only 40 lb. Here we are w/ Mystery Baby #4; we're impoverished by American standards but our diet is CLEAN. We grow a lot of our food, most of our meat is free range chicken, eggs & venison. I've gained my first lb. just in the second semester & the only foods I've been craving are fats & extra protein. If it's a genuine craving & not just a "gee, that sounds good" I feed it if I can.

[BaileyB]

Pardon the fact that I have not read the other posts but I never watch my calories when pregnant. I know it can be hard when you have been trying to take better care of your health before pregnancy but it can really make you nuts. Your body will tell you what you need (and sometimes Oreos too). I found that my body instinctively gains 1 lb per week and occasionally in the second trimester it is 2 lbs per week. There's nothing I can do about it and not eating when I am hungry is not really an option. I think the medical opinion is an extra 300 calories a day but my weight gain tends to be a little over 500 calories a day. I don't think I saw how far along you were but I know my appetite is extremely ravenous in the first trimester and slows a bit by the second and then in the third trimester I just have to make sure I am not eating out of boredom because I feel to big to do anything.

[J and Js mommy]

I haven't seen much mention of exercise but that helps too. Try having a granola bar before hitting the treadmill and drink water water water. 1st trimester is starvation mode for me, no matter what I eat. Can't wait till week 13! I agree w everyone that the quality of the food u eat is more important than quantity.

[emily11megan]

There is plenty of protein in plants: soybeans, any beans, greens, nuts...  Plants have fat as well: greens, nuts, seeds, tofu...

It is a very common misconception that we all need lots of butter and meat to get these, especially in pregnancy.  Sometimes women have an aversion to meat or other animal products, and are worried about protein/fat.  The pregnant woman's body isn't different from the regular body, you just need to eat to hunger.  And, if you're eating a variety of whole foods, even when they are all plants, you will get what you need.
 

[cynthiamoon]

I am happy to say that the initial ravenous stage has subsided, though i still eat continously throughout the day to abate nausea.

I definitely eat lots of nuts and some tofu, but beans are completely out of the question until my stomach relearns how to digest them! Same for cows' milk, which I replaced with oat milk and probiotic-filled yogurt.

At least my aversion to meat is over, since i really was worrying about not being able to stomach most high protein foods, animal PR vegetable.

Recently, I ate more than half of a 21oz steak, and felt better than I have in weeks!

My SO still laughs about that meal because not only was it an out of character craving (this snobby, semi-veggie foodie begged for Texas Steakhouse... A 20min drive into the 'burbs), but because I literally had a spiritual experience with that meat. No joke. I cried. Tears streamed down my face in a steakhouse booth last weekend.

If the body's cravings and satisfaction cycles have any basis in biological need, than that was incredible proof that I need more protein!