Starving!

[KoalaMommy]

I am so hungry, all the time. It started yesterday or the day before. I mean, I've been eating every couple of hours for the last few weeks, but this is different. Last night I was sitting down, eating dinner, and with every bite I kept feeling really hungry. The food I was eating made no difference. I also felt like I didn't really want the pizza I was eating (but I wasn't willing to make anything else). I basically felt completely unsatisfied after 2 large pieces of pizza and a glass of juice (which is a lot of food for me). It wasn't until 2 hours later when I had some icecream that I finally felt better.

This morning DH made me 2 eggs, hasbrowns and fruit salad for breakfast (he's a good man, he always makes breakfast and I make dinner). I ate all of that, and was still hungry! I tried the icecream trick again (hey, the baby likes icecream, and if that's what it takes to feel full, I'll suffer ). But here I am, half an hour later still starving!!!

Has anyone else experienced this? I know I'm further along than most people here, but maybe someone has experience with a previous baby. What can I do to feel full? Am I missing something in my diet? I was wondering if I'm not getting enough protein. I pretty much only eat chicken and occasionally fish. I can't eat beef and other red meats are disgusting to me. I do eat beans and dairy and eggs when I can stand them (if I eat eggs more than 2 days in a row I develop a major aversion even when not pg).

[taradt]

i have to eat LOTS of protein (100 grams a day) following the brewer diet. that is keeping me feeling pretty full, but i am eating about every 2 hours.
if you are craving ice cream that could be protein that your body wants
i find that i need to make a soy protein smoothie before i go to bed and that is the only way i can sleep through the night (figurativly DD makes sure that never happens ) and it helps to get the extra protein i need

good luck

tara

[kiwimutti]

hello im due the end of nov, usually im over on the nov board...yep im hungry but actually, i kind of think im not hungry hungry, i just feel like eating, i mean im full most of the time, he he it sounds bad but, i wasnt really interested in eating for the last few years...i would just grab something on the go so my body wouldnt stop functioning...not really eat to enjoy but cause i had to... not like now, ive remembered toast and butter with avacado salt and viniger yummi! and pretty much snack all day... just for the taste of things. so i have a wee deer gut happening...i just say wow im showing pretty early ay? its nice to enjoy food again. i hope someone can tell you more about protein...have you read the kids book "the tawny scrawney lion"?...im being silly but he got full on vegi stew with fish and mushrooms (insted of monkeys ) ha ha ha. good luck.

[MountainLovinMama]

I did not get that ravenous feeling until much later in my first pregnancy - and then got it tenfold while nursing! I am an active athletic person, and tend to have a high metabolism even when I am not bfing. While bfing (I don't remember feeling so intensely hungry even during pregnancy), I found that I would eat all my regular (ample!) meals and still need lots of very rich snacks in between. I always kept some snack foods in the car, on my bedside table (when night nursing), etc. Some of my favorite snack foods that worked for me to feel satisfied and energized include nuts, trail mix, cheese and crackers, fruit & yogurt smoothies, granola w/ yogurt, avocados, power bars, Barbara's cheese puffs....and, yes, ice cream (and frappes or milkshakes), and the occasional decadent chocolate treats! Unless you are overweight or have weight issues, I wouldn't worry about the weight gain and listen to your body instead. For me, and again I have a pretty active lifestyle, the weight came off pretty quickly after pregnancy and I was eating more than ever to make sure I did not lose any more! Someone on the heavy side would, I'm sure, have a different perspective. Good luck, and hopefully you are not too m/s to actually enjoy the food your body is craving.

[chasmyn]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. The other night I was clearly full, I had totally eaten more than enough food, more than my stomach really can handle, and I still wanted nothing more than to eat. I normally eat very healthy and nutritious food so that made no sense to me, but it was so nonetheless.

And normally I won't eat after 8pm but lately I'll be starving at midnight or even 2am and if I don't eat something, I cannot get to sleep because it's all I can think about is food. Oddly though, in the morning when I first wake I'm not hungry. It takes my body a little while to wake up and be hungry. But at night? Bring it on! My hungriest times are usually in the afternoon and LATE at night.

Perhaps I really need more protein - reading the posts, earlier I was eating more protein than I am now and wasn't having this much of an issue. I think I'll try that again and see what happens.

[KoalaMommy]

well it's good to know I'm not the only one. I think the protein hunch was a good one, DH made me eat 2 pieces of chicken last night and the hunger is much better today. I think I'm going to get some protein shake mixes and drink one daily, otherwise I just don't see how I can increase my protein intake.

Thanks for the tips too. Maybe I'll get some trail mix and keep that by the bed instead of crackers. I haven't really had much m/s so there's really no reason to keep the crackers on hand except for the hunger factor. Really the only nausea I had was between 6 and 8 weeks and only if I didn't eat. The baby likes food, there's no doubt about that!

[gristastic]

Hi, I just thought I'd pop in to commiserate with you.

I'm gaining weight like crazy. I haven't really had more than a few twinges of nausea here or there. No morning sickness. I want to EAT EVERYTHING I SEE!!!!!!! I haven't been indulging even half of my cravings, but I've been so hungry, all the time.

I was a little chunky in the butt and thighs before, but now, it's really bad. I've gained 10 lbs, already and I'm only 9 weeks pregnant. My belly is getting large, but not in that beautiful, pregnant way.... it's just fat.

My face is getting rounder and my clothes don't fit anymore. I know I can't diet, but it's really starting to freak me out.

[taradt]

i am gaining quickly too... sigh
it has all been with healthy foods (except for the weekly veggie burger and fries and coffee free frappachino). i keep telling myself it is all good and i am avoiding the scale like the plague... i only get on it before my midwife visit so i can tell her where i am at. i am 7 weeks and am up about 5-6 pounds.

tara

[KoalaMommy]

update

So I've been trying the protein thing. I have been keeping track of my protein intake, I've added shakes in the evening to boost it, I'm up to around 75g a day, and at first I thought it was working. But then I was hungry all last night!!!!! I couldn't sleep, I asked DH to get my crackers 3 times and they didn't help. So frustrating. I'm eating beans like crazy (and amazingly they're not bothering me, though DH has decided he can't eat them anymore), but I'm still hungry. I did decide to try and eat more complex carbs and less white flour but it doesn't seem to help. I looked at my belly last night (which has been protruding) and I decided that most of the growth is fat not baby!

I guess I'm just hungry. I'm going to try to resist my ice cream cravings and eat mostly vegetables and fruit (which is fine because we're now in a great season for fresh produce!). And I'll stick with the beans and the shakes and try to eat chicken or fish once a day. And I'm really going to try to exercise every day (it's been hard because I've been so tired). The good news is I'll be 12 weeks on Wednesday, so I should be nearing the end of all the fatigue.

[mirlee]

Okay, so I'm not pg right now. When I was, I ate everything in sight! I was so hungry, that I could commonly be found at the fridge at 3am. Everything looked and tasted great. I really tried picking healthy choices, but that wasn't always easy when the idea of nachos sounded so good! I was also so tired, that I could fall asleep at my desk without realizing it. I thought originally, before we found out that I was pg, that I was ill because on the weekends I would sleep 15 hours straight and still not feel rested.

As far as weight gain went, I think I started gaining at conception. My final weight at delivery was 175 from 110.

[Jessviola]

last pregnancy i didn't have any nausea and i was starving all day, every day. i ended up gaining 65lbs total (i suspect it was actually 75lbs because i think i gained 10lbs between conception and my first weighin...) i could NOT stop eating! and got into the mentality that it was ok, because my baby must need the extra food. plus i didn't realize (or was in denial of) how much fat i was adding that had little to do with normal pregnancy weight gain. plus i made some really terrible choices in what to eat and made the discovery that i could stomach ice cream after not being able to for over 5 years so i had to make up for lost time...

this time i've only gained 1lb so far and i'm about 8 weeks. i give all credit to the nausea and feeling like i can't stomach anything. i have a sinking suspicion that i've lost some muscle and replaced it with fat though since i'm soo much wider and feel puffy....