Losing Weight/ Exercising While Pregnant

L.
I kept weight each pregnancy and gain less each time. I have six kids and my youngest is 3 months I gained 9 lbs he was 3 weeks early and weighed 7lbs 8oz a nice size and was healthy. It is always important to eat right and during pregnancy you only need about 300- 500 extra calories a day to grow a strong healthy baby. With that in mind if you working being a more fit person you are on the right track. So while you may not lose any weight during a pregnancy you also may only gain a little bit or none at all. Good luck!
J.

By no means should you hope for, wish for, or strive to lose weight while pregnant UNLESS your doctor specifically prescribes it for your particular situation. Yes, by all means (providing your OB says it's okay), continue your quest to be fit and if you have the energy and pregnancy sickness doesn't get the better of you, by all means, exercise throughout your pregnancy. I exercised with my first and second pregnancy but could not exercise much with my third and I'm pregnant with my 4th and I have not been able to exercise at all due to severe upper/lower back and pelvic pain. With my first pregnancy, I began losing weight and my doctor told me that losing weight during pregnancy was unacceptable for my particular situation and I was told to either stop exercising or reduce the amount of time I was spending working out. It's best to seek the medical and professional advice from your OB when the time comes rather than seeking what other moms have done. We all have very diverse backgrounds and health/medical issues and what works for one most certainly does not work for all.

Each pregnancy is just so different. The only women I have ever known to lose weight with and during a pregnancy are the ones who have the worst kind of 'morning sickness' that can only be controlled with meds. And they frequently need IV fluids as well. I doubt that's the route you want to go.

It kind of goes against nature to lose much weight during the pregnancy.

I was a super fit, lean mommy with my first pregnancy and did not gain any weight....until...the start of the 6 month. The office kept calling me a skinny mom. But then I gained about 20 lbs in month and the docs were shaking their heads, what are you doing....I just became ravenous. I wish now I would have taken that whole phase with a more practical approach. Just eat the extra protein I needed and exercise a bit more rationally, like 3 x a week, not every day.

My biggest recommendation is to incorporate exercise into your family life and make it a life style. Walk to the park, play on the swing set too, or stretch and do yoga while the kids are playing rather than just standing around.
Good luck and being healthy and staying fit.

To provide another perspective: With both my pregnancies I have lost weight in the first trimester due to feeling nauseated, and I started out at a healthy low weight. During my pregnancies I focused on eating healthy and eating when I was hungry. I didn't force myself to eat if I wasn't hungry. I have always exercised regularly during my pregnancies (probably an hour four times a week or so of step aerobics, yoga, or jogging). My children have both been born healthy and within the healthy weight range. The doctor for my second was a bit concerned about weight gain so she did an ultrasound every month and the baby's growth was great. I just genetically don't gain much weight during pregnancy (10 lbs or less).

My point is that weight gain during pregnancy is something that varies a lot by individual and you should focus on listening to your body and eating healthy food when you are hungry. There is no need to force weight gain if it is not happening naturally (unless you are very sick). Whatever the outcome, if you are focusing on getting a healthy diet and exercise and not on numbers on the scale, it will be the best outcome for you and your baby.

I always lost weight in the first couple of months (only a couple of pounds).

I think the healthier goal, really, is to gain less in the first 6 months. If you have extra weight, your body can use that instead of the extra needed calories (within a certain amount of balance), so you trade off fat for baby-related weight some. Of course, talk with your doctor about all of this :)

PS ... I had planned to stay active, keep going to the gym, eat well, etc when I got pregnant. Ended up I was so exhausted and nauseated all the time, I haven't done any of that since I got pregnant! I have been trying to eat well, but when there's only 1 or 2 things that I can even think about without wanting to barf, I eat them even if they aren't "the best." Still lost 3 pounds, but just wanted to remind you how much a pregnant body will take control!

I don't know much about after a miscarriage and exercise so take this with that in mind.
I'm on my 4th pregnancy and am staying fit for the entire thing. It is actually making pregnancy more bearable. This is the first pregnancy I have stayed with the weight gain recommendations given by the health care professionals. It’s kinda nice to see the scale move and know the weight is what is expected and not in excess.
With 7 wks left I do have to modify a lot of the moves and intensity but my dr has encouraged me from the beginning. I wanted to run the entire time, she said “go for it…you may not be able to but you will know that better than I.” I had to stop at 26 wks; just too much weight.

Just a thought for you, I've heard and it was very true for me - The more active you are during pregnancy the easier the baby weight will come off after the baby is born. I don't know if there is any medical backing to that, but it was very true for me. With my son I was very active during his pregnancy and the weight dropped off without much effort after he was born. With my daughter I wasn't as active and I am working to get the weight off.
Good luck and I'm so sorry about the miscarriage.