feeling un-pretty

Tue Mar 05, 2013 2:47 am

I'm starting this pregnancy a bit overweight, so naturally I am concerned about gaining too much for the whole pregnancy.

I'm 5'5" and weigh 79kg (which makes me about 48lbs overweight) when I went to my last doctor's appointment. Having the scale read 79kg was an eye-opener and brought home the fact that I have to be really careful and watch my weight while pregnant (I have a family history of DM and gestational DM).

Anyway to cut the story short, I've been eating healthy (not dieting, just making wise food choices) and exercising regularly (walking 40-50mins 5x/week), and when I went on the scale last week I found out I lost about 8lbs. I felt supremely happy about the weight loss but still kept at my routine of smart eating and exercise. (I don't have morning sickness BTW, thank goodness)

Alas, I weighed myself again this morning and found I gained it all back!! I keep thinking water retention is the culprit and I want it to be true, otherwise it would mean that whatever I do to not gain too much weight while pregnant is useless.

I feel really disappointed.

Tue Mar 05, 2013 9:49 am

I feel the same way! I gained about 10lbs over the Fall and then about 5 more from Thanksgiving/Christmas. :-( As soon as Christmas was over, I got on a strict diet and exercise plan. But a couple of weeks later I found out I was pregnant.

And to top it off, when I feel nauseated, I tend to snack to help settle my stomach - which has led to extra weight. I'm 5'6" and my normal weight for the past 10 years was 133lbs (and it was the most I've weighed in my life)...then it shot to 145lbs at Christmas. Now 10 weeks along and I'm 156lbs. I'm afraid this sudden weight gain is terribly unhealthily for me and I'm not sure what to do. I feel so hungry all the time....do I ignore it, will it hurt the baby?

Good luck honey! I think you are beautiful! xx

Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:37 am

With all of my previous pregnancies I have eaten healthy and continued w/light exercise and I gained 60 lbs with each of them no matter what I did. I was still back to normal within a month or two after birth. I think sometimes your body just has it's own way of dealing with pregnancy no matter what your intentions are. Just keep eating healthy and I'm sure all will be fine. Good Luck!

Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:59 am

That makes me feel a lot better! It's discouraging when pregnancy books are like "you are JUST starting to show at 10 weeks" and I'm like, hmm my pants haven't fit in a month, what's wrong with me.

That helps and makes me feel so much better, thanks for sharing!

Tue Mar 05, 2013 10:25 pm

I haven't been feeling so good about my appearance either and am not happy with my current weight. I gained 30 lbs in the past year and a half, and am much bigger than I'd like to be right now. I'm not so excited about the idea of gaining another 30, but know my body is going to do what it's going to do during this pregnancy. I'm just going to keep trying to make healthy food choices and to get in atleast 30 minutes of activity every day.

Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:54 am

Thank you so much for all the kind words and insights that you provided. It makes me feel better that I'm not alone in experiencing the yo-yoing weight gain during pregnancy.

You're all probably right, my body's just responding in its own way to my pregnancy. I just wish it would give me a head's up first so I can prepare myself!

Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:22 am

I have also been feeling the same way. I was trying to lose 20 pounds when I found out I was pregnant and have been getting discouraged with the weight gain. Obviously I am gaining for good reason but I am nervous about being able to lose the baby weight on top of the extra pounds.

It is reassuring to hear I am not the only one experiencing this. Trying to do lots of cardio and eat veggies even though they are the last thing that sounds appealing to me right now!

Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:17 pm

In the same boat. I had lost quite a bit for my wedding a year and a half ago and then this past holiday season I gained fifteen pounds back! I had been stressed because we had been ttc and had been to the docs only to learn that it was going to be a rough road to conception for us. That only made my eating worse due to stress!

I got back on weight watchers (which has always worked for me) on new years then discovered I was pregnant on the sixteenth! Weight watchers suspends your membership while pregnant so I feel really lost!

I try eating healthy, but I've had such bad food aversions and morning sickness that I'm losing weight, but gaining flub! Not baby pudge, but awkward weight. I feel gross! I sympathize with you!

Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:25 am

Oh I agree! I was also heavier than i wanted to be when we got PG...

Something I try to remember is that all of these ladies on the other boards look so beautiful in their belly shots that they put up on BZ... I think we will all look beautiful to everyone else too, even if we don't always feel beautiful.

Mon Mar 11, 2013 5:22 pm

It's so nice to know that others are feeling the same way and going through the same thing.
I was planning on starting a diet when I found out I was PG. Now I'm much heavier then with my first pregnancy and am not loving pictures or mirrors at all. I'm eating much healthier then with my first, but we'll see what the doctor says next week. I hate disappointing him more than my husband who always says I'm beautiful no matter how much I weigh.

Mon Mar 11, 2013 6:24 pm

I am with you. After Christmas I was at my heaviest weight EVER! I started a shake supplement and a work out routine that was really intense as well as a cleanse, I was ALL IN and lost 10lbs in 3 days with the cleanse! I started getting a little sluggish after the new year and realized it was time to test, so I was like, ehh what the hey then I'M PREGGO!! I had to stop everything immediately per OB request due to my previous m/c and take it easy the first 12 weeks. Now that I am 13 weeks I have only gained 3-4 pounds and I'm ok with that since I had still maintained the 10lb loss sort of! I am hoping once the bronchitis goes away I can get out and start walking with my doggies because I miss exercise! I feel like I just look fat and not pregnant. Finally, the other day we were getting fro yo and I saw myself in the glass and I said to my hubby, "you know what, I think I'm finally starting to look pregnant and not just tubby!" He said, I think you're finally letting yourself accept it, I've been seeing my little owlet for about 3 weeks now!" aww he is so sweet and insightful, it was wonderful!

1 Angel 10/1/12