losing weight before the baby!?!

[hippi_pixi]

I am a few kilos overweight since my wedding a year ago and wanting to start a family soon. I'm noticing that skinny fit healthy people seem to keep their bodies better during/after pregnancy. I'm quite pear shaped and tend to put weight on lower half, lose it from upper half, put weight on lower half, lose it from the upper half. eek. and I'm quite prone to stretchmarks. i know i will get them no matter what.

So I'm thinking if I'm going to have any chance i need to get as fit and healthy beforehand.

What are everyone else's thoughts / experiences? Have you noticed the same thing? did you do it beforehand and did it help / not help? bear in mind I am not talking about trying to lose weight while pregnant.

 

[jazzoboe]

I'm there with you. I have no answers on whether it will make a big difference after the baby, but I've gained quite a bit of weight over the past 5 years or so due to a thyroid issue, and I really want to get in shape before I start TTC (which is probably a year or so off for me). My doctor agreed with me that that was a good goal because pregnancy is hard on the body, as is chasing around little ones, so it's best to get as healthy and strong as possible beforehand. It's definitely been a frustrating process so far, though. I've been watching my eating habits, really cutting back carbs and not eating out much at all, and trying to get to the gym 4-5 times a week, doing cardio and weight lifting. With the combo of meds and supplements I'm on I have been feeling a bit better lately but I'm not sure much weight is really coming off. I am feeling a few new muscles, though, so I guess that's a win.

 

[gem_anemone]

Aside from losing weight the best thing for your unborn baby is to eat healthy and do light exercise (with the ok from your doctor). My opinion is that getting yourself started in this routine before you get pregnant is a good course of action and losing weight could be a desirable side effect. Also you may want to consider that you may have morning sickness for the first 3 months and may lose some weight from that. Whatever you do, good luck with the future pregnancy and enjoy it!!!

 

[SMC]

I've also read/heard that it's good to lose weight before you have a baby if you're overweight. The normal pregnant woman puts on 25-35 lbs during pregnancy, and it's harder on your body if you're already carrying around extra weight to begin with. Also, your heart works harder while it's pregnant as it's pumping a greater volume of blood so it makes sense to try to be in good shape cardiovascular wise.

Doctors don't recommend that you lose weight or start dieting while pregnant (unless you are extremely overweight), so if you don't do it before you get pregnant, you won't have a chance to do it til after the baby comes and then there will be even more weight that needs to come off.

It doesn't sound like this is you - but in extreme cases, obesity can affect your fertility. If you're having regular periods though, this is probably nothing to worry about.

That said, I wasn't in the best shape ever going into pregnancy, but oh well - it'll come off after the baby comes. I am nothing if not optimistic.

 

[momhappy]

If by losing weight you mean eating healthy and exercising regularly, then yes, of course it's okay to start now. Eating healthy and exercising are also things that you can/should do during pregnancy. I wouldn't recommend some sort of strange crash diet, but adopting some healthy habits now should work to help you lose weight, get in shape, and feel better overall (before, during, and after pregnancy). I have always worked out (even during pregnancy) and I bounced back easily even after back-to-back pregnancies in my 30's.

 

[lliang_chi]

Getting healthy is always a good idea. But I think spending time building your stamina is really important 1) during pregnancy and 2) afterwards. Plus it gets you in a decent habit of working out and eating healthy and that's beneficial all around.

 

[Tourmaline]

I think priorities change as one gets older. They have for me. Before having children, I judged my body for how it looked, for the aspects I found unattractive. I worked hard to stay relatively thin, caught a man (got married) and then entered into baby-making reality. I get *really* sick during pregnancy, so weight gain during pregnancy isn't really a concern (I lost 20 pounds with one of them). That said, I have had four pregnancies (four kids), and I tend to gain weight in between pregnancies, because I don't sleep and my metabolism falls to nonexistence. Since having my first child, though, I am SO proud of my body for making a human (!!!) that I don't judge it harshly. It might be different if my husband weren't into me at a higher weight, but he is supportive of me at any weight. I weigh 30 pounds more than I did when I met him eleven and a half years ago. I am on a diet now, though I am opposed to dieting, haha, because I find weight loss sort of fun and empowering. I went back on this diet several days ago after ovulating later than I expected. Chances of conceiving (knowing my body) are slim, so I decided to take the opportunity to lose a few during the two week wait. I've heard about the idea of losing weight before a pregnancy, but having a bit extra has been helpful to me so as not to actually die from lack of nutrition during the six to seven month illness phase. You'll have a gorgeously cute belly if you don't lose weight ahead of time!

 

[Bailey_Lou]

I lost about 30 pounds before I got pregnant with my first and did not even get many stretch marks. My body bounced back much easier but I was also 28. With my second I was 38 and already overweight. I definitely felt much bigger and heavier with this last pregnancy. I was also much older and I still haven't lost the baby weight a year later. I would definitely recommend losing a little just to make the pregnancy easier on you towards the end. But either way you do it babies are a joy

 

[hippi_pixi]

well i did start dieting after starting this thread so have been doing if for 6 weeks and have lost nothing which is very disappointing. I don't have the same metabolism and sadly, will power that i used to. I also need to add in some exercise somewhere. I'm not hugely overweight at 150lbs and about 5'5'' and my avg weight used to be 138lbs. I'd like to be 135lbs. I'll have to think of some new tactics!

 

[mercoledi]

My son is 13 months old. I had debated whether to get in shape pre-pregnancy, or just not bother and ended up working out regularly and building a lot of muscle in the year before I got pregnant, and I'm so glad I did. Pregnancy is a really demanding physical process, I don't know how I would have gotten through it if I hadn't already been fit and strong before hand.

Sorry to hear the dieting isn't helping so far. I never have had any luck dieting (I think my body adjusts to the modified intake) but got great results for weight loss and building muscle from a cross fit class twice a week.

 

[momhappy]

well i did start dieting after starting this thread so have been doing if for 6 weeks and have lost nothing which is very disappointing. I don't have the same metabolism and sadly, will power that i used to. I also need to add in some exercise somewhere. I'm not hugely overweight at 150lbs and about 5'5'' and my avg weight used to be 138lbs. I'd like to be 135lbs. I'll have to think of some new tactics!

So when you say that you've been dieting, what exactly have you been doing?

 

[qtiekiki]

I lost about 30 pounds before I got pregnant with my first and did not even get many stretch marks. My body bounced back much easier but I was also 28. With my second I was 38 and already overweight. I definitely felt much bigger and heavier with this last pregnancy. I was also much older and I still haven't lost the baby weight a year later. I would definitely recommend losing a little just to make the pregnancy easier on you towards the end. But either way you do it babies are a joy

I think it gets harder to lose the weight in subsequent pregnancies. I had my first when I was 28 and second at 30, and the body didn't bounce back as quickly after my second.

 

[blingbunny10]

Hi hippi pixi,
I've never been pregnant, but am in the same boat as you and have been doing my own research and reading. Losing the weight before conception will lead to a more comfortable pregnancy for you as there will be less strain on your back, etc. while carrying the baby. It will also make it easier for you to lose the baby weight after delivery.

PS - I know you just asked about weight specifically, but I think getting into the best physical and emotional health you can pre pregnancy is a wonderful approach. Doctors are saying that you should actually make healthy changes a full THREE MONTHS before even getting pregnant. This will help ensure healthy eggs/sperm --> healthy pregnancy --> healthy baby.If you're interested, I encourage you to check out Dr. Michael Lu's "Get Ready to Get Pregnant." Lots of interesting info and tips in there. I have zero affiliation with the author, btw.... Just doing a ton of research on my own these past few weeks.