Exercise and planned-"reduced" pregnancy weight gain

[cpatow]

What are you doing for exercise? My BMI places me in the overweight, almost obese category, which stinks because I'm normally a size 14, but I have gained 25 pounds since my last pregnancy, so I'm 10 pounds away from the weight I delivered my last child at. Doh.

Now, my husband says I'm not fat...I'm large and fit. I exercise a lot (run, and ran a marathon last year), but definitely DEFINITELY have way, way too much fat. I think, when not pregnant, I could stand to lose 40 pounds.

I talked to my doctor about this and he said the rules of pregnancy weight gain have changed. The ole addage of 30 pounds is okay IS true if you are a normal weight. If you are overweight the suggestion is no more than 20ish and if you are pushing the HOLY-MOLY-SUPER-OVERWEIGHT category then gaining minimal weight, even no more than 10 pounds is sufficient SO LONG AS it is done carefully with healthy eating and not with the intent to LOSE weight.

This is a relief to me as I so DO NOT want to gain 35 pounds with this pregnancy. My doctor (a high risk specialist) said that keeping weight gain down will actually be very good as it will help with circulation, energy and the risks of high blood pressure and gestational diabetes.

SO...my long-winded questions for you all:
1) What fairly high-intensity cardio activities have you been doing that feel good? As I said, I'm a runner and I can't see that running is going to work long term. Elliptical? Spin classes? Swimming (although not good in winter)
2) Anyone else out there in the reduced-weight-gain-during-pregnancy category? What have you been doing food-wise that's helped? I'm trying to manage the eating-healthy thing, in lots of small portions, but from a nausea perspective all my stomach really wants is loads of comfort carb food.
3) Anyone else out there actually kept pregnancy weight gain HEALTHFULLY under 20 pounds? I'm not interested in any pregnancy dieters...totally not going there, but if you've eaten healthfully for two, kept your vitamins and nutrients intake at appropriate levels and STILL kept weight gain down, please give me advice!!!

And for anyone that is really curious, I have no embarrasment in my figures:
Pregnancies 1 and 2: pre-pregnancy weight = 173 (exactly, with both, and size 10-12); weight at birth = 208
Pregnancy 3 weight (at 7.4 weeks) 196 and size ~14
BMI 30 or 31
I would like to give birth (God willing, of course) at no more than my previous 208 #.

[8weekgirl]

I joined a gym with a pool and did aqua size classes with the seniors. It was a riot but the water made me feel great! I would sometimes linger afterwards in the pol and just enjoy floating on my back. I started after my first trimester and swam until I was about 36 weeks. The baby loved it and kicked along with me, near the end I had to go easier on the lunges but everything else was easy and fun. I gained about 20 pounds total and had a healthy 8lb 5oz boy at age 38!! I also did some weight training (Gold's Gym) in the beginning. I was fortunate enough to go during the morning when the gym was filled mostly with women. When I had a had time getting out of the leg press machine because of my belly I stopped and did the aqua classes only. Definitely try and find a pool!

[cpatow]

That was funny! I so needed that.

Yeah, they said 15lbs for me, too...and if I keep feeling how I do even gaining THAT much is going to be a struggle.

[Renogirl]

lol - if you are considered super obese - they must consider me nearly dead - I'm nearly six foot tall and quite a bit heavier then you - my obgyn said ideal weight gain for me would only be about fifteen pounds - so far I don't seem to have gained any weight and we'll be at twenty weeks on Wednesday

my favorite exercise tips so far -

put the remote control between your toes - instant sit ups whenever you need to change the channel

weigh yourself when you aren't wearing your contacts/glasses

weigh yourself while leaning against the sink

remember that foods of the same color have the same amount of calories - example - chocolate and liver - same amount of calories

if you have that Three Musketeer candy bar, have a diet pop with it, the calories will cancel each other out

hope these ideas work - they do for me - lol - in all seriousness, I've heard that swimming is a great exercise during your pregnancy

Rebecka

[cpatow]

Thanks!
We just moved to Georgia from California 2 months ago so I don't know where everything is...although I do know where a local (decent) health club is. We've got an elliptical at the house and I've still been managing to run-walk 5-6 miles 4x a week.

An interesting side note: I gained my weight soon after going on an anti-depressant (Lexapro). I exercised up a storm and tried Weight Watchers MANY times (and was once successful at it w/ my last pregnancy and lost all of my weight), but have not been successful at it since then.

I typed in Lexapro into the search area of this site and HOLY COW there must have been hundreds upon hundreds of men & women experiencing the same weight gain from SSRIs. I had to stop taking it for pregnancy, so I'm hoping being off of that, plus not being able to consume my ritualistic one to two glasses of wine in the evenings will in and of itself help keep the weight gain at a minimum.

BUT in the end I'm not going to be neurotic about it. You both are right that FITNESS is what matters and so long as I am eating healthy and keeping fit, if I can't lose my baggage until post pregnancy, then sobeit.

Thanks for the support! Appreciate it!

[shesherm]

Before I got put on "light duty" as I like to call it I was swimming as well, but I live in Florida :O)
I love the elliptical but unfortunately can do NOTHING right now.  I did feel better when I had some sort of activity.  good luck.  Tanker is right just the fact that you are active and healthyis good

[Tanker Chic]

I'm not in your situation but my sister and I go swimming (she is a runner, I am not) and we love it.  We go to the YMCA and use the pool there.  If there is a gym in your area with a pool, I'd recommend that.. it feels great..  

for what it is worth.. i think the fact that you are active and health is really a great thing and just as or more important as overall weight.. Keep it up!!