Am I gaining too much weight?

Question

Okay, so in all the online info I've seen and all the books I've read about pregnancy, they all say the same thing: You should gain 25-35 lbs during the entire pregnancy, and weight gain during the first trimester should be minimal (only about 2-5 lbs). So far I am only in week 8 and have gained over 10 lbs! I don't know what I'm doing wrong. It would seem like I'm just lying around stuffing my face with junk food all day, but really I'm not! I'm still fairly active (going for walks almost every day) and haven't changed my eating habits all that much, except that I stopped dieting when I became pregnant ( I was eating about 1300 cal/day and now I'm up to about 1800). I still make an effort to eat the right types of food, like plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and plenty of legumes and lean meats for protein. I do not eat junk food or sweets. When I get a craving for sweets I usually eat a little bit of yogurt or natural sorbet. 

I used to be very over weight and have put a lot of effort into changing habits and getting healthy over the last few years. Before I became pregnant I was still over weight but much closer to a normal weight and not obese. I am terrified that I'm going to end up obese after I'm done with my pregnancy! I feel like I'm doing all the right things and it's still not helping, and I feel like everything is out of my control.

I guess my questions are:  Is this much weight gain normal? Has this happened to other people? What am I doing wrong? Any insight would be much appreciated! :)

enolia · Answer

Maybe the change caused the extra weight too...I mean you were on a low calorie diet and switched to a higher calorie diet. You know how diets work eh? As long as you are on it, you maintain your weight, otherwise, you start gaining more that you ve lost very quickly!!!
So just be careful with the carbohydrates and keep execising.

Also, generally speaking, in the first trimester with all the sickness, appetite is usually affected and you don't gain much, some people lose weight. 

Good luck!

Draco9793 · Answer

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I really feel a lot better knowing it isn't just me. :)   I will just try to relax and not worry too much about it. Thanks for your support!

cherylsangel · Answer

I started my pregnancy overweight. I am 22 weeks and I have gained a good 25 lbs....which should be the max amount I should gain in total and I still have the other entire half of my pregnancy. I am just taking this as it is and plan on doing the diet thing and lots of exercise after the pregnancy. I try to eat healthy but I am hungry what feels like every 10 minutes, and I have been indulging in my sweet cravings. I say enjoy the pregnancy and work hard afterwords

spade22 · Answer

Most of what you have gained is water weight - this can be very common during the first trimester.  Also, your metabolism can change during pregnancy as your body adapts to the situation so as you get further into the pregnancy you may put on more weight or lose weight when consuming the same number of calories.

Weight gain during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy weight, build, and height. The numbers you quoted are for a women of  "average" figure.  A women who is overweight should be at the low end of the range and an underweight women should put on more weight than an average person.

sk123 · Answer

It's natural for women to worry that they're putting on too much weight or too little weight when they're pregnant. How much weight you should put on depends on your pre-pregnancy weight (or BMI). MedHelp has applications that allow you to track your weight against how much you should gain. To see this, go to your home page (click My MedHelp). On the left, you'll see Applications. Click My Pregnancy and enter in your pre-pregnancy height and weight. Then you'll see a graph with the appropriate weight gain for each week and you can plot your weight against it.

By the way, it sounds like you're eating healthy and really well!

By the way, it sounds like you're eating healthy and really well!

Elixis · Answer

they say thats the average weight you should gain, doesn't mean you won't go over. Just keep monitoring the gain with your DR and i'm sure everything will be fine. It doesn't mean it'll be bad, you just might need to work a little harder to get rid of the excess weight after. 
But every woman is different. That's just a guidline. Just eat healthy, continue excersizing and im sure all will be fine!!