Pregnant and Overweight

[CarolineF]

Hi there

Can't seem to find a thread that relates to this - but I am just wondering if there are mums2B who are pregnant and overweight?

I know this is a difficult topic, and there is a view that you should not go out to lose weight whilst pregnant. But I was wondering, what did other M2B do/are doing to make sure they put on no more than they should etc?

I noticed an article on Angelina Jolie who had put herself out to not gain any extra weight at all during her pregnancy, and she looked skeletal.

In my first pregnancy I started off at 12st 5 lbs, and was the same weight immediately after my daughters birth. I then put on about 1st (c6kg) in the first few months after cos we were both poorly. Since then, I have struggled to lose the weight, been diagnosed with thyroid disease but have fortunately not gained any weight so far (I am about8weeks).

I am seeing an endocrinologist who is keen I do not gain much weight at all. She has put me on a low GI eating plan.

Any views? thoughts? Experiences you would like to share?:thumbsup:

[MummaRobyn]

Hey there *honest and out there response*

When preggers with my first I was about 85kgs and he weighed 4.18kgs (9 pound 2). During that pregnancy I stayed about the same weight (so in fact lost 4kgs as I had gained that weight in baby without it showing on the scale.

With my number two I weighed 108kgs and I lost about 4kgs with her (plus weight of baby), she was 7 pound 5.

With my number three I weighed 117kgs (yeah I stack on between babies no worries hehe). I lost 6kgs that time and she weighed 6 pound 13.

Now I am 105kgs and 5 foot 4. I have been lighter and I have been heavier in pregnancy. I find that I actually loose weight during pregnancy without meaning to - drs say this is because I am already carrying enough! So far in this pregnancy I have lost 8.5kgs. Now don't get me wrong I never try to loose weight, it just happens. Nor to I try to make myself not gain weight - as this is unhealthy for the mind!

I find that in pregnancy I crave healthy foods which is good and I also eat in smaller amounts like six small meals a day, stopping as soon as I feel comfortable and not overly full - which in my opinion is why I loose weight. You can see from my belly pic above that I have no problem gaining a belly!! My girls have been lighter than my first because they both have a syndrome (like myself) which means, in part, that they are born lighter than the usual. So this baby (and my son) don't have the syndrome so I think that I am in for another 9 pounder hehe

I think in pregnancy you should aim to be healthy and not focus on weightloss or gain, rather how you feel, how you look and that you are active enough for the amount of food you eat.

I have also found that because I have coped rather well with rapid weight-gains in my life so that gaining the weight of baby in pregnancy has not had the adverse reactions it has had on those who have always been slim and light.

Oh gee... am I making any sense or just rabbiting on??? hehe

[Sarie]

I was over weight in both my pregnancies. Before I fell pregnant 2nd time round I weighed in at 85kg and just before I had PJ I weighed 83kg.
I did have GD and had to work hard at the diet and exercise to keep my GD under control, but I'll tell you I felt fantastic.
I lost weight consistantly for the last 10 weeks of my pregnancy and while the dietician wasn't impressed my doctor was quite happy.
I now weigh 68kg and I'm trying to lose the last bit of weight before I get pregnant again.
Stick to the low GI plan and try to get in some exercise after you eat, I was suggested 10 minutes of anything... even walking on the spot is better than nothing. I used to do 20 minutes on an exercise bike after each meal and a 3-4km walk every night.
Good luck!

[sugar n spice]

*honest and out there response*

I have been lighter and I have been heavier in pregnancy. I find that I actually loose weight during pregnancy without meaning to - drs say this is because I am already carrying enough! So far in this pregnancy I have lost 8.5kgs. Now don't get me wrong I never try to loose weight, it just happens. Nor to I try to make myself not gain weight - as this is unhealthy for the mind!

I find that in pregnancy I crave healthy foods which is good and I also eat in smaller amounts like six small meals a day, stopping as soon as I feel comfortable and not overly full - which in my opinion is why I loose weight.

yes thats me to

I was 70 kgs when i fell preg with n01 and went up to 82 i think or less. only gained 6kgs throught out and the last 6 was all fluid at the end with PE.

second time round iwas 85 kg and when i gave birth i was 92 kgs.

I lost weight at the beginning of both pregs and only gained it at the end therefore losing it all immediately afterwards. My problem now is i stacked it on after with each one. Im now 91 kgs arrrrgh:eek:

gotta do something about that:laughing:

[CarolineF]

I found out when pregnant last time that I ate well, not a lot at all, and did not gain.

The thyroid problem occurring has affected me badly. My endocrinologist has referred me to a gastro cos my ALT is slightly raised indicating a fatty liver, but my triglycerides and cholesterol are normal, as is my blood pressure. My iron is very low, to the extent that I am to have an iron infusion, and my endo has suggested i have an endoscopy and a colonoscopy in my second trimester!!!!!!!

Suffice to say, my GP has contacted the gastro and he is not keen on performing such intrusive tests on a pregnant woman unless it was an emergency. he is going to watch my bloods etc from a distance and keep an eye on things.:detective:

Its frustrating when you know you eat well, but a variety of health issues affects the results.

I don't feel good, I feel tired all the time and frustrated at my weight. I know I just have to plod on and eat low GI.....and get some exercise (not easy if your iron stores are at 2%). Its a vicious circle - to lose weight exercise is vital as well as a good diet, but to exercise you have to have energy. My iron is so low that my red cells are changing colour.

I;'m waffling...sorry.:ecomcity: :ecomcity:

Its interesting reading all your experiences though, cos we all seem to be around the same weight. Good luck to all:smiliedance:

[Sarie]

Aw hon, my heart goes out to you.
:hugs:

[rynosmum]

Hi Caroline,

I too struggle with a thyroid disorder which certainly makes it more difficult to maintain or lose weight. I also have urticaria which makes it impossible to exercise without daily antihistamines.

When I was pregnant, I was on Lite N Easy 1200Kjs. I took it to my OB and a nutritionist to have a look at and they were both fine with it. Lots of fresh fruit and veg and of course, I avoided most of the naughty extras. I crazily dropped the liteneasy half way through though and whilst not eating a lot, put on stacks of weight. (Started at 64kgs and ended at 92kgs). Once I got my thyroid under control and started exercising again though it all went, I'm now back to 64/65. I'd like to drop another 3-4kgs but have not been stressing too much. My thyroid flared up again at Christmas and it took me quite a few weeks to get it sorted again.

So in short, yes, you can diet - as long as you are having enough fresh fruit, veg and protein. Run it past a nutritionist and perhaps even a natropath though.

:hugs:

[CarolineF]

Sarie - thank you :kiss: - if I was a horse they would probably shoot me.

rynosmum - i did lite'n'easy when i first arrived here last year. The main meals are shocking, but the rest are fine. BUT, i did not lose weight!:thumbsdown:

Like many thyroid patients I eat like a sparrow but still gain. I know that exercise is the key, as is stabilising my thyroid. I hope that Low GI will at least stop me gaining too much weight.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, although i did not put on much weight my belly got so big it that when I walked in a room it was like Concorde coming out of its hanger for the first time!!! My belly entered 5 minutes before the rest of me.

I would love a really neat and discreet little bump.:wave:

[rynosmum]

I would love a really neat and discreet little bump.:wave: I know what you mean, I didn't have one of those either :o

What is the thyroid issue if you don't mind me asking ? Do you have your T3, T4 and TSH readings ?

[CarolineF]

I'm on thyroxine. I have the auto immune disorder Hashimotos.

My thyroid does not have to go too far out of the normal range for me to start falling apart - mild depression, weight gain, extended periods, no concentration etc

In 2004 when I was diagnosed I had an 8 week bleed!!!!!!! My TSH was 7.8

I was put on thyroxine and it dropped to o.78, perfect if you are on thyroxine.

Its now going up again and is at 4.7 - not very high, but it always sends me far out and I become very symptomatic. My endo has increased my dose cos I am preggers, and is watching it, but she is more worried about my iron.

I'm not sure what my T4 is, i know they did not measure my Free T3 last time.

They are going to be repeated in a month before I see the endo again. Its costing me a blinking fortune!!!!!:thumbsdown:

[rynosmum]

I'm on daily Thyroxine as well.

They found mine when I had hit rock bottom as well - I was very sick with pneumonia, weight gain, panic attacks etc. My TSH was way higher than my Dr had ever seen - 91 ! I had to go and have the tests again as she didn't believe it.

I'm about the same as you now, just under 5, but it has taken absolutely ages to get here. I really feel for you - on this point I really do know exactly what you are going through.:hugs:

Your iron levels certainly sound like an issue - how are they treating that now ?

[CarolineF]

I have been referred to a haemotologist for an iron infusion. After I had my daughter I had to have a 3 unit blood transfusion cos my iron plummeted. At least that was at the end of the pregnancy it was fine throughout.

This pg has started off with my iron levels being in my boots. It has gradually decreased over a 2 year period and supplements are only preventing it from dropping any further rather than replenishing it.

my endo is also wondering if I am coeliac, or have polyps or such like in my bowel that could be causing it, thus the recommendation for the colonoscopy and endoscopy.

Having such low iron is sooooo tiring. I try and keep down a stressful job, and I am way too tired to function properly. I have to prioritise my day. If I am working my all goes into it then I am spent. They will get to the bottom of it. The medics are doing the best they can, and I am grateful for that.:yes:

[CarolineF]

Oh, and by the way - 91!!!!!!!!! How the hell were you still functioning?

You can go in a coma if it gets too high you know!!! i think my problem is that the thyroid disease combined with the iron disorder has become a very potent combination.

Good luck with yours. 5 is still way too high though and you need to be between 0.5 and 2 if possible. If I go above 1.0 I feel ill.

It really sucks doesn't it!?:thumbsdown:

[rynosmum]

Surprisingly my TSH needs to be up to about 7 or so before I get major effects. At Christmas time, I felt great and for some reason just stopped taking Thyroxine (idiot!) so then had to work hard to get back to where I am now. I only realised my error once my weight started creeping up and I was starting to get vague (more so than usual:laughing: ) DH commented one day that it seemed I was forgetting the basics of life - and I truly was.

Yours sounds so much more volatile, esp with the iron issue. Have they considered a stomach ulcer as well ? I guess the endoscopy would pick this up if so. My father had one a few years ago and his Hemoglobin was about, v. short of breath - would have to sit down at the top of the stairs, v. faint. After a major transfusion though and treatment on the ulcer, he improved dramatically.

Keep me up to date with how you go. You're certainly a tough one to get through all of this. As if 1 issue wouldn't be bad enough !:hugs: :hugs:

[CarolineF]

Thanks Katrina.

These forums are great for support....so long as nothing controversial is raised.:no:

Its nice to know there are people out there who appreciate how yukky I feel. My hubby is very worried. I am sure I shall feel tons better once the iron issue is sorted.
and I shall take the stomach ulcer point on too. Trying to avoid invasive tests though at the mo. You know what pregnancy is like!!!! Prodded and poked to oblivion. I'll have seen practically every specialist in brissy before I'm done!!!:laughing: :fingerscrossed:

Oh, you daft bat....stopped taking your thyroxine? You won't do that again in a hurry!!!:hugs:

[MummaRobyn]

Hrmm now I am worried with you guys discussing all your thyroid problems ... the dr said to me the other day that he thought I had a thyroid problem cos I have a swelling in my neck.... but I have always had it and they tested me when I was seven, alot, and everything was ok. So hopefully I have a big neck and thats all!!!

What sort of tests would I have to start with ... also other than weight troubles (which did also start out of no where when I was seven too) what other symptoms are there??

Not trying to hijack the thread here....

[SassyMummy]

Sorry to enter so late into the discussion with a reply...

I am no longer pregnant (because I had my baby and am now a Mummy...lol), but I am overweight. I was during pregnancy too...but I have to say I am much larger now (probably about 20kg...and bub is only 9 months old! EEK!).

I was very lucky in that I actually lost weight during my pregnancy. I didn't suffer from many horrible side-affects of pregnancy (I felt nauseas, tired, sore and generally cranky most of the time though...lol), but the one thing that I REALLY felt was my new super-intense sense of smell.

I could smell EVERYTHING...and it was disgusting. I had to stay away from food-courts or anywhere that had a strong smell...which actually helped me to eat healthily. I wanted BLAND foods most of the time...so I lived off of stir-fries and plenty of very basic home-cooked meals. I could SORT OF manage pizza occassionally...but my old-best-friend Maccas would make me want to :barf: .

That lasted until the last month of my pregnancy, when the smell went away...and I was back to normal. I was still scared of going into maccas (just in case it smelt gross!) but I started to munch away on the choccies and whatnot. I imagine it was partly a comfort thing because DD was 2 weeks late and I was so sick to death of it all...

I put on 7kg...and a week after the birth, I weighed myself to find that I'd lost 14kg since my last pregnancy weigh-in. So I figure I'd lost a fair bit of weight and put on bub (she was nearly 5kg when she was born).

I had high blood pressure throughout, but I never suffered anything too bad. I kept getting tested for pre-eclampsia...but never had anything wrong there. I DID get told I needed to get more iron...so I just took 2 tablets a day instead of 1 (which is what it said to do on the box, but my dr said take 2...). I was fine.

Good luck with all of your pregnancies!

[Fairyfloss]

I was overweight before I got pregnant, but luckly I have not put on some much extra weight on yet, barely 1 kilo or two, I was told however that i may not gain as much cause I already have reserves, and i do try to eat healither these days, cause fro teh first time i am actually eating fruit and enjoying it, but thanks to my constant vomiting, I have been alright so far, just have to make sure I keep do a bit of light walking every day.

My heart goes out to you, :hugs: it is a hard position to be in, hope it gets better soon.

[rynosmum]

What sort of tests would I have to start with ... also other than weight troubles (which did also start out of no where when I was seven too) what other symptoms are there??

I had the neck swelling (goiter) which really freaked me out - I had an ultrasound done on it to make sure that it was clear but then after starting the thyroxine, it reduced back to 'normal' size.

Testing for thyroid disfunction is pretty simple - just a blood test - a TFT (Thyroid Function Test). From that, they can quickly determine how much thyroid hormone your body is producing and how much TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is also being produced.

Caroline summed up the main symptoms in one of her posts, being "mild depression, weight gain, extended periods, no concentration". I also had panic attacks and because it's an autoimmune disorder, you seem to pickup everything so I had been quite unwell with a flu, then bronchitis, then pneumonia.

Symptoms may be heavy or mild dependent upon your levels.

I hope that this helps !

[CarolineF]

I agree Katrina. Brain fog was one of my main problems. And I too had pneumonia in September 2004 just before i was meant to have a laparoscopy.

There are some great websites on the issue. Mary Shomon, a patients advocate, has created a superb site on www.about.com

Its a general site but if you put in thyroid it will move you to www.thyroid.about.com

I am lucky I have a small firm thyroid, but I exhibit all the symptoms as soon as my TSH levels rise above 2 or 3.

One of the problems with thyroid disease is the parameters that are used for measuring it. The normal range has been up to 5.0 for your TSH and above that you are diagnosed as hypo. Many endocrinologists and labs have amended this to 3.0 especially in the US. It remains 5.0 in most parts of the UK, or did up to the point I left last year.

From my recent lab results it would seem that QML use 4.0 as the cut off point - which in my view is still too high.

[MummaRobyn]

Thanks so much guys for your explanation... I guess I should bite the bullet and get it seen to.

Who knows I might end up feeling better... I seem to have all the symptoms that you describe to certain degrees so it would certainly explain a lot.

I guess what also scares me is that I will have the test and there will be no thyroid problems and all the symptoms I am experiencing will not be due to that.... when I was seven I have a really clear memory of the doctor doing the blood test - I had hid under the table, poor doc... and then finding the results were normal and I asked him why I had such a big neck and he looked at me right in the eyes and said "You just have a big, fat neck" and that has always stuck by me! Don't you hate that it is the hurtful words that last the years? I know it is not just fat though cos it is a solid hard mass (well and a lil double chinigans hehe) but inside there is definately something enlarged.... I guess I could have just been lucky to have been born with an over-sized thyroid.... because the dr the other day who saw it felt it and said it was definately my thyroid and not just fat or something.

Oh sorry for the ramble.

[rynosmum]

We're all different and look different but that doesn't mean that the look that any of us has is 'wrong' !.

They can remove the thyroid but that may cause more trouble than it's worth and now, you're probably the only one who notices it because of what that horrible Dr said so many years ago.

Ignore him and anyone like him. Get the tests if your Dr recommends but if they come out negative, feel somewhat relieved as whilst Thyroid issues are certainly treatable, they are a problem that you have to deal with and who needs more problems in their life ??

:hugs:

[MummaRobyn]

Thanks Katrina :) your words make me feel better...

[rynosmum]

My last TSH reading (after this thread) was 1.8 but for the past few weeks I've felt unwell and today got my latest reading of 7 :crying: . I thought I was doing so well but knew that something was wrong.

Caroline, I don't know how I was ever 91 either. I'm so much more sensitive to the changes now !:(

[suemp]

hi guys just reading thru your posts as i too am overweight. started with preg number 1. anyway just wanted to say A) good luck and
carolinef: i once had severe low iron levels too i should have been dead. was due to severe heavy periods as a teenager and me too naive to realise it was not right . i noticed your doc has mentioned a blood transfusion. have they given you the option of an iron injection. one shot is equivelant to 10 tablets at once. i was on those once every second day and 3 iron tablets a day. it soon brought my levels up. i feel for you. theres nothing worse than that gonna pass out feeling.:hugs:

[Heartsdesire]

I am overweight and pregnant though i may be a little different from most as I have had lap banding done to loose weight that was done in 2001 i was 155kgs i now weight 108kgs.

My first pregnancy in 1996 i was 130kgs I ended up looseing 10kgs without trying the doctor was making sure it wasnt to much.... In 2004 i had a miscarriage at 8 weeks, in 2005 dec i suffered another miscarriage at 6 weeks. I was worried my weight may of helped with the miscarriages but my doctor said they were both when bad cells were formed so really no babies would of formed and both had stopped growing at 5 weeks. ( not sure the term for this)

and now im 11 weeks pregnant again I cannot eat as much as a normal person but i have put on 2kgs in the last 11 weeks on a good note i can now eat a whole snitzel and veg and keep it down b4 the pregnancy i could barelly eat a child size mcdonalds burger without being sick.... and yes i havent been sick apart from morning sickness and i seem to be eating a ton more but feel so much better for it.

I also have been eating as healthy as i can i have wanted fish, brussel sprouts and lots of green veg and pickles since i have fallen pregnant these are foods i hated in the past and i have gone off chocolate fully yet i enjoy a piece of toast with honey....and carrots and honey

I for one am not worried about putting a little weight on being pregnant i feel healthier for starters and i am not going to sit and worry about my weight i have more to worry about! oh and im blooming my hubby loves how well im looking.

I also have had my iron tested b4 the pregnancy I was very low on iron and in my last pregnany i was also.... my iron lvls were perfect as were all my other ones which was a relief.