Eating...first trimester...
Prepregnancy weight was 241, dropped down to 229 in first 6 weeks, and have returned to 240 in the last 2 1/2 weeks. I'm definitely bloated, my lower belly is puffy but rest of me is actually smaller.
I have no goal to lose weight during pregnancy, but don't want to gain too much. Per my RMR to just maintain this weight would be 2800 calories! That is WAY more than I can consume unless it's either all liquid or all slider foods. I'm more looking at 1800-2000 well chosen calories.
Now...all I want & can keep down are crappy starchy carby foods! The doc & midwife say not to worry, eat what I can during the first trimester, my cravings will clean themselves up on their own as I move into the second trimester. I've spent a year not eating (and honestly not even wanting!) all the crap I'm eating now...chicken fingers, hash browns, cereal, chips, nachos...I try to eat "healthy" versions of these things, but really junk is junk even if it is "whole" or organic or whatever. Thankfully the end of last week saw me killing a fruit platter & veggie tray over the course of two days, but aside from that if it's not salty, greasy, fatty, or crunchy I have no desire to eat it.
Does it really get better, the cravings? I miss my healthy foods, high protein & only some well chosen complex carbs to round things out. My protein count was always higher than carbs, now...I'm lucky if they're even! I miss lunch meat & cheese roll ups...and not only do we not have a microwave but the thought of eating it after heating it to steaming repulses me.
Gina :~)
I feel the exact same way and am pretty close to you! I hit my year out last month. RNY 10/28/11 and am now 7 weeks pregnant. My doctor recommends upping carbs bc the baby needs it and it kills me because I have said no to them for so long! However, those are the only things that settle my stomach and stay down!! Special K Protein cereal was a way of life week 5. Hang in there hun. You aren't the only one. As I was told, you crave what you and the baby need. Just try to make smart choices and get those vitamins in!!
I'm 17 weeks out and still struggling with cravings--they are much better than 1st trimester but still there some and as the morning sickness abated I am much hungrier. I just do my best to make the healthiest choices I can and eat every 3 hrs. I also am avoiding the scale because I have issues with it going up. I am almost 3 yrs out and know that in my post op experience my bad cravings were only at hormonal times so I just hope and pray after the baby is born they will go away again!
The first trimester is notorious for the carb cravings and what not. It gets much better during the second trimester, though that does not mean that cravings will stop. If you feel that way is starting to creep up then it may be worth looking into healthier alternatives for your cravings.
The calorie intake expectations for pregnant women who have had bariatric surgery are kind of outrageous and I am very sure I have never come close to meeting them. I rather eat quality than quantity just to count calories and focus on getting the right amount of supplements, as this will help baby more than just a target calorie number. With that said, I have been gaining weight at a good rate. I was 130 lbs when I found out I was pregnant, I am currently 148, so 18 lbs so far, which my OB thinks is great.
I do have an issue that started mid second trimester and has gotten progressively worse, and that is pain after meals. It seems that all the movement and shifting of my organs has my pouch sort of pinched and when I eat it hurts for a while right after. So I am trying to do what they tell you not to do when you have surgery, eat often, obviously smaller, so that the pain isn't as bad.
I'm not really concerned about weight gain, I don't see myself going crazy. It feels like I'm eating loads of food but when I look at my food diary at the end of the day t really is just 2-400 more calories than usual. It's just the make up of those calories.
Anyone else shocked at how much more & how often you can eat? I've had no hunger pangs since RNY, but I definitely NEED to eat every 2 hours now, I feel it in other ways than a growling stomach. I was relieved to find that when I eat good healthy food I still have restriction, but now I understand the whole slider food issue.
Gina :~)
