Pregnant, low-carbing and still gaining too much?

[newjeans]

Hey Ladies,

well, im in the final weeks of my pregnancy, and my DR agrees with me that i have gained too much weight. i feel embarassed and ashamed, but mostly really irritated...........here's the kicker, im eating moderately low carb, (under 100gms a day, from oats, berries, dairy, green veggies), moderate fat, and quality protein (my "treat" is occasional fattier cut of meat, big whoop) - all whole/real foods, no frankenfoods. im eating about 1500-1800 calories a day and GAINING MAD WEIGHT. (i drink at least 120 oz water a day also) this is really making me mad/depressed, because im being really good, fairly strict, eating my broccoli and chicken while hubby eats cookies and ice cream in front of me, and im GAINING WEIGHT. like, 30lbs alone in the last 8 weeks. i want to cry and go pig out on carbs. seriously, i want to buy a carton of ice cream and fall into it, lol. my DR doesnt believe me, that im eating healthy, and while she is not being too harsh (and doesnt seem to be worried about it), she gives me that "yeah, right" look when i tell her that my weight gain is in spite of eating pretty healthfully, and she tells me, "sweetie, just try to make healthy choices" like she didnt hear what i had just told her im eating.

so, any ideas of why my body is acting this way? im feeling like a mutant, i mean, dang, i shouldnt even be able to maintain my weight at the calorie level im at (im overweight and quite tall), much less keep gaining. my husband is confused too, he sees what i eat, what we buy (his "goodies" stay at his work or locked up in a small freezer that he keeps the key to - i dont trust myself, lol), and cant figure out how the heck my body just piles on the weight out of thin air. im sorry for being such a whinner, but i just feel like im being cheated, getting fat for smelling carbs? and i hate the condescension that i get from my OB, when i know what im eating and what the scale is saying is not matching up.

my OB appts show the baby is fine (dropped, yeahhhhh, i can breathe!), my blood pressure is on the low side (normal for me), no preeclampsia, blah, blah, blah, all the normal stuff they check for is fine, ive started dialating, and losing my plug, but with my last pregnancy i was losing bits of plug for weeks and was at 3 cm. for 3.5 weeks, so this is normal, and everything is feeling very similar to my last pregnancy as far as last stage aches/pains, and i will probably have this baby in the next 3-4 weeks. im planning on low-carbing and breastfeeding, like last time, i had such an over-abundance of milk (even on low carbs) that i would literally spray milk and would have to pump off 8-10 oz before my daughter would be able to nurse without gagging. but, i had a hard time losing weight while breastfeeding, and she nursed a full year before she self-weaned. but, my mom and grandma (who had 12 kids!) said that woman in our family do tend to produce enough milk to feed 4-5 kids, lol, so that is just our genetics, and that we tend to hold on to weight regardless of low-ish intake while breastfeeding.

okay, im rambling, throwing a prego-sized tantrum, and an emotional mess - sorry....i will shut up now, and go refill my water bottle!

[Helen H]

You are pregnant, you are supposed to gain weight!!!

We are weight fixated, but there is a huge variation in what is normal weight gain, it doesn't have to be the neat 20-30lb that is so often recommended. My very small friend gained 60lb (about half her bodyweight) on each pregnancy, while I gained exactly nothing on my last pregnancy, finished it the same weight I started!

It could be a big baby, a lot of amniotic fluid, a bigger blood volume, even all that water you are drinking.

You are doing well, baby is doing well, so ignore the scales, and keep off them until you are well over the birth and feeling human again.

[jschwab]

You are a tall woman who is big - your blood volume alone would account for a huge amount of the weight gain. Please don't worry as long as everybody is healthy. You'll be fine; you are only accountable to yourself. Where are you having the baby?

Janine

[ruthla]

Are you gaining excess FAT or excess WATER? If you're retaining a ton of water, that can indicate certain medical problems, some of which can be quite serious. If you gain something like 10 lbs in one week, it's most likely water weight and needs to be investigated.

30 lbs in 8 weeks does NOT sound serious to me. It sounds like you're eating well and growing a big baby, and possibly also storing a little extra fat at the same time. Fat storage in pregnancy isnt' a bad thing- it's normal and it helps prepare your body for breastfeeding. Yeah, it's not fun to gain extra fat, especially when you already had some extra fat on your frame to begin with, but neither is it something to worry about.

Shame on your doctor for making you feel bad about your body and weight gain!

[LC-Laur]

There's nothing I can add that the other ladies didn't already say, but I wanted to say congratulations on your pregnancy. And WTG on eating healthy for you and your baby!! I've known way too many women who use pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever the heck they want... I'm sure it's tempting, but you've put your baby and your health before your cravings and you should be congratulated on that! :)

[NixCarbos]

Just as a side note as well, the baby grows the fastest at the end of the pregnancy. 30lbs in 8 wks is NOT horrible.

Lisa

[newjeans]

awww, i could cry, you are all so sweet! i do hope that this is mostly water weight (except that my ankles, hands and feet are all slim enough that you can see my veins, tendons, etc, i dont seem to be holding water in those obvious places), but in reality i really doubt that its all water. but being overweight to begin with, seeing the scale go up more at all is depressing. i dont think my DR wanted me to gain 30lbs at ALL (because she had complimented earlier in the pregnancy when my weight gain had been very little till the end of the second trimester), much less in the last trimester alone. but that itself makes me irritated with her- if i ate healthfully for the first 2/3 of the pregnancy, what would make her think i would suddenly be living on ho-ho's and chips now? anyway......thank you all, you are very encouraging, and yes, im going to just keep eating my healthy food (feeling righteous indignation beats shame and guilt from poor eating, right?). at least i feel good physically, i mean i feel clear-headed, not carb-slugged, decent energy, etc. i guess i just was really counting on being one of those women who gained very little thru this whole pregnancy. grrrr. maybe next time.

[Beebuzz]

Eat healthy, within reasons and worry about the weight after you give birth. You cant go and start to starve yourself right now, can you?

Lots of it will be water, blood volume, baby, placenta, BOOBS.. lol Im sure youll do fine, mama.

[jschwab]

For what it's worth, I've lost 100 pounds (today!) since the birth of my third child. Losing after the baby comes will be no problem for you. I do worry that maybe your calories are not high enough and that maybe you are not getting enough fat although you seem to be balancing with your higher carbs. I never gained more than 15 or 20 pounds with my babies and, with my second, I was thirty pounds down the day I delivered from the weight I had been when I got pregnant (I had severe nausea). That lost weight didn't matter at all - I gained it back really quickly. Meanwhile all my firends who gained 60 pounds lost it in a flash.

[newjeans]

Beebuzz, thanks for your kind words! and yes, i had rather forgot about the increased boob size - they count too, lol.

Jshwab, wow and congrats on your weight loss! I actually did decide the day after I posted this thread to up my calories. I figure, if im going to gain this weight anyway, I may as well not be going too hungry. I will be careful not to overeat (oh wait, I dont think I could if I wanted too, with a totally squashed stomach and all), but not go too low either. I plan to just add a little more protein and some more veggies when i get nibbly - basically add another small meal to the day.

I guess I'm officially at the "I dont flippin' care anymore" mindset. I've been having lots of period-like cramping, and achy tailbone/pelvis, general exhaustion (nesting energy, please come back!) and pretty much been a huge crabby grouch. I just want to make it thru the end of this pregnancy, and go from there. Thank goodness for patient and understanding husbands! Mine deserves a holiday, or something =).

[aprils0909]

Yes, I'm saying mine is boob size too! 34C to 34DD in 10 weeks. :)

You're doing great. Hang in there! You're almost done. You deserve to rest on the sofa if you're tired. You'll be running at all hours soon enough! Your husband should hear how much you appreciate him. It'll make his day. I'm really happy for you :) :) :)

[wbethin]

I agree with everyone else, and don't worry about your weight!! If you are eatting good then your baby should be born into a good weight range. Mine was 7.5 lbs, plus I gained 30 lbs. with all the xtra blood and water and stuff. Talk about big.... I was a house!LOL After birth I was the smallest person in the maturnity hospital! All docs are different. just don't stress about it.

[NB-Wis]

What have you actually gained? I gained 70 lbs -- yes WAY too much, but I also shed 40 lbs within 6 weeks of delivery. 40 lbs is outside the "normal" range as well.

Just wanted you to have a full picture.

Remember -- you can ALWAYS get it off afterward. Right now, especially at the end. If you are healthy cut yourself a break. The weight will eventually come off if you work at it.