Trying to lose weight before getting pregnant!

Alice🙂 if you don't mind my asking, how far along were you when you actually conceived? I ask because, frankly, I feel like a complete mess right now. It’s just one thing after another—hormones, thyroid issues, PCOS... it feels like my entire system is working against me while all I want to do is have a baby🤷....
The reality is that I am hovering uncomfortably close to triple digits on the scale. I'm 5'7", and I desperately need to drop at least 35 pounds, but progress is moving at a snail's pace. It is incredibly frustrating.😢

There is really no need to worry. What actually matters is getting enough vitamins and minerals into your system (not just fats).
Here is a handy link

If a woman was already eating plenty of raw fruits, vegetables, and dairy before becoming pregnant, she won't need to overhaul her diet much. In fact, during the first trimester, you should be eating just as much as you were before.

Of course, if we're talking about significant weight gain like what mellowhound17 is dealing with, you absolutely must consult a doctor! Seriously! Given potential underlying health issues, any weight loss needs to be strictly supervised by a medical professional!

Susan Rodriguez72, I honestly think wanting a kid is probably the most powerful motivation there is for dropping those pounds—so, I really hope you pull this off 😘.

Donna Nguyen50 said:Cipelić, wanting a child is honestly the ultimate motivation for dropping those pounds, so I really hope you pull it off 😘.

I'm with her on this one! 😍

We should probably just start a whole new thread dedicated to how to avoid packing on the weight during pregnancy (aside from the obvious stuff like water retention and... well, you know...)

Exactly—we spend all this time obsessing over whether it’s okay to lose weight before getting pregnant, when the much bigger issue is that so many women conceive while already overweight, only to pack on even more unnecessary pounds during the pregnancy itself. I mean, Rebecca Chase73 is actually a perfect example of how a woman can be smart about this process 😍.

Listen, ladies...

Lose the weight before you get pregnant.

If you start out carrying extra—it’s a different story entirely. It puts way too much strain on your body—we're talking higher cholesterol risks, more pressure on your spine, veins, and heart... plus you're more prone to blood sugar issues.

That’s pretty much my advice.

I was sitting at 175 lbs.
Between the nausea and the vomiting, I actually dropped 4 lbs, so I walked into the hospital at 185. Honestly, I was super strict about it—if the baby gained, say, a pound and I shot up twice what I planned between checkups, I wouldn't eat a thing until the next appointment. I had way more control back then than I do now. And get this: if you don't get your period for ten months during pregnancy, you actually save about two liters of blood. Plus, we all know how insanely easy it is to pack on an extra 5 or 6 pounds. It takes zero effort.
Cipelić, you really ought to drop some weight. Just push off having kids, but do it in a way where you aren't obsessing over it. Get into fitness, but take it slow. Watch your joints and your heart rate first. Pick something you can actually fit into a normal daily routine.
Give it a year and you’ll be a total athlete—and you know how graceful they are.

Maybe my experience doesn't mean much to someone who only weighs 110 lbs, but I had to be careful. Gaining too much weight puts both me and the baby at risk, not to mention the delivery itself.
As for medical stuff, I have hypothyroidism and take 100mg of Alice. My hormones were all over the place for a while, but things have finally settled down. I barely even touched meat—just a tiny bit here and there, plus some fish.

I ended up gaining 20 kg during both of my pregnancies. I started at about 155 lbs at 5'9" and finished at around 200 lbs, both times. During my second pregnancy, I really tried to keep the weight down, but whatever progress I made early on just seemed to catch up with me by the end. It feels like my body just doesn't listen to me, no matter how much effort I put in; I guess it just does its own thing 🤷

Thanks, ladies! I know, I know—I really need to drop the weight. But honestly, I’ve been fighting this battle for years. Back when I hit 250 lbs about a year ago, I managed to nudge it down a bit, but lately, the scale just refuses to budge. It’s like it’s stuck. My cousin over in the States is a perfect example; she’s had four kids and has always been on the heavier side. She actually gave birth to her last two children while weighing around 265 lbs, and everything went totally fine. She tells me that over there in America, it isn't treated like some massive catastrophe. Sure, a doctor might give you a little warning to watch your health, but she tends to hold onto water weight, and she swears she was barely eating anything—just strictly avoiding fats and sugar.🙄
It's true, even when she isn't pregnant, she's probably sitting right around 220–230 lbs, though she is quite tall, about 5'9".
I don't even know what to think anymore. Five years married, and I'll be turning 31 before I know it...😲 ugh!
Anyway, I'm heading to the elliptical now just to try and find some motivation. Catch ya later!

When you're pregnant, you really ought to start at a healthy weight and try to stay there—I don't mean staying exactly the same, just a little bit up, nothing crazy😁
I gained 20 pounds during my pregnancy, which was an absolute disaster. Everything felt heavy, and I’d turn bright red every single time I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office. My doctor would just shove a "pregnancy diet" down my throat because I was gaining two pounds a month, and he’d get so incredibly annoyed whenever the number went too high. Honestly, I had no one to blame but myself... 😁 I was constantly snacking on everything in sight, eating stuff I’d never even touched before, mostly because it was all psychological. My baby could have lived on a single banana instead of the massive meals I was devouring. Eventually, I actually lost a few pounds about three months after giving birth—mostly just water weight—thanks to breastfeeding and finally changing up my diet (partly for me, partly for the baby). It’s totally doable. A close friend of mine only gained 6 pounds total; her baby was perfectly healthy, her doctor was thrilled, and she didn't have a single extra pound left over after delivery. Her pregnancy was a breeze and her labor was easy, while I was over here struggling and feeling like a total elephant.
So, bottom line: shut your mouth. During pregnancy, you basically need to eat the caloric equivalent of maybe two bananas more than usual. That's it. There is zero reason to overstuff yourself just because our parents always preached that you have to "eat for two"—which usually just means you end up having to lose weight for two later on. 😍

Susan Diaz91 said:Hey everyone...

It’s really best to lean out a bit before you even think about getting pregnant.

If you start this whole journey already carrying some extra weight, things just get complicated; your body takes such a hit, and you end up being much more vulnerable to issues like high cholesterol, back strain, vein problems, or heart stress... not to mention the increased risk with blood sugar levels.

Basically, if you ask me, that should be the goal.

I’m right there with you—I honestly think that’s the most critical part!
If you enter pregnancy at a healthy weight, you have that wiggle room to actually gain those necessary pounds, whereas if you start too heavy, your mindset shifts entirely because you're constantly worried about how your diet might impact the baby... that's exactly why I started this thread, to talk through the science behind it and hear what everyone else has gone through.

This is such a great topic! I’m actually planning to start trying for a baby soon, but I’ve got about 30 pounds of extra weight I’d really like to lose first. My goal is to get healthy before I even think about conceiving. During my first pregnancy, I ended up gaining around 45 to 50 pounds, and now I’m sitting at about 185 pounds—which is 30 pounds over where I want to be. Honestly, I just can't seem to stick to any kind of diet lately. I feel like I’m acting completely irrational; I just eat whatever is in front of me without a second thought. It’s a bit overwhelming. I guess I’m just worried that if I get pregnant while I’m at this weight, I’ll easily end up crossing the 220-pound mark.
I was probably being a bit reckless with myself during my last pregnancy and let the weight creep up way more than I intended. It felt like I was eating everything in sight, almost like I had never seen real food before.

Hit the gym hard, and you'll actually regret eating anything afterward...😉

mellowhound17 says:
during pregnancy, you just need to eat the equivalent of two bananas, for example, and more than that is just unnecessary stuffing

Nice one, you nailed it.

I never really dealt with those intense cravings to overeat, but I remember visiting my sister-in-law once and trying some chocolate cake. It was freaking delicious.
But I told her straight up: either put that thing away or I'm heading home (and she didn't even get mad).
If I hadn't, I would have definitely polished off the whole pan.

How much would you say two bananas are actually worth? Like, is that enough to last a whole day or what?
It really gets on my nerves when I go over to a friend's house or just head out for coffee, and they immediately clear the table with these massive platters of cookies and pastries... Honestly, could you maybe just put those away? I feel like if I'm just there for a cup of coffee, I'm not looking to sit there and feast like a maniac. One little pastry on the plate should be plenty; the rest can stay tucked away in the kitchen.

coppermarlin14 said:What do you mean by the total value of two bananas? Like, all day long?
It drives me crazy too. I go over to a friend's house or hit a coffee shop and they just dump massive platters of cookies and pastries on the table... Just take it away! Seriously, if I'm grabbing a coffee, I'm not trying to eat a whole bakery while I sit there. One little treat is plenty. Clear the rest off the table!

No, not for the whole day. It's on top of whatever regular diet you follow when you aren't pregnant. You eat normally, then when you're pregnant, you just bump up that exact same diet by maybe 200 calories. That’s like, two bananas or four apples or whatever. What we actually need during pregnancy is negligible... it's not a mountain of pastries and junk.
What are we supposed to do when our eyes are bigger than our stomachs? I used to devour absolutely everything in sight. I didn't even need the extra food, but nope—anything within arm's reach was gone. God, I won't let it happen again. For my second pregnancy, I'm aiming for 20 pounds max. There is seriously no reason to put on more than that...

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my experience because during my first pregnancy, I ended up gaining about 55 pounds. It was honestly a struggle—I felt like I couldn't stop eating! Anything within reach seemed to disappear instantly. After I gave birth, I was still carrying about 30 pounds of extra weight, and then after I started eating normally again, I gained another 11 pounds on top of that. I managed to drop down to 172 pounds for a while, but now I'm back up to 187. I really want to have another baby soon, but I’m honestly terrified of what might happen to my weight this time around. If I don't get this under control, I could easily hit 260 pounds! My goal is to get down to at least 165 pounds, though my ultimate target would be closer to 143.
I’m really hoping I won't see that kind of weight gain during my next pregnancy! I’m going to try my best to stay mindful this time. Looking back, I think I was eating way too much bread—it was like I was an elephant! I figure if I can just cut out the heavy carbs and stop snacking after 6 PM, things should go much more smoothly.

Exactly. We don't actually need to act like this, but the second we find out we're pregnant, we just dive headfirst into that whole "other" state of mind. It’s like we think we have a free pass to do whatever we want. I mean, who's even looking at us? Our bellies are growing anyway, right? So if I polish off ten cookies, nobody’s going to notice... honestly. And for some reason—at least for me—that appetite doesn't just grow, it explodes. But it’s not for bananas. No way. It’s pizza, burgers, pastries... all the stuff I usually wouldn't touch. Everything tastes amazing when you're in that headspace. So yeah, I just stuff myself until I can't move. When I feel sick afterward, I just blame it on morning sickness. Or when I can't get out of bed because my stomach is so bloated, I tell myself it's the baby... even though it's clearly just the food. It's a disaster. Seriously. I actually dropped the weight pretty fast after my first time. I was back to my old self within six months—mostly thanks to breastfeeding, which really helped burn off those extra pounds. I was mostly on my own with the baby during that period, too. But looking at my friends and other moms now... man, it gets so much harder to lose it. They swear they'll never see their old bodies again. That's why I'm going to be extremely careful during my second pregnancy. I might actually have to tie my stomach or my mouth shut or something... something like that. There are plenty of prenatal exercises out there—I think I posted a link earlier—but honestly, just an hour of light walking every day is enough.

Honestly, when I eventually get pregnant, someone needs to just lock me in a room for all nine months. They’ll have to feed me one tiny bite at a time and keep me strictly indoors—that might be the only way I actually succeed!😂
Ugh, it's terrible. That's exactly why I'm trying to lose weight right now, because if I don't, I feel like I've already messed things up too much!

coppermarlin14 said:Honestly, when I'm pregnant, someone needs to lock me in a room for all nine months and just feed me via IV drip. No going outside allowed. That's the only way I'll actually make it through!😂
God, that sounds awful... which is exactly why I need to lose weight right now before I mess everything up!

😍😍😍 Same here, for sure. One of my friends was feeling miserable for four straight months—throwing up every single day—and she ended up losing six pounds, only to gain five back all at once later on.😠I feel like I could probably still eat even if I felt sick, so honestly, I’m praying I get morning sickness instead...😉though I don't think I could actually manage to eat if it hit me hard.😁
coppermarlin14, you better get moving with the workouts. Maybe tweak your diet a bit so you start pregnancy at a healthy weight. Not sure how much time you have left though... when are you planning on trying?