Almost 3 yrs post op RNY, Pregnancy Questions------

Hello, Everyone!  I am 3 yrs post op RNY.  I am 22 weeks pregnant with my second child.  (The first was pre RNY)  I had not gained a pound until week 13.  Since then, I have gained 13 lbs.  I am devastated.  I know I am supposed to gain weight, but this seems like an alarming rate.  With my first child, I only gained 18 lbs during the entire pregnancy.  The only reason why I can think of that I am gaining more this time is because I weighed about 100 lbs more with my first.  I am trying to do everything right.   I wear a FitBit and log everything I eat.  I do not eat sweets, carbonation, fatty foods etc.  I still eat small meals.   I walk on the treadmill at a moderate pace at least 20 mins a day.  On my days off, I do 30+.  At my work, I am constantly on my feet, moving around.   I always take in less calories than I expend.  I am devastated and I feel defeated.  I mean, I crave all the things preggos want, but I deny myself those things.  Honestly, there are some days I give in to peanut butter and butterscotch candy, (my worst cravings) but it's never over my allotted calories.  I feel hungry all the time, but I keep low calorie things near me to stave off hunger (celery, carrots, apple slices etc.) I feel like I am doing all these things to keep from gaining weight, but it is happening anyway.  I feel like sitting down with a tub of peanut butter and drowning my sorrows.  I feel like  forgetting the treadmill.  I absolutely HATE exercise.  I started the walking prior to pregnancy.  Even though I have battled chronic fatigue the whole time, I do it EVERYDAY.  I have looked up several references online, and they tell me my weight gain is appropriate.  However, I know I have obesity.  "Normal weight gain" is not normal for me.  Once the pounds come, they never go away.  My husband is very sweet and he tries to make me feel better, but I just don't. 

      I go today to have a Resting metabolic rate test done.  It's going to cost me $85, but I have to.  The only other logical explanation is my fitbit has my allotted calories overestimated.  So maybe I am taking in too much. 

   If any of you can offer any advice, share your story, give me tips, assuage my fears, etc. any input is appreciated. 

Congratulations on your pregnancy! I would make sure I talked honestly with my ob/gyn and bariatric doctor about my concerns and follow their advice. I would not stop exercising. Good luck on this precious life you have been entrusted with developing.  

Thank you!  I talked to my ob this past week when he said "oooh.  4 lbs weight gain."  All he says is we will watch it.  I have not called my bariatric surgeon because up until the last 3 weeks, I could ignore it as just part of pregnancy.   I am going to put a call into him today after my rmr test.  Thank you for your emcouragement.  Sometimes i swear off doing the treadmill anymore and then i think "Crap,  if I am gaining this much with exercise, what happens without?"  

I totally understand how you are feeling.  You worked so hard and want to maintain all of that hard work even though you are now pregnant.  I get that.  It sounds to me like you are doing everything right.  You are tracking your calories and not going over, planning, exercising, etc.  I wouldn't eat the calories that you burn while exercising, though (not sure if you do).  The thing is, you need to enjoy your pregnancy.  You don't want to stress over every little calorie or pound and not enjoy being pregnant, which is an awesome experience.  Thirteen pounds sounds normal and you ARE going to gain, and it is possible to lose weight after pregnancy, so don't beat yourself up.  I would definitely keep doing what you are doing.  I would keep excercising, eating healthy and maybe drink more water. 

You are so sweet!  I have definitely been drinking more water since pregnancy.  I use the fit bit, and it makes me accountable for water.  Most days, I don't eat the calories I burn while exercising.  About 15% (or less)  of the days I do if I am having severe cravings etc. 

You are pregnant - you need fat - good fat.  Avocado, eggs, good butter,  oils, nuts.  LOw fat when you are pregnant may not be best for you or the baby,

https://healthybabycode.com/5-myths-about-pregnancy-nutritio n-1-a-low-fat-diet-is-the-best-choice

Thank you for your reply, and the link!  I eat plenty of nuts and eggs.  I usually do egg beaters, and I eat a decent amount of avocado.  I try to eat a variety of things, and pay attention to calorie intake.  So far, all my labs are great, and baby is right on target. 

If you have a normal BMI, you should aim to gain somewhere between 21-30lbs.   If you are overweight, you should aim for the lower end, and if you are underweight, you should aim for the higher end.

13lbs doesn't sound too much at 22 weeks and as long as you eat and exercise healthily, you probably won't gain more than the maximum recommended.

A healthy mother and baby should be your goal and it seems as if you are doing everything to ensure that is your outcome.

Congratulations!

My BMI prior to pregnancy was 24.6 at157.8lbs. (normal)  My current weight is 170.8 lbs and BMI is 26.7.  Prior to pregnancy, my weight always stayed in the 155-158 lb range.  So this is my first time post op (almost 3 yrs in June) that my weight is going up.  That is why I am so sad.  I totally agree, healthy baby is the most important thing.  I just don't feel very emotionally healthy with this constant upswing of the scale.  :(

Thank you so much for the reply, and you kind words.  :)

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR INPUT!  I went to the dietician.  My RMR is 1270/24hrs.  That is 100 calorie increase since last year.  She says due to my regular exercise.  I was a little defeated by this number, because I thought pregnancy increased your needs by 300-500 cal depending on the trimester.  (?)  I showed her my history on my FitBit, and she says my calorie intake should be 1800-2000 cal.  I never eat more than 1500 cal daily.  (that is on a really hungry or very greedy day)  She wants me to submit a calorie count on her system, and come up with a diet plan for more calories.  I was frustrated by my visit, because I am worried about gaining 11 of my 13 lbs in about 9 weeks.  And here she is telling me I need to eat MORE CALORIES?  She kept reassuring me that I was right on track and 13lbs was fine.  I showed her my leg edema.  She thinks I may be third spacing due to not enough protein.  That is why she wants the diet log on the system.  Our visit went very long, and by the time I got out, I went grocery shopping. My bariatric doc office was closed.  First thing tomorrow, I am calling to get their input.

       I totally want to eat enough so my baby is healthy (TRUST ME......I HAVE NO TROUBLE EATING!).  BUT----I want to be emotionally healthy, too.  I just have been heavy all my life.  I never want to go back.  Every time I step on the scale, it is devastating.  I am serious......like crying, feeling depressed, etc.  I know weight gain is part of it, and inevitable.  I know some days (Like today) I am obsessing about it.  Since surgery, I actually like the way I look in clothes, and I felt so good about myself.  Now, I am not.  I know all preggos have days where they feel dumpy.  I remember that with my first.  Anyway, thank you all for listening, and support.