Ideal dietary makeup for pregnancy if mom is overweight?

[coffeelover]

So, I'm working on my health. I have 50 ish pounds I'd like to lose. I assume it will take a year or so, IF I'm consistent. But what if I get pregnant unexpectedly in the meantime? We are open to more kids but not "trying", however my cycle is kinda wonky right now so I'm worried it may happen without time to prepare.

What is the best dietary macro ratio to use while pregnant, specifically if mom is overweight? Should there be a higher amount of saturated fat to avoid releasing PUFA from storage, or should fat be kept low?

How about starches? Should they be avoided when possible or is it better to not restrict them during pregnancy?

I made the mistake last pregnancy of supplementing high amounts of DHA in the last couple months hoping to boost baby's brain. She IS super smart but she was also 11 lb 6 oz at birth!! Which I am pretty sure is partly due to all the PUFA in the fish oil, partly due to me being overweight and partly due to me drinking 1-2 qts raw milk daily and ice cream every single night.

Help! I just want to be prepared. Also, if weight loss doesn't happen in a reasonable amount of time, I may want to conceive anyway because I don't want to wait years and years....

 

[redsun]

So, I'm working on my health. I have 50 ish pounds I'd like to lose. I assume it will take a year or so, IF I'm consistent. But what if I get pregnant unexpectedly in the meantime? We are open to more kids but not "trying", however my cycle is kinda wonky right now so I'm worried it may happen without time to prepare.

What is the best dietary macro ratio to use while pregnant, specifically if mom is overweight? Should there be a higher amount of saturated fat to avoid releasing PUFA from storage, or should fat be kept low?

How about starches? Should they be avoided when possible or is it better to not restrict them during pregnancy?

I made the mistake last pregnancy of supplementing high amounts of DHA in the last couple months hoping to boost baby's brain. She IS super smart but she was also 11 lb 6 oz at birth!! Which I am pretty sure is partly due to all the PUFA in the fish oil, partly due to me being overweight and partly due to me drinking 1-2 qts raw milk daily and ice cream every single night.

Help! I just want to be prepared. Also, if weight loss doesn't happen in a reasonable amount of time, I may want to conceive anyway because I don't want to wait years and years....

Your diet should not be restricted if pregnant. Eat a wide array of different foods and do not restrict any macros when pregnant. Supplementing DHA when pregnant is not a mistake. Its actually good if you do that especially if you don't eat seafood much when pregnant. 20% of the fats in the brain are DHA. It is needed, don't mistakenly think you did a bad thing in regards to that.

Usually overweight people eat excessively because their diets lack protein, the most satiating macronutrient. If you are not pregnant then to lose weight simply eat high protein foods like a few eggs, lean meats and seafoods, skimmed milk products and starches with little to no added fats to them.

It is about calories in the end but I find a lower fat diet with plenty of protein for satiation and a sufficient amount of carbs to fuel your muscles and brain in a deficit is the easiest way to lose weight. Just be wary of vitamin E, it is harder to get as it is but especially if the fat intake in the diet is low. Wheat germ oil is recommended to get E. Coffee/caffeine also helps control appetite and maintain energy levels when calories are cut it also increases your metabolic rate a little so technically speeds up the process. That's really all there is to it. 50 lbs is a lot of weight to lose and will take time and if you were to lose it all and then get pregnant you would gain some of it back anyway.

Find a TDEE calculator online and figure out your daily caloric needs and then you would cut 500 calories off that to lose about a lb of fat a week. 1000 if you want to lose 2lbs. Like I said caffeine slightly boosts the metabolism so it can help a little.

 

[coffeelover]

Your diet should not be restricted if pregnant. Eat a wide array of different foods and do not restrict any macros when pregnant. Supplementing DHA when pregnant is not a mistake. Its actually good if you do that especially if you don't eat seafood much when pregnant. 20% of the fats in the brain are DHA. It is needed, don't mistakenly think you did a bad thing in regards to that.

Usually overweight people eat excessively because their diets lack protein, the most satiating macronutrient. If you are not pregnant then to lose weight simply eat high protein foods like a few eggs, lean meats and seafoods, skimmed milk products and starches with little to no added fats to them.

It is about calories in the end but I find a lower fat diet with plenty of protein for satiation and a sufficient amount of carbs to fuel your muscles and brain in a deficit is the easiest way to lose weight. Just be wary of vitamin E, it is harder to get as it is but especially if the fat intake in the diet is low. Wheat germ oil is recommended to get E. Coffee/caffeine also helps control appetite and maintain energy levels when calories are cut it also increases your metabolic rate a little so technically speeds up the process. That's really all there is to it. 50 lbs is a lot of weight to lose and will take time and if you were to lose it all and then get pregnant you would gain some of it back anyway.

Find a TDEE calculator online and figure out your daily caloric needs and then you would cut 500 calories off that to lose about a lb of fat a week. 1000 if you want to lose 2lbs. Like I said caffeine slightly boosts the metabolism so it can help a little.

Thanks, I've been doing a lot to lose weight....I would for sure stop restricting calories if I was pregnant but wasn't sure of the macros. I should add that I gained 35 lb first pregnancy (started at a healthy weight), 60 lb second pregnancy (started underweight), and 50 lb each for my 3rd and 4th pregnancies. I started the last two overweight could not lose it all in between. For obvious reasons I dread going up to nearly 250 lb again at 5'5". And having a 11 lb. 6 oz. baby again. It was fine but I worry about another baby being even bigger. I never restricted anything but tried to follow a "healthy WESTON price" diet