Why do some women gain so much weight during pregnancy?

Question

I'm sure we've all heard of women who gained 50/60/70+ pounds during pregnancy. The recommended amount is 25-30 pounds for a healthy woman (I think). I read an online pregnancy forum out of curiosity and some of the ladies who had gained so much weight said it was all water weight and they couldn't help it. What do you guys think of women gaining 2 or 3 times the recommended amount during pregnancy? On the same note, what do you think of women who were previously slim and in shape but after children remain around a size 14-18 (aka plus size) and have no intentions to change it because they're preoccupied with being a mom and think they don't need to be in shape anymore?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Well, I imagine it varies depending on the woman, but:

- Misconceptions about how much you should be eating while pregnant. "Eating for two" is a very commonly heard phrase, but in reality, you only need about 300 extra calories/day.

- Not paying attention to how much you eat/what you eat. Some people are used to being able to eat what they like, when they like, and still maintain their weight. But that might change when they're pregnant, especially because pregnancy-related cravings might mean she's eating much more food (or food with high calories) than she should.

- Some women are more prone to emotional eating. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can cause mood swings, which may result in a woman eating more.

- Some women are less active during pregnancy than others. It might be because of less energy, worries that being too active might harm the baby, or it could be that she's developed complications and her doctor has ordered her to be on bedrest for an extended period of time.

"what do you think of women who were previously slim and in shape but after children remain around a size 14-18 (aka plus size) and have no intentions to change it because they're preoccupied with being a mom and think they don't need to be in shape anymore?"

First off, I think its none of my business. Secondly, I'd question how common it is for women with children to "think they don't need to be in shape anymore". What's probably more common is simply that having a baby is a lot of work. For the better part of the first year, you're not likely to get more than ~3-4 hours of sleep at a time. Its exhausting, and most of your attention goes toward your baby. When you do have spare time, its probably going to go toward things like cleaning your house, doing laundry, preparing meals, trying to fit in a shower, trying to have some quality time with your spouse, etc. before things like getting back into shape. Having a baby is a big role change, and some people adapt to it better than others.

Losing weight means putting time aside to dedicate to yourself, and some women have an easier time doing that than others, some have a difficult time prioritizing themselves, or when they do find time for themselves, some may see other things as more important than weight loss.

Women vary in terms of how much help they have in taking care of the baby, their home, etc. and how much time they're able to spend on themselves. Some women have a very supportive partner and other family members, others don't.

Another thing to consider is that some women react very differently to weight gain/self-image issues than others. Some will feel motivated to change, whereas others may feel depressed or like its such a huge problem that they *lose* motivation instead.

Anyway, I don't think we should judge other women on how much or how little weight they gain during pregnancy, or how quickly they lose the weight, etc. We're all different people, with different circumstances, etc.

Darkfairie17 · Accepted Answer

With pregnancy, every person and every pregnancy is different. Some women gain a lot of weight because they just eat whatever they want and don't take care of themselves. Other women have issues because of all the changes their body is going through. Some women also have issues because of genetics too.

Some women have hormone issues during pregnancy. Hormones are a big factor in weight gain. It seems simple for most people, that eating healthy will mean you will be healthy and remain a consistent weight. However, for pregnant women, the hormones are going crazy. So many changes are happening and sometimes that means gaining more weight than what they expect to gain.

Not everyone is blessed to have a perfect pregnancy. Some people have pre-existing issues that also affect whether or not they have a lot of weight gain. Those pre-existing issues are not always something they have control of either.

The thing is, weight loss is very hard. Some people were able to eat whatever they want and stay skinny their whole lives. However, after a pregnancy that might become harder for some. Their bodies change and they find themselves having to work so hard to achieve little weight loss.

So you can't really say all women who change, have made the concious choice to.

Plus a lot of women have a hard time, because having a small baby at home is a lot of work. Finding time to work out, and energy can be hard. And as I can see from previous questions about this, people are highly insensitive and sympathetic towards women and their pregnancy weight.

Yes some people eat like pigs through their pregnancy. But I don't think that's most people. Most people have the right intentions. They want a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and a healthy delivery. So they do research and do everything right to help their baby. They take vitamins and eat healthy food. But unfortunately they gain a lot of weight.

It's not always about eating too much. A lot of it has to do with hormones.

I wouldn't worry too much about this. I really think as a society we need to stop policing women's bodies so much. It shouldn't matter what someone looks like. Everyone has their own story and you can't tell just by looking at someone. Maybe the women who are a 14-18 are actually living a healthy, active lifestyle, but can't lose weight. This is also possible, and happens a lot more than what people actually want to acknowledge. It's not rare, maybe rare if you are a teen, but not when you get into your 30's or older. People start balding and have wrinkles too at that age, and are also starting to see more issues. It's called ageing.

If a person is happy being a size 14-18, then that's their choice. Those sizes aren't even that big. I know for a lot of young people on this site, that might seem huge, but it's not. Most people who are a size 14-18 can still fit into regular sizes (size 14 is typically what a large should be and an 18 is an XL).

sammy_31 · Accepted Answer

Well, they do have to feed another person but you can still be healthy, just seems like a lot of pregnant women don't really take care of themselves. I rarely see pregnant women exercise and eat well. Water weight is some of the extra weight obviously but even when pregnant women will not take care of themselves or their child, not all. As long as the baby is born healthy. :)

Some moms find it too hard to lose the weight because of the baby and other things like work, if they have to go back soon, if their partner, if they have one does not help or anyone else. Being a mom isn't about her anymore but about the child, husband and her. If they have the time to work out and stay healthy in general they'll find the time. :)

beastman88 · Accepted Answer

just an excuse to eat like a pig I suppose. iam not sure how pregnancy works or anything but if I was female id make sure to eat as healthy as I can for the babies sake. I know pregnant women shouldn't even be ingesting caffeine let alone copious amounts of sugar, wouldn't want the baby to develop diabetes.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I'm not sure, because well.. I never been pregnant and don't plan on it.

pickledxtofu · Answer

You're going to get dogged out for this.

Women should only eat about 300 extra calories a day while pregnant. Unless otherwise specified by the doctor, which is not a typical case.

But most women (in the US) use pregnancy as an excuse to "eat for two." But their idea of eating for two is 2 slices of cake or a whole king size Hershey's bar.

So for people going to bring up the argument that pregnant women need to eat more for the health of the baby...you don't gain 60 lbs during pregnancy from eating extra calories from spinach, carrots, bananas, avocados and other fruits and vegetables. If this was about the baby's health, those foods would be eaten.

Not a carton of ice cream.

Furthermore, pregnant women shouldn't begin workout routines while pregnant. So if a woman did not work out beforehand she shouldn't start randomly working out.

True, some women just end up retaining more water than others. But those 60 lbs are not water.

Sexydncr · Answer

This actually annoys me being pregnant or having a kid isn't an excuse to be morbidly obese. A fetus doesn't require hardly any calories and maybe the last trimester a woman should eat a few hundred extra calories. But when I see pregnant women eating like nfl players especially eating junk food and they blame it on cravings and eating for two it pissed me off. And then they wonder why their husbands don't find them desirably anymore.

justlilly · Answer

I don't know how it works, honestly. I am pregnant currently and will be having my baby soon and I have gained 45 pounds so far. I eat well, definitely not excessively. I choose healthy foods for the most part. Foods that give me optimal nutrition such as the vitamins and minerals that I need to have a healthy pregnancy. I am not super active because I have asthma and being pregnant and having asthma is not an ideal situation. I have problems with it a lot. There isn't much I can do about that and typically doctors suggest that women in that situation need to watch their activity level to be sure they aren't going to have a horrible asthma attack and cut off oxygen to the baby. However, I do walk and my job keeps me moving around so I get some exercise. I also do yoga.

I do have a lot of swelling in my hands and feet, which I know probably accounts for some of the weight. Also, I have always had very thick hair and due to prenatal vitamins, it has grown about 6 inches since I got pregnant and I haven't been shedding out as much hair for several months, so it is really, really thick. I am sure that contributes some. And then there is the three cup sizes I have went up since I got pregnant. I haven't gained anything visibly anywhere except my boobs and stomach (where the baby is...the baby bump is huge now).

I am not sure how I will come out of this, but I guess I will know soon enough. I don;t think it was physically possible for me to only gain 20-30 pounds. I was in good shape before I got pregnant and I have known women who were thin and gained 50 pounds while pregnant only to be back to their pre-pregnancy size in less than 8 weeks after having the baby.

Marsupilami · Answer

Right, I was a pig when I was pregnant. I gained 5st and now I'm back to how I was before but that's not the point.

Some people don't want to change because their child makes them content enough.

I think if they gain more then they should then good on them. I loved my pregnancy. I ate exactly what I wanted. Yeah I lost it all but my pregnancy would of been miserable and awful if I was stressing about what I eat. They are very strict on DO NOT DIET. The baby takes what it needs from you.

I think people should just mind their business. It's just rude.

dwiller943 · Answer

As long as you gain 1-2 pounds per week,
it's fine. And I believe the baby (fetus) gains about 0.15-0.20 pounds of each pound that you gain per week during pregnancy. So you'd only gain like 99.5-99.7% of the weight per week. While the other 0.3-0.5% of the weight per week goes straight to the baby (fetus).

Anonymous · Answer

Because they so much for during pregnancy

Anonymous · Answer

Because she's eating for 2 people and besides the hormones make you eat more

Anonymous · Answer

Wow who cares? Let people live for fucks sake.

Why do some women gain so much weight during pregnancy?

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