I Eat a Lot of Fast Food and Im Pregnant
I'm pregnant and can't stop eating junk food. How can I control my craving?
I'm 8 weeks pregnant, and all I want to eat is pizza, fast food, chocolate, and spicy dishes. I know these aren't the best choices for my baby or me. Help!
a BabyCenter member
Asked 4/12/04
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I would like to give a shout out to all the moms-to-be out there who allow themselves to splurge a little during pregnancy. I am so tired of reading book after book and getting advice from those who preach about their weight gain after the baby. To only eat healthy food, because we will all regret it. Please. The reality is that no pregnant woman can sit there and turn down a couple of chocolate chip cookies when the hunger pangs get so bad, you can barely think straight. The reality is, if you return to the portions and the healty way of eating that you did before you had the baby, you will be fine (with a little extra effort at the gym.) The biggest mistake women make is continuing to eat the same way they did while they were pregnant, months after they have given birth. They forget what portions were normal. My girlfriends sit at lunch with their cheeseburgers and can't understand why they haven't lost the baby weight yet. I gained 60 and lost 55 within 3-4 months. Because I ate the same way I did before I got pregnant. Which for me was a lot of meat, salad and fruit. So, enjoy yourself a little, girls. Just be prepared that the feeding honeymoon is over after the baby is born.
a BabyCenter member
Answered
My first pregnancy I also craved junk food the entire time! Very not healthy and I ended up with edema and other problems causing me to have to be in the hospital for weeks and to deliver a month early. I would recommend that when you get a craving satisfy it in small doses. If you feel like pizza eat a slice or two, not the whole pie. If you are craving a burger or those yummy fast food fries get a small order not a supersize one. Everything's okay in moderation so don't beat up on yourself. I'm 6 wks pg now and I keep healthy snacks around and eat them before I get real hungry. So far that's helped stave off the cravings. I'm also less tempted to hit the drive thrus when my kitchen is stocked at home. Just remember it will be over eventually...
a BabyCenter member
Answered 4/22/07
In my first pregnancy, I did very good at eating the right things. My first Gestational diabetes test came back abnormal, so I had to take the second one, which came back okay. I was cautioned to still watch what I eat, because there was a chance that I could still suffer from some of the effects of Gestational Diabetes. I figured I was fine, because I exhibited NO symptoms of it at all. When I only had 2 months left to go, Easter came around and I started having chocolate everday. When I delivered, he was a seemingly healthy boy w/ no problems. After his circumsision, his body temperature dropped and despite our efforts would not return to a good level. We ended up finding out that his blood sugar was at 20, when it should be over 60. His body was not producing it's own sugar to maintain his levels.He was admitted to ICU, and was put on iv's giving him a solution that was basically a sugar water. He had to be poked every 3 hours to have his blood drawn to test his blood sugar level. It slowly went back up to a safe level and began to maintain itself. Overall, he was in ICU for a week. It was determined that I had most likely had gestational diabetes, coupled w/ my junk food eating, my body produced so much sugar, that his body never learned how to produce it's own. Therefore, resulting in his stay in the ICU. He left the hospital a healthy and happy baby and at 8 months old shows no sign and experiences no complications from the situation. I am now pregnant w/ my second child and you can beat that I will not be eating ANY junk food at all! The whole experience w/ my first child was completely unexpected. My whole pregnancy I had no problems at all! My husband and myself are both very healthy people, and have no family history of illness or disorders. But, because of my eating habits in the last trimester, I caused my baby to have to be put in ICU. It is the WORST feeling in the whole world to know that because you ate too much junk food, your baby was put through so much discomfort and pain for the first week of his life! That is a feeling I never want to feel again!
I am 14 weeks pregnant with baby #5. We always wanted a big family and we are happy to be having it. I am 29 and our children are 7, 6, 4, & 21 mo. Each pregnancy (and labor) is different and with each one I learn more about my body - what it needs and how it responds to various foods or beverages. I also have had less sickness with each pregnancy. I have only lost a meal once in this pregnancy vs. a couple times a day with my first pregnancy for about 4 months. If I sleep from about 9 to 6:30, am careful with grease and sugars, stay hydrated, don't allow myself to become too hungry, and have a protein snack with a fruit I do alright. The moderation idea is good with junk foods. If you make healthier choices from day to day, you may have fewer cravings since your body is getting what it needs. It is good to learn to tell yourself no once in a while in order to keep (or learn) self-control.
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In my experience if you are giving your body and baby what it needs during pregnancy the cravings start to disapear. Try to get in a great breakfast, eggs with a slice of whole wheat toast and a touch of peanut butter, a glass of skim milk, and a piece of fruit- Then to tie you over to lunch grab some veggies, fruit or a nutrirous all fruit and nut bar (try lara bars, very yummy, very filling, very good for you). then have a healthy lunch, lentil soup and salad, a baked potato stuffed with veggie chili and a dollop of low fat sour cream), have another healthy snack before dinner. Then after dinner if you are still craving something bad, really really craving it, HAVE IT, but you have to limit yourself. Hope this helped.
I gained 70 pounds with my first pregnancy and still continued to gain weight when I came home from the hospital. Boy did I learn a valuable lesson for the next pregnancy which I am almost at the end of. I have only gained 25 pounds this round and only 4 weeks left. I eat healthy and light and only for 1. Food is like a drug, the more you eat the more you can eat so the more you eat and the more you can eat and so on. Your stomach stretches and there is more room for more food and you will feel ravenous and have a need to fill your stomach. The weight is not easy to lose. It does not just fall off after you give birth. My best advice to you is STOP RIGHT NOW! Eat lots of fruit, vegetables, salad with fat free dressing, a lot of rice. Eat right during the day and enjoy a good dinner of whatever you want. Remember the more weight you gain...the more you have to lose after the baby comes home. Just because your uterous shrinks back to size does not mean your stomach will...it will not. Weight loss will only be harder later on. Good Luck.
Anonymous
Answered 4/19/04
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I am actually shocked to read all these comments! I am 7 weeks into my first pregnancy and thought it was just me craving the junk foods and spicy food and feeling incrediably exhausted. My husband thought I was making excuses to eat anything and everything. Prior to getting pregnant I didn't eat a lot of junk, so these were weird cravings for me. I have found so far (in the last week and a half) that if we don't buy the junk and we have only the fruits and veggies that I like available, I have no choice but to eat what we have (and he's helping by not having it either). So we save our giving in for the weekend. We plan to make it a date to spend more time together and eat what ever we want on Saturdays! I hope we can keep this up! Good Luck to you and everyone else I'm in the same boat with...
This is my second pregnancy, and after trying to "do right" health-wise with my first pregnancy, and failing to do so, I just found, don't change your eating lifestyle THAT MUCH. It won't hurt neither you nor the baby, to eat fast food, chocolate, and chips. My first child is completely healthy, and as one woman who commented said, "Use this food in moderation."
I am 21 weeks pregnant and still craving junk food. Sometimes it was the only type of food I could get down at first. Now I eat something sweet to reward myself for a healthy meal. Also try chocolate covered fruit.
Luna Bars! I used these to get out of the candy habit when I wasn't pregnant. Now I'm glad to have them around as a quick, healthy snack. They taste good, and they come in a myriad of flavors, including more than one style of chocolate.
I Eat a Lot of Fast Food and Im Pregnant
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