The recommended 2200 calories a day

[KeelyT90]

Hi Ladies,

So obviously the eating for 2 phrase is a myth but upon research it is recommended that a pregnant ladies calorie intake should be
About 1,800 calories per day during the first trimester
About 2,200 calories per day during the second trimester
About 2,400 calories per day during the third trimester

Is anyone else struggling with this?

I have never been able to eat a great deal. Though I am a healthy weight. My BMI is 20, I am 9 stone 2lb at 5ft 7"

I have really tried to push myself to eat 3 main meals a day (I have a tendency to skip breakfast completely and only have a snack for lunch)

I started calorie counted with a calorie counter app and it appears I average around 1400 calories, even with breakfast, dinner & tea.
Only once have I gone over the 2200 and that was the day I had a cheeky McDonalds. No wonder I am so tired during the day.

I am finding it soooo difficult, surely I can't be scoffing a Big Mac every day

Another one of my problems is, during the day I feel so bloated & full like I cannot eat another thing but at 2AM I am waking up starving! Can't win. Maybe I am more suited to midnight snacking.....

Anybody else having this problem? And does anyone have any tips on hitting the 2200 mark without being over faced with food lol.

Thanks x

 

[queenriccy]

Try and drink some shakes to up your allowance or snack on high calorie things.
Don't push yourself to eat if your not hungry but along as your eating a healthy diet you should be absolutely fine. You could eat a rice/pasta/potatoes with every meal too

Xx

 

[MrsP42]

You only need the extra calories (about 200 extra from your normal) in the third trimester. Until then you should stick to a healthy balanced diet not really any different from what you did before pregnancy. Maybe try 6 small meals a day rather than 3 bigger ones x

 

[Phoenix85]

I wouldn't calorie count, just eat to hunger.

I am putting on more weight than the sites say I ought to be lol. I'm not really eating much differently to pre pregnancy (and I was maintaining my weight then)
I still eat a similar amount, tend to just skip breakfast (I can sleep for England so mostly wake up late, have a cuppa and then straight away have "brunch" lol).
The only real difference is I am snacking more. I'm eating earlier to avoid indigestion etc but then later I'm having a bit of home made cake or something lol. Also got a thing for gelatine free gummy sweets atm! One of the side effects of the pregnancy is that in an evening especially I'm still getting the bitter taste in my mouth and craving sweet food to take that away (hence sweets and cakes and sometimes chocolate lol).

 

[Copterpops]

I was told by the midwife that the only extra needed was 200 calories. Which is the equivalent of 2 slices if toast. Everyone is different, so I wouldn't necessarily stick to how many calories it says, as that's just an average.

 

[Aragon]

Hey I haven't counted calories at all. But I am eating little and often when I am hungry. I'm nearly 16 weeks, got a tiny bump but I haven't put any weight on either.
Just go with your instinct. Xx

 

[KeelyT90]

Thanks all. I just worry as on last pregnancy I developed hypermesis so I literally could not eat and my growth tailed off at 30 weeks. So I'm dreading for it to come back with pregnancy number 2

 

[Birdie]

Do you like avocado or anything high in fat like that? You'd probably just need to add in a single high fat item to get those calories in a healthy way. Carbs are the worst kind of calories - much better to get them from fat or protein and you need much less than you would of carbs to get the same calories, so no need to eat a great deal more food overall.