15 Weeks, Hungry ALL the Time!

What are you eating? I only ask, because you might not be eating foods, that are filling enough. Could you eat oatmeal and eggs, or something very filling like that, in the morning. Eat more proteins and good, filling fats. (avocados come to mind.) I always felt so much more satisfied, eating super healthy filling foods. If I ate not so filling foods, or empty calories...I wanted to eat constantly. Look for whole grains, lean or filling proteins, healthy fats, high-fiber veggies and fruits.

Its not really unusual to feel famished while you are pregnant. Mention it to your doctor just to be safe, but I know that for me there is no feeling "hungry', there is "get that food away from me" or "get out of my way or I will eat you too!" Pregnancy is full of extremes, and the hunger is just one of them. Try to eat small meals frequently, that can help. For me, sometimes I just need to be eating constantly, so I slice apples, carrots, celery etc. so I can be eating round the clock without gaining 70 lbs.
Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck!

It could be your body telling you something is missing from your diet. You're not actually eating for two (like you said, baby is tiny tiny!) and if you started at a healthy weight you shouldn't increase your calories. Are you taking your prenatals and finding ways to get things like folic acid (orange juice), calcium (dairy) and iron (meat, greens)? Your prenatals will help but they aren't a replacement for a good, balanced diet.

I type this while nursing a 1 week old. I am not saying I didn't have my fair share of cravings and I snacked a lot - still do while nursing since you do burn 600 calories more a day - but try to focus on healthy snacks and make sure your body isn't telling you it needs something. As long as you're eating healthy and snacking healthy I wouldn't worry about it.

Good luck and congrats :)

IMO every mom-to-be and every pregnancy is different, but it's not uncommon to feel really hungry at one phase of pregnancy and totally nauseated by the thought of food at another :-p.
My strategy was to make sure I had a lot of healthy but filling things convenient and accessible so I wouldn't go for junk - so I'd have a tupperware of cut fruit in the fridge at home and at work, wholegrain crackers at my desk (put it in a tupperware if your office has rodent issues). I even had a sack of potatoes in my desk drawer b/c if I really wanted something warm and more substantial than cheese and crackers, I'd microwave a potato and top it with some lowfat ranch dressing. and like the pps said, smaller meals spaced out throughout the day seem to work better than bigger meals at less frequent intervals, esp. if/when you have a phase when food just doesn't stay down at a particular time of day (I didn't have 'morning' sickness but for a few weeks anything I ate after 6 pm wouldn't stay down)

I was crying hungry all the time when pregnant. One day I just decided to eat until I wasn't hungry and never got there. 20,000+ calories later never got there. I ate 5 steaks, 1 quart of saag paneer, $100 worth of sushi, 10 sammies, 2 omelets, 1 bag of french fries, 2 slices of cake, 10 bowls of soup (home made beef barley, plus chinese "mother's soup", plus miso soup), 1 pizza, a bag of carrots, 3 heads of broccoli, 1/2 gallon of milk, collard greens, mushrooms, a pot of coffee, half a package of frozen blueberry waffles, 1 lb of strawberries, and something I picked up at mcdonalds. With catsup.

And I was still hungry.

For ME... I had been dieting and physically active for so long BEFORE I got pregnant, that my docs said it was like my metabolism just "switched off". (oversimplification). So when I got pregnant, by body just essentially "turned on" the hunger and left it on. I eventually got used to it (and stuck to a very strict diet that quadrupled the calories I usually ate). My docs say they see the same thing in a LOT of pregnant anorexics. Also colossol weight gain. (I gained 20lbs a month eating 1800-2100 calories a day... <laughing> no that "one day I just ate and ate and ate" really was only 1 day. But my body was used to running 10mi a day, or hiking 20-30 on 400-600 calories). Upside, most of that colossal weight gain fell off almost immediately. 40lbs on day 1. 100 lbs the first year. Without dieting or exercising. When I was preggers, my body just clung to every single calorie it could get it's hands on.

Not saying you're anorexic or anything... just my story.

I am currently 8 weeks along and am hungry all the time and this was the case in my first pregnancy. The only way I would feel better was by eating. The frustrating part is when my stomach keeps me awake at night. I need to get better about having some snacks at the bedside so I don't have to get up. I am currently 15 pounds less than when I got pregnant with my first child. I also have a toddler who still nurses quite frequently. My body needs the calories and the hunger cues are telling me to EAT! Listen to your body and make sure you are getting lots of protein. My Naturopathic Doctor mentioned it is more important what you ate before you got pregnant. In the first trimester it is about survival and eat what you can get down you. I am craving Fatburger all the time....even in the morning (which is very different for me who only likes breakfast foods in the morning). Good luck and listen to your body! I gained 50 pounds during my last pregnancy and lost it all plus more after a year!

Also, while your baby isn't growing that much there is still a lot of demand on your body. Everyday your body is working the equivalent of running a marathon. Think about the calories that are burned during a marathon and the amount of food these runners need......

You should be really hungry, you are growing a baby, and maybe you should eat beef. I craved beef while pregnant and was nauseated by chicken. Chocolate was unappealing (?), but fruit flavored candy was suddenly good. I ate what I was hungry for, within reason. Cheeseburgers were high on my list! I gained a total of 27 lbs during my pregnancy, so my body seemed to know what it needed. I remember the hunger going away in my 3rd trimester, to the point where it was hard to find something that tasted good to me.

Yup. My hunger lasted from pregnancy until the very tail end of breastfeeding. And then it ended, almost overnight. Weird.

Enjoy it. Your metabolism is racing. If you like to eat, now is the time to do so!

Hahaha. I was soooo hungry during my first pregnancy too. They recommend that you eat an extra 300 calories in the second and third trimester, which isn't that much really, but everyone's bodies are different (pregnant or not) and have different metabolisms. Generally, if you are hungry, you should eat. Make a point to pack healthy snacks to eat throughout the day (like nuts, yogurt, fruits, veggies) so you're not tempted to grab a candy bar at the vending machine. As long as you're eating a really balanced diet, being hungry is a good thing! And remember you're body's working over time doing all kinds of things, not just giving the baby calories. It's creating more blood, more amniotic fluid, making hormones, making colostrum, etc, etc.

Hi T. LeeAnn, I hear you. At about 15 weeks I also started wanting to eat all the time, and lots of fatty foods. My dr. advised to eat what your body is craving as your body knows what is best for you and your growing loved one. Your body is changing to both house and nurture the little one. So please don't try to limit yourself.

At one point, I did go to a dietician just to ensure I was getting all the nutrients I needed. She made sure I got iron, folic acid, omega...from food. but i did not go to monitor weight.

HTH.
Jilly

Go with what your body is telling you.
You're hungry . . . EAT!!
Don't eat a cow.
Eat raw vegetables; eat fruit; eat healthy snacks.
Eat yogurt and low-fat cheese.
The little tiny baby-to-be isn't who needs the food, it's you.
Your body is building itself, creating the environment for the baby.
Your muscles need nourishment.
etc.
Also, you won't feel like eating so much
in the last few weeks of your pregnancy.
Enjoy eating heartily now, while you can.

If you're worried about gaining too much wait,
do some regular exercise as well.
There are a lot of exercise choices that are healthy and safe
for pregnant women. Have you tried yoga?
Good luck!!

Welcome to the second trimester. Eat while you can before the baby presses up against your organs and you can only get down tiny meals.
Watch what you crave as that is the food that will cure your child once he/she is born. I hope you plan to nurse as that makes for healthier more disease resistant allergy free children.
Eat even if you put on 25 lbs in these three months. The birth will take 13 lbs of water and 5-9 lbs of baby with it. The rest you will nurse off.