Ask Heidi Anything: Carb Cycling While Prego?


Ask Heidi Anything: Carb Cycling while Pregnant? - Learn more at https://heidipowell.net/2275

Q: Do you still follow carb cycling while pregnant and nursing? Or do you modify it and how? ( I just had baby# 3 this week)

A: First (and MOST importantly), congratulations! Baby #3 was a huge accomplishment for me, and it is for you too. Your body has been through a lot over the years, so be sure you aren?t too hard on it. It will take time to get back to your pre-baby body, or to your new fitness goals.

Let me preface my response by saying I am NOT a doctor, and you should ALWAYS run your diet and exercise program by your doc before beginning. But I am more than happy to tell you what worked for me.

While I do NOT carb cycle to lose weight while pregnant or nursing, I do follow some of the same criteria that is outlined in Chris? carb cycling books.

  • 1. I eat within 30 minutes of waking up, ALWAYS.
  • 2. I eat 5 meals a day.
  • 3. I eat every 3 hours.
  • 4. I eat protein at EVERY meal (the only exception was 1st trimester this round, protein made me sick as a dog).
  • 5. I eat proper portions.

A couple things I do NOT follow from Chris? program while nursing or pregnant:

  1. 1. I NEVER eat a meal without carbs. NO LOW CARB DAYS!!!!
  2. 2. I eat 300 MORE calories a day than my pre-pregnancy plan called for (after my first trimester) while pregnant, and about 300-500 calories a day more when I am nursing. Your body needs it! Listen to what it?s telling you. Dwindling milk supply? You may need to up the cals even a bit more!
  3. 3. I eat a portion of fat with at least 3 meals a day when pregnant and nursing. This is typically where my extra calories come from. And when I say ?fat?, I mean healthy fats: avocados, nuts, and seeds to name a few.

I guess, in a nutshell, I kind of hybrid high and low carb days when pregnant or nursing. Enough calories is very important, and neither of these phases are a time to focus on losing weight. If you are eating real, whole, natural foods, in moderation (NOT binging because your nursing or ?eating twice as much for two? because you have an almond-sized baby in your belly), the weight will come off naturally, when the time is right.

Don?t stress. Just put your focus on eating the foods you want your baby to eat! Essentially, this is what is happening ? what you put in your mouth will eventually make it?s way to your baby, whether pregnant or nursing. Do you want your little one to be made of healthy fats, carbs, and proteins? Or processed foods and hydrogenated oils?

Choose wisely, because these foods will be developing your baby?s little brain, Its heart, and rest of its organs.

Happy baby making!

I have so many people asking some great questions! While I don’t have the answer to everything, I do have quite a bit of experience to share :). ASK HEIDI ANYTHING by sending an email or sharing on Facebook and I’ll do my best to answer and post for others to benefit from too!

56 Responses

    1. Hi Jamie: The correct macro percentages, especially while breastfeeding, can be very different for each person based on body composition, how often you’re breastfeeding, and other factors, so it would be best to work with a macros coach while you’re breastfeeding who can help you figure out what will work best for you and tweak your plan as needed. 🙂

  1. Pregnant with #2 and trying to figure out diet. With #1 I was partly careless and partly ill-informed, and gained nearly 50 lbs!! 🙁 Since I was nearly 15 lbs still in the hole when I got pregnant with this one, I want to be more diligent about my diet to avoid having this happen again. When you added 300 calories to your diet, what did you use as your baseline? For instance, when I was working out/trying to lose weight, I was around 1500 calories. For maintenance, I’m be somewhere around 1700. To which did you add? Thanks for all the great posts!

    1. Hi Jackie: The calorie baseline can be different for each woman based on body composition and what your healthcare team recommends. Since you’re really not trying to lose weight while pregnant, it might be best to discuss this with your healthcare team and then follow their recommendations. We wish you the best!

    1. Hi Kjirsten: It’s best to discuss any supplements with your healthcare team while pregnant. And congratulations!

  2. This is so helpful! I’ve been stressing so much about losing the baby weight that my milk supply has definitely been impacted. Need to eat more often and increase cal intake. So weird to wrap my head around! I will need to show this to my husband, who is a former personal trainer and pushing that we need to get back to carb cycling and trimming up – but need to remind him our son and his needs come first! Any exercise recommendations? I haven’t worked out consistently in so long since I was put on bed rest at 18weeks (thanks, preeclampsia), and have so little time now I’m back to work.

    How do you make a meal plan that is flexible for the whole family (I have two older stepsons as well as my six month old)?

    1. So happy you can use this info! As far as exercising goes, Chris and Heidi’s exercise component of their carb cycling program is awesome and would be a great place to start. It sounds like you’re familiar with carb cycling? If so, you can find their program in their book, “Choose More, Lose More for Life,” and here are links to the basics: https://heidipowell.net/9045/9-minute-missions/ and https://heidipowell.net/9058/shredders/. And as far as meal planning goes, try and encourage your family to eat the same things – that not only makes it easier on you, but it teaches them to like many different foods too. There are lots of quick and yummy recipes in Chris and Heidi’s book, so check those out too. Another idea: Let each stepson choose what’s for dinner one night a week, and that way he get what he likes once a week as well.

  3. Hello! Thanks so much for this great info on carb cycling while preggo/nursing ? I just welcomed baby #4 six weeks ago and am starting to plan my postpartum workout/diet, which includes Chris’s program. I’m wondering if it’s possible to give an example of a low carb meal while nursing? I’m a little confused what you mean by “no low carb days”, while still cycling ?. Thanks so very much!

    1. In carb cycling, a low carb meal consists of a portion each of protein, fat, and veggies (the non-root/non-starchy type). Since you are nursing, you’ll definitely not want to do the low carb meals, but follow Heidi’s suggestions with your healthcare team’s okay. And congratulations! 🙂

    1. Hi Sarah Beth: It’s best to discuss any dietary supplement with your healthcare team first while pregnant. And congratulations!

  4. Ah!! I’ve been carb cycling for like a month and just found this post. NO MORE LOW CARB DAYS!!! (Thank goodness because I love carbs…) And I had planned on switching my baby to formula because she seems uninterested in nursing lately. So maybe I’ll up my carbs, up my calories, and see if we can keep going. 🙂 Thanks for all your advice! I’m so glad to have another mom of little ones to look to!

  5. Heidi,

    Did you still drink the Bod-e Burn drinks while pregnant/nursing as a high protein snack or is there too much caffeine in them for that?

    Thank you!

    1. It’s best to discuss the use of any dietary supplement with your healthcare team if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. 🙂

  6. Do you have any advice for those of us that are starting a pregnancy 15-20 pounds overweight? I was slowly progressing to my goal weight of 130 when I was blessed! I am 37 YO. I’m 5’5 and 150 pounds and 10 weeks preggo! What can I do during my pregnancy to help make sure that I make it to my goal post pregnancy?
    Thanks!
    P.S. Love everything that you and Chris do and stand for! Much love!

    1. I’m not Heidi, but I can offer some advice! I was 60+ pounds overweight with both pregnancies. (I lost a lot of weight and am now much healthier!) In my first pregnancy, I gained 17 lbs and was at my prepregnancy weight a few days after giving birth. I watched what I ate carefully, and kept a food log. Second pregnancy I gained about 10 additional pounds, but didn’t watch what I ate as well. It is easier to lose weight quickly when you are obese (and every body is different!) so you might experience things differently. But I can definitely say that eating right and watching your weight gain during pregnancy makes losing weight afterwards much easier. Also, nursing really helped me lose weight. That isn’t true for everyone, but most women find that it helps out! Good luck!!

    2. During pregnancy is not the time to diet – make sure you’re following your doctor’s recommendations as far as nutrition and exercise are concerned, and run Heidi’s pregnancy/breastfeeding nutrition plan by him/her to see if it will work for you. And congratulations! 🙂

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