Pregnant wife, sympathetic weight gain.

Anybody have any suggestions for keeping the weight off while my wife is pregnant and then, once we have the baby?
Since she got pregnant, I've gained about 7-8 pounds that I really didn't want to see again. Part of the gain is because we both used to motivate each other to go to the gym and eat healthy, part is due to outside stress, the rest is probably due to me using her pregnancy as an excuse to not stay on top of my exercise and eating...

So, if anyone has any suggestions for keeping fit, lemme know!

Wed. May 2, 9:55am

Oh, gosh! Good luck! I don't really have any advice to offer - sorry! I'm newly pregnant and can see that my husband, too, is already putting on weight. He also gets tired earlier and has funny food cravings! : ) My husband doesn't have fitness at the top of his priority list, but since you are trying to stay healthy, hopefully with just a little bit of work, you'll be able to stay on top of things.
I would love it if my husband and I could go for a brisk walk each night after dinner. We can't, actually, because someone needs to stay home with the other kids. But maybe that's something you two could do together. It would be excellent for your wife, and perhaps it would help you keep your fitness goals in mind.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007, 10:11 AM

there are a lot of yoga dvd's for pregnant women, and pilates, too. you could do these together for a start...

Wednesday, May 02, 2007, 10:27 AM

If your wife isn't on bed rest or special instructions, walking is a great pregnancy exercise! Get out of the house and just take a long slow walk together. It will keep the wieght off you and REALLY help her with her labor. :)

Wednesday, May 02, 2007, 11:51 AM

to the 10:11 poster - why can't you walk with your kids? my husband and I go for walk with our children all of the time. They sometimes walk with us or use their bikes or scooters.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007, 12:36 PM

OP here- funny- I always forget walking. I get in this mental place where it's not exercise if I'm not working really hard. Good idea! Here's Part 2 of the question, How did you stay fit post-baby?

Wednesday, May 02, 2007, 5:25 PM

to 12:36 poster - 10:11 poster here
We CAN walk with the kids, but it's an entirely different experience. It's more of a "long time outside" than a physical activity. The kids are all young, and they not only walk slow, but they want to stop every few feet and pick flowers or pick up sticks or rocks or dirt or whatever and drop things in the drains, etc. A fun time? Sure. Exercise? Not really. We walked one loop in our neighborhood today (about 0.8 miles) and it took us 45 minutes! : )
And, the kids are in bed by 6:45-7:00, so it's just easier to go after dinner by myself.

to the original poster - for your follow-up question...
Post-baby, once I get the go ahead from the doctor at the 6-week checkup, I go all out. I get right into a rigorous exercise routine. You and your wife can BOTH do that! If she's going to be nursing the baby, she'll need to make sure she's eating enough to sustain her milk supply - so no severe diets. But, in my experience (and what most people say), nursing helps the baby weight come off much faster! You can either take turns watching the baby while the other one goes to the gym, or join a gym with daycare and go together!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007, 8:21 PM

post-baby...

The KEY is to only do what your body tells you you can do. Never EVER over-do it. And if she is at all unsure or uneasy..STOP. It may only feel slightly painful or uneasy at the moment, but the next day it will more than likely result in a lot more pain and trouble. It is better to wait a few days now and get back into it slowly than to push it and end up injured for weeks. :)

Wednesday, May 02, 2007, 11:15 PM

Post-baby, you can get a good jogging stroller, and go out with the baby, taking turns pushing while you jog or take a brisk walk. Of course, I wouldn't advise jogging with a newborn, but after a couple months, they get pretty tough!

There are also all kinds of post-baby workouts, that involve, for example, doing "push-ups" over the baby and kissing the baby's forehead each time you go down, and lots of other things like that. Lifting the baby, etc. You can do those alongside your wife. Maybe while she's doing push-ups on her knees, over the baby, you'll be doing the real kind, next to them. There are lots of DVD workouts like that, but it'd probably be motivational for both of you if you did them together, and it'd be good bonding time with the baby!

Thursday, May 03, 2007, 10:21 AM

I was also going to reccomend "baby ups" but if you already have a kiddo kicking around... then you can do some "kiddo ups" now... they love being swung around... just ask my 3 yr old.

I would also keep mum on the preggo weight for a year... just don't say anything. Spoken from someone who is currently pregnant...

Thursday, May 03, 2007, 6:30 PM

OP here- Thanks for all the suggestions so far, but let's get back on track a little- My wife does not need any advice on staying fit- I do. I know better than to try and push her into anything or mention weight loss to her- If I didn't, we wouldn't be married.

SO, I'm looking for ideas on keeping MYSELF motivated when my workout partner is no longer able to do much of what we used to do together- How to avoid temptation from the sudden influx of treats and snacks that are soooo very hard to avoid. Let's face it, running isn't nearly as much fun alone if you're used to running with someone, and eating healthy is hard when your wife craves ice cream.

Friday, May 04, 2007, 12:21 PM

I would say just stick to your routine no matter what? My husband doesn't exercise like I do and doesn't eat as healthy as I do but it doesn't stop me from working out! Then on your "off" days you could do light physical exercise with her so she doesn't feel left out?
I don't know that there is any other answer, it won't be as fun but it doesn't sound like you want to gain 20 pounds with her!
Good luck and congratulations

Friday, May 04, 2007, 2:00 PM

do you attend any birthing classes? or do your other children belong to a childcare facility or school where you can connect with other dads? it might not be so difficult to find another dad in your position who would want to exercise with you during the times your wife/wives cannot. being that it's close to summer, there may be some summer exercise or weight lifting or sports programs at a local ymca that you can sign up for and they don't last more than a few weeks at a time. or maybe you could take the older kids out for a play date in a local park with another dad and his kid(s). then you can give your wife a break, get the kids outside and tired out, and continue to get yourself some exercise!

Friday, May 04, 2007, 2:38 PM

My husband doesn't need to watch his weight, so he eats whatever he wants. At home, I identify the junk food as "his." He wouldn't care if I ate it, so it's really just a mental game for myself. I call it "his," and if I ate it, that'd be wrong, because it's not "mine." Works for me, maybe not for others.

Friday, May 04, 2007, 3:55 PM

How far along is your wife? I'm pregnant and ran up until my 7th month and only stopped because of hip pain. They make support belts that help with belly support if she needs it. Do you have a gym membership? She could do the elliptical or other things and you could do your workout.
Also, I stash my sweets so as not to tempt my husband. When he has things, like chocolate chip cookies, I know I will eat all of them if I see them so I make him put them some place and not tell me where.
Good luck to you, try and keep up your routine you will be a great inspiration to your wife when she's ready to workout again.

Friday, May 04, 2007, 5:56 PM

think about this - when your little bundle of joy comes along, you will be up half the night, not being able to eat when you want to b/c you're changing diapers, feeding baby, etc etc. Use this time to get in shape and give yourself a head start. Also, your wife's body is making a big sacrifice right now.....she'll never be the same again (at least not for a while after she delivers) so make a healthy sacrifice with your body that will benefit both of you....eating well and working out. Hopefully you can stick with it and keep it up because before long you'll be chasing after baby and he/she will appreciate having an active parent. Instead of a work out buddy to motivate you....you will have a child as your new motivation! Maybe you could have one snack/treat each day....either at night or whenever your wife is craving something really bad. It's difficult to quit cold turkey, but you can always try cutting back a little. Hope this helps!

Sunday, May 13, 2007, 7:38 PM

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