The news about the imminent arrival of a baby makes many women think about changes in their figure. No one wants to gain a lot of weight during pregnancy, and doctors do not recommend it. But those around you advise you to eat for two, and your appetite periodically increases in earnest. So, how not to gain weight during pregnancy?
Eat regular portions of food
There is absolutely no point in eating for two, it’s just a dietary myth. In the first six months, the body does not need additional calories at all, and in the last trimester a small increase will be enough. It's just a banana, a handful of dried apricots or some nuts. So, consuming normal amounts of food, you won’t have to think about how not to gain weight during pregnancy.
Replace junk food
It is worth trying to get rid of too fatty and fried foods, replacing such foods with healthier analogues. Instead of steak or pork, it is better to choose turkey or rabbit, because they are rich in protein. It would not be a bad idea to add sea fish to your daily diet, which contains a lot of calcium and phosphorus, which are important for the development of the baby. It is equally useful to eat cheese, cottage cheese and drink milk. Curd dessert will be an ideal option for sweets during pregnancy. It is better to replace white bread and rolls with coarse baked goods, and sweets with dried fruits. To avoid temptations, you should leave healthy food on hand, for example, keep a peeled apple on your plate. But if you really want something forbidden, it’s better not to torture yourself and still eat a little. You shouldn’t constantly think only about how not to gain weight during pregnancy.
Satisfy your hunger correctly
In order not to experience severe hunger and not limit yourself in everything, you need to eat on time. Keep your meals small but frequent, five to six times a day. In order not to think about how not to gain weight during pregnancy, every time your plate is filled, you should use small dishes and enjoy every bite. It is best to eat beautiful food, the pleasure from which will be maximum, experiment and try something new to take your mind off the volume of food consumed.
Control your weight
One of the secrets to not gaining weight during pregnancy is systematic weight control. It is worth weighing yourself every week and making sure that you are gaining pounds at a normal pace. On early stages weight can be recorded every month, and towards the end of pregnancy - every two weeks. Everything must be assessed by a doctor during examinations. In case of underweight or excess weight, he will definitely comment on the situation and advise on the best course of action.
Walk and exercise more
Walking in the fresh air is an excellent remedy for excess weight not only during pregnancy. In addition, there are many sports activities for pregnant women - swimming, yoga, fitball. All this will help you maintain your figure until childbirth and quickly return to your previous shape after it.
Drink healthy
Drinking too much can cause swelling, which is familiar to many pregnant women. But a lack of fluid will also not bring benefits, so you should not limit yourself in drinking. The ideal choice for the expectant mother would be fresh juices, herbal teas, and still water. Drinking will help cope with hunger and replenish the body with vitamins and nutrients.
How much you gain during pregnancy largely depends on individual characteristics a woman’s body – her constitution and body weight before pregnancy, metabolic rate, lifestyle, diet. However, there are norms for weight gain that allow doctors to monitor the progress of pregnancy and help prevent possible complications or abnormalities.
It is believed that during pregnancy the body weight of an average healthy woman increases by 10-15 kg. This is at normal weight before pregnancy. Thin women can gain more - by 12-18 kg, and women with a “body” - by 8-12 kg. But if a woman is going to give birth to twins, then the weight gain can be 16-21 kg.
As a rule, a third of the weight is added in the first 20 weeks: 270-330 g each week. The remaining two-thirds of weight is gained during the second half of pregnancy: from 21 to 30 weeks - 290-370 g per week, from 31 weeks before birth - 310-370 g per week.
It should be noted that this is also an average. Often, during toxicosis in the early stages, women lose kilograms, and then, when toxicosis passes, they begin to gain them intensively. So here, too, everything is individual. But with a woman’s initial normal weight in the first three months of pregnancy, the optimal weight gain is about 1.5 kg, with insufficient initial weight - 2 kg, with excess weight - 0.8 kg.
Please note that insufficient weight gain in a pregnant woman has a negative impact on the unborn child and can lead to intrauterine growth retardation and low birth weight (less than 2.5 kg).
The distribution of those kilograms that women gain during pregnancy is as follows:
- 30% - fetal weight;
- 25% - mass increase in blood and tissue fluid volume;
- 10% - uterine mass;
- 10% - placenta weight;
- 10% - mass of amniotic fluid;
- 15% - fat reserve (maternal reserve to ensure normal childbearing and breastfeeding).
Excess weight during pregnancy: causes and consequences
Both during pregnancy and in the normal state, the reason that a woman gains weight, in 9 cases out of 10, is due to the fact that food consumption exceeds the body’s needs and its energy costs.
A pregnant woman does not need to eat more at all: nutrition should cover the costs of the formation and development of the fetus by increasing its nutritional value - in terms of the content of necessary proteins, fats, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, micro- and macroelements.
If a woman follows a diet, does not overeat, does not consume harmful foods, but still gains a lot of weight during pregnancy (exception - multiple pregnancy), then this may be caused by polyhydramnios and edema. Excessive volume of amniotic fluid (polyhydramnios) is a signal that some problems have arisen during pregnancy. To clarify the situation and start treatment in a timely manner, be sure to consult your doctor, since polyhydramnios can lead to fetal malformations.
But swelling during pregnancy is a common occurrence. The load on the kidneys increases, the parameters of water-salt metabolism change, so fluid is not only retained in the body, but also accumulates (up to 7 liters by the end of pregnancy) in almost all its tissues (as you remember, the increase in blood volume and tissue fluid is 25% weight gain). Most fluid accumulates in adipose and connective tissues. So when a woman complains that her “legs got better during pregnancy,” most often it’s swelling. In the mornings and in the first half of the day, swelling of the legs is almost invisible, but in the late afternoon significant swelling appears on the feet, ankles and legs.
When women gain excessive weight during pregnancy, the risk of metabolic disorders in the form of gestational diabetes increases manifold. In such cases, children are born with a large weight (4 kg and above), and the birth itself can be difficult. In addition, if a pregnant woman is overweight, her blood pressure may rise, shortness of breath, pain in the sacrum and hemorrhoids may appear, her legs hurt and get tired, and the veins on them begin to expand (varicose veins).
“I’m gaining a lot during pregnancy, what should I do?”
And yet, how not to gain weight during pregnancy? So that later you don’t have to carry around obviously extra 10, 15, or even all 20 kilograms of yourself…
Expectant mothers who complain: “I’m gaining a lot during pregnancy, what should I do…”, you need to follow three main rules: eat right, regularly monitor your weight and move more.
For an expectant mother, in the first three months of pregnancy, the optimal amount of calories is 2000 kcal, and subsequently – 2500-3000 kcal. Although many nutritionists argue that in the second half of pregnancy, the calorie content of food should be reduced - while the proportion of animal protein and the energy value of all other products increases.
A pregnant woman's menu must include meat, fish, cereals, dairy products, vegetables, and fruits. At the same time, confectionery products should be completely excluded from the diet, not to mention fast food, chips and sweet soda.
Weekly weighing will allow you to independently monitor your weight gain and control this process on one fasting day a week (after consulting a doctor). And move more, for example, walk. It's not only will prevent you from gaining too much weight during pregnancy, but will also help to give birth easier - thanks to the good tone of the muscular system.
Very often, after childbirth, women become obese. After all, hormonal changes occur in the first trimester of pregnancy. Thus, the woman develops a strong appetite. There is no need to consume large amounts of calories; it is advisable to control the foods consumed. You need to eat foods that are rich in nutrients and that do not contain many calories. They maintain the weight of mother and child in normal condition. During pregnancy, women should limit the consumption of fatty, salty foods, baked goods, sweets, processed foods, and fatty sauces, which are very high in calories. Pregnant women should include in their diet a lot of plant products, lean meat and fish, dairy products, cereals, nuts, and vegetable oils. They provide the body with proteins, healthy carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, fiber and minerals.
Pregnant women should receive a complex of nutrients from food. Therefore, you need to include a fairly diverse range of products in your diet. However, you need to avoid harmful foods that lead to obesity:
- sweets;
- baking and bakery products;
- salty, spicy, fatty and smoked foods;
- pickled and canned foods;
- semi-finished products;
- sweet, carbonated drinks and coffee.
Daily expectant mother should receive proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins from food. No data useful substances impossible normal development child. Proteins are necessary for building a child's body. Every day, the expectant mother should consume up to 120 g of protein. More than half of the protein should come from animal products (meat, fish, dairy products). A pregnant woman needs a small amount of fat (up to 100 g per day). Fat is necessary to provide the body with energy and maintain the elasticity of blood vessels. Pregnant women should give preference to products containing healthy fats(sea fish, vegetable oils, nuts, seeds). Women should include foods rich in carbohydrates in their daily diet. The daily carbohydrate intake for pregnant women is 250–350 g. Carbohydrates provide pregnant women with a lot of energy. Therefore, doctors recommend consuming carbohydrate foods in the first half of the day. Pregnant women should give preference to cereals, vegetables, fruits, berries, cereals and bran bread. It is not advisable to include easily digestible carbohydrates (sweets, baked goods) in a pregnant woman's diet; they are stored in reserve in the form of adipose tissue. You can read more about the diet.
Video about what you should and shouldn’t eat during pregnancy to avoid gaining weight
Nutritional rules for pregnant women who do not want to gain weight:
- You need to consume less high-calorie foods. Therefore, it is advisable to limit the consumption of fatty foods, processed foods, sweets, baked goods, fried, pickled and smoked foods. Read our article “Proper nutrition during pregnancy recipes”.
- It is necessary to limit the use of salt to six grams per day. After all, salt leads to water retention in the body.
- You should give preference to boiled dishes, as well as steamed and baked in the oven.
- Pregnant women who do not want to gain excess weight should consume small portions of food. In the early stages of pregnancy, you need to eat up to four times a day, and then switch to six meals a day.
- After eating, you don’t need to lie down on the sofa, but move around. Thus, fats will not be stored in reserve. I advise you to read the article “proper nutrition during pregnancy week by week.”
- You need to consume plant products every day. It is rich in minerals, vitamins, fiber and contains a minimum of calories.
- It is advisable to give preference to lean meats and fish, as well as low-fat dairy products. They are rich in nutrients and have no calories.
- It is not advisable to eat after six o'clock in the evening. This way, food will be digested normally and not stored away. If you really want to eat, you can eat an apple or drink a glass of kefir. Read our article “proper nutrition during pregnancy so as not to gain weight.”
Throughout pregnancy, women should monitor their diet. There is no need to overeat because all the extra calories are stored as fat. Pregnant women should plan their diet in such a way as to provide the child with all the necessary substances and not radically change body weight. If you adhere to proper and rational nutrition, pregnant women will not have to think about how to lose excess weight after pregnancy.
Nutrition rules during pregnancy so as not to gain weight
Svetlana I'm in the second trimester of pregnancy. Before, everything was fine, I even lost a little weight, but now I’m very worried about rapid weight gain. How to avoid gaining weight during pregnancy?
Many pregnant women lose weight during the first and second trimesters, and closer to childbirth, weight gain begins to occur, which is considered completely normal and natural. But gaining more than 10 kilograms in your position is really not advisable. This is fraught with some complications and a long period of losing excess weight after childbirth, when recovery is not so easy. Of course, you need to take care of yourself, but in no case should we talk about grueling diets, any restrictions, or especially drugs. Pregnancy is not the time to experiment with your body. Start simple - normalize your daily schedule, which must include a moderate breakfast. If you don't eat something in the morning, then by lunchtime you will want to destroy all the food in the refrigerator. Think ahead, because it’s not for you to tell about the unpredictability of pregnant women. If you go for a walk, it is better to take with you an apple, a diet cookie, or something that is not too high in calories but tasty. If you suddenly want a snack, it is better to eat light, prepared food rather than spontaneously buy a chocolate bar or a cupcake.
Completely review your menu. If it is difficult to give up your favorite fried and fatty foods, then try to reduce their quantity. Avoid carbonated drinks. Your task is to eat whatever you want, many times a day and in small portions, but at the same time reduce the amount of junk food with preservatives and fats. Listen to yourself, your body, and not your friends or relatives who talk about the need to eat more to gain strength. Try not to overeat late in the evening or at night. If you really want it, then at least not potatoes or meat. Drink yogurt or eat fruit - you will satisfy your appetite without adding extra calories. But under no circumstances go hungry during the day, do not exhaust yourself and your child - this will be too much. Well, don’t forget that you are not sick, but just pregnant. If there are no complications and your personal doctor allows moderate physical activity, then feel free to go with your girlfriends to aerobics or to the pool. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, then walk more in the fresh air or at least walk around your house, office, or apartment. It's okay if you gain a couple of kilograms during pregnancy. The main thing is your and your child's health.
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A pregnant woman is the most beautiful in the world, because she carries within herself new life. And this is despite the weight gained, possible swelling, disheveled hair or other similar situations. Strangers only smile at the sight of a rounded tummy, but ladies may still be dissatisfied with their appearance. What can you do, it's female nature. Therefore, many expectant mothers will benefit from advice on how not to gain weight during pregnancy.
Rule No. 1 - proper nutrition
Every woman, from the very moment of conception, must take care not only of herself, but also of the baby. Everything that the mother eats while pregnant, the baby also eats in varying quantities, therefore, in order to maintain his health in the womb, you need to learn how to eat properly. First of all, it is worth understanding that when choosing a way to avoid gaining weight during pregnancy, it is strictly forbidden to use any diets for weight loss. The fact is that they are based on avoiding certain types of food, the microelements of which may be beneficial to the baby. It is also strictly prohibited to the expectant mother fast or often have fasting days, because already in the womb the baby must eat normally in order to develop properly. What can a pregnant woman: vegetables, fruits, lean soups, dairy and fermented milk products, as well as correct. In turn, it is strictly forbidden to consume alcohol, heavy food, fast food, including chips, crackers, etc. It is not recommended to abuse fatty or fried foods, eat raw foods (for example, sushi), and drink sparkling water. By eating properly throughout the entire period of bearing a baby, you can remain normal and gain just the required weight over the entire period.
Rule No. 2 - walks
Another tip on how to avoid gaining weight during pregnancy is to walk more. Both the baby and the mother need this, because already in the womb the child feels when he is outside and when he is in a stuffy room. Walking is useful because it helps you lose weight extra pounds, without sitting too long in front of the computer or TV, gaining only the desired weight during pregnancy. Also, when walking, the mother trains the muscles of the whole body, keeping them in normal tone, which will subsequently make it very easy. While carrying a child, it is useful for ladies to do gymnastics, yoga, and you can load your body in other light ways.
Rule No. 3 - control
How not to gain weight during pregnancy? You need to start a special calendar at the very beginning and periodically record your weight, waist, hips, and chest measurements. For example, once a week. This will help you control changes in your body. In order not to overdo it in the race for slim figure, you can use the approximate norms of weight growth by trimester. When figuring out how not to gain weight during pregnancy, you need to know that a woman is simply obliged to gain weight over the entire 9 months; fighting this fact is a waste of time. Normal weight gain is 10-13 kg, of which the baby takes on 3-3.5 kg, the uterus about 1 kg, the placenta 500-800 g, various fluids - amniotic, blood, breast tissue - 7-8 kg.
