Weight Loss During Pregnancy - Methods and Misconceptions

Weight loss during pregnancy, or at least giving attention to controlling your weight is important because this is a time when many pregnant women are going through some major changes that can cause them to gain weight quickly. Weight loss during pregnancy through any form of calorie reduced dieting is not usually a good idea. If you are considerably overweight (usually seen as having a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 30 or above) and pregnant, you should not on purpose try to lose weight through dieting, for health reasons for you and your baby. Eat a healthy diet, and of course, at first, if suffering morning sickness you may naturally drop a small amount weight, that's normal. Most pregnancy women should add around two to four pounds to their normal weight during the early months of their pregnancy, and one to two pounds per month after that till the birth of the baby. A good rule to follow here is for a woman who weighs between fifty and eighty pounds and who has not gained more than twenty pounds during her pregnancy, weight loss during pregnancy can be achieved during the early stages by eating small portions at every meal. It is also important that dieters do not go on crash diets. This will only increase the risk of developing hypertension and high blood sugar levels. A healthy weight loss during pregnancy can also be achieved by sticking to a healthy diet. Many pregnant women who have not lost weight before they became pregnant are advised to cut down on high fat and sugar foods such as junk food and sodas, and instead eat more fruits and vegetables and protein rich foods such as eggs, fish and lean meat. The recommended food intake for pregnant women who are already eating healthy is two hundred calories per day and up to five hundred calories per day. Weight loss during pregnancy can also be achieved by engaging in regular exercise. This can be done by either walking or cycling. Walking and cycling are great ways to burn calories as well as to strengthen the muscles. Women who already have a regular exercise routine will find that their weight loss during pregnancy is quicker. Another common mistake that pregnant women make is to go on diets and fasts. These can put too much pressure on the body and can actually make it difficult to lose weight. It is not healthy to do this. Rather, it is best to choose one meal a day for a week and just consume the recommended amount of food, which usually consists of one and a half glasses of skimmed milk, two bananas and a cup of coffee or tea. For this kind of diet, eating at least three meals each day is still a good idea. Pregnancy is a time of joy and excitement. Yet, there are also some serious side effects that come with pregnancy that you should be aware of. These include diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. A pregnant woman must be aware of all these problems and try to avoid them by following healthy diet, regular exercise and being careful about what she eats and how she eats.