How to Avoid Gaining Baby Weight
Know your target weight gain for pregnancy., Plan your weekly diet., Obey cravings in moderation., Eat around 300 extra calories per day., Eat and drink frequently., Drink plenty of water.. You should have about 10 cups of fluids a day while you are...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know your target weight gain for pregnancy.
Knowing how much weight you need to gain while you are pregnant will help you monitor your progress.
If you are gaining too much or too little weight, you can make some changes to your diet or physical activity habits.
Your doctor can also help you stay on track.
For women at a healthy weight pre-pregnancy, doctors typically recommend gaining 25 to 35 pounds.
Underweight women should aim for 28 to 40 pounds, overweight women should aim for 15 to 25 pounds, and obese women should shoot for only 11 to 20 pounds.If you are pregnant with twins or multiples, women at healthy weights should gain 37 to 54 pounds, overweight women should gain 31 to 50, and obese women should gain 25 to 42 pounds.Aim to gain only 2 to 4 pounds during the first trimester, and about 1 pound per week thereafter depending on your total weight gain needs.If you are very overweight, your doctor may want you to lose weight during your pregnancy.
Losing weight during pregnancy should always be supervised by a doctor.
Note, most women should not be losing weight while they are pregnant. -
Step 2: Plan your weekly diet.
Taking the time to think through a sample menu for the week will help you incorporate foods with important nutrients for a balanced diet during pregnancy, such as whole grains,lean protein,and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Buying groceries with a weekly meal plan in mind can help reduce the chances you will opt for fast food or load up on unhealthy junk foods.
Avoid fish that is high in mercury such as swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and shark.Restaurant and fast food versions may contain significantly more calories than their homemade counterparts, so ask for low-calorie menu options if available when eating out.Alternately, by preparing foods yourself you can cut out the extra fat, salt, and sugar that many pre-packaged and restaurant foods contain.
This will allow you to eat a greater quantity of nutritious food and help save calories and fat that can add unnecessary and unhealthy baby weight. , It is not clear why pregnancy cravings happen.
Some people think cravings may be your body asking for nutrients that it needs.Your pregnancy cravings are normal, and you can learn the best way to satisfy them.
If you simply can’t resist a calling for chocolate cake, ice cream, cheese fries, or another unhealthy food, have a small serving size to satisfy your craving without mindlessly consuming the entire serving.By measuring out a small portion and putting the rest out of sight, you can reduce the chances of reaching for a second helping.
Often, a few small and mindful bites can be just as satisfying as an entire serving, without the eventual guilt or weight gain. , Eating for two does not mean you need to eat twice as much food.
You do not need to eat extra calories during the first trimester.
In the second trimester, you should eat an extra 340 calories per day.
In your third trimester, you should eat about 450 more calories per day..
You may need more calories if your are very physically active while you are pregnant.
Make sure your extra calories come from healthy foods to avoid empty calories and unhealthy amounts of fat, sugar, and salt.
Similarly, keep your diet balanced by avoiding a focus on any single food group.
Get your calories from a variety of healthy sources such as whole grains, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables.
If you constantly feel hungry, choose foods that are bulky and filling but low in calories, such as popcorn, rice cakes, raw vegetables, salads, soups, yogurt, oatmeal, and fresh fruits.
Being able to eat a large quantity of a healthy and low-calorie food may help satisfy your urge to eat without piling on extra pounds.
Eating protein also helps with this problem because it is slower to digest so it keeps you feeling full longer.
Simple carbs get digested the quickest so will leave you feeling hungry sooner.
Sample foods to add 100 calories are a spoonful of peanut butter on fresh celery sticks, a cup of non-fat yogurt with a drizzle of honey, a 1/2 cup of sweet corn with seasonings and a small smear of butter, or 10 tortilla chips.
Examples of snacks and meals of approximately 300 calories include a scrambled egg with buttered toast and fresh strawberries, a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes plus 1 cup of vegetable soup, or a bowl of low-fat granola with 1/2 cup skim milk and a handful of berries. , Eating small meals throughout the day helps with pregnancy related heartburn, nausea, and indigestion.
As your baby grows, you will have less space for big meals as well.
Eating smaller meals throughout the day will help you meet your nutritional needs.
Plan on eating about 5 or 6 times per day, spreading your calorie consumption over several small meals and a few healthy snacks.Eating every 2 to 3 hours can help keep you energized and keeps your metabolism active and your blood sugar stable, which will keep you from overindulging and may reduce your risk of gestational diabetes.
Keep healthy, pre-measured snacks on hand at home and on the go.
By making it convenient to grab a healthy snack in appropriate serving sizes, you reduce the likelihood of purchasing fast food or vending machine options or finishing an entire bag of potato chips when you need a snack. , Water carries nutrients to your baby and can help prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, and excessive swelling, and urinary tract and bladder infections.
Your 10 cups of fluid does not have to be water only.Avoid sugary and fatty drinks such as flavored coffees, sports drinks, sodas, and whole milk.
Opt instead for skim milk or non-dairy alternatives, decaf coffee you flavor or sweeten yourself, a small glass of 100% fruit juice, plain decaf tea, or water. -
Step 3: Obey cravings in moderation.
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Step 4: Eat around 300 extra calories per day.
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Step 5: Eat and drink frequently.
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Step 6: Drink plenty of water.. You should have about 10 cups of fluids a day while you are pregnant.
Detailed Guide
Knowing how much weight you need to gain while you are pregnant will help you monitor your progress.
If you are gaining too much or too little weight, you can make some changes to your diet or physical activity habits.
Your doctor can also help you stay on track.
For women at a healthy weight pre-pregnancy, doctors typically recommend gaining 25 to 35 pounds.
Underweight women should aim for 28 to 40 pounds, overweight women should aim for 15 to 25 pounds, and obese women should shoot for only 11 to 20 pounds.If you are pregnant with twins or multiples, women at healthy weights should gain 37 to 54 pounds, overweight women should gain 31 to 50, and obese women should gain 25 to 42 pounds.Aim to gain only 2 to 4 pounds during the first trimester, and about 1 pound per week thereafter depending on your total weight gain needs.If you are very overweight, your doctor may want you to lose weight during your pregnancy.
Losing weight during pregnancy should always be supervised by a doctor.
Note, most women should not be losing weight while they are pregnant.
Taking the time to think through a sample menu for the week will help you incorporate foods with important nutrients for a balanced diet during pregnancy, such as whole grains,lean protein,and a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Buying groceries with a weekly meal plan in mind can help reduce the chances you will opt for fast food or load up on unhealthy junk foods.
Avoid fish that is high in mercury such as swordfish, king mackerel, tilefish, and shark.Restaurant and fast food versions may contain significantly more calories than their homemade counterparts, so ask for low-calorie menu options if available when eating out.Alternately, by preparing foods yourself you can cut out the extra fat, salt, and sugar that many pre-packaged and restaurant foods contain.
This will allow you to eat a greater quantity of nutritious food and help save calories and fat that can add unnecessary and unhealthy baby weight. , It is not clear why pregnancy cravings happen.
Some people think cravings may be your body asking for nutrients that it needs.Your pregnancy cravings are normal, and you can learn the best way to satisfy them.
If you simply can’t resist a calling for chocolate cake, ice cream, cheese fries, or another unhealthy food, have a small serving size to satisfy your craving without mindlessly consuming the entire serving.By measuring out a small portion and putting the rest out of sight, you can reduce the chances of reaching for a second helping.
Often, a few small and mindful bites can be just as satisfying as an entire serving, without the eventual guilt or weight gain. , Eating for two does not mean you need to eat twice as much food.
You do not need to eat extra calories during the first trimester.
In the second trimester, you should eat an extra 340 calories per day.
In your third trimester, you should eat about 450 more calories per day..
You may need more calories if your are very physically active while you are pregnant.
Make sure your extra calories come from healthy foods to avoid empty calories and unhealthy amounts of fat, sugar, and salt.
Similarly, keep your diet balanced by avoiding a focus on any single food group.
Get your calories from a variety of healthy sources such as whole grains, lean protein, fruits, and vegetables.
If you constantly feel hungry, choose foods that are bulky and filling but low in calories, such as popcorn, rice cakes, raw vegetables, salads, soups, yogurt, oatmeal, and fresh fruits.
Being able to eat a large quantity of a healthy and low-calorie food may help satisfy your urge to eat without piling on extra pounds.
Eating protein also helps with this problem because it is slower to digest so it keeps you feeling full longer.
Simple carbs get digested the quickest so will leave you feeling hungry sooner.
Sample foods to add 100 calories are a spoonful of peanut butter on fresh celery sticks, a cup of non-fat yogurt with a drizzle of honey, a 1/2 cup of sweet corn with seasonings and a small smear of butter, or 10 tortilla chips.
Examples of snacks and meals of approximately 300 calories include a scrambled egg with buttered toast and fresh strawberries, a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes plus 1 cup of vegetable soup, or a bowl of low-fat granola with 1/2 cup skim milk and a handful of berries. , Eating small meals throughout the day helps with pregnancy related heartburn, nausea, and indigestion.
As your baby grows, you will have less space for big meals as well.
Eating smaller meals throughout the day will help you meet your nutritional needs.
Plan on eating about 5 or 6 times per day, spreading your calorie consumption over several small meals and a few healthy snacks.Eating every 2 to 3 hours can help keep you energized and keeps your metabolism active and your blood sugar stable, which will keep you from overindulging and may reduce your risk of gestational diabetes.
Keep healthy, pre-measured snacks on hand at home and on the go.
By making it convenient to grab a healthy snack in appropriate serving sizes, you reduce the likelihood of purchasing fast food or vending machine options or finishing an entire bag of potato chips when you need a snack. , Water carries nutrients to your baby and can help prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, and excessive swelling, and urinary tract and bladder infections.
Your 10 cups of fluid does not have to be water only.Avoid sugary and fatty drinks such as flavored coffees, sports drinks, sodas, and whole milk.
Opt instead for skim milk or non-dairy alternatives, decaf coffee you flavor or sweeten yourself, a small glass of 100% fruit juice, plain decaf tea, or water.
About the Author
Stephanie Roberts
Specializes in breaking down complex creative arts topics into simple steps.
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