How to control your weight during pregnancy. How to control weight during pregnancy? Exercise during pregnancy

During pregnancy, a woman's weight increases rapidly. And the point here is not only the good appetite of the mother, who finally can not limit herself in food. The point is also in the increasing mass of the fetus, in the uterus and mammary glands, which also increase in size.

Those women who call the kilograms gained while expecting a child extra are wrong. They are not superfluous at all, they are necessary. We can say that fat deposits are a reserve in case the food entering the body does not provide the woman with the amount of energy she needs. In addition, increased body weight allows you to prepare for breastfeeding. After all, feeding a baby takes a lot of strength and energy from the mother. The fat reserves that have accumulated on the woman’s body by this time help cope with feeding.

During pregnancy, weight increases in the following areas: hips, lower back and abdomen. During the first trimester, the expectant mother gains only a few kilograms. As a rule, the first few months of pregnancy are accompanied by toxicosis. If it is very strong, a woman may not only fail to gain the necessary body fat, but also lose up to 6-8 kilograms. If the expectant mother herself is unable to cope with weight loss, she is admitted to the hospital. Here, nutrients are administered to her using infusion therapy.

But it's not just malnutrition that can land you in the hospital. Overeating is also very dangerous. The woman understands that she needs to eat for two, so she does not deny herself anything. Such permissiveness leads to only one thing - excess weight. This, in turn, causes high blood pressure.

In order for gestation to proceed as smoothly as possible, it is better to prepare for it in advance. It would do well for skinny people to gain a few kilograms, and for plump ones, on the contrary, to lose them. In addition, it would be a good idea for both to start exercising to strengthen their muscles.

Those planning a pregnancy should carefully consider not only their diet, but also their daily routine. You should start eating at certain hours, spending leisure time at others, doing household chores and shopping at others.

By the way, it is better to limit shopping trips alone. Any stress during pregnancy has a negative impact. The same products can now be purchased online. There are a huge number of specialized portals where everything necessary for the baby is sold. There is not only an online children's clothing store on the Internet, but also an online store of educational toys.

How to return to your former shape after the birth of a baby? This question worries all expectant mothers. In the old days, pregnant women were strongly advised to “eat for two.” Let’s paraphrase this advice and attach a piece of paper to the refrigerator with the motto: “I eat not for two, but for two!”
It is unnecessary to remind that excessive weight gain threatens health complications for both the expectant mother and her baby. If your “pregnant” kilograms meet this norm, then late toxicosis, high blood pressure, shortness of breath, swelling and varicose veins will bypass you. And the baby will avoid hypoxia (oxygen starvation) and will not be born before the due date. And it will be much easier to part with the “correctly” gained kilograms after the birth of a child. Which, you see, also really warms the soul. So, the time has come to change your attitude towards proteins, fats and carbohydrates and think over a reasonable diet.

How to control weight during pregnancy - Main principles.

• Eat often (5-7 times a day), but in small portions. The first meal should be no later than 8 o'clock in the morning, the last - 2 hours before bedtime. Remember that after 18.00 you can only eat something light: a vegetable salad, a fruit cocktail, a glass of low-fat kefir, a cup of yogurt with raisins or a teaspoon of muesli, a slice of whole grain bread spread with cottage cheese, tea with a bite of dried fruit, etc. Believe me, this is enough to kill the nasty worm sucking tediously in the pit of your stomach.
• If you really want something sweet, allow yourself some dark chocolate. You can deceive your appetite with candied fruits, milk with honey (but not before going outside), dried fruits, nuts, and - if the doctor allows - ginger tea, again with a spoonful of honey.
• Eat cabbage! It is useful in any form - fresh, boiled, stewed, pickled. Our people’s favorite vegetable not only saturates the body with vitamins and microelements, leaves you feeling full for a long time, but also burns excess fat.

Principle three– Use shrimp, mussels and other sea creatures with caution, they can cause an allergic reaction. And ask your doctor what herbal teas you can drink. Decoctions of some types of plants should not be consumed by pregnant women who are at risk of miscarriage or other health problems.
One more thing. To ensure that nutrients are absorbed by the body as they should, eat meat and fish dishes in the first half of the day, dairy and vegetable dishes in the second half.

How to control weight during pregnancy - Water gain.

Very often, pregnant women gain weight due to fluid retention in the body. And if you eat right, but the kilograms continue to “grow” at the speed of light, take action. First of all, tell your attending doctor about your problem. the doctor will suggest taking tests to find out if everything is okay with your kidneys, thyroid gland, and endocrine system. Has your health failed? Then take action! Pay attention to the amount of liquid consumed. At the beginning of pregnancy, the recommended drinking rate is at least two liters per day. After the 20th week - one and a half liters. Moreover, this includes the liquid that your body receives from soups, fruits and vegetables. Limit your salt intake. Experts advise pregnant women (especially in the third semester) to reduce its amount to 5 grams per day.

How to control weight during pregnancy - We break down weight by month.

Of course, the female body is individual and reacts differently to pregnancy. Some people begin to gain weight immediately, and by the time they give birth, they suddenly lose 1-2 kilograms, while others lose weight in the first trimester, and then “catch up” in the last trimester. Nevertheless, there are certain norms for weight gain at each stage of pregnancy:
up to 10 weeks – 200 g per week
from 10 to 20 weeks – 300 g per week
from 20 to 30 weeks – 400 g per week
from 30 to 40 weeks – 300 g per week

How to control weight during pregnancy - Get off the table!

Many food products will have to be completely removed from view. Talk to your household so that they study the list below and do not fill the shelves of the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets with “dismissed” products. There's no need for you

Provoke! By the way, at the same time teach your loved ones and dear ones to eat right. You will be surprised, but there is a high probability that they will not want to return to the “pre-pregnancy” menu at all. Your, and therefore now theirs, 9-month diet may be to your liking. Or rather, not so much himself, but his consequences: clear skin, good health and “suddenly” excess fat that has escaped somewhere.

We exclude:

• pastry delicacies
• various sausages
• semi-finished products
• fried dishes and dishes prepared deep-fried, grilled, we also include kebabs here
• carbonated drinks and juices from a package
• alcohol
• milkshakes, ice cream, fatty and sweet curd masses, glazed curds and other delicious, but extremely harmful “joys of life” for the expectant mother and baby
• fatty meats and fish
• smoked meats, salted foods, canned food
• spicy seasonings
• chips, salted nuts, crackers and other “rubbish” that can be so pleasant to chew on while sitting near the TV or computer
• margarines, spreads, mayonnaise
• sweets, milk chocolates, cakes with rich cream
• concentrated sauces
• spicy seasonings
• strong tea and coffee

How to control weight during pregnancy - Let's get enough of... sports.

Be sure to walk often and a lot. Fresh air and leisurely walking will help burn off extra calories, stabilize the appetite, and help the baby take the correct position in the stomach. If there are no contraindications from a doctor, do exercises in the morning. The best option would be to get a personal fitness instructor during pregnancy. He will select exercises for you based on your position, level of physical fitness and your preferences. And you will feel safer under the supervision of a specialist!
Have you decided to do it yourself? Then remember that sudden movements, jumping, running, abdominal and hula hoop exercises, “riding” an exercise bike, and training with lifting heavy weights are contraindicated for pregnant women. It’s great if you suddenly decide to purchase a subscription to the pool (of course, again, subject to the consent of the doctor observing you). Calm swimming strengthens muscles, burns a lot of calories, gives pleasure and a peaceful mood. By the way, now in many swimming pools there are water aerobics groups for expectant mothers. Don't miss the opportunity to take advantage of this circumstance!

And don’t ignore the school for expectant mothers. After all, here you will not only receive instructions on how to breathe correctly during childbirth, which muscles to relax or, conversely, tense, how to handle a newborn, but at the same time with close relatives who are eager to begin raising him immediately after the baby arrives home. At the school for pregnant women, you will be surrounded by like-minded women, among whom you will definitely find new friends. And as you know, it’s much easier to keep your weight under control, go for walks, and play sports when you’re with a friend.

The habit of constantly “losing weight” has become irrelevant. Today, your main task is to gain weight competently and correctly throughout the entire period of pregnancy. It is not surprising, but even today there are still recommendations for pregnant women to eat for two - for themselves and for the child. But that's not true. Eating for two, not for two - this is the correct motto of the expectant mother.

First you need to know that during pregnancy, every woman naturally gains an average of 9 to 12, maximum 14-15 kilograms - for fuller women.

Provided that before pregnancy your weight corresponded to your height and constitution, you can gain a little more or a little less than the indicated indicators - it all depends on the individual characteristics of your body. Even weight gain during this time is a sign that everything is going well.

How does a woman gain weight during pregnancy? To begin with, about 5% of total weight gain comes from the placenta and at least 6% from amniotic fluid. Plus, your blood volume increases by 50% during pregnancy, even more if your baby is large, giving you another 1.6kg of extra weight. Maternal reserves include the required amount of fat - a natural reserve of calories for pregnancy and childbirth, which can be up to 3-5 kilograms. Women who, for some reason, are underweight face problems providing the fetus with sufficient energy during the last period of pregnancy and are more exposed to stress during childbirth.

The average requirement of a pregnant woman is only 300 calories more and is approximately 2400 kcal per day.

As a result, by the end of pregnancy, the woman’s additional weight is distributed as follows:

Placenta - 680 g;

Amniotic fluid - 900 g;

Uterus - 1130 g;

Mammary glands - 900 g;

Blood volume - 1600 g;

Child - 3400 g;

Fat reserves - 3000 g.

So, on average it turns out to be about 12 kg.

Gradual and smooth weight gain is an indication that the pregnancy is going well. Any jumps in the direction of sudden weight loss or weight gain serve as a signal that some kind of problem is occurring in the body.

Gradual weight gain is very important for a woman’s well-being. By controlling this, you will not only feel better, but also look better. A moderate increase will allow you to recover faster after childbirth, while a rapid and too large increase will provoke the appearance of stretch marks and scars on the skin. If you follow the rules of nutrition and gain weight evenly, there will be fewer stretch marks and sagging skin, and the fat layers will be distributed more evenly. For a child, weight gain that corresponds to the norm means that he receives regular nutrition, and you supply him with the necessary substances and microelements in a timely manner.

Agree, all these arguments are worth closely monitoring your weight gain and following the correct diet. And you will lose weight after giving birth!

Record your weight gain throughout the period. In a notebook or diary, set aside a page where you note changes in weight each week. The first mark will be your weight before or in the first days after pregnancy. Weigh yourself on the same day of the week in the morning, as soon as you get out of bed and before you get dressed. For clarity, you can build a graph to clearly see changes in the body.

During the first trimester, there will be no major changes in weight. But starting from the second trimester, the baby grows faster. From this time on, the weight gain for a woman with normal weight is approximately 400 g per week.

Women of normal weight carrying their first child can expect the following weekly gains:

Up to 10 weeks - 200 g per month;

From 10 to 20 weeks - about 300 g per week;

From 20 to 30 weeks - about 400 g per week;

From 30 to 40 weeks, about 300 g per week.

Please remember that these calculations are averages. Therefore, if your data differs from the average, consult your doctor to create your own personal schedule and not worry again.

Average weight gain during pregnancy

If you are overweight

If you are slightly overweight, try to lose weight before you become pregnant. This way you will free yourself from some problems, including those related to blood circulation, dilated veins, high blood pressure, etc. Obese women also have more problems during childbirth. If you are obese, it is wrong to think that you do not need to gain any more weight and that you already have everything you need for normal fetal development. The fact is that the composition of fat reserves accumulated during pregnancy is very different from the composition of fat deposits in a non-pregnant woman. And in any case, you need to remember that pregnancy is not the time to experiment with diets.

If you have problems with excess weight, you should constantly communicate with a nutritionist during pregnancy. Remember that insufficient weight gain can negatively affect the development of the unborn child: a thin placenta will limit the amount of nutrients that should reach the fetus, and the reduced blood volume can cause hypoxia, that is, deprive the baby of oxygen. And if, nevertheless, you do not bring your weight back to normal by the time you become pregnant, then now your goal will be to gain no more than 6-10 kg in nine months.

Overweight women should try to gain about 300 g per month in the first trimester; in the second trimester - about 300 g per week; in the third trimester - about 200 g per week.

If you are gaining weight too quickly

The first thing to do in this case is to consult a doctor, especially if you follow all the nutritional rules. Weight gain may be due to undiagnosed twins or triplets. You may have a metabolic disorder, and then you need to check the condition of your thyroid gland.

Too rapid weight gain can be affected by kidney function, especially with urolithiasis and pyelonephritis. In the second trimester, this may indicate the development of gestosis - late toxicosis, which complicates pregnancy. Very often, a woman experiences the following symptoms:

Pain in the lower back and lower abdomen, which indicates a threat of miscarriage;

Swelling in the arms, legs, and abdominal cavity;

Increased fatigue and irritability:

If there is a tendency to varicose veins, the disease manifests itself or worsens.

At this time, the body of the unborn child experiences hypoxia - a lack of oxygen, which can lead to disturbances in its development, spontaneous abortion or premature birth if the pregnancy is already long.

Unexpected weight gain of up to 1.3 kg per week, accompanied by headache, blurred vision and swelling, is a reason to urgently visit a doctor.

In any case, now you need to reduce your fat intake. Eliminate fried foods from the menu, do not dress salads with oil or mayonnaise. Switch to foods with fewer calories, while maintaining the required amount of nutrients. And, of course, move more, walk in the fresh air. After all, you can follow all the points of the diet, but practically not get off the couch. Meanwhile, it is known that excess weight is gained not so much due to the amount of food eaten, but to a sedentary lifestyle, especially if you switched to a home lifestyle due to pregnancy.

Too much weight gain provokes the emergence of a wide variety of not very pleasant problems, both for the woman and the unborn child.

Fasting days during pregnancy

They should not be carried out on your own initiative. Such days may be recommended by your doctor if you are gaining excess weight too much. But not more than once every 7-10 days. This good preventative measure will help relieve swelling, stimulate metabolism, remove excess fluid from the body, and generally improve and alleviate your condition.

You can have a variety of fasting days, thanks to which you can expect a weight loss of 600-700 g.

You need to start a fasting day from the evening of one day to the evening of the next;

It is easier to carry it out on a day when you have a lot of different things to do, so that you are not tormented by thoughts about food, but there should not be intense stress (physical, emotional, intellectual). The environment should be calm;

It is better to drink the last portion of milk or kefir shortly before bedtime, so as not to go to bed on an empty stomach;

The day after fasting, you should only eat light food (porridge with water or vegetables).

Fasting days may be relevant throughout pregnancy if you are generally prone to overeating. But they become especially important in the second half of pregnancy, when the unborn baby is actively gaining weight and you, of course, need to take care to feel better.

Options for fasting days

If your weight is less than normal

If you fall into the “underweight” group, you have a high chance of having an underweight baby. Instead of the “normal” three kilograms, the baby may be born weighing less than two if your own weight gain is less than 11 kg. To avoid this, you need to gain between 11 and 16 kg during pregnancy. Otherwise, your body, which does not have its own reserves, will compete with the body of the unborn child in the fight for vitamins and microelements. In such a situation, the fetus will begin to eat, receiving nutrients from your body, and still will not receive them in the required quantity. As a result, the child’s development will slow down and provoke a number of diseases.

Women with insufficient body weight need to add about 800 g per month in the first trimester; in the second trimester about 2400 g per month; in the third trimester about 2000 g per month.

It is important to find out the reason for your underweight: genetic predisposition, illness or increased nervousness. After finding out the reasons, you should try, if possible, even before conceiving a child, to get as close as possible to your normal weight. During pregnancy, you need to eat more intensively, having first received dietary recommendations from your doctor.

Should you eat for three if you are expecting twins? Women who are pregnant with twins typically gain weight much more quickly in the early months of pregnancy. This is the weight of not only two or three fetuses, but also two or three placentas. Women carrying twins should try to achieve a weight gain of 14-18 kg. In order for babies to be born weighing at least 2 kg, the expectant mother needs to add about 600 g every week starting from the second trimester.

Let's add that young women tend to gain more weight than older women. Women who are pregnant with their first child gain more weight than those who already have children. Thin women gain weight much more noticeably than fat ones.

Please note that correction in weight gain during pregnancy should be done based on your constitution. For short women, having a baby weighing less than 3 kg is the norm.

If you are gaining weight too slowly

In this case, you need to consult a doctor to jointly find out the cause. Try increasing your fat intake—pure fat is a concentrated source of energy. This way you will get more calories. While most pregnant women benefit from eating low-calorie foods, you should instead opt for high-calorie foods. Don't forget about foods that increase your appetite. For example, take wheat germ - it is an excellent appetite stimulant. Increase the frequency of meals to 5-6 times a day with breaks between them of at least three hours so that the food has time to digest. Don't overdo it with exercise if you prefer an active lifestyle. You can sometimes afford to soak in bed for an hour or two.

Weight after childbirth

After giving birth, within one week, most women lose much of the weight they gained during pregnancy. Another 1.5 to 3kg usually disappear within six weeks after birth. From now on, if there are no contraindications, you can do light physical exercise. But it may take at least six months before you regain your previous figure and feel energetic and full of strength again. Some gains may last forever.

On average, after giving birth, women add about 0.8 kg to the weight they had before pregnancy. Of course, you will need to make efforts to get rid of extra pounds. And in order to maintain overall tone and the body’s ability to quickly recover after childbirth, do not forget about physical exercise during the entire period of pregnancy.

During pregnancy, the habit of losing weight becomes irrelevant. There is still an opinion that you need to eat for two, but it would be more correct to say for two. You need to know that any woman gains weight from 9 to 18 kilograms during pregnancy, if her weight was normal before.

If you gain weight too quickly, then after childbirth stretch marks will appear on your skin, it will become saggy and it will be very difficult to return it to its previous appearance. Uniform weight gain indicates that the child will receive nutrition in a timely and regular manner.

Pregnancy weight

A good pregnancy means weight is neither higher nor lower than normal. We need to start with the fact that weight gain during pregnancy is normal. About 5% comes from the placenta and 6% from anatomical fluid.

Blood volume increases by 50%, if your baby is large, then you will gain 1.6 kg. To prepare for childbirth, the body stores the necessary amount of fat, which weighs up to 5 kilograms.

If a woman does not get the required amount of fat, then she may face a problem in supplying the fetus with energy, and they are more likely than others to be exposed to stress during childbirth. On average, the need increases by 300 calories per day and totals 2400 kcal.

Weight control during pregnancy

Gradual weight gain during pregnancy indicates that childbirth is proceeding safely. It is the gradual increase that guarantees you excellent health. You will not only feel good, but also look good.

This way you can quickly recover after childbirth and regain your previous shape. Rapid jumps in weight, either in the direction of losing weight or gaining weight, notify us that problems are occurring in the body. All these arguments are worth maintaining weight control during pregnancy and eating right. In this case, your weight will be normal and your pregnancy will be successful.