How to Maintain a Healthy Weight During Pregnancy
Weight gain is a natural and expected part of having a baby. Though gaining weight is both healthy and necessary, gaining excess weight is not. Sometimes it can be difficult to know when added weight is too much. Learn how to maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy.
Instructions
Know the consequences of gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy. You can suffer from hemorrhoids, varicose veins, stretch marks, indigestion, fatigue and backache. By maintaining a healthy, moderate amount of weight gain you can limit the severity of these symptoms. Gaining too much weight can also increase your risk for developing gestational diabetes. Understand that the healthy amount of weight you should gain during pregnancy is determined by what you weighed prior to becoming pregnant. If you were overweight before pregnancy, your goal should be to not gain more than 25 pounds. If you were underweight or at a healthy weight, you should shoot for no more than 40 pounds. Watch the scale throughout your pregnancy, keeping an eye on where you should be based on conversations with your doctor. Weighing yourself will keep you accountable, less likely to over-eat, and more likely to react if you see you are gaining too much weight. Eat healthy, low-fat meals full of vitamins and nutrients. You'll mainly eat the same amount of calories you typically would. At times, pregnancy only requires that you eat an additional 300 calories a day to support the little one. This is not eating for 2 as many people think of it. Consult your physician about taking prenatal vitamins. Stay active. Continue to get cardiovascular exercise, daily if possible. Take long walks and do pre-natal yoga to help keep your body in shape and help with the aches and pains of pregnancy.
