How to Quickly Maintain A Good Pregnancy Weight

How to Quickly Maintain A Good Pregnancy Weight

Jessie Wallace
By Jessie Wallace
It's the most incredible time of your life. You have that little bun in the oven, and you can't wait to meet him or her. It's an incredible nine months, but it does come with a lot of health hurdles. We've all heard that you're eating for two, but that doesn't mean you need the same caloric intake as two grown adults, even though it can sometimes feel like it. According to EatRight.org, your increase in calories depends on what trimester you're at. During the first, you actually don't need to increase your intake, and during the second trimester, you only need to increase it by 340 calories. During the last stage of pregnancy, it should increase by 450 calories. This all depends on starting weight and original body mass index. You should be talking it over with your doctor before planning out your diet.
Some women will feel hungry all the time, and many experience cravings that are impossible to ignore. Unfortunately, this leads many of us to gain too much weight during our pregnancy, which can lead to some serious health concerns for both mother and baby. Namely, it can increase the risk of gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, C-section, and miscarriage. It's important to maintain a healthy balance to prevent complications and make it a more pleasant experience for you and your little one. Here we will discuss some easy and quick ways to get enough for your little one while staying on target.

Avoid the Empty Starches

Avoid starchy food
Avoid starchy food

Let's start with those wonderful carbs. We love our bread and pasta, and for those who are suffering, the queasiness of morning sickness crackers can seem heaven-sent. The problem with this is that foods like white bread and rice lack nutritional value and are overly processed. Not only that, but empty carbs have been linked to an increase in overeating and weight gain by the National Institute of Health. Their study looked at a comparison between an unprocessed meal option and an overly processed one and found that those who were eating the processed option consumed more calories. So, when your stomach is preventing you from enjoying anything with flavor, instead of grabbing the saltines try whole wheat options or brown rice. It's easier on your churning tummy but will supply you with needed nutrients.

Choose Your Sweets Wisely

Sugar and Carbs are pretty much the same things, so what goes for processed bread also goes for any processed sweets. There's an old wives' tale that craving sweet things means you will have a girl. While this is far from proven, one thing that is undeniable is a lot of women experience an increased sweet tooth. You may want to hold off on those sugary delights, though. The American Journal of Preventive Medicine released an article in 2018 that highlighted a link between processed sugars and sweeteners that were consumed during pregnancy to reduced cognitive abilities in children. If candy or ice cream 24/7 is what your body is demanding, try replacing it with sweet things that are healthier. Strawberries and watermelon work wonders for this, and carrots offer a crunchier option that is also high in natural sugars.

Get Moving

Walking is a good exercise during pregnancy
Walking is a good exercise during pregnancy

It's also recommended to exercise while pregnant. You may not want to do an hour-long, highly intense spin class, but walking is great. It strengthens your legs and core and gives a low impact option that can fit everyone. If you're not used to exercising, you can start off with shorter distances, and if you were the type to regularly get out and run, you can go longer. According to the Mayo Clinic, exercise can have other benefits than weight control as well. They reveal it can lead to shortened labor, relief from backaches, and help you sleep better. Of course, any exercise should be discussed with your doctor first as you don't want to overdo it.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

With exercise, you should be drinking a lot of water. For most adults, the recommended amount is 8oz servings a day, or 64oz total. While pregnant, Frances Largeman-Roth, dietician and author of "Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide," says pregnant women should be getting a little more than 100oz a day. Staying hydrated also helps with constipation and bloating, both common issues for pregnant women. Checking your urine color is a good tip for knowing if you're drinking enough. If it's cloudy or darker yellow, you need to increase your water intake. Drinking a lot of water will also help keep you feeling full, so you won't want to eat as much food.

Track your Progress

Logging Weight in Pregnancy Tracker
Logging Weight in Pregnancy Tracker

We are lucky to live during a time when it is so easy to track our health, and what could be a more important time to do so? Robyn Horsager-Boehrer, M.D. suggests weighing yourself every day at the same time to get a better idea of any gaining or losing. She also recommends using a women's health tracker of some kind to keep a log of your progression. Horsager-Boehrer says it's important to track your own weight and overall health at home because, during the beginning of pregnancy, doctor visits are further apart. Knowing what is happening to your body earlier can help to dampen any problem issues you may find, such as gaining weight too quickly. Our metabolism slows while pregnant, and it can be hard to know when we need to dampen our own cravings. Catching this earlier and forming the habits quickly will help in the later terms.

Indulge a Little

We've gone over how you need to avoid processed foods, but we haven't mentioned how important it is, as with all optional diets, to let yourself give in a little bit. Maybe reward yourself with a bowl of ice cream or get yourself that brownie after a week of excellent meal choices. If you never let yourself enjoy those not so healthy options, it will lead to a breaking point in your resolve to maintain your weight, and you'll likely indulge a bit too much and feel guilty after. Choose your cheat meals or reward desserts to let yourself eat what you want every so often. Just not every day.

Meal Plan

Create a weekly meal plan
Create a weekly meal plan

One way to succeed with all the limitations of your pregnancy diet is to meal prep. Once a week, prepare your meals, so the struggle to eat healthier isn't a daily battle. You already know what you will be enjoying, and you don't have to decide between the chips or the cucumbers. Some meals can't be prepped, but you can still plan your menu. If you don't want to remove the choice, you can plan several meals and decide each day from the planned options. This will give you the satisfaction of picking your dinner without giving you room to give in to unhealthy desires. It will also save you from wandering around a store too often and being tempted by all the expertly marketed foods.

Trim the Fat

If you want to successfully keep your pregnant belly from adding on too much 'baby weight,' then it comes as no surprise that keeping to lean meats is a must. Many of us enjoy a nicely marbled steak, but some chicken breasts might be the better option. Too much fat causes the dreaded weight gain and can lead to other health problems. While there are differences in fat, such as Saturated and Unsaturated, there is also Trans Fat. This is the type of fat in fried foods and frosting. It's not a good source of anything, so it's best avoided. Saturated fat comes from meat and dairy. The American Heart Associationsays that from your daily calorie intake, this type of fat should make up 6 percent or less. It can help with calcium and bone growth, but it also can lead to cholesterol issues. Unsaturated fat is the best kind. It comes from foods like salmon and avocado, and the American Heart Association says it should make up about 25 percent of your daily calories.

Eat More Often

Eat often but control portions
Eat often but control portions

It may seem counterproductive to say you need to eat more to lose weight, but it's been found that our bodies operate better when we have multiple smaller meals throughout the day instead of two or three larger ones. This prevents us from getting so hungry that we overindulge or begin to crave the wrong things. It helps to curb those less than healthy cravings because when you snack on foods that are higher in nutrients, your body is more satisfied. This is especially useful in the later stages of pregnancy when the little one is taking up more room, and eating too much at once can make you feel uncomfortable.

Trade-Offs

You can go a long way by switching certain parts of your favorite meals with other healthier options. Take off that tortilla shell and use a lettuce leaf or substitute your ice cream with a blend of frozen yogurt and fruit. Doing this will satisfy your taste buds and can go a long way in keeping you from gaining weight too quickly. Some of my favorite switches are frozen bananas blended with fresh strawberries in place of a milkshake and mashed turnips to replace mashed potatoes. This last one is even better if you add some mashed carrot to the mix and use garlic powder in place of salt. There are a lot of opportunities to use alternatives, especially when baking. Many recipes can use applesauce instead of sugar, and some can use ground flaxseed in place of eggs.

Pregnancy is an incredible time, and a lot is happening to your body. Your needs are changing in order to keep you and your baby strong and healthy. It can be hard when we're surrounded by so many processed and harmful foods. During this time, it's even more important that we maintain our overall well-being and weight. If you're trying to get pregnant, it's a good idea to keep on your target weight to start your pregnancy right. If you've already put on a little more than recommended, work with your doctor to come up with the right plan. It may be you need to focus more on exercise, or it could be that your diet needs to be improved. Regardless of what your personal goals and struggles are, there are many easy and fast ways to adopt the habits for a healthy pregnancy.

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