It’s no secret that girls in an interesting position often hide their real weight from doctors so as not to listen to their lectures about gaining more than normal, but in vain. Excessive weight gain will not only have a detrimental effect on a woman’s figure, but will also harm the baby’s health. What to do? Is it possible to lose weight during pregnancy?
Today we will try to figure out how to lose weight during pregnancy, is it possible to use various diets and exercises to lose weight or wait until the baby is born?
Excess weight during pregnancy
Many women are overly concerned about their parameters and do not stop monitoring them even while expecting a baby, and are looking for safe methods on how to lose weight during pregnancy.
What is considered excess weight during pregnancy? Maybe there is nothing critical? Over the entire period, a pregnant woman should gain about 12 kg:
- 3.5 kg – approximate weight of the fetus;
- 2.5 kg – amniotic fluid;
- about 3 kg will be used to increase the weight of the uterus, placenta, and mammary glands;
- the remaining 2-3 kg is the fat layer.
There is no way to avoid those few extra pounds. This is how nature intended: in order for a woman to be able to bear a child normally, she needs to stock up on fat deposits on her stomach and thighs.
This is where the danger of the situation lies - the woman loses control of herself and begins to eat a lot. Her excuse that “she eats for two” has no physiological basis: the fetus needs nutrients, but an excessive amount of fat, alas, cannot be their source.
All expectant mothers need to remember: using all existing diets for weight loss during pregnancy is strictly prohibited. They are not particularly useful anyway, and for women expecting babies, this can pose severe problems for the health of the fetus.
It would seem like a vicious circle: excess weight is harmful, dieting is dangerous. How to lose weight during pregnancy? There are only two safe ways - adhere to the basics of a balanced diet and lead as active a lifestyle as possible, even in the last months of pregnancy.
Gymnastics for the expectant mother. Exercise during pregnancy
Pregnant women who regularly perform special sets of exercises have an easier time giving birth and returning to normal faster after childbirth; cope more easily with various inconveniences and poor health associated with pregnancy; feel more active and cheerful during pregnancy.
Read more
Yoga or Pilates
You can practice on your own, but it is better to do it under the guidance of a trainer and with an individual selection of a set of exercises.
More information about yoga classes can be found in this article.
Rational nutrition for expectant mothers
Pregnant women should have a nutritious diet, including all meals. You need to rearrange your diet so that you eat everything high-calorie in the first half of the day, and for dinner and lunch eat vegetables, fruits, lean meat and fish, and dairy products.
Believe me, eating this way will never cause excessive weight gain in a pregnant woman. If it grows above normal, then hiding it from the doctor is irresponsible, since serious problems may be hidden behind it.
How to lose weight during pregnancy by restricting nutrition, if you still experience excessive indicators? You cannot go hungry and no sane woman would do such a thing. Fasting days help, they are prescribed by doctors, but expectant mothers reject them because they are afraid that their children will starve.
Nothing bad will happen if good products are selected for unloading - kefir, apples, chicken fillet, cottage cheese, and only mineral water or everyone’s favorite milk tea is not consumed.
Why are extra pounds dangerous?
Based on all the information listed above, you can most likely determine whether you are overweight. If it really exists, then you should think about how to get rid of it. In many ways, it’s not about appearance, but about the danger that excess body weight brings. This leads to the development of diseases that will worsen the woman’s condition and can cause complications during childbirth.
During pregnancy, as a side effect of too rapid weight gain, gestosis may occur. Usually the disease manifests itself in later stages.
Gestosis (late toxicosis)
This disease affects many systems and organs of the mother; in severe cases, the child can also be harmed. Particular attention should be paid to monitoring weight in the third trimester of pregnancy: this is precisely the time when gestosis appears. Below are the symptoms that should alert you:
- Weight gain of more than 500 g per week. This usually indicates a violation in the removal of fluid from the body.
- Swelling of the face and limbs.
Signs indicate the presence of dropsy. If no measures are taken, the next stage will develop: nephropathy:
- urine tests indicate the presence of protein;
- urine volume decreases;
- blood pressure rises;
- swelling becomes stronger.
As gestosis develops, organs are affected, and a serious danger arises for the child. In addition to the kidneys, the nervous system is affected, resulting in headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and blurred vision. It is important for the expectant mother to be aware of the warning signs of pregnancy and to immediately seek medical help if they develop. Once your condition has stabilized, you should consult your doctor and perhaps think about how to lose weight.
Varicose veins
Preeclampsia is not the only problem caused by extra pounds. With varicose veins, the circulatory system of the expectant mother suffers. Due to increased loads, the veins begin to expand and normal blood circulation is disrupted. If a woman already had varicose veins before pregnancy, then most likely they will begin to progress. Even if it was not there, it will probably begin to develop, especially with excess weight gain and low physical activity. These small actions will help reduce the risk of disease.
- long walks will maintain healthy legs and normal blood circulation (varicose veins usually occur in the lower half of the body);
- swimming will be an excellent exercise and prevention of varicose veins;
- comfortable shoes and no heels higher than 5 cm;
- contrast shower with comfortable temperature changes;
- sleep on the left side to reduce pressure on the vena cava;
- alternating rest and movement.
Exercise during pregnancy
Pregnancy is not a disease, so there is absolutely no need to lie in pillows for the entire 9 months. Doctors recommend light jogging or brisk walking in the fresh air, swimming in the pool, and classes in fitness centers where there are groups for expectant mothers. This can only be done if there is no threat of miscarriage.
Simple physical exercises during pregnancy will not only help keep your figure in shape, but will also prevent the appearance of stretch marks, varicose veins, arthrosis, breathing problems and high blood pressure, and will also relieve tension from the back, which is currently under extreme strain.
When playing sports during pregnancy, you should not overwork. A strong increase in heart rate is contraindicated, so be sure to control it!
If you didn’t have any active physical activity before pregnancy, you can’t start abruptly now. How to be? Firstly, after eating, never lie down, no matter how much you want to. Secondly, walking at a variable pace will help you lose weight: sometimes fast, sometimes slowly. Daily walks like this will definitely give results. The workout should not last more than 20 minutes, and the heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute.
How to maintain weight during pregnancy
Women during pregnancy are simply obliged to monitor their weight, as this is necessary for the health of the unborn child.
Excess maternal weight leads to complications during childbirth and also increases a woman's risk of developing gestational diabetes and hypertension. Meanwhile, maintaining a healthy weight during pregnancy is not that difficult, although it is natural for pregnant women to be reluctant to exercise or diet. But they still need to find a compromise between not wanting to put effort into maintaining a healthy weight and caring for the baby. In addition, if a woman monitors her weight throughout pregnancy, it will be easier for her to get back into shape after childbirth.
Doctors recommend expectant mothers to exercise lightly - for example, move more, walk. As for diets, expectant mothers can follow a diet only under the supervision of a doctor.
Of course, there are certain foods that are best excluded from the diet during pregnancy to prevent obesity. Obesity: a disease of well-being? and related problems. Below are foods high in mercury (mainly sea fish) and caffeine, as well as other foods that are harmful to the health of the expectant mother and baby:
- shark, king mackerel, swordfish, tuna, albacore and tilefish
- fast food and convenience foods
- alcohol and tobacco
- coffee and black tea
- liver and products containing it
- spicy and fatty foods.
Expectant mothers should include foods rich in nutrients, fresh vegetables and fruits in their diet. In particular, foods high in folic acid. Folic acid is a women's health vitamin - cauliflower, beets and green vegetables - and foods high in calcium are simply necessary for a woman during pregnancy. Moreover, you should switch to a healthy diet several months before conception to prepare your body for pregnancy.
Fitness during pregnancy
It is very important not to neglect fitness during pregnancy. This helps maintain a normal weight, and also makes it easier to transfer the load on the muscles and spine and prepare the abdominal muscles for childbirth. Pregnancy is a huge physical strain on a woman’s body, and excess weight will only increase it.
But remember that the exercises should be simple, not requiring much physical effort and stress. This excludes aerobics and power lifting. Lifting is the new youth, since in this case the load falls not only on the expectant mother, but also on the child, which can lead to complications during childbirth. The most optimal types of physical activity for pregnant women are swimming and walking.
There are video courses of exercises designed specifically for expectant mothers. Light stretching will help reduce back and lower back pain, which often affects pregnant women. But moderation is also very important here, since during pregnancy, muscle and ligament sprains are fraught not only with discomfort, but also with more serious consequences.
How to calculate your weight - where is the line between normal and pathological?
How to lose weight quickly: work in the name of beauty
Weight loss
Nutrition for gaining muscle mass: the right diet
Article tags:
- pregnancy and beauty,
- weight
|
|
Reviews: how I lost weight during pregnancy
Reviews from young mothers about how they tried to lose weight during pregnancy may be useful to you.
Ksenia, 24 years old (gained 12.5 kg):
This is my second child, so I already knew what the outcome of cutlets and buns, eaten supposedly for the benefit of the baby. I wouldn’t want to carry around the extra 20 kg again: it was hard not only for me, but also for my daughter. I'll tell you how to lose weight during pregnancy. Fasting days helped me a lot - with them I didn’t starve, and this slowed down weight gain well. One day a week was enough for me; on that day I ate only cottage cheese and apples. My doctor confirms that such unloading is wonderful and absolutely safe for the fetus.
Irina, 27 years old (gained 15 kg):
Late in life I realized that my excess weight was just excess water. Terrible swelling during pregnancy forced me to give up salt almost completely and this helped a lot.
Olga, 31 kg (gained 11 kg, the little one was born weighing 3150 g):
During pregnancy, sedentary work is very bad and I saved myself by attending fitness courses for pregnant women. Once a week I did water aerobics - the trainer had special exercises for expectant mothers.
When to lose weight?
If you doubt whether you can lose weight during pregnancy, you should consult your doctor. Based on your starting weight and your weight gain, he will determine whether you should take action to lose weight.
Before prescribing a diet for pregnant women, the doctor must check the tests and send you for an ultrasound to make sure that the baby is developing normally and that your weight loss will not negatively affect his health.
Remember that 10-12 kg. - this is the norm for weight gain for a pregnant woman, but if you previously weighed less than you should, then the norm for you will be an increase of 15-18 kg. If a woman did not have a refined figure even before her “interesting position,” then the maximum permissible weight she can gain is 10 kg. At various stages of obesity, weight gain should not exceed 5-6 kg.
