How to Maintain a Healthy Weight During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of growth and change, and gaining weight is a natural and healthy part of the process. However, many women wonder how much weight gain is considered healthy during this important time. The weight gain that accompanies pregnancy can be intimidating for some women. This anxiety may cause some mothers to eat sparingly to avoid gaining weight. However, dieting while pregnant is dangerous to both your health and the health of your growing baby.

Eating healthy, avoiding highly processed foods (like lollies, chips, chocolate, and fast food), and staying active during pregnancy will most likely result in healthy weight gain. There's no need for women to gain excessive weight while pregnant, and understanding the safe range of weight gain for different body sizes can provide clarity.

Is it True That I need to Eat for Two in Pregnancy?

The idea that pregnant women need to "eat for two" is a common myth. In reality, they don’t need to double their calorie intake but should focus on getting nutrients for two.

 

If you're not getting the additional nutrients your body and your baby need from eating healthy food, as a result, the growing baby will take the vitamins and minerals they need from your stores which can lead to depletion. 

 

Maternal depletion occurs when the mother's stores of essential vitamins and minerals become too low. 

 

How Much Weight Should I Gain During Pregnancy?

We recommend talking to your healthcare professional about healthy weight gain during pregnancy. This is because the answer isn’t black and white. Your pre-pregnancy weight and certain medical conditions influence the total number of kgs you should gain during pregnancy.

Here are general guidelines:

• Average weight before pregnancy: Gain 11-15 kg.

• Underweight before pregnancy: Gain 12.5-21 kg.

• Overweight before pregnancy: Gain 7-11 kg.

When additional energy requirements are lower, during the first trimester, women only need to gain 1-2 kg. And then a good rule to follow is around 0.5kg a week for the remainder of the pregnancy.

However, t’s essential to remember that all women will gain weight differently throughout pregnancy, so try not to get too caught up by the number on the scales. For example, some women put on weight quickly in the first trimester but peter out towards the end.

As long as you’re eating to fulfil your hunger and eating predominantly healthy foods and appropriate portion sizes, you should gain a healthy and expected amount of weight.

What If I Lose Weight During Pregnancy

Due to pregnancy-related sicknesses, morning sickness and food aversions, particularly during the first trimester, some women will lose weight. Losing weight is generally considered safe in the first trimester, as long as it’s only a few kgs and is due to one of the above reasons rather than dieting or exercising.

This weight loss should be followed by healthy weight gain across the second and third trimesters. A health professional would only ever recommend pregnant women to lose weight if they were significantly overweight, and even so, it would be under strict monitoring.

How to Gain the Right Amount of Weigh During Pregnancy?

Eating a healthy and balanced diet through pregnancy is the best way to ensure a healthy weight gain. In addition, you can follow these easy steps:

Start the day on the right foot

Always aim to eat a healthy breakfast every day. Then, if you fall off the wagon or run out of time to prepare a healthy lunch and dinner, you know you’ve still got a good amount of nutrients in for the day. 

 

A smoothie is a great way to get a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals in the AM. And enhancing your smoothie with In Shape Mummy Pregnancy Superfood Health Shake will help you reach your protein target and provide you with essential nutrients.

 

Here’s a smoothie recipe that will keep you full all morning. 

 

Ingredients: 

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup frozen mango 
• 3 tbsp rolled oats 
• 2 tbsp In Shape Mummy Health Shake 
• 2 fresh Medjool dates 
• 1 tablespoon nut butter, e.g. peanut butter or almond butter 
• Handful of spinach 
• 300ml almond milk 
• Ice 

 

Method: 

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and blitz until smooth and creamy. 

Always keep Healthy Snacks on Hand

Hunger can strike at any time when you're pregnant and being prepared with healthy snacks is one of the best ways to avoid temptation. I'm sure we've all been in the car and tempted by the McDonald’s drive-through; without healthy options, we're much more likely to give in. 

 

Home-made, sugar-free muffins, veggie sticks with humus, a bag of nuts and bananas are all great options you can keep in your handbag and take on the go. 

Snacking regularly is also a great way to ensure your blood sugar levels remain level. Waiting too long between meals can cause a dip in blood sugar levels, leading to sugar cravings and binges. 

 

Exercise

Many women, even those who are active and enjoy exercise, give it up while pregnant. But research shows that maintaining regular physical activity while pregnant is linked to many health benefits for mum and baby. 

 

Exercise while pregnant has been shown to lower blood pressure and improve heart health. This is because our heart and blood vessel are put under pressure during pregnancy. By maintaining an adequate fitness level through walking or pregnancy-safe workouts, we can not only remain healthy but also prepare our bodies for the physical challenge to come, labour. 

 

In addition to these health benefits, exercise during pregnancy has also been shown to reduce antenatal depression and anxiety, improve sleep and ease back and pelvic pain.

 

Keep Hydrated

It’s super important to keep hydrated during pregnancy and avoid dehydration. It’s recommended that pregnant women drink 8-3 litres of water daily. And if you’re exercising, you’ll want to have a few extra to replace any water loss. 

 

Drinking water helps to ease constipation, a condition many women suffer while pregnant. During pregnancy, your digestive system slows down. This is to allow time for your body to extract every last nutrient from what you’re eating, as now you need to provide for yourself and your growing baby. Getting adequate fluid is one of the best ways to ensure everything keeps moving. 

 

Maintaining adequate hydration is also essential for our hunger cues. Sometimes when we are slightly dehydrated, the symptoms can present as hunger. So before you reach for a snack, have a large glass of water and then asses if you're still hungry. 

These are general rules for pregnant women; however, you should always follow your intuition. For example, if you’ve had three meals and two snacks but are still hungry, it’s okay to eat again - you might have done a little more physical activity that day, or maybe your growing bub is having a growth spurt and requires extra energy. Try to always listen to your body and baby and what they need.