How to not take too much weight when you are pregnant? Here are some useful, effective and easy to follow tips to limit unnecessary pounds.
At the thought of getting on the scales, certain future mothers start to sweat cold … Yet weight gain during pregnancy is physiological and one should not panic. But to make sure that this weight gain does not become excessive, we asked nutrition specialists to give us practical advice on what to eat during pregnancy and to explain to us why it is difficult to limit unwanted pounds when you are pregnant. Here are 8 tips to live your pregnancy serenely, without weight becoming an obsession.
1) Why do you get fat during pregnancy?
It is said that on average and a newborn weighs on average 3.5 kg. But then, why do you get so fat?
It is because the body prepares itself for birth . Here’s where the 9-month-old pounds go:
Breast volume increase: 0.5 kg
Blood: 1.5 kg
Infant: 3.5 kg
Placenta: 0.6 kg
Amniotic fluid: 1 kg
Uterus: 1 kg
Fat storage: 3 kg
Maternal fluids: 1.5 kg
That is an average total weight of 12.5 kg.
The kilos have taken at the beginning of pregnancy mainly serve the mother (amniotic fluid, placenta, uterus, blood volume …).
Over time, weight gain mainly contributes to the growth of the fetus.
Often a pregnant woman gains weight especially between the seventeenth and the twenty-eighth week. It is
normal therefore to increase by 2-3 kilos a month in that period, especially if it is minute.
To support its needs the pregnant woman’s body obeys a different metabolism. Some pregnant women tend to store what they would normally eliminate. The regulation of sugars is different: the level of sugar increases faster and the body reacts by manufacturing more insulin. We must not forget that the body tends to store in order to have supplies in sight of breastfeeding.
2) What is the ideal weight gain during pregnancy?
L ‘ weight gain during pregnancy is very different from one woman to another, and even from one pregnancy to the same woman, explains dr. Zermati.
On average the weight gain ranges from 9 to 13 kg, but the drier women can take up to 18 kg without problems for the newborn or for their weight in the future. Other women, more round, take fewer pounds but find the line more difficult. So there are no precise rules, explains dr. Zermati.
The weight must be kept under control especially in case of overweight occurred and then a BMI ( Body Mass Index) already high before pregnancy. It is not just an aesthetic problem, but rather a question of health for the mother and the child. Weight problems promote hypertension, diabetes during pregnancy and especially a more difficult birth.
The calculation of the BMI (before pregnancy) is done in this way: weight before pregnancy (in kg) / height (in meters) squared.
The advice of dr. Jacques Fricker, depending on your BMI:
You are thin: you should increase by 12.5-18 kg
You have a normal weight: you should increase by 11.5-16 kg
You are overweight: you should increase by 7-11.5 kg
You are obese: you should increase by 6- 10 kg
However, even in the case of being overweight, it is absolutely not recommended to go on a diet during pregnancy. This will be above all an opportunity to become aware of their dietary errors and to find a more balanced diet, getting help from a specialist.
3) I took more kilos than expected: I have to worry?
Stop the line obligation during pregnancy! For the dr. Jean-Philippe Zermati, nutritionist, there is no ideal weight gain during pregnancy. Weight gain is very variable from one woman to another and the advice of certain guides only create useless anxieties. A single password: no panic. The dr. Zermati explains why:
The majority of women lose the pounds taken during pregnancy. The statistics of gynecologists indicate that, on average, a woman does not maintain more than 1.5 kg compared to the initial weight. Only 15% accumulate an overweight of more than 5 kg a year after giving birth.
One can not possibly predict if a pregnant woman will increase by many or a few pounds. Some women, who usually pay attention to the line, will lose control of their diet during pregnancy and will accumulate several pounds, while others will experience the transformation of their body in a more serene way.
Hormones linked to pregnancy promote appetite. Often a pregnant woman begins to eat more even without realizing it. And the increase in food intake can prove to be unsuitable.
Water retention often results in an impressive increase in the weight curve towards 7-8 months. But those last pounds are easily lost after delivery.
Furthermore, it is difficult to predict the time needed to find the line. Some women struggle to lose the few pounds accumulated during pregnancy, others easily lose 20 taken in 9 months. In any case, dr. Zermati advises not to be scared. Too much impatience can alter real needs.
4) Pregnant, do you have to eat for two?
We will never repeat it enough: it is not about eating twice as much during pregnancy but about eating twice as well, that is, adopting a balanced regime. Every woman’s body reacts differently to pregnancy.
Some women take only 9 kg, others accumulate many pounds but lose everything after giving birth, others still have problems with water retention. Whatever the differences, the dr. Fricker highlights certain factors that would promote weight gain:
In any case, it is not a matter of dieting during pregnancy but of controlling the quality of food (and quantities) and listening to one’s own needs.
5) How to know if my diet is balanced?
The dr. Fricker tells you some examples of feeding that allow you to consume everything you and your baby need, avoiding the shortcomings.
Breakfast (or during the morning if when you wake up you have no appetite)
– A hot drink – a dairy product – 2 slices of wholemeal bread or cereals or low-sugar cereal flakes (oatmeal, granola …) – 1 teaspoon honey – a fruit
The elements to avoid overly-sweetened cereals, snacks, whole milk, over-fat dairy products …
Lunch
– 100 g of fish, meat (not too fatty) or two eggs – two slices of bread or a portion of starchy – a tablespoon of oil – vegetables at will (cooked, raw or in the form of soups) – a fruit
The foods to avoid: dishes in sauce difficult to digest, alcoholic drinks … Snacking
6) How to change the menus?
Dr. Bismuth, the nutritionist, recommends the following equivalences, to meet all your needs without excess.
Protein: 1-2 servings a day
175 g of lean fish = 125 g of lean meat (chicken steak, turkey steak) = 85 g of chicken, veal, beef, pork = 3 fine slices of cooked ham = 125 g of fat fish = 100 g of canned fish = 2 eggs
To avoid the skin and the fat of the meat, the frying.
Glucoside: 1-2 servings a day (depending on weight increase)
3 medium potatoes = 3 tablespoons mashed 6 tablespoons of pasta, dried vegetables or corn = 1 can of peas = 5 tablespoons of oatmeal
Da avoid: the fat and difficult to digest sauces
Vegetables: 2 servings a day
At will: artichokes, aubergines, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, cucumbers, celery, cabbage, carrots, salad, spinach, fennel, peppers, pumpkin, leeks, tomatoes …
Fruit: 2 fruits a day
1 banana = 3 dates = 1 glass of fruit juice = 1 unsweetened fruit salad = 80 g of grapes (10-15 berries) = 2 kiwis = 2 mandarins = 1 orange = 1 apple = 1 pear = 150 g of pineapple
Lipids 2 portions per day
1 teaspoon coffee oil, butter or margarine = 2 teaspoons of cream = 4 teaspoons of light cream = 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise
Latticini 2 servings per day
1 yaourt = 25 g of cheese = 200 ml of skimmed milk = 100 g of mozzarella = 2 small cheeses
To avoid: very fat cheeses such as Emmental.
7) Are sugars to be avoided during pregnancy?
As explained by dr. Zermati, apart from dangerous foods during pregnancy, should not eliminate any food.
However, the consumption of fast sugars (sweets, jam, sweets …) can lead to hypoglycemia crises. In fact, instead of giving energy, the rapid sugars increase the insulin rate by determining, one or two hours later, a hypoglycemic crisis. Result: you are still hungry and you eat again.
The advice of dr. Bismuth: be careful at breakfast, avoiding the quick sugars contained in jam, Nutella or over-sweetened cereals. It is better to eat wholemeal bread or cereals, or oatmeal.
If you are overweight, limit the amount of fruit to two fruits a day.
If your weight increases too much, give in to temptations only once a week.
8) In order not to get fat, do I have to give up the sins of the throat?
Pregnant, you have new cravings and it is difficult to resist the desire to nibble.
All this is normal and different phenomena intervene in the formation of these new food sensations.
Doctors have not yet been able to clearly explain the “cravings” or needs of the pregnant woman. Hormones have reasons that reason does not know!
Pregnancy alters habits. Even if a woman is used to having a healthy weight and then eating while listening to their needs, once pregnant she can lose control of her appetite and food sensations.
Pregnancy implies new emotions that sometimes determine new food reflexes. The future mother, because of joy, anxiety or even euphoria, will tend to eat more or otherwise, explains dr. Zermati.
Nausea, fatigue … are factors that make it difficult to identify the food sensations.
It is true that the body of a pregnant woman withstands excesses and tends to store. But it’s not a good reason to be afraid of eating for 9 months! But you must try to be reasonable: if one day you devour a plate of potato chips, the next day eat healthy food!