How to Avoid Gaining Too Much Pregnancy Weight

Pregnancy Weight Gain – 5 Ways to avoid too much weight gain during pregnancy

While it is healthy to gain weight during pregnancy, it is also important to avoid going overboard. Over the 9 months, a pack of 30 pounds is quite okay. Unfortunately, too much weight is troublesome. Pregnancy weight gain can offset problematic conditions such as gestational diabetes and delivery complications. Furthermore, it becomes more difficult to shade off the weight after birth. Therefore, it goes without a say that you need to avoid gaining too much weight during pregnancy. How do you do this?

1. Know your goal weight

Contrary to popular belief, gaining a ton of weight is not an assurance of a healthy baby. Before you get pregnant, factor in your size and determine what’s right for you. You can use your height and weight to calculate your BMI at conception period. This will help you to figure out where you fall. What should be your BMI goals?

If you fall between 18.5 and 24.9, you have a normal weight and a pregnancy weight gain of 25 to 35 pounds is okay
If you fall below 18.5, then you re underweight and you should have a pregnancy weight gain of 28 to 40 pounds.
If you fall between 25 and 29, then you are considered overweight and a gain of 15 to 25 pounds is most ideal
An above 30 BMI indicates obesity and the weight gain should only be 11 to 20 pounds

2. Keep track of your calories

When it comes to baby making, your body needs 80,00 calories over 40 weeks to build a newborn. This is roughly 285 extra calories daily. Despite the fact that you are eating for two, you only need one additional small meal a day e.g. half of a turkey sandwich or a glass of milk

3. Focus on eating whole foods

Eating simple carbohydrates will definitely cause you weight gain and at a very fast speed. However, this does not keep you from indulging in cinnamon rolls and Doritos. You definitely can but fill your plate with lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. This will effectively keep your calories in check. Moreover, whole foods have more essential nutrients than processed ones, something that you and your baby need.

4. Drink enough water

Sometimes food cravings are an indication of thirst rather than hunger. Don’t be tempted to gobble down a soda or juice which are heavily loaded with calories and sugar that eventually get stored as fat. Go for simple, plain water. Why? Because it is the only liquid that can properly hydrate your body. In addition to this, it minimizes bloating, flushes out toxins and mitigates pregnancy weight gain. Your aim should be to drink half your body weight in ounces. A good example is if you weigh 130 pounds, then you should drink 65 ounces of water.

5. Stay active

Don’t drop your exercise routine after finding out you are pregnant. On the contrary, this is the best time to keep it up. It will really help you burn a lot of calories.

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Pregnancy weight gain is very avoidable with these practical skills. Ensure that you utilize them for a healthy pregnancy and after birth experience.