Eating When Pregnant: How Much Is Too Much Weight Gain?
Eating When Pregnant: How Much Is Too Much Weight Gain
?Depending upon which generation of baby advice you look at, advice for eating when pregnant varies greatly. In fact, there is so much conflicting information out there that expectant mothers are often confused about whether to eat for two during pregnancy, or if they should restrict their calories and not gain weight at all.
The answer really lies in between these two extremes. Some weight gain during pregnancy is normal and healthy. However, gaining too much weight by eating for two can make for difficult labor, and a tough return to your pre-pregnancy figure. This article covers the basics of weight gain during pregnancy, so that you can understand how to control your gain over the next nine months.
How Much Weight Gain is Acceptable?
When you first find out that you are pregnant, you may be tempted to start eating for two. But in reality, you should increase your caloric intake by only 300 calories per day. Think about it: that's actually not very much. To get a good visual of this, 300 calories is just of a Starbucks blueberry muffin.
That's not a lot of extra food per day. However, experts agree that you should allow for a normal weight gain between 20 and 30 pounds throughout the course of your pregnancy, to accommodate not only the baby's weight, but these 300 extra calories per day. Most of this weight will be gained during the second and third trimesters of your pregnancy.
Restricting Your Diet for Pregnancy
So now that you know how much extra you should eat, and how much weight is acceptable to gain, you need to know how to limit your caloric intake so that you can meet these goals. One of the best tricks for maintaining a healthy amount of weight gain is the concept of satiety. If you feel full, you're less tempted to overindulge. So how can you feel satiated at every meal? There are two ways to make this happen.
First, if you include a healthy fat with your meal, you are likely to feel satiated. Healthy fats include organic butter, olive oil, coconut oil, raw nuts, nut butters, and avocadoes. Second, you should bulk up your fiber intake, as fiber makes you feel fuller. Including a serving of vegetables with every meal is an excellent way to get the fiber you need, which will help you feel satiated.
The Importance of Exercise
No discussion of weight gain is complete without a discussion about exercise. You may feel that, during pregnancy, exercise is forbidden because it's too strenuous. In fact, exercise is encouraged throughout pregnancy.
Not only will healthy and active movement help limit your weight gain, it will also help keep you in shape for labor. However, you might want to change the type of exercise you do. As your body grows, your center of balance shifts, which can make you more prone to falls.
Activities that make it easier to fall during pregnancy include tennis, horseback riding, and running. Try substituting other forms of exercise that are less prone to causing falls, such as yoga, swimming, water aerobics, and walking.
Drinking Enough Water
Finally, you can also control your weight gain during pregnancy by drinking enough water. Water will help flush out any extra fluid buildup that can lead to water retention. Water also helps make you feel full, and will help aid in proper elimination.
How much water should you drink per day? Well, it's recommended that you drink half your weight in water per day. So if you weigh 140 pounds, you should aim for drinking 70 ounces of water at a minimum. Consuming less than that amount can lead to dehydration, so focus on keeping your water intake high. The Easiest Way to Get Pregnant Quickly and Faster When is The Best Time to Get Pregnant? – I Want To Get pregnant Fertility Difficulties, one miscarriage and now Pregnant and Scared - Some Words of Wisdom For You How old is Too Old to Get Pregnant? – Getting Pregnant at an Older Age How Do You Get Pregnant? – Natural Infertility Cure Tips to Make You Get Pregnant Quickly Pregnancy Miracle Affiliate-Pregnancy Miracle is a 100% natural method and helps you get pregnant in a correct way Tips On How To Get Pregnant Naturally When Are You the Most Fertile To Get Pregnant? - Reversing Infertility naturally Best Month to Get Pregnant - 3 Suggestions to Conceive Fast! How to Not Get Fat While Pregnant How to Get Pregnant - How To Avoid Struggling For Years To Finally Get Pregnant Losing Weight While Pregnant Easy Ways To Get Pregnant and Become A Mother - Helpful Tips to Get Pregnant