If you experience weight gain during pregnancy, you are certainly not alone. More than half of pregnant women are obese or overweight.
You are said to be over-weighted in case your pregnancy BMI (Body Mass Index) is between 25.5 and 29.9.
Your Body Mass Index reflects the relationship existing between your weight and height, and it is also an estimate for body fat.
You are considered overweight or obese in case your BMI or greater than or equal to 30.
The amount of weight you gain during pregnancy depends on your Body Mass Index:
In case your BMI is 25.5 to 29.9: It is advisable that you gain between 16 and 25 pounds by the end of your pregnancy, or approx. 2 to 3 pounds every month in your third and second trimesters.
In case your BMI is 30 or higher: You are advised to gain only 12 to 20 pounds while pregnant.
A study which was published in 2010 in the Journal Obstetrics and Gynecology discovered that pregnant women who gained more than the required weight were fifty percent more likely to get gestational diabetes than aspiring moms whose weight stays within the recommended limits.
Pregnancy is certainly not the time to go on any weight-loss diet. Minimizing your intake of food is potentially risky to you and your forthcoming baby.
However, many overweight women do lose weight during pregnancy without going on any weight-loss diet. It is common during your first trimester, to lose weight due to morning sickness.
Nausea could reduce your appetite, and also the vomiting can make you miss out on calories. But even so, your child will still get all the needed calories.
Obese women have an additional reserve of calories in preserved fat, thus, as your child grows, it is not hazardous to maintain or even lose a little amount of weight at first.
What’s risky is losing weight because you are intentionally trying to cut down on calories.
Can I eat to lose weight while pregnant?
