Safely Losing Weight During Pregnancy

I accidentally bought "What to expect, Eating Well when you are Expecting" when I was pregnant with my first child. It could be a great resource for what foods are healthy (and which are not) for you and your baby during pregnancy... Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I agree that I don't think it's a good time to lose weight. That said, you don't have to go crazy and indulge every whim you may get. Eat plenty of fruits, veggies and lean protein and continue to exercise as you can. Please talk to your OB/GYN about this before devising any plans. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful

It's more important to feed your baby in the womb that it is to lose weight during pregnancy. That said, if you want to lose some weight, or at least not put any more extra pounds on, I would ask my doc to recommend a nutritionist, and get on a very healthy diet - healthy for you and healthy for the baby.

Walk every day. Not just around the house, but get outside and take a real walk. Work up to a mile or two. Walking is one of the very best exercises you can do for yourself and your baby as it will strengthen your circulatory system. Your 1 yr old can come in a stroller with you, and it can be fun for both of you.

Good luck !!

1 mom found this helpful

Talk with your doctor. Eat healthly and excersise will keep your body balnced. Take some yoga classes, water arobics...ect

1 mom found this helpful

Weightloss(or more correctly dieting) is never recommeded during pregnancy. What I would suggest is watching your caloric intake, exercising( in safe amounts and types). Also eat small meals throughout the day, stay away from sweets and just the norm. You WILL be gaining weight for your pregnancy. What your goal should be is to maintain your weight and not add much if any to it while pregnant. vs loosing it when you need it most for growing a healthy baby.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi M., First off, don't focus on losing weight, focus on being healthy! Look at your eating habits; doing simple things like drinking a glass of water before you eat a meal, eating your meal slowly, and increasing your veggis while decreasing your carbs will make a big difference in how you feel and how your body burns fat. Take your toddler for a walk every day. Toss the junk/snack food out. I was over-weight when I got pregnant with my third one too and by doing these simple things I only gained 13 pounds and had a healthy baby. Talk to your OB and follow his/her advice...the most important thing is your health and the health of your baby...not weight! Best wishes.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi M.

I would think that maybe just trying to stay healthy right now and not gaining to much weight would be more reasonable than trying to lose weight. I would also definately talk to your doctor about it. He/she may be able to say they want you to have X amount of calories and focus on that number and make it healthy for you and baby. Stay as active as you can and eat well.

1 mom found this helpful

Losing weight while pregnant is dangerous for your baby. First your baby needs a constant supply of new calories for brain, muscle & bone development. When you lose weight your body will take the calories & nutrients it needs first, leaving your baby to "scavenge" for what it needs. Your baby needs lots of healthy calories. Lots of vitamins & minerals. I would not try to limit my intake of healthy foods, but do recommend avoiding unhealthy foods. Eat lots of veggies, fruits, whole grains, protein, and water. Avoid soda, ice cream, cake, candy,etc. Also avoid 'fake' sugars like those found in diet sodas. They can cross the uterine barrier. It is unknown if they do harm to fetuses, but its not worth the risk. As other posters said, walking is great exercise that will help get your muscles & heart in shape, even if you don't lose weight.
Finally, another reason why it is unsafe to lose weight while pregnant is because when you lose weight the fat molecules in your fat cells are released into your blood stream. (Which will eventually circulate through your baby). Fat molecules are used by the body to store toxins it can't immediately dispose of (toxins could be anything from excess vitamins to mercury - when we eat too much our body can't always keep up with the disposal of these items, so we store them to dispose of later, when we lose weight). So, any fat you lose will carry these toxins through your baby's blood stream too. If your baby is not getting enough nutrients it may try to use the fat for energy for growth, (to get energy from the fat your baby would have to break down the molecule) thus releasing the toxin in its body. A small weight fluctuation during pregnancy (5 - 10lbs) probably wouldn't be an issue. But, I wouldn't try to lose 40lbs. I would recommend trying to eat really healthy & start walking & just try to not gain any weight. Then once the baby is born, continue to eat healthy, up the exercise & start to control your portions.
Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

The only way I can lose weight is by getting pregnant LOL I lost 68 lbs with our first and then 54 lbs with our twins. Both times I had been 6 sizes smaller when I delivered my girls than I was when we conceived. I was 500x more cautious with what I would eat, would only drink water, and would walk every evening when I found out I was pregnant. Since then, I have tried once again to lose weight and have found it super difficult. The reason being that my metabolism is normally much slower than it had been when I was pregnant, making it very difficult to burn my excess off. You can do it and you can do it safely--just be more cautious on your foods, walking is most likely the more effective exercise and water is your best friend. Best of luck!

1 mom found this helpful

Do not try to lose weight while you are pregnant. Eat healthy and increase your activity (exercise). Discuss your concerns with your OB and see what exercise is safe for you.

1 mom found this helpful

With my second child - after 13 years I might add, I had put on weight during those years. When I got pregnate for my baby (now 17) I only gained 11 pounds because I weighed around 150 when I got pregnate. when she was born I actually lost 17 pounds during her birth.
Just eat sensiable and walk. Good luck

1 mom found this helpful

This will happen on its own if you stick to ONLY healthy foods. But do not TRY to lose weight. When your are having hunger pangs, you MUST eat, but only healthy food. No sweets or fatty cravings with little nutrition. Get high protein AND natural fat in almonds, olive oil, etc-your baby's brain development depends on good natural fat so do not buy any crappy "non fat" labeled groceries, because they'r usualy full of garbage from artificailly removing the fat. Force down veggies and healthy foods along with your healthy protein fat and carbs, these help boost your metabolism and leave little time for eating junk. Any junk food will instantly add more weight since neither you or your baby will use the calories for anything.

If everything you eat it being utilized by your body and your baby's body, you may shed some un needed fat from the sheer energy it takes to get around and "grow a baby", but your baby's health is even more important than your own at this point so eat well, be disciplined, and wait until your baby is born to do the heavy fat burning.

1 mom found this helpful

I would just suggest asking your doctor. They could probably give you the best unbiased answer. You can eat healthy food ( fruits, vegetables, no junk food!!)+ light exercise ( yoga is the best)

http://www.trendybrandykids.com

1 mom found this helpful

don't do it at all. Eat healthy but never intentionally lose weight. I was 100 lbs overweight with 4 kids and was just not to gain much weight.

I did something called Transitions Lifestyle System. You are completly eating things that are healthy for you. You are following the Low Glycemic Index. I did they system after the birth of my son and lost 31 1/2 inches and 25 lbs in 12 weeks.

The Daily Grind (McSherrystown Pa) if you are local there is a group doing a Overview for the Transitions on September 21, 2009 at 7:00pm. I attened one of these before I started the prograam and I learned soo much.
It looks like they are going to have some of the reci[ies to sample.

There is no safe way to lose weight when you are pregnant because it is not good to lose weight while pregnant. Talk to your OB- chances are they will recommend that you only gain 15-25 lbs during this pregnancy if you are already overweight. If you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and exercise moderately, you should be OK. Also, ask the OB for tips to keep the weight gain in check.