Why You Shouldnt Lose Weight Fast During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, you're not only responsible for your own health and well-being, but you're responsible for providing your unborn baby with all of the vitamins and nutrients that they need to develop fully before birth. This is the main reason why health experts across the board advise that you don't try to lose weight fast while you're pregnant!

How Much Weight Should You Gain During Pregnancy?

While the recommended amount of weight gain during pregnancy will vary from woman to woman, Web M.D. recommends that an average woman should gain from 25 to 35 pounds while pregnant. If you happen to be underweight, you will need to gain more weight at 28 to 40 pounds during pregnancy.

Even if you're overweight, this is not the time lose weight fast. Overweight women who are pregnant still need to gain anywhere from 15 to 25 pounds to support the health and nutritional requirements of their growing baby.

This weight gain is broken down at roughly 2 to 4 pounds in your first trimester and 1 pound a week for the rest of your pregnancy. Instead of trying to lose weight fast while pregnant, you can stick to the guidelines above to slowly gain weight in a healthy manner to ensure that your baby is not deprived of vital nutrients during crucial stages of development.

If you're carrying twins, you can gain anywhere from 35 to 45 pounds throughout your pregnancy, averaging 1 1/2 pounds per week after the first trimester.

Where Does the Weight Go When You're Pregnant?

If you want one more reason not to lose weight fast during pregnancy, it helps to understand exactly where the extra weight goes as you gain throughout each trimester. When your baby is born, it will weigh roughly 8 pounds. Your placenta will account for 2 to 3 pounds, amniotic fluid at 2 to 3 pounds, additional breast tissue at 2 to 3 pounds, and increased blood supply at 4 pounds.

Add to that an additional fat storage of 5 to 9 pounds and a uterus size increase of 2 to 5 pounds, and you have a grand total of anywhere from 25 to 35 pounds of healthy weight gain during pregnancy!

In the rare instances where a woman is very overweight, her doctor may monitor her weight and even advise her to lose a few pounds during pregnancy. However, it's important to understand that a physician will never recommend for a pregnant woman to ways to lose weight since it will not be safe for her or her unborn baby.

If you want to gain a healthy amount of weight throughout your pregnancy, you can use the following tips:

* Eat anywhere from 5 to 6 small meals a day.
* Keep healthy, high-protein snacks on hand, like cheese, nuts, and low-fat dairy products.
* Add healthy fats to each meal, like olive oil, avocado, and lean proteins.
* Avoid whole milk and eat low-fat dairy products instead.
* Limit overly sweet or sugary drinks.
* Avoid fast food whenever possible.

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