Working out and eating properly can maintain an optimal pregnancy weight. You are supposed to gain weight as your fetus grows, but there’s a limit. As when you are not pregnant, excessive weight gain during pregnancy comes with health consequences, some of them quite dangerous. There is no perfect pregnancy diet plan to lose weight, but here are five tactics that many mothers find helpful.
1. Eat healthy:
You don’t have to starve nor consume fewer portions of food when you are pregnant. However, you should restructure your eating schedule. With a growing womb pressing on your stomach, you will feel full with less food than you would normally. Thus, instead of eating three large meals per day, try eating five or six smaller meals spread throughout the day, if your schedule permits. Your meals should be balanced with lean protein, grains, fruits and berries, and generous servings of vegetable. Cereal and yogurt also can be part of a delicious diet.
2. Exercise the right way:
Running, swimming, bicycling, aerobics, and even weightlifting are all perfectly acceptable physical activities throughout pregnancy, so long as you train correctly with appropriate technique, warm-up, and cool-down. It is wise to make use of a trainer or coach, particularly someone with experience in training pregnant women. As you approach your delivery date, your balance and energy will be compromised and you should reduce your activity accordingly.
3. Take vitamins:
This has nothing to do with losing weight but during pregnancy you need to take supplemental folic acid because you will not obtain enough of this vitamin in your diet. Keeping your body folate at adequate levels through supplementation will protect your child against what are called neural tube defects, which can lead to severe disability or death. Other micronutrients that may be helpful in supplemental form include vitamin D and calcium. Iron supplementation may or may not be appropriate for you, so do not start taking iron pills, unless your doctor tells you to do so. A healthy diet plan to lose weight while pregnant guide always involves coordination with an obstetrician.
4. Say ‘no’ to junk:
Pregnant or not, avoid eating junk. But, what is junk? Generally, it means candy, soda, alcohol, and processed high-salt foods like pizza, burgers, and fries. The matter of artificial sweeteners has not yet been resolved. They may indeed pose a risk or maybe not. Only science will tell, but the scientific literature is so far unclear. The wise thing to do is to use artificial sweeteners in moderation for the time being, but don’t use this as an excuse to consume more sugar. There is little doubt that sugar is bad, particularly during pregnancy.
5. Stay hydrated and get a goodnight’s sleep:
Maintain adequate water intake. Try to drink about 10 cups of water, or so, in the course of a day. You will probably make a few extra visits to the bathroom, but that is normal. You must eat well, sleep well, and drink as much water as you can when pregnant.
