How can you lose weight during pregnancy without harming the baby?
Pregnancy is a difficult and exciting question for any woman. Future mothers during this period allow themselves to eat an extra piece of something tasty. They argue that the baby asks for a treat. After frequent errors in the diet usually appears overweight.
Why does the future mother get better?
A woman during pregnancy can gain weight for several reasons:
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Strongly changed hormonal background provokes increased appetite several times. During this period, the concentration of progesterone and prolactin increases significantly. These female hormones affect the area in the brain responsible for appetite, and can provoke a brutal appetite. Progesterone also affects water and mineral metabolism. Exhaustible cravings of pregnant women to eat a pickled cucumber or a piece of herring are associated with this. If the expectant mother waits for the boy, she will almost certainly be pulled more often on a salty one. This is due to high levels of progesterone.
- Significant weight gain. During pregnancy, a woman usually gains at least 5-6 kg. This is absolutely normal. The weight of the future baby (about 3 kg), the volume of the amniotic fluid (up to a liter), and the weight of the placenta (about 700-800 g) are added to the total mass. With multiple pregnancies, when the mother expects twins or twins, these values can increase by 1.5 - 2 times. It turns out that the physiological increase may be about 10 kg.
- Excessive consumption of fatty and high-calorie foods provokes the deposition of fat on the abdomen. Visibly increases the fat layer. It can be said that it is good. Fat protects the baby from possible shocks and jolts (like a pillow). However, it can cause severe harm to both the mother and the child. When there is too much fat, it tightens the diaphragm tightly. It may interfere with breathing. In this case, the woman is very hard to breathe, especially when walking fast. She often has shortness of breath.
For a child, it is dangerous because the fat begins to put pressure on the mother’s womb, where it is located. Large blood vessels that deliver nutrients from the mother to the baby are compressed.
What foods reduce excess weight during pregnancy?
The menu for pregnant women should be made very well. The need for all nutrients, vitamins and trace elements increases significantly. It is also important to increase the calorie intake (up to 2500 - 3000 kcal per day). However, this does not mean that you need to increase the calorie content of buns and fried pies!
Products to reduce excess weight, a lot. Using their combinations, it is possible to prepare tasty and healthy dishes for mother and baby.
An excellent substitute for Snickers will be a handful of walnuts and a couple of slices of bitter chocolate with a high cocoa content.
In this chocolate, there is practically no sugar, which significantly reduces the risk of extra centimeters on your waist. Eating chocolate every day is not recommended. This is a fairly fat product, and it should not be used very often.
Nuts and fruits during pregnancy are needed not only for the mother, but also for the baby. Gynecologists prescribe multivitamin complexes immediately after the pregnant woman enters the dispensary registration. It is recommended to use vitamins daily.The child, being in a maternal tummy, actively grows and develops. This growth is the fastest and most active for all human life. For normal development, vitamins and trace elements are needed. They are needed and mom - for her immunity.
Fruit contains a huge amount of different vitamins. They contain a lot of potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C. They are excellent helpers in the formation of a healthy child’s body. Every day, a mother should eat at least three servings of fruits of different types. It is better to choose not too sweet fruit. Limit the use of persimmon and bananas during pregnancy. They are too high in calories, you can greatly gain weight.
What foods provoke obesity?
To keep the whole pregnancy slim and beautiful, you should limit your use:
- Fatty, salty, fried and smoked products. Salted and smoked food can increase swelling. Fried food is too high in calories. After regular consumption of products fried in cream or vegetable oil, an increase of 3-4 kg is provided.
- Sweet carbonated drinks. They have too much sugar. However, they are very quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, causing a sharp rise in insulin. Increased amount of insulin in the blood is very dangerous for the body of a pregnant woman. She may have diabetes mellitus already during pregnancy.
- Instant coffee. Receiving coffee increases thirst in the body and can contribute to high blood pressure. Large amounts of water also cause swelling and weight gain.
- Chips, crackers and snacks. These snacks, which future mothers often eat in packs, also provoke the appearance of extra pounds. They contain a large amount of salt. Usually they have few natural ingredients. The composition is 98% synthetic. The use of a large number of such products may adversely affect the development of the fetus.
- Sweet and flour dishes. It is quite acceptable to include pasta made from durum wheat in the menu. However, it is necessary to use it no more than 1 - 2 times a week. It is better to forget about the existence of pies, pancakes and donuts for expectant mothers.
Balanced diet
The only proper diet that can help get rid of extra pounds without harm to the child is a healthy diet. This system has been tested by time and approved by all doctors in the world.
- Make a menu for the week yourself or seek the advice of a specialist. This will help you understand which foods you should always have in the fridge. Keep in mind that it is better to eat at least 4 - 5 times a day. Write down all meals, guided by the regime. Be sure to start with breakfast! This is the most important meal of the day.
- Do not eat roast frequently. For cooking it is better to choose stewing or steaming. If you want to fry something, it is better to use a grill or bake food in the oven. Multicooker, a double boiler will be great helpers for the future mother. They are very convenient to cook a variety of dishes without the use of oil.
- Any alcohol is strictly prohibited. Alcohol strongly provokes appetite and makes you eat much more. Under the ban, not only strong drinks, but also beer, wine. They negatively affect the fetus and may even lead to the development of anomalies or the appearance of deformities.
- Try to chew food thoroughly. So you eat a not very large portion. Saturation with this will come much faster. The more thoroughly the food is crushed, the easier it is to digest. The baby will quickly receive all the nutrients, and this will have a positive effect on its growth and prenatal development.
- Do not go to rest immediately after a meal. It is better to sit for a while or walk around the apartment. So the food will evenly enter the stomach and will not cause digestive disorders. Developing in the womb of the mother, the baby is actively pressing on the diaphragm. This contributes to a kind of pressure in the stomach. If you go after a heavy meal, there is belching or nausea.
- Try to eat at the same time. This normalizes the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. All the nutrients necessary for the development of the child will be distributed evenly, at regular intervals.
Slimming at different periods of pregnancy
Losing weight in the very early stages of pregnancy is much easier than later.
First trimester
In the first trimester in the diet should include as much as possible protein foods. At this time, the baby is the development of all vital organs. For proper development requires a lot of protein molecules (more precisely, their components - amino acids). With a deficiency of some amino acids, the development of organs can be disturbed. This is a very dangerous condition, as defects and anomalies appear in the organs.
Second and third trimesters
In the first and second trimester, try to eat more protein foods (chicken, turkey, fish, beef, lean pork and dairy products). You can use legumes. They contain a lot of vegetable protein. But do not overdo it!
Excessive consumption of peas or beans may cause excessive gas formation and bloating. This adversely affects the baby.
From the middle of the second trimester and the whole third trimester it is important to pay special attention to the numbers on the scales. If the expectant mother is keen on salty foods, severe swelling and weight gain may occur. Edema often appear on the legs. Moving in this case will be very difficult. The face may swell. Usually in such cases, doctors recommend to use diuretic herbs and completely exclude products in which a lot of salt. Cranberry or lingonberry juice - excellent helpers in the fight against edema!
Recommendations and tips for weight saving
In order not to desperately lose kilograms collected during the period of pregnancy, you should monitor your diet daily without harming the child. There is everything, just indulging your whims, it is impossible! Moreover, during pregnancy it is even dangerous. Many products increase the likelihood of a child having various diseases and anomalies.
Give your body vitamins! Include fresh fruits and berries in your diet (especially if your pregnancy is in spring or summer). This is a great opportunity to use natural vitamins.
Drink enough water (at least two liters per day). However, do not lean on salty! Salty food causes thirst. At the same time she strongly retains water. Bags under the eyes and swollen ankles the next morning are guaranteed.
Do not forget to move.
Regular walks in the fresh air - the best recommendation for expectant mothers. During such walks, the blood is saturated with oxygen. The baby receives oxygen through the blood of the mother and the placenta. This significantly increases its fetal activity and growth.
If you played sports before pregnancy, talk with your doctor. Perhaps he will be able to allow you to perform some safe exercises for the baby. Sign up for yoga for pregnant women. This is a great opportunity to strengthen your muscles and improve your mood! The release of serotonin after exercise will improve the mood of the mother and baby. Remember that any physical activity should be regular. Pace and speed - not the main thing. Any exercise should be done at your own pace.
Get enough sleep! A pregnant woman needs to sleep at least 8 hours a day. Melatonin is produced at night. This hormone restores the body, gives rest to the nervous system. During sleep, normal hormones. Women who get enough sleep regularly eat much less at dinner.
The body of the child is also important mode. It helps to properly form his nervous system. Before rest the bedroom is better to air. This will ensure a good and sound sleep.
The development and growth of the baby is completely dependent on the mother.Only she can ensure the supply of all necessary nutrients, vitamins, microelements. Monitoring the quality of nutrition during pregnancy ensures excellent health of the mother and baby.
You will learn more about the basic principles of nutrition by watching the following video.