Weight Loss and Pregnancy – What You Need to Know

Pregnant women with bad eating habits and excess weight run the risk of giving birth to an unhealthy baby. Furthermore they may even be risking birth related complications for themselves. Hence it is all the more important to take care of your health in these situations.

As it is you have the responsibility of another life hanging upon you so would want to be doubly cautious. Achieving weight loss during pregnancy is not as hard as it may seem. It is true that pregnant women generally will not feel like exercising or restricting themselves from eating food but there are certain compromises that one has to make in order to ensure one's own health and that of one's baby.

The secret to giving birth to a healthy bay is to have a healthy diet coupled with light yet effective exercise. There are many good diet programs that have been especially devised for pregnant women. These diets will give them basic guidelines on the do's and don'ts related to food.

A pregnant woman must not make the choice to follow any diet program on her own because certain diets can be devastating for her health. This is why certain diet programs state clear warnings warning pregnant women not to go with the program. The South Beach diet is one particular diet that pregnant women can go with but that too only from phase two. Phase One of this Atkins diet like program is definitely not recommended for pregnant women.

Foods that need to avoided

There are certain foods that fall in the category of definite no-no in these especially composed diets for pregnant women. These foods will not only make the pregnant women put on weight but they can also lead to poor health for both the mother and the baby. These include.

• Fish: Shark, king mackerel, swordfish, tilefish. These items contain a high level of mercury which is dangerous for the babies nervous system




• Tuna and albacore

• All sorts of junk food




• Alcohol




• Caffeine

Food that is imperative for pregnant women

There are certain foods rich in vitamins and nutrients that are essential for pregnant women. The reason why women will need food rich in vitamins and minerals is because they will be producing blood for the baby. So they will need iron for the blood and calcium for the bones and folic acid for the prevention of diseases during the early stages of pregnancy, especially related to the brain and spine.

For this purpose pregnant women are highly encouraged to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables. Since the demand for minerals during pregnancy is increased women must increase their intake as well. There are also special mineral supplements that women can take during pregnancy that will help them to maintain the desired amount of minerals in their body.

Exercise for weight loss during pregnancy

Since a pregnant woman cannot go on strict diets due to the fact that her body requires an increased number of nutrients and minerals she has to couple her little dieting efforts with exercise. You will find most of the weight loss programs for pregnant women to have exercise routines that pregnant women can manage. Of course the exercises wont be as intense as they could have been under normal circumstances but it will require some physical movement and breaking of sweat for the pregnant woman.

When these efforts are coupled with a sensible way of eating which means a diet based on a moderate fat content the results can be fruitful. The diet should be in sensible quantity and from various sources sighted by the professionals such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables along with which the exercise pattern should be strictly followed in order to achieve weight loss and maintain it during the nine long months of pregnancy.