Slowing Excessive Weight Gain in Pregnancy

When you become pregnant it is recommended that you gain only 25 to 35 pounds by the end of your pregnancy. One of the most frustrating things is when you start to have excessive weight gain mid-way through your pregnancy despite eating right and exercising. If you find this happening to you, a few simple changes may help slow down the weight gain.

One of the easiest things you can do is to increase your water intake. You should be drinking at least 8 to 10 glasses of water each day, which translates to about 64 to 80 ounces. If you are drinking an average size bottle of water, you should drink approximately 4 to 5 bottles. First of all, this helps you to feel more full which may help prevent you from eating other foods that are either unhealthy or have higher calorie counts. Secondly, it helps flush fluids from your body if you are retaining water. Water retention shows up as swelling in the face, arms, legs and feet and will definitely increase your weight. On a side note, if you find yourself retaining water, make sure to keep an eye on your salt intake.

Next, it's good to take a long hard look at the types of food you are eating. You should be eating a wide variety of foods and not too many of the same type. It is recommended that pregnant and nursing women get 5 servings of fruits & vegetables, 9 servings of grains, 4 servings of milk products and 3 servings of proteins. Some food categories that you need to be especially careful of are the fruits and grains. Some fruits, especially fruit juices are especially high in natural sugars and can cause weight gain, so limit them to one serving per day. With grains, if you find yourself eating a lot of carbohydrates like breads and pastas, you may run into trouble with calories that are more difficult to burn. Choose whole grain options, which are healthier for your body.

Lastly, you should analyze your habits while you are eating. There are several bad habits that can cause you to eat more than you should at a meal or snack. Make sure that you are sitting down to eat and are eating off of a plate. Take your time and eat slowly and whenever possible, eat with another person. Also, try not to eat while reading or watching TV because all of these things can cause you to stop paying attention to your portion sizes. You may actually be eating two servings of a particular food instead of just one, which will greatly increase the amount of calories you are ingesting.

So, if you find yourself with excessive weight gain during your pregnancy, don't beat yourself up, but rather correct the problem if possible. Make some healthy changes to your diet and lifestyle and under no circumstances should you attempt to diet or exercise excessively. And, if you continue to gain weight too quickly, speak to your healthcare provider.