How To Prevent Further Weight Gain After Pregnancy
The best defense against unwanted weight gain after a pregnancy is a well-thought-out and executed meal, exercise, and sleep plan during the pregnancy.
Precautions to take in the food arena to prevent excess weight gain include:
- No junk food
Processed food items may contain high amounts of sugar, trans fats, sodium, and … calories. These empty calories translate into excessive weight gain when eaten before, during and after pregnancy. - Do not overeat
When a woman is carrying a baby, the notion of “eating for two” is a misnomer. A pregnant woman needs to consume between 1,900 and 2,500 calories per day; her healthcare provider can assess how many total calories on a case-by-case basis. A pregnancy diet should consist of whole food groups, such as grains, fruits and vegetables, protein, low-fat dairy and healthy fats. - No fried foods
Avoid preparing or eating fried foods. Choose, instead, a baked or broiled version of lean meats and seafood. Eat a baked potato versus a serving of French fries. Any foodstuff that can be fried can be baked or broiled. - Don’t do breakfast, lunch and dinner
Do breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Eat six small meals daily. The smaller portions digest more easily, and the body can make more efficient use of the calories consumed. Also, the very act of eating helps to boost metabolism. Thus, by eating more often, you keep your metabolism running steady all day.
Living a sedentary pregnancy is a sure-fire way to make more work for yourself after the baby is born. Chances are good that you will most likely have a lot more baby fat to lose. Therefore stay active, attempting to stick to an exercise routine throughout the pregnancy period unless this goes against your doctor’s orders. You can achieve optimal pregnancy health results by exercising three (3) times a week for 20 minutes. Choose low impact fitness routines and/or use stationery bikes or treadmills to build cardiovascular health.
The final life component to get a head start on during pregnancy is that of your sleep pattern. It is beneficial to stay on a regular 8-hour per night schedule, as studies have shown that a lack of sleep is linked to obesity. Attempt to set a normal bedtime and turn in at that hour. Of course, your sleep pattern will change drastically after your newborn arrives, but the important thing to remember is that you need to sleep when your baby is sleeping.
Take care of your health during your pregnancy … eat the proper nutrition, stay active and stick to a regular sleep schedule … and you will not have to work extra hard once the baby arrives to lose an unusual amount of baby fat.
Related article: How to lose weight after pregnancy
