Weight Loss and Pregnancy

Popular Articles About pregnancy and Weight Loss

What is Healthy Weight Gain During Pregnancy

Weight gain during pregnancy in inevitable and actually necessary. The challenge is that most women actually put on too much weight during pregnancy. A lot of women totally let themselves go which is why there is unnecessary weight gain. Pregnancy weight gain in the US and other countries have been steadily increasing. It was earlier thought that higher maternal weight gain resulted in improved health of the infant at birth. Recent  studies  have found that there are more negative than positive effects of too much weigh gain.

Women Who Diet, at Risk of Gaining too Mush Weight During Pregnancy

A lot of women are able to hold their weight fairly well until the point when they become pregnant. Then without these women realizing how and why, they put on so much of weight during pregnancy that it becomes quite difficult to lose it there after. A published in the  Journal of the American Dietetic Association established a link between dieting before conceiving and pregnancy weight gain .

Exercise During Pregnancy is Associated with Healthier Newborns

A study published in the October issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology stated that mothers who exercised before and during pregnancy delivered babies that were below the critical 4 kg benchmark. Babies with a  birth weight above 4 kgs are associated with complications for both the baby and the mother which include delivery complications, cesarean deliveries and severe bleeding after birth. The overweight babies also have an added risk of being obese later on in life.

Pregnant and Overweight Women Will Find it More Difficult to Lose Weight After

Overweight women who gain more than the recommended weight gain during pregnancy, will find it very difficult to lose it there after. Obese and overweight women have a higher probability of retaining much of the excess weight gain even up to 1 year after delivery. As an example, if an overweight woman in the study had gained 20 pounds during the course of pregnancy, it was very likely that she was going to retain up to 8 pounds after 1 year of delivery.

Friendly Bacteria like that Found in Yogurt, May Help Lose Belly Fat After Pregnancy

Consuming probiotic supplements during pregnancy may actually help women reduce belly fat after pregnancy. Women who took probiotics during pregnancy had a lower incidence of central obesity, one year after pregnancy.  Central obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 and a waist circumference of more than 31.5 inches. The group of women that took probiotics had a 25% incidence of central obesity when measured 1 year after pregnancy as compared to 43% in women who did not. These women also had the lowest body fat percentage.

Overweight Women Wanting to Get Pregnant Should try Losing Weight

Overweight women will find it difficult getting pregnant. Apparently, obesity in women can inhibit ovulation apart from causing hormonal systems to go haywire. Obesity further increases the risk of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. All of these negatively affect fertility and can create unwanted complications during pregnancy.