You are pregnant and want to lose weight? You know, but not whether it is healthy and your baby could suffer from it? Further, you do not know the best way to lose weight in a healthy way?
In the following article we will tell you about the risks of losing weight during pregnancy and how to lose weight. Furthermore, you will find the most important background information on this topic.
The most important things in a nutshell
- Many pregnant women feel the need to lose weight during pregnancy. However, it is not recommended if the doctor has not recommended it.
- Nevertheless, pregnant women can keep fit by doing sports. Pregnant women can do many different types of exercise, but should always stop if they feel unwell.
- A change in diet can also help you lose weight. However, you should not starve yourself, but always resort to healthy alternatives.
Also interesting
Background: What you should know about losing weight during pregnancy
Losing weight during pregnancy is not very safe, therefore you should first read the background knowledge before you plan further steps. The health of you and your baby comes first.
Can you lose weight during pregnancy?
If you still want to lose weight, we recommend that you consult your doctor and, if necessary, create an individual weight loss plan.
Is it dangerous to lose weight during pregnancy?
Your baby needs a lot of nutrients and minerals to grow. By dieting and eating less or not eating at all, you harm your baby. It can have serious consequences. Because the biggest risk is malnutrition for the baby.
If you want to lose weight during pregnancy, you should not follow any diets, but change your diet in general. Exercise is also an option. It doesn’t matter what you decide to do, just check everything with your doctor first!
How to lose weight during pregnancy?
Sport is also recommended during pregnancy, regardless of weight. Sport can prevent some complications.
Pregnancy is also positively influenced by regular exercise. Through yoga and pilates z.B. can also simplify the birth.
Who should lose weight during pregnancy?
It is therefore recommended to lose weight during pregnancy for health reasons. There are some study that prove that the babies do not suffer from weight loss and do not lose weight. ( 1 )
How much do I gain during pregnancy?
There are some recommendations on how much you should gain during pregnancy. These are based on the BMI.
BMI is a measure that relates the ratio of height to weight. You can easily calculate your BMI on the Internet. To do this, enter your weight before pregnancy and your height.
The following table gives you a guideline of how much you should gain. But remember, these are only guidelines.
| underweight women | under 18,5 | 12,5 to 18 kg |
| Normal weight women | 18,5 to 25 | 11.5 to 16 kg |
| Overweight women | 25 to 30 | 7 to 11,5 kg |
| obese women | over 30 | 5 to 9 |
If you compare the numbers, you will notice that the higher your BMI, the less you will gain weight during pregnancy.
Can I do sports during pregnancy??
Nausea can also be relieved, through exercise. Regular exercise also reduces the incidence of high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. Studies even indicate to do sports during pregnancy. ( 2 )
It is recommended to exercise at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes. Care should be taken not to engage in sports with a high risk of injury. Sport beginners should prefer gentle sports.
Too much physical exertion should be avoided. You should be able to entertain yourself during exercise. If you are in a high-risk pregnancy, you should check with your doctor whether you should take part in sports
Why should you lose weight during pregnancy?
Lose weight during pregnancy: the best tips& Tricks to lose weight during pregnancy
The following tips will help you lose weight during pregnancy without harming yourself or your child. But note that you should always stop if you don’t feel well.
Lose weight during pregnancy with sports
One option to lose weight during pregnancy is exercise. There are many sports you can do to lose weight. Exercise during pregnancy is now recommended, not only for weight loss, but to stay fit. ( 3 ) However, you should check this with your doctor beforehand to avoid any damage to your health. There are some tips you should keep in mind.
- One sports session should be approx. last 30 minutes.
- No sports with a high risk of injury.
- Not too much physical exertion, you should be able to entertain yourself.
- No team sports or martial arts.
- Exercise several times a week.
- Choose the right sport.
- Stop when pain occurs.
There are many different sports you can do during pregnancy to stay fit or to lose weight. It is important that you find the right sport for you. The following sports are very popular during pregnancy. Additionally you can find in the table the risk of injury.
| Cycling | very little |
| Swimming, aqua fitness | very low |
| Jogging | low |
| Horseback riding | high |
| Strength training | low |
| Yoga, Pilates | low |
In the following we will go into detail about the individual sports.
Cycling
Cycling is a good endurance sport during pregnancy. It protects your joints and relieves your spine by supporting your weight. As long as you can get on the bike without any problems, you can cycle without any problems.
Swimming& Aquafitness
Swimming is the ideal sport for pregnant women. It is suitable for beginners to advanced swimmers. Advantages of swimming are that it relieves stress on your joints and works all your muscles. Swimming also relieves back pain.
When swimming, you can either swim easy lanes or do aqua fitness. There are courses with a trainer and other pregnant women. You can also do water sports when your pregnancy is more advanced. But remember, as soon as you feel pain, you should stop.
Jogging
Jogging is okay during the first three months of pregnancy. Afterwards you should run slower and make sure that you wear good shoes. However, it’s better if you switch to cycling or swimming, because this doesn’t put as much strain on your joints as jogging does.
Horse riding
Horseback riding is rather unsuitable for pregnant women. When riding there is a high risk of accidents. For this reason it is not recommended to ride during pregnancy. However, if you absolutely want to go horseback riding, check with your doctor beforehand.
Strength training
Weight training is also possible during pregnancy. However, there are some things you should keep in mind. First of all, you should reduce the weight and choose more repetitions for it. Furthermore, it is important that you use the right breathing technique.
Yoga& Pilates
Yoga and Pilates are very good sports for pregnant women, because it is a gentle workout for your body. These are also very suitable for unathletic women. It is recommended mainly because it trains the pelvic floor and thus facilitates childbirth. Furthermore, the back and the posture are strengthened, which is preventive for back pain.
There are special yoga and Pilates courses designed for the needs of pregnant women. In these courses, care is also taken to ensure that all exercises are performed properly, this is very important. You should be careful not to exercise the straight abdominal muscles.
To give you a rough idea of what pregnancy yoga can look like, we’ve picked out a little video for you to watch.
Lose weight during pregnancy with a change in diet
To lose weight during pregnancy, you can also change your diet. You should not diet or starve yourself. This could harm your baby. Because reduced nutritional intake is very dangerous for your baby.
Tip: You should also avoid sodas and energy drinks!
You should be careful not to eat fast food and sweets. But to replace them with healthy alternatives. You should consider a diet rich in vitamins and fiber.
A balanced diet is recommended in every pregnancy, because studies have shown that a balanced diet can prevent some complications. ( 4 ) Many think you eat for two, however, you should not eat twice the number of calories.
You can change your diet during pregnancy with the following foods.
- plenty of fresh fruit& Vegetables: Fruits and vegetables contain many important vitamins. Try to eat 5 portions a day.
- Whole grain products: Whole-grain products contain much more iron, magnesium and fiber than wheat products. They are much healthier than wheat products.
- Low-fat meat: Meat also contains many important proteins, vitamin B12 and iron. However, be careful not to eat raw meat.
- Fish: Fish is recommended in many diets. It is also recommended for pregnant women to eat fish. There are many valuable substances in fish!
- drink enough fluids (no sodas&) Energy drinks): you should drink enough, but make sure you don’t drink sweetened drinks because they contain more calories.
Conclusion
Losing weight during pregnancy is definitely possible. However, you should consider it only if it is necessary for health and it is ordered by a doctor. You should also check with your doctor the exact way you should lose weight.
Without a doctor’s order to lose weight, you can still exercise or change your diet. Pregnant women can do many different sports, they should just make sure that there is no risk of injury. When changing your diet, it is important to eat healthy food.
Image source: Macniak/ 123rf.com
Individual references (4)
1. Annick Bogaerts, Lieveke Ameye, Evelyne Martens, Roland Devlieger 2015: Weight loss in obese pregnant women and risk for adverse perinatal outcomes.
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2. Zoe Weir, Judith Bush, Stephen C Robson, Catherine McParlin, Judith Rankin, Ruth Bell 2010: Physical activity in pregnancy: a qualitative study of the beliefs of overweight and obese pregnant women.
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3. Szymanski, Linda M., MD, PhD; Satin, Andrew J., MD 2012: Exercise During Pregnancy – Fetal Responses to Current Public Health Guidelines.
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4. Benja Muktabhant, Theresa Lawrie, Pisake Lumbiganon, Malinee Laopaiboon, 2015:Diet or exercise, or both, for preventing excessive weight gain in pregnancy.
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