Pregnancy is a time of joy and expectation. It can be a time of anxiety for those concerned about gaining weight. Some women gain as little as ten pounds while others gain fifty or more pounds. For women who have a tendency to gain quite a bit of weight or who are already overweight the urge to diet during pregnancy is strong. Anxiety over gaining too much weight or adding more weight to an overweight body can cause one to make poor decisions. However, you need to be careful with your health and the health of your baby.
Pregnancy is not the time to diet. Pregnancy is not the time to try to gain as little as possible to the point it could be harmful to you or your baby. Quite possibly pregnancy is the only time in a woman’s life where weight gain is expected and accepted. The expectation and acceptance are not a license to sit and eat a gallon of ice cream nightly before bed. Wisdom states you eat healthy during your pregnancy and while it is fine to indulge or give in to a craving there is no need to make poor food choices. Making the proper choices is not going on a diet. A diet to be avoided during pregnancy is any diet which limits your intake of one of the four food groups or limits your calories under the recommended 2500 a day needed during pregnancy. Unless directed by your doctor, you should refrain from diets and just maintain a healthy lifestyle. A pregnant woman is expected to gain 25-30 pounds during pregnancy. If a woman starts out overweight then it may be suggested she gain only 15-20 pounds.
You need to make the right choices for your baby. Remember that if you starve your baby starves.