Learning that you’re pregnant is one of life’s miracles – however, it can be daunting when it comes to weight. How much weight is healthy for me to gain? How much weight should I gain for my baby? How do I avoid developing gestational diabetes? How do I lose the weight once I have my baby? Don’t stress, New Performance Nutrition is here to help. As a general guideline, we like to refer to this chart:

Pre-pregnancy weight and recommended weight gain:
Underweight (BMI less than 18.5): 28-40 pounds
Normal weight (BMI 18.5-24.9): 25-35 pounds
Overweight (BMI 25-29.9): 15-25 pounds

Trying to navigate a healthy weight gain during your pregnancy and your weight loss post pregnancy can be tricky. Because poor nutrition during a pregnancy can lead to gestational diabetes, low birth weight in babies, increased risk for miscarriages, birth defects, prematurity, obesity after your child is born, and other complications, it is absolutely crucial to make sure you are eating properly and eating enough during your pregnancy. Upwards of 50% of pregnant women over-gain during their pregnancy. In fact, more than 6% of pregnant women have or develop diabetes during pregnancy.

While The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that women do not need to increase caloric intake during their first trimester, the common misconception is to start packing on the calories right away after learning they are pregnant. This leads to too much weight gain during the pregnancy which in turn, makes it even more difficult to lose the weight after the baby is born. Luckily, breastfeeding can help speed up this process! Research shows moms who breastfeed seem to lose the picked up weight from the pregnancy faster and easier compared to moms who formula feed. It makes perfect sense because your body is storing all this fat for breastfeeding and when you don’t breastfeed, the fat stays right where it is. While breastfeeding, make sure to consume more calories! Your body is burning between 200 and 1,000 calories daily while breastfeeding depending on your baby’s appetite and age so your body is going to need to recharge. This causes your metabolism to shoot up, so take advantage of this time to utilize natural, healthy weight loss.

Come in and see Matt to learn just exactly how much you and what you should be eating during your pregnancy and exactly how much and what to eat after.