Exercise During Pregnancy Should Not Be About Losing Weight

Limited exercise during pregnancy can help women stay fit, but physical activity should not be used to lose weight at this time.

There are guidelines for weight gain in women expecting a child. These are best maintained by eating healthy and maintaining a consistent pattern of adding pounds.

On average, a pregnant woman can expect to add two to four pounds the first trimester of child bearing stage and another pound per week thereafter. This is based on a single birth. For twins the number would be the same in the first trimester and an increase of one and a half pounds per week thereafter.
If a woman finds that she has gone beyond these guidelines, under no circumstance should she attempt to lose weight. This would be dangerous.

Limiting weight gain can be as simple as watching what you eat. This does not mean you should “go on a diet.” Instead, eat lower fat foods such as chicken and vegetables and refrain from consuming heavy sauces and condiments and fried foods.

Continue to consume the milk products that are essential at this time, but substitute skim, one percent or two percent milk for whole milk. In addition, choose low-fat dairy products such as low-fat cheese and low-fat yogurt.
Stay away from processed sugar and heavily sweetened drinks that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. Water is always a good alternative.

Use fats sparingly. Cooking oils, margarine, butter, gravy, sour cream, mayonnaise, certain salad dressings and cream cheese can all lead to unwanted weight gain.

Follow these eating tips and you should notice a change in your weight gain pattern. It is important to restate that if you follow these eating guidelines and are still over the normal weight range, you should not attempt to limit your food consumption, as this can be detrimental to the developing baby.

As for exercise during pregnancy, it should be a means for staying active and keeping the muscles toned, not dropping pounds.