How can I safely lose weight while pregnant? Most women worry about losing their figure during and after a pregnancy, this is a natural concern but for some who are over-weight when they discover they are pregnant it is a huge concern.
The majority of pregnant women can look forward to being back to their normal size within three months of giving birth providing they have maintained a good healthy diet throughout their pregnancy. It is easy to over-eat during your pregnancy resulting in even more weight gain that necessary.
When you are over-weight to start with, how can you safely lose excess weight while pregnant?
By following my 7 healthy weight-loss tips you can drop excess fat and still maintain a healthy weight gain during pregnancy. It is always advised that you consult your medical practitioner before starting any new diet plan.
1. Eat Until Satisfied
Simply eating until satisfied not full or bloated will cut out hundreds of excess calories from your diet. It takes twenty minutes for our brains to register we have eaten enough. So eat slowly and chew every mouthful. Stop eating when you have satisfied your hunger.
2. Eat Several Small Meals a Day and Healthy Snacks
Instead of having three large meals a day opt for three smaller meals with healthy snacks in between. This will help keep your metabolism in peak performance and keep hunger at bay. Use smaller palates for your meals so your mind is tricked into still seeing a full plate. Ensure your snacks are healthy options.
3. Eat Healthy Fats
When we diet it is natural to try to eliminate all fats from our meals; however our body needs fat to burn fat! The type of fat you choose however makes all the difference.
Polyunsaturated fats are the good guys; these fats help lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The three good for you fats for cooking are olive oil, coconut oil and real butter. Yes real butter, not the highly processed spreads that abound in the dairy aisle. Foods that contain the good fats are organic eggs, real butter, wild salmon and nuts.
When you incorporate healthy fats into your pregnancy diet plan you will feel full longer and as fat burns fat you will be actively burning excess fat storage.
4. Eat Plenty of Fiber Rich Foods
Fiber is your friend. Fiber rich foods help make you feel full faster and keep you feeling full longer.
Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that our bodies cannot digest or absorb. However when you eat lots of fiber rich foods it helps flush fats from our systems and as we all know fiber helps with flushing out the colon and keeping a healthy digestive tract.
Fiber is helpful in regulating blood sugar and digestive issues.
Fiber rich plant foods include potatoes with skin, broccoli, oats, barely, green beans, cauliflower, carrots, lentils and fruits include bananas, strawberries and oranges. Whilst it is always best to choose fresh foods, dried foods are also a good option for adding fiber to your pregnancy diet. Aim at getting 20 to 25 grams of fiber into your diet daily and remember to drink plenty of water.
5. Eat Lean Protein
Protein plays a vital role in your pregnancy and in the healthy development of your baby. It is during the second and third trimesters that demand for protein increases so be sure to incorporate around 70 grams of lean protein daily. Chicken is a good source of lean protein but you can also get your protein intake from fish, organic eggs, milk, beans, nuts, peanut butter, cottage cheese, yogurt and cheese in moderation.
6. Avoid Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar in all its forms needs to be avoided when trying to lose weight. Sugar provides no nutrients for your growing baby, it is simply empty calories that helps pack on the pounds. Most processed foods contain some form of sugar. Artificial sweeteners have been hailed as a healthy replacement for people with a sweet tooth but don’t you believe it! They are artificial chemicals that create havoc with your system. Avoid all forms of artificial sweeteners. It is best to have real sugar over artificial any day! Think of your growing baby, do you really want him to be fed on artificial, man-made products?
The healthy option for sweetening your drinks or food is honey. Honey has healthy benefits for both you and baby and it is pure and natural.
7. Keep Hydrated
Our body is made up of mostly water and water is what helps things tick nicely along. When we become dehydrated things start to get out of whack. The initial stages of dehydration can mimic hunger pangs. So you eat, adding extra unnecessary calories when all you truly needed was calorie-free water!
So drink a full glass of water whenever you start to feel hungry. Not only will it keep you well hydrated but it may solve your hunger issue. If you still feel hungry you will eat less as the water has filled the void.
Water also helps flush toxins and fat out of your system. Isabel de los Rios, Nutritionist and Fitness Certificate Expert and author of the book “The Diet Solution Program”, states that water is of great benefits to a weight loss plan. As a rule of thumb she recommends that everybody should drink at least 1 liter of water a day for every 65 pounds of weight, plus one extra glass every time you exercise or consume caffeine. She also recommends we drink a full glass of water before each meal.
