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Diet & Fitness 
  |  Lose Weight  |  Weight Loss  |  Pregnancy and weight loss
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Pregnancy and weight loss

by Jonny Bowden, M.A.

question
I'm nearly three stone overweight and have just found out I’m pregnant. My doctor says I can walk on the treadmill three times a week for twenty minutes and then build up from there. Can I lose weight while I’m pregnant?

answer
I get nervous when people talk about weight loss and pregnancy in the same breath. Pregnancy is not the time to worry about weight loss. You should concentrate on being as fit as you can, increasing or maintaining your aerobic capacity, keeping up your strength and endurance and eating well. There's plenty of time for more serious exercise and weight loss after you give birth. On the flip side, you shouldn't use pregnancy as an excuse to eat every kind of food in sight.

Many people continue to work out through their pregnancy and feel better because of it. However, most experts agree that if you have not been working out all along, pregnancy is not the best time to begin a hardcore fitness program. In your case, I think your doctor is right. Walking is a terrific exercise and can be done right through to the ninth month, providing your GP feels it is safe.

If you do continue a more elaborate fitness programme, make sure you do this with a personal trainer who has a pregnancy/postpartum certificate. There are lots of things you should and should not be doing during pregnancy and a trained expert will be able to tell you what they are. Weight training exercises on your back, for example, are forbidden after the first trimester.

Here are some recommendations of things to focus on and to avoid when you are pregnant:

  • Snacks: raw organic nuts and seeds, fruit, hard-boiled eggs, lean meats, yoghurt.
  • Breakfasts: eggs, cheeses, wholegrain crackers, fruit, brown rice, cereal, oatmeal, yoghurt, cottage cheese, nuts (especially almonds and walnuts).
  • Lunches and Dinners: meat, fish with vegetables and/or salads. Include plenty of flax oil, some olive oil and butter here and there.
  • Avoid: smoking, alcohol, pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, MSG, Nutrasweet, heavy metals, solvents like cleaning materials, sugar, hydrogenated (or partly hydrogenated) oils, sunflower or corn oils, carbonated drinks, processed and refined foods.

    In short, enjoy your pregnancy, have a healthy baby, maintain your fitness and a healthy weight, and worry about weight loss after your baby is born.

    Why not chat to other iVillagers about eating for two on the Getting Back Into Shape After Baby message board. Take a look at some of the LIVE discussions happening now on the board:

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