Questionthis is my first pregnancy and according to ultrasound i am almost 37 weeks, at eight weeks (when i found out) i was 117lbs...now im weighing in at a whopping 173! although the past two weeks i seemed to have started gaining much less (one pound a week) i am scared that i will never lose all this weight! what is the best way for me to lose it, and how long do i have to postpartum should i wait before trying to lose weight (i plan on breastfeeding for probably 4 or 5 months)
AnswerGaining almost 60 pounds in pregnancy, while not unusual in society today, is certainly not ideal. Many women are encouraged to overeat during pregnancy. In fact "eating for two" is a myth. In reality women only need to consume an extra 300 calories per day. For the average sized women, this works out to "eating for 1.2".
Let's look at the math a little more closely. Women who start pregnancy at a healthy weight should gain 25 - 35 pounds (and even this amount is now under debate).
You will most likely gain 30 pounds over the middle of the recommended amount. But if you divide this over the course of a 40 week gestation, it works out to only and extra 3/4 of a pound per week. This means that over the course of a week you over-consumed an average of 2625 calories, or only about 375 extra calories per day.
From the above example, you can clearly see how easy it is to gain too much weight during pregnancy. Lots of women fall prey to this slow but steady creeping up of body weight by just slightly over-consuming a little bit day after day.
Examine your diet, to see where, what, and why you are over-consuming. Make positive changes now. Aim for cutting out the extra 375 calories that you are used to. Be careful not to eat less than 1800 calories per day. You do not want to go below your current basal metabolism.
After pregnancy, aim to eat about 1600 calories per day. Breastfeeding metabolizes stored fat, and if you eat the amount that you need to support your ideal weight, then you'll slowly loose the extra weight.
Taking care of a newborn is a fairly sedentary lifestyle. Try to get out for a walk with you baby in a front pack or stroller for a minimum of 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Consider joining a fitness class for new moms. Many are stroller based, and are great for burning calories as well as toning up. Plus, you'll meet a lot of other new moms in your neighborhood.
If possible, try to breastfeed for a longer period. It's by far the healthiest for you and your baby. In fact, no formula can provide the balanced array of micro-nutrients, quality proteins, healthy fats, or the immune system enhancement of breast milk.
For more information on weight gain during pregnancy, go to:
http://befitmom.com/weight_gain.html
For more information on weight loss after pregnancy, go to:
http://befitmom.com/weight_loss.html
