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How to lose weight during pregnancy?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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How to lose weight during pregnancy and is it possible? Let's look at the specifics of following a diet to maintain a slim figure during pregnancy. And also the safest ways to lose weight while expecting a baby.

Of course, pregnancy is not the best time for experiments, and especially for losing weight. Gynecologists and obstetricians around the world strongly recommend that women not get hung up on their weight during pregnancy, but simply control it. But according to modern research, with great desire and the right approach, it is possible to lose weight during pregnancy. This is especially true for women who were overweight before pregnancy. But losing weight during pregnancy has a number of contraindications and precautions. This is necessary in order to maximally protect both the mother and the future baby from the negative consequences of losing weight.

Weight loss during pregnancy can also be prescribed for medical reasons. In this case, the gynecologist makes a list of recommendations for weight loss and monitors their implementation, monitoring the result. If you have not yet decided for yourself whether you are ready to take the potential risk of losing weight during pregnancy, we suggest you learn about the benefits that you will receive in the process of losing extra pounds.

  • Physical exercise is an integral part of losing weight during pregnancy and helps you sleep better. And good sleep is the key to staying alert and energetic throughout the day.
  • Healthy food is the basis for losing weight. Having tried healthy eating during pregnancy, you will not be able to give it up after giving birth. Changes in the nutrition system will rid you of problems with excess weight forever.
  • Regular physical activity makes labor easier and prevents the development of gestational diabetes during pregnancy. This disease is an increase in blood sugar caused by hormonal changes and diet. With such a diagnosis, a woman is at risk of miscarriage, so most of the pregnancy has to be spent on preservation, and complications may occur during labor.

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Is it possible to lose weight during pregnancy?

Is it possible to lose weight during pregnancy? This is a pressing question for every woman who is already pregnant or is just planning to become a mother. Let's say right away that it is possible to lose weight during pregnancy, but only under the supervision of a gynecologist and without fanaticism, since all your experiments can negatively affect the birth process and the health of the future child.

Excess weight during pregnancy is a diagnosis for many women, which significantly worsens the nine months of waiting for a child. Extra pounds can also appear in those women who follow a diet, but lead a sedentary lifestyle. And this is not surprising, since the main position of a woman during pregnancy is lying on a sofa with a minimum of mobility. Let's consider the negative consequences of excess weight during pregnancy:

  • Fat deposits all over the body and stretch marks (some women get more stretch marks not from the growth of the belly, but from the fat that has appeared on a once slim body).
  • Excess weight is an increase in the size of the fetus. And this in turn causes problems during childbirth. Some women cannot give birth on their own and have to use surgical methods, while others have children born with disorders or asphyxia. And all this is only because of the mother's excess weight.
  • Appearance – no matter what, extra pounds do not make anyone, especially a pregnant woman, look better. Just imagine how difficult it will be to get rid of sagging skin on your arms and legs. And stretch marks? They will stay with you forever.

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Diets during pregnancy

Diets during pregnancy are based on eating healthy food, but not on giving up food. But how to lose weight during pregnancy without harming the baby and yourself. You can't go on strict diets, but you can:

  • Include more vegetables and fruits in your diet.
  • Completely eliminate artificial food and drinks.
  • Eat fermented milk products, foods enriched with vitamins and minerals.
  • Eat small portions throughout the day. Do not eat at night or before nap time.

These simple rules will help you lose weight during pregnancy without dieting. In addition, such nutrition will benefit your baby and will be the key to a successful outcome of childbirth. But, despite this, in many families to this day there is an opinion that it is impossible to refuse a pregnant woman in her culinary whims, and this is wrong.

So, the desire to eat herring or pickles is caused by a lack of potassium in the woman's body. But eating the above-described products will cause excess salt in the body and lead to swelling and because the woman will drink a lot of water. And the sharp taste of the marinade in pickles will cause a raging appetite, which means it will directly lead to extra pounds. Therefore, if you want to eat something salty, it is better to include in your diet foods that are rich in microelements that the body lacks. Potassium is found in dried fruits, watermelon and all orange fruits.

In order for the diet not only to take care of the figure of the expectant mother, but also to bring her pleasure, it is necessary to include fresh vegetable juices, fruit juice mixes, boiled vegetable soups, lean meat delicacies, fresh vegetable salads, cereals (buckwheat, legumes) in the diet. But due to hormonal changes in the body, a pregnant woman may face the problem of constipation, even when following a diet and a balanced diet. This problem can be solved using folk remedies:

  • A teaspoon of vegetable oil before meals.
  • A glass of kefir at night or in the morning.
  • Taking castor oil.
  • A small enema.

Every diet should include physical activity. Women need to be outdoors as often as possible, walk and move more. Regular showers will help remove toxins from the body and give you a good feeling for the whole day. But there are a number of prohibitions that every pregnant woman who decides to go on a diet should remember. During pregnancy, it is strictly forbidden to use synthetic food additives, dietary supplements and teas that promote weight loss. It is forbidden to take pills and other drugs aimed at weight loss. Because this is a direct threat to the life of a pregnant woman and her child.

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Proper nutrition during pregnancy

Proper nutrition during pregnancy is the key to a slim figure and no problems with excess weight. Proper nutrition is based on eating healthy food that is rich in proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals and fats. Proper nutrition for the mother is also necessary for the future baby. A balanced diet has a positive effect on the course of pregnancy and protects against the threat of miscarriage. Let's look at the features of proper nutrition in each trimester of pregnancy.

  • First trimester – during this period, hormonal changes begin in the female body, so toxicosis affects the nutrition process. During this period, it is recommended to eat more fresh vegetables, as they normalize the body's condition and provide an excellent start to a healthy pregnancy.
  • Second trimester - during this period the baby is actively developing and growing, taking all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals from the mother's body. In the second trimester, it is very important to eat more apples, eat meat and drink tomato juice. These products enrich the body with iron, which is depleted by the 5-6 month of pregnancy. The main vitamin at this stage is folic acid. It is found in green plants, which can be consumed in the form of salads or vegetable juices.
  • The third trimester is the period before the birth of the baby, so the diet should be as balanced and correct as possible. You will have to give up spices and seasonings, reduce the amount of salt consumed, as this can cause late toxicosis and swelling. You need to drink more fluids and monitor the number of meals. You need to eat 5-6 times a day, but in small portions.

How to lose weight during pregnancy is up to each woman to decide. Some do not dare to experiment with the body, others adhere to unauthorized diets that lead to disastrous results. And still others follow the rules of proper balanced nutrition, lead an active lifestyle, give birth to healthy children and do not have problems with excess weight after childbirth.

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