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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

How much Weight Should I put on During my Pregnancy?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get asked from many clients and customers


So what is the answer?
Well on average a women who exercises during her pregnancy can expect to put on anything from 8-16kg. A women who is not active or exercising may put on anything from 12-30kg which is quite a big difference.

Weight gain is varied
Now each women is different and each pregnancy is different. Some women like myself may only gain 1-2 kg in the first 20 weeks were as other women can put on an extra 5kg in the first few weeks!
If you have a very fast weight gain it will generally be fluid you can not increase fat stores this quickly. Some women can experience rapid fluid increases in the 1st or 3rd Tri-mester unfortunately there is nothing you can do about this. It is just how your body is coping with your pregnancy your body lays down fluid to protect itself during stressful times also food intolerance's can increase during pregnancy which may also increase fluid levels.

Reducing Extra Pregnancy Weight
You need to put on weight during a pregnancy you are growing a baby!Your boobs, baby, increased blood volume, increased fluids (amniotic) all weigh! And can be anything from 8-10kg so you have to expect this gain at least (unless you started off above your normal weight). If it bothers you your increasing weight don't get on the scales and put away your jeans!

There is no need however to put on extra weight it just makes your pregnancy harder to carry, can increase discomfort and increase aches and pains.
Maintain a healthy pregnancy weight by exercising moderately and eating healthy. Stay away from sugar and white, high glycemic carbohydrates, instead try to increase your vegetables protein and fat.

Any questions please comment
Visit http://pregnancyexercise.co.nz/ for more info on pregnancy and post natal exercise and for pregnancy exercise programs that you can do at home.

8 comments:

  1. No doubt about it, exercise is a big plus for both you and your baby..

    Weight Gain

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  2. May I ask how much you gained with your pregnancies? Seems you were ALL belly and you successfully avoided to gain all over! Your program seems to work!

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  3. May I ask how much you gained with each kid? You stayed so slim all over!

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  4. Sorry, I posted two simmilar comments, thought the first went lost!

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  5. I would like to add an additional remark: While I fully agree that exercising during pregnancy is very important for the health and well-being of mother and baby weight gain seems to be determined by many more factors. I have seen women who exercised until their due date gain 20 kg (including one fitness instructor), often because they over-compensated with their food intake and I know quite a lot normal-weight women who were largely sedantary and only gained 15-20 pounds. Even though exercise is important and active women will recover way faster after delivery I think that diet is the determening factor for weight gain (possible along with genetics).

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  6. Hi Thanks for your posts, all women are different so the article is generic. 80% of how we look is based on the food we eat then we have metabolisn and body type to look at.
    Some women who you may not think should put on any weight can put on a lot and also the opposite can then happen. Generally though by following an exercise program and eating well this will reduce extra pregnancy kilos.
    I have put on between 8.5-9.5 kg during all 3 of my pregnancies but my exercise has varied considerably. I have followed a strength program at least twice a week with all 3. During my 3rd I did minimal cardio and concentrated on my programs

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  7. Hi there. I'm just curious about the food intake issue. I was 50kg pre-pregnancy (166cm) whether I exercised or not, although I liked to do yoga and would consider myself moderately fit. I also did not limit my food intake in any way although I do in general eat fairly healthy home-cooked food and drink a lot of water. But we keep salty and sweet snacks in the house and I eat them freely. We also go out for a meal at least once per week.

    I did gain a lot (~9.5kg) in the first 22 weeks but recently at 24.5 weeks I was down to ~8kg gain. I also started a biokinetics program (2 days in the gym, one in the pool) which probably attributes to the loss. I feel like if I alter my food intake that I am essentially putting myself on a diet, which I know is not recommended during pregnancy. I'm just somewhat concerned about the high weight gain so early on. . . Should my diet change during pregnancy if pre-preg I was able to maintain a stable weight?

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  8. Hi everyone is different and sometimes that weight gain will and should slow down, just try to avoid sugary treats and make sure you are eating enough fat and protein along with adaquate hydration

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