Can you diet safely when pregnant?

[Baileysismyfriend]

I am still a bit porky from having DS 18 months ago and I have just found out Im pregnant... Is it safe for me to lose a bit of weight at this stage, just a stone would be enough I reckon and would bring my BMI down a bit.

Im 5ft 5 and weigh about 12 stone if that makes any difference to any answers!

Just eat healthily and get some exercise. I don't think its a good idea to restrict your diet when you are expecting, although I understand that it would make you feel better.

Just relax and enjoy this special time - you have the rest of your life to diet!

It depends entirely upon how you are trying to do it. Eating lots of colourful foods - fruit and veggies, cutting crap carbs and moving more is fine and will probably achieve e what you want

Have to agree with Stillbobbygirl. I was within shouting distance of my final goal weight ( 4 years and 4 stones ) when i found out i was pregnant. I have raised my concerns with my GP and midwife and both of them have said just eat sensibly ( not for two adults) and exersize.
Also my mum says preparing for birth is like training for a marathon you have to put in good quality fuel and exersize. As the only person i know who has both given birth and run a marathon I'm following her advice.
But if your really worried we can meet back here in 12 months time and encourage eachother to get the extra pounds off!

Thanks for the advice. Maybe I need to change my thinking and instead of 'dieting' what I need to do is get myself in great shape for the birth, so could just cut out eating crap and replace that with more fruit and veg.

Although I might need to get Christmas out of the way first, I have only a tiny amount of will power at the best of time!

Giving birth is a bit like a marathon I reckon, its bloody hard and sweaty work...

As my mother used to say, "its not called labour for nothing"!

I think you can definitely do it in a very holistic way which would hugely benefit you and your growing baby.

1. Completely cut out all added sugars/ all products containing sugar, except for natural sugars, such as fruit,
2. completely cut out sodas and junk food), 3) substitute fatty foods with reduced fat products (eg, low fat milk, plain low fat yogurt, refuced fat cottage cheese rather than cheese, reduced fat hummous, etc),
3. consume olive and flax seed oil instead of butter,
4. completely cut out any kind of deserts or buscuits,
5. do not eat sugary fruit late at night (eat berries instead),
6. try to eat a lot veggies (better raw than cooked),
7. limit starchy foods intake to 1-2 times per week,
8. cut out pork and bacon, and reduce red meat consumption to once per week (eat oily fish and poultry instead)...

Good luck!

And don't forget to walk/ swim/ do yoga or pilates!

Hi Baileyismyfriend

thinking of it as "training" or "getting in good shape" rather than dieting is a great idea. I might steal that one ;)

I mean, the bottom line is that we're going to gain weight. We have to. But we still need to be healthy, strong, full of vitamins etc. So this REALLY isn't the time to be doing zany meal-replacements, skipping meals or calorie counting.

Better that we think like athletes in training - huge amounts of fruit, veg, wholesome food, no junk - and try to keep physically fit.

Good luck with everything :)

My mum dieted for twenty years with no lasting success - she finally managed to lose the weight when she STOPPED dieting and started eating three healthy meals a day with no/few junk foodie treats or snacks.

So don't diet, just don't eat crap and get as much exercise as you feel able for - exercise is a much more effective way of losing weight than dieting anyway and prepares you for labour! And don't go too mad on the skimmed milk and no red meat - I've had to switch from skimmed to semi and eat TONS of red meat as that's what my body told me I needed - but stick to lean steak or stew with lots of veggies rather than bacon and sausage.

Good luck!

Thanks for all of the advice. lilly13, that list is really helpful. If I stick to that I would really feel good about myself - and also very smug which is nice too!

Regarding lilly13's list, generally it is very good but I would be careful about limiting startchy food to 1-2 per week. All the literature says that carbs/starchy food (wholegrain varieties if possible) should form the main part of each meal. Remember carbs are not the enemy and are a fabulous source of fuel. Bear in mind what your body is currently doing and how much energy that takes. Good luck!

Yes, but you do need to change your thinking. Cut out processed crap and overly sugary foods, eat only healthy food and plenty of fruit, veg, nuts as snacks. Don't "diet" in the sense of restricting carbs or counting calories, just "et well" and make sure that whatever and whenever you eat it is good stuff for you and your baby.

agree with dittany - I think Lily's list is too extreme, especially the two portions of starchy food a week. and the advice re:fish in PG seems to change every five minutes have no idea how many portions of oily fish "they" advice these days.

in terms of a healthy diet, I'ld look out information on heart health or GI diet, that's been produced by a reputable doctor/dietician.

I also think Lily's list is too extreme - and not sustainable.

I think that cutting out all sugars, deserts, biscuits etc is shooting yourself in the foot. Like it or not, sugar is a part of how we live now, and I have seen too many people cut it out and then end up binging. A BIT of chocolate has never to my knowledge hurt anyone.

Also, starchy food is somethingthe body needs: brown bread, rice etc should be part of a daily diet.

The only thing that stops the starve/binge cycle for me has been eating three healthy meals per day that are nutritionally balanced, and making SURE that they are nutritionally balanced rather than assuming because they are low-calorie, that they are good for me. At first, it took a lot of effort and thinking about food, but it gets easier.

Sorry everyone, you misunderstood me -- by starchy foods I meant mostly processed foods made out of white wheat and potatoes. 1-2 servings per week is adequate. I did not mean complex carbs! You should, of course, eat unprocessed grains (oats, barley), whole grain breads (rye, pumpernickel, multi-grain/seed breads are great). Olive oil, flax seed and fish oils will provide essential amino acids (there is no need to eat butter or margarine). Eat nuts (except peanuts and walnuts) and seeds when want to snack (in moderation). Plain low fat yogurt, semi-skimmed milk and reduced fat hummous contain no additives! You can replace chocolate with raw cacao nibs - they are delicious and are full of anti-oxidants.

This is not dieting btw - this is healthy eating. I think once you start excercising and get on a healthy regime, you will not crave junk foods and sweets. For me personally, doing yoga every day has really been fantastic in making me stick to this eating plan. Also, I can recommend a good nutritionist if you are interested in a consultation... Good luck!

If you want something structured, slimming world allow pregnant women to do their plan. It is safe as there is so much stuff that you can eat in unlimited quantities so you are not restricted calories per se but simply eating healthily. You have to get a form signed by your MW first though. Contact your local group to get one. I can't recommend sw enough, you get to eat loads and you still lose weight, and it's really easy to stuck to. x

I think what is making Lilly's suggestions sound extrememe are the words "completely cut out"

So many women try to change their eating habits overnight, and this is extremely hard to do and so it rarely works.

I also think stopping unhealthy behaviours is much more difficult than starting new behaviours. So instead of completely cutting out any kind of desserts or biscuits, why not try new healthier kinds of desserts, for instance (like low fat jelly with fresh fruit, or fruit salad)?

(Lilly did make some suggestions for things to start doing btw, and those are good ideas)

Also, sustainable weight loss is not a sprint, rather it is an ensurance test. Before I fell pregnant I lost 1.5 stone but I was only losing about 2 lbs per month. And this is fine - it's still a lot of weight to lose, and I managed to keep it off. So don't worry about slowing down while you're pregnant, eating well and getting lots of excercise will still prove beneficial to you once the baby is born.

The Food Standards Agency has a really useful page with all the official advice and guidelines: here

It's main advice is:

"It's important to try to eat a variety of foods including:

* plenty of fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or a glass of juice). Aim for at least five portions of a variety each day
* plenty of starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice and potatoes - try to choose wholegrain options
* foods rich in protein such as lean meat and chicken, fish (aim for at least two servings of fish a week, including one of oily fish), eggs and pulses (such as beans and lentils). These foods are also good sources of iron (see 'Do I need extra iron?' below)
* plenty of fibre. This helps prevent constipation and is found in wholegrain bread, pasta, rice, pulses and fruit and vegetables
* dairy foods such as milk, cheese and yoghurt, which contain calcium

It's also a good idea to cut down on foods such as cakes and biscuits, because these are high in fat and sugar. This can also help you to avoid putting on too much weight during pregnancy.

Healthy snacks to have instead include malt loaf; currant buns without icing; sandwiches or pitta bread filled with cottage cheese, chicken or lean ham; low-fat yoghurts; vegetable and bean soups; and fruit including fresh, tinned in juice or dried fruit such as raisins or apricots."