I am pregnant and overweight. How can I safely loose weight during pregnancy?

Answer 1

You cant. YOu can be healthy and exercise and eat a good healthy diet. However, you should not try to lose weight. Wait until after the baby is born before you try to diet. Good luck.

Answer 2

it's not recommend however overweight women sometimes still lose weigh in pregnancy without trying. WHAT'S important is to stay active eat right and EXPECT by the end of the pregnancy to gain 15 pounds or so. My doctor told me never to diet in pregnancy. I am overweight he suggested a gain of 20 - 25 pounds now I'm 24 weeks 5 days I've gained 33 which is more then i wanted but the docs says just walk and eat right. EVERY doctor is diffrent ask yours their advice.

Answer 3

I am at almost 30 weeks amd I was pretty overweight to begin with. I hav only gained 8 lbs but right now my baby is almost 3 lbs. If you are overweight it may not be necessary to gain as much as a skinnier mom and still have a healthy baby.....the key is good nutrition and good prenatal care. I can be DANGEROUS not to gain weight - especially without your Dr not being involved - but if your Dr carefully monitors your pregancy and you eat healthy then you can safely get away with gaining less. Go get a book called " what to expect when you are expecting" by Heidi Murkoff. It's the pregnancy bible and will help with all these questions. I refer to it almost daily right now and I am due Feb 2, 2007. Your question as well as many others that you would not expect is in there. It's excellent in describing all of these little things that worry moms and help distinguish when something is "normal" or not.
Good Luck!

Answer 4

I know that some people are wondering why she would decide to lose weight now that she is pregnant, but just from my own personal experience, the more weight you have on, the higher your chances of developing gestational diabetes and other health problems.

I developed GD close to the end of my pregnancy, but by that point, it was too close to delivery to worry about. But now I'm told I am at high risk of developing diabetes.

As long as you are careful, eat healthy and try to stay away from refined sugar (soda, ice cream and candy), you should be able to get through your pregnancy and be all the healthier for it. I recommend getting help from your doctor though because despite my attempts to stay healthy, my cravings were very strong.

But I wouldn't worry about the weight you already have on you now. Just do your best to keep it at a minimum, exercise, etc. You might not lose weight, but if you keep active and healthy, it should be easier to lose it after the baby is born.

On another note, you should seriously consider breast feeding because it increases your metabolism. Women that breast feed tend to lose weight faster then mom's that don't.

Answer 5

I wouldn't focus on losing weight until after the baby is out. Until then, take a prenatal yoga class and start eating healthy. Build a good foundation with your diet and then start working out when you get the go ahead after you have the baby.


Going for walks is also very healthy! Just be active. Yoga is really the best thing you could do, ever. It helps you breathe through birth and it teaches you how to focus your mind and body.

Also, take a prenatal vitamin. Go to an actual health store, like Sprouts or Wild Oats or Whole Foods, and find a good vitamin. Alive Multivitamins are very good and give you a lot of energy. Typical ones you find at super markets aren't time released and they typically don't have other super foods in them.

Answer 6

As you should know, cutting out necessary nutrients while pregnant is a very bad idea, but if you're already eating exessively, or eating the wrong things, then certainly there's no harm in not doing those things, which would make you lose weight.
The best thing to do would be moderate exercise, like going for long walks. No "bouncing, bending over" kind of activities though.
And for crying out loud, don't set some arbitrary poundage that you want to reach. That's absurd, and likely to be an unhealthy thing to do for your baby.
P.S. I'm not a doctor. You should be asking your doctor this question, not a bunch of random internet surfers.

Answer 7

It is not generally recommended to try losing weight when you are pregnant. However, if you begin to introduce some healthy eating habits into your life while motivated during pregnancy then you may naturally lose some weight. I wouldn't suggest that you make that your goal, however. Try substituting something you eat now for something more healthy. For example, if you prefer donuts or danish for breakfast, try a slice of whole wheat toast with peanut butter, a banana, and a glass of skim milk instead. Pick just one thing at a time to work on and by the time your baby is born, you should be well on your way to have lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products in your daily diet. If you start these habits and continue after the baby comes, they will help your milk production if your breast feed (which helps burn calories and helps take off the baby fat faster). Add some walking for exercise and drink plenty of water and you should see a increase in your energy. Many pre-packaged foods are high in fat and sodium and are not good for you, so try to search the internet for healthy home-made meals to substitute for frozen or boxed meals. Speak with your doctor and he/she may be able to give you a referral to the nutritionist who can help you plan meals and make good choices during and after your pregnancy.

Answer 8

You dont. Being overweight you need to gain at least 15 to 25 pounds and about 7 of that will be baby, then about 1 to 2 pounds of that would be fat...the rest, blood, amniotic fluid, etc...YOu just need to eat healthy, and go for walks daily. That will help keep your weight down. Go to www.babycentery.com and they have a weight chart that will tell you exactly how much you should gain for your height and current weight, and where all that weight is going.

Answer 9

Well a diet should be discussed with your doctor for sure. However.. I'm not overweight but gained way to fast with my 8mo old son. By 6mo I had already put on 40lbs and my dr (at John Hopkins) advised me to cut 100 calories (from 2000) per week until I was at about 1300-1500 (whatever I was comfortable with). It worked really well but once I was no longer pregnant and I was breastfeeding I found it hard to stay at such a low calorie intake and ended up gaining some back.

You should start exercising though.. even something as simple as yoga

Answer 10

Remember, you are NOT eating for two; however you must make sure that you eat the types of foods that are good for BOTH of you. You can safely lose weight during your pregnancy by sticking with mainly fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, etc. Don't drink sodas, drink water instead. Restrict your salt intake. You can also help yourself lose weight by doing a lot of walking during your pregnancy.....it is a safe way to exercise.

Answer 11

Talk to your doctor and you will find out it is NOT safe for you or your baby to lose weight during pregnancy. But you can try to limit your weight gain to 12 to 15 pounds as long as you eat super-healthy.

You've been overweight this long, why must you suddenly try to lose it now that you are pregnant???

Please don't rob your baby of nutrients and calories it needs. There will be plenty of time to lose weight once you have the baby!