If you’re expecting a baby and you are curious about the question: losing weight before pregnancy diet. You will find numerous important info on this particular topic, as well as tips, advice, experiences, and answers for you to questions regarding pregnancy, correct nutrition and diet habits.
If yesterday we talked about losing weight after giving birth with a sensible and unhurried plan, today we talk about the importance of reaching pregnancy with a healthy weight. All women with a BMI greater than 25 should lose a few kilos prior to pregnancy to start pregnancy with a weight in relation to normal height that allows achieving a BMI of between 19 and 25.
If you plan to get pregnant in the near future, you should know the importance of achieving an adequate weight, to protect your health and that of the baby that will be gestated within your body. We tell you how you can take care of your weight if you want to get pregnant .
Why achieve a healthy pre-pregnancy weight
A healthy weight is recommended for many aspects of our life and is closely linked to our physical, mental and emotional health.
However, if you plan to get pregnant reaching a healthy weight becomes even more important and we will tell you why:
1) Increase the chances of pregnancy
Both low weight and obesity generate alterations in reproductive capacity and make it difficult for the human body to achieve conception.
underweight , associated with a low percentage of body fat, can reduce steroid hormones in the body and to preserve life, reduce reproductive functions in women . Therefore, achieving an adequate percentage of fat in the body as well as a healthy weight (not very low) is key.
For its part, excess fat or obesity also produces hormonal alterations and can, among other things, modify menstrual cycles, increase the risk of suffering from diseases that make conception difficult such as polycystic ovary syndrome or others and therefore it is inadvisable if we are trying to get pregnant.
2) Helps prevent complications
A pregnancy started with low weight can easily be compensated by a greater weight gain during pregnancy. With the presence of obesity at the time of conception, everything is more complex since a high weight during pregnancy carries different risks.
Specifically, you should gain very little weight or lose a few kilos if obesity is very marked, but even so the risks of suffering from varicose veins, hemorrhoids, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes or hypertension increase with a excess weight during pregnancy.
Likewise, complications during childbirth can be increased if we are overweight and may have a greater chance of cesarean section or bleeding, among others.
As if that were not enough, the risks are transferred to the baby since its pregnancy can be negatively influenced by excess fat and the mother’s weight, as well as, it can be damaged by the associated complications to the obesity mentioned above, among them, due to premature birth.
3) Protects the health of mother and child
Having a healthy weight before and at conception predisposes a healthy pregnancy, increases the chances of achieving it and also benefits the health of the mother and the baby. current and future child .
In the case of the mother, the complications of pregnancy can leave sequelae on her body, not counting the weight problems that may persist after delivery, the greater impact on the joints, vascular problems and others .
In the case of the child, it may be a baby with very low weight if the delivery is premature or overweight at birth and this will condition their future chances of having obesity and all that that implies.
For all this, having a healthy weight before getting pregnant and at the beginning of pregnancy is essential if we want to enjoy this long-awaited and special stage in life without complications.
How to take care of your weight if you want to get pregnant
To increase the chances of having a healthy pregnancy and give our baby health in advance, it is essential that we take care of our weight trying to achieve a body without excess or deficit of fat.
Good tips to take care of your weight before pregnancy are:
- Control the portions of foods eaten, trying to moderate even more those poor quality foods that should eventually be consumed and trying to reduce the intake of added sugars and foods that contain them as much as possible. Some tips to achieve this include not eating from the container, taking the dishes already served to the table, recording what has been consumed.
- Cook and eat more at home , reducing the intake of fast food and favoring control of the quality and quantity of what we put on our plate every day.
- Reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods within which are: industrial pastries, ready-to-heat and consume dishes, cookies, commercial snacks, sugary soft drinks, cold cuts or sausages, among others.
- Increase the intake of fresh and seasonal foods that offer the nutrients we need most and have more recommended components for the body such as more fiber, quality proteins, vitamins and minerals.
- Change refined or white cereals for their integral version that have more fiber and protein and therefore have a greater capacity to satisfy us by avoiding excessive intake and a constant appetite.
- Eat always sitting at the table and if possible, without distractions , in order to become aware of what enters our body and thus prevent excesses when eating.
- Change the fried foods for the oven in order to reduce unnecessary calories and poor quality nutrients. A baked or cooked and cooled potato will always be healthier than those that were cooked submerged in oil.
- Use water as the main drink , limiting the intake of alcohol and sugary drinks that are not recommended at any stage of life, even in minimal proportions.
- Move whenever possible to increase physical activity without resulting in structured exercise or sports activity. For example, we can change the elevator for the stairs, passive transport for the bicycle, go for a walk instead of watching television, or other types of activities that add movement to our day to day.
- Incorporate the habit of exercising , because if we don’t do it now, we won’t do it after giving birth with a baby at home. The ideal is to dedicate at least 30 minutes about three times a week to exercise in the way that we like the most, for example: practicing yoga, running, doing Pilates or other disciplines, incorporating exercise into our lives from now on to preserve it during pregnancy and after childbirth.
With these tips you can achieve a healthy weight before pregnancy and modify habits in favor of a healthier lifestyle that protects you now and during as well as after pregnancy.
It is always advisable, in addition, to seek the help of a health professional, and consultation with a dietitian-nutritionist may be recommended.
A menu to lose weight
We suggest a menu that can help you lose weight if you adapt portions and recipes to your particularities and accompany it with physical exercise.
Monday
| Breakfast | Tea or coffee with a sandwich made with low-carb fitness rolls, fresh cheese and tomato. |
|---|---|
| Fitness bars with oats and nuts. | |
| Food | Tacos of lettuce with lentils. Kiwi. |
| Snack | Glass of milk and whole wheat toast with jam without sugar. |
| Dinner | Oriental chicken stir-fry with vegetables. Pear. |
Tuesday
| Breakfast | Baked eggs on avocado with goat cheese. |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning | Bowl of milk with rolled oats and fresh pomegranate. |
| Food | Chickpea salad with tomato and tuna belly. Apricot. |
| Snack | Glass of milk and banana and coconut cookies with sunflower seeds. |
| Thai beef salad. Grapefruit. |
Wednesday
| Breakfast | Couscous with milk and fruits. |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning | Yogurt natural with chopped almonds and raisins. |
| Food | Black bean and potato salad. Apple |
| Snack | Tea or coffee with sugar-free fitness cookies. |
| Dinner | Multicolored salad with sauteed salmon. Orange |
Thursday
| Breakfast | Glass of milk and sandwich of whole wheat bread with seeds with fresh cheese and tomato. |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning | Papaya wafers with yogurt and cherries. |
| Lunch | Chicken salad with chickpeas. Kiwi |
| Snack | Milk and banana smoothie with chia seeds. |
| Dinner | Wraps or tacos of lettuce with sautéed beef. Pear. |
Friday
| Breakfast | Two-ingredient pancakes with fresh fruits. |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning | Milk with oats and sunflower seeds. |
| Food | Roasted sweet potato stuffed with quinoa and cheese. Tangerine |
| Snack | Glass of milk with oatmeal cookies and apple. |
| Dinner | Hake fillets with crunchy lemon, rosemary and thyme with fresh vegetable salad. Figs. |
Saturday
| Breakfast | Tea or coffee with pumpkin pancakes and oatmeal with fresh fruits. |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning < / th> | Plain yogurt with banana and kiwi chunks. |
| Food | Grilled turkey breast fillet with white bean salad with assorted tomatoes. Orange |
| Snack | Glass of milk with whole wheat toast with avocado and tomato. |
| Dinner | Zucchini ribbons with cockles. Pear |
Sunday
| Breakfast | Bircher Muesli. |
|---|---|
| Mid-morning | Toasted pumpkin seeds |
| Food | Chicken and avocado salad with citrus vinaigrette. Banana. |
| Snack | Milk shake with chia seeds and pear. |
| Dinner < / th> | Hake with new potatoes and cherry tomatoes. Figs. |
Image | iStock and Pexels
Share Losing weight and then gaining weight: how to take care of your weight if you want to get pregnant
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