We all know someone who was thrilled when they learned they were pregnant. Yes, because they were bringing life into this world. But also because they could finally "eat for two" and let their diet go.All of us with sense know that this is a pregnancy myth. You can't actually eat for two and expect to lose the baby weight anytime in the next decade.
You're supposed to have 300 calories more per day when pregnant (in the second and third trimesters, especially), and 300-500 more than your pre-pregnant caloric needs when breastfeeding. (Yet another reason to go for the boob: "Na-na-na-na-boo-boo! We get to eat more!" Okay. I'll stop.)
But the eating "extra" may not be the best choice for every pregnant woman.
Women who are already obese when they become pregnant may not need to gain "baby weight" as long as they and their care provider focus on a healthy diet.
Researcher Yvonne S. Thornton, MD, MPH, says her strict new dietary recommendations go further that those of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), which recently updated its guidelines for pregnancy weight.
Pregnancy is not a time to eat twice as much, but twice as well.
The study involved 232 obese women. Their BMIs (body mass index) ranged from 30 to 69, with the average being in the upper 30s. A person with a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
(Yo. I want to insert here that I'm not perfect, either. And that's okay. My BMI is slightly above average--ever the overachiever--but I'm working on it. My garden is helping! The nurse who weighed me at my last appointment called me "postpartum" and said those couple of pounds don't matter much as long as I feel healthy. Baby E is now 15 months, so "postpartum" is hardly how I'd describe myself. Thanks, nice nurse! And I do feel pretty healthy.)
For these mamas, Thornton put half of them on personalized healthy meal plans and had them keep food diaries. The others had no dietary interventions. Thornton said she specifically didn't use the word "diet" because it's an emotionally loaded term. (Bravo! I agree!)
The results? Healthier pregnant women, which is good for everyone. Those who gained less than 15 pounds during the pregnancy were more likely to be in the group that kept the food diaries than in the comparison group, and they were less likely to develop gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, undergo cesarean section, or have labor induced.
And that makes for a happier mama, baby, and family.
Let me reiterate that Thornton was very common sense about this.
We're not saying that pregnant women should lose weight. We're not advocating that. We're saying, 'Forget about the pounds, already ... Let's talk about eating well and whatever happens, happens.'
If it says 55 miles an hour, you know most of us don't go 55 miles an hour. But if there's a police officer there, we're going 55 miles an hour. And that's the same thing with my study.
Let's put the brakes on "eating for two" no matter what size we are when we become pregnant. Unless you're reaching for that second serving of salad!
Image: Torsten Mangner on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.
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