Weight is a sensitive subject! Now, add on top of that, your rapidly changing body and a plethora of hormones, a change in appetite and odd cravings. A recipe for uncertainty, at most. You look in the mirror and barely recognize the changes you see. Where does it come from? Take a look:
See that? Over half of the weight gain will be lost after bringing that beautiful baby into the world! Time to relax. Given that your BMI is normal to begin with, total weight gain should be somewhere between 25 and 35 pounds. If you are considered overweight, prior to pregnancy, you may only need an additional 15-25 pounds. If you’re expecting twins, the expected weight gain can be up to 45 pounds! How does this all play out? To simplify, during the first 3 months of pregnancy, typical weight gain is roughly 2-4 pounds. After that, 1 pound per week! With twins, the only difference is 1.5 pounds of weight gain per week.
Now, how do we figure out how much more we need to eat to reach our goal? Don’t get too excited..given that you are carrying one baby, it’s only an additional 300 calories per day. That’s roughly an apple with 2 tbsp of peanut butter and a cup of Greek yogurt. Sorry mom, now is not the time to give into every craving and sweet indulgence. In fact, it’s time to put our best foot and fork forward! Did you know that what you eat during pregnancy can affect the genes of your baby AND the generations to come? That’s right, those peas you ate last night were an investment for decades to come! Your great grandchildren can thank you for it one day soon enough. So, don’t stress about the changes you see. In fact, those changes are a result of the incredible miracle you are bringing into this world! And, while you are busy NOT stressing about it.. don’t forget to…Eat.to.nourish. Full stop.