How To Eat A Healthy Diet During Pregnancy
Beverley Brooke

Perhaps the number one complaint of women trying to watch their weight during pregnancy is that they are hungry all the time. True, pregnancy does result in an increased metabolic demand on the body, which can cause you to be hungry. Many women also experience a number of cravings during pregnancy, which can make healthy eating challenging.

The first thing to remember is that the idea that you should eat for two is wrong. You only need an additional 300 calories per day, and generally you dont need these calories until you are well on your way to the second and third trimesters.

So what can you do to help manage your weight and stick to a healthy diet?

Remember that during pregnancy it is vital that you do not cut back on your caloric intake. This has the potential to rob your baby of essential nutrients that are necessary for his/her growth and development. Here are some tips to help you stick to a healthy diet throughout your pregnancy:

Avoid skipping meals. If you have a habit of skipping breakfast, youll find that you are not only more fatigued but ravenous during your pregnancy, which will result in overeating. Be sure that you eat each meal every day.

Try eating several mini meals throughout the ay. This will not only help you feel fuller longer, it will help minimize the nausea often experienced during the first trimester.

Satisfy your cravings with nutritious snacks. Have a variety of healthy things to snack on readily available so you avoid overindulging in foods that are too decadent. If you are craving something sweet, consider having some mini chocolates near by or opt for a cup of hot chocolate. Both are far better for you than an entire candy bar or piece of cake.

Exercise during your pregnancy. The act of exercising in and of itself will be plenty to motivate you to stick to a healthy diet. Youll feel better about yourself and find that you have more energy throughout the day.

Avoid high calorie beverages. Soda pop (which isnt good for you anyway, particularly during pregnancy), juices and other flavored drinks often contain a good 100-300 calories per serving. Stick to water or flavored water during your pregnancy.

Drink lots of water. You may think you are hungry when in fact you are actually thirsty at many points during your pregnancy. In fact, the brains hunger and thirst centers often get mixed up, so people often feel hungry when they are in fact dehydrated. The better hydrated you are, the les likely you are to overeat.

About the Author

Article by Beverley Brooke, author of “Ensure A Healthy Pregnancy For You And Your Baby And Lose Weight After Pregnancy” – visit http://www.pregnancy-weight-loss.com for more on a range of pregnancy health issues

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There are a lot of books and articles out there that serve as a guide for teen girls who want to lose those excess pounds. For a change, here is something that people should read about to know what are some the things the individual should not do.

The most effective way for a teen to lose weight is to go on a diet. Unfortunately, the definition of a diet for some is so extreme that the person would rather starve to achieve the desired results.

Is this good? Definitely not because it robs the teen of the much needed vitamins and nutrients while growing up.

Studies show that the starvation diet also leads to weight gain. This is because the body is not used to shortage of food entering the system and will force one to engage in binge eating to recover on the losses.

The same report also shows that the so-called weight loss is not really fat but rather is the lean muscle which gives the teen strength. This is because the food being eaten contains calories that are much more needed by the muscles in the body.

The calorie intake increases as the teen gets older. An 11 year old boy for example will need a daily requirement of 1800 calories while someone at the age of 18 will need close to 3000.

Those who decide to go below that are susceptible to nutritional deficiencies, fatigue, bone weakness, hair and skin loss and hormonal problems.

One report shows that some kids have even resorted to laxatives to make this happen. This is also not a good idea because it doesnt lose fat but rather water in the system. This means someone can suffer from dehydration and may even cause problems in the colon.

So what should be done to avoid this? For starters, the teen should not panic. There is a safe way of fighting weight loss and this can only happen with the help of a professional.

A doctor can examine the patient and see what improvements can be done. Going on a diet is one way of doing it but not at the expense of skipping meals. This simply means cutting down on the food being consumed.

The teen may have to give up eating snacks and replace this with fruits. Others will skip the in-between meals and then just concentrate on the three most important meals of the day.

Cutting down the food intake will not make the teen lose weight. The best combination for any diet plan is exercise. It may involve walking or jogging a few miles a day to engaging in a sport.

This will really depend on the physical condition of the teen since there are some that are already known to be obese.

There is no overnight solution for teenage girls to lose those excess pounds. This has to be done gradually by getting into a well thought out plan.

The first results will probably be seen in just two weeks as the person’s metabolic rate increases. This may dip a week later so the doctor must try different things so the body will not be able to adjust to it. Changes will happen and this varies from one teenage girl to the next.

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Teens do experience what we could call “teenage weight pressures.” At the age of 16, teenagers are still too self conscious of their appearance that they are easily affected by jeers by classmates and peers when it comes to how they look. Being stereotyped because they are a little overweight can be really demeaning which could cause other personal or even psychological problems later on.

But the thing is, if a teenager has been eating and exercising right their bodies will be where they should be at their age. And when teenagers find themselves overweight, impatient as they are, they tend to go overboard often taking the drastic route to loose weight. They try skipping their meals or limiting food intake the wrong way.

Because teens and preteens are still growing, the practice of skipping meals is not such a great idea. Even adult weight loss programs do not arbitrarily recommend skipping meals. The right diet is eating the right food that covers teenagers’ nutritional needs for their body’s further growth and development.

More often than not, dietitians recommend that teens follow an eating plan that will help reach their ideal weight and keep it there. They complement food diets with lots of physical activities. They find that cutting back on calorie intake is not the best option for teenagers to take. Being effective “calorie burners” seems to be the right path that teenagers should take. By exercising a lot they will reduce body fat and build their muscles at the same time.

As teenagers, they should also be encouraged to try all types of sports. By increasing their physical activities they will develop tons of energy as well as strength and stamina. Their bones will grow better and stronger. The will have better and healthier skin and will have a general happy outlook in life.

However, for some teenagers a customized diet program is needed and is suggested to be the most effective. But this is in a case to case basis. Not all situations and circumstances are alike. These diets are normally designed by diet and nutrition experts. Included in these customized diet programs are itemization of particular food groups and proper proportion you child or teen should eat.

These diets focus on reducing the intake of foods loaded with saturated fats. Reducing fat in one’s diet will make him/her healthier and will make it easier to maintain their body weight. Under these programs, daily food consumption should not have more than 30 grams, or 10 ounces, of fat.

You need to, therefore, spread out your intake of fat for each meal if you eat. It is generally recommended that persons on a diet should avoid fat laden snacks like potato chips or buttered popcorn.

In your teen’s eating habits, probably the biggest obstacle that they will face is when they eat at restaurants or dinners with friends. Foods in restaurant are served in big portions and more often than not contain too much salt, fat, and calories. Part of a diet program should be instilling discipline and self control. One can still join their friends when they dine out but they should learn to choose the right food and ask for the right servings.

You are what you eat. If you eat too much fat, then you’ll probably end up fat. Always remember to eat foods like fruits, vegetables, low-GI foods, and foods with low fat contents. If you have been accustomed to eating fatty and salty meals and junk foods, then your body might tell you that fruits and vegetables don’t taste that good. You then have to retrain your taste buds and body by eating as many fruits and vegetables as possible. If you keep eating them, you’ll start to enjoy them later on.

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I know it is frustrating, but did you know there are so many reasons a woman can t lose weight it is like the whole world, and our bodies, is working against us. I am not kidding, with so many things not in our favor it is amazing that any woman can lose the weight she wants to.

It’s just not fair, I mean, men can seemingly eat what they want and if they should put on a few extra pounds all they have to do is think about it and the extra weight is gone, right? Ok, maybe not all of them but I know a guy who just recently lost 35 pounds in about 7 weeks. It took me 6 months to lose that amount of weight then as soon as I stopped working hard at it, I put it all back on and then some.

On average women carry 6 – 11 percent more body fat then men do. This is necessary for the regulation of certain hormones and regular menstruation not to mention having all the curves in all the right places. But if you have too much body fat and can t lose weight don’t you think you deserve some answers?

One of the reasons is that sometimes we think that if we do not eat we can lose weight. This is so far from the truth that when you read this you will probably kick yourself. Skipping meals is the number one reason why women GAIN weight. That’s right, I said gain weight.

Why? Because our bodies enter into what I like to call starvation mode and instead of burning off the excess it holds on to it because it doesn’t know when it will be getting more fuel. Your metabolism actually slows way down almost to the point of not working at all. So the fix is to eat five or six small meals a day to keep your metabolism stoked. Make those meals as low carb as you can get, too.

Another reason is lack of exercise. Did you know that all you need to do is walk for thirty minutes a day to lose those extra pounds? Who can’t do that? Ask a friend to do this with you or record some favorite music on your mp3 player and just get moving. This along with your new eating plan should be enough to start losing some significant weight.

If you have not yet reached the age for menopause or even perimenopause you might want to do all you can to lose the weight before the time comes. Once you reach this age losing weight will become even more difficult. Menopause comes at different times for every woman so talk to you mother and find out the age she went through it. This is as good a starting point as anything.

Other reasons a woman can t lose weight include stress, lack of significant restful sleep, and ineffective blood sugar metabolism. Which does not mean that you have diabetes, so don’t worry, it could just mean you eat too many carbs and you are keeping your insulin production at a high rate. When this happens your body automatically converts the carbs you eat to sugar and when that sugar doesn’t get burned up, your body converts it and stores it as fat, usually around your middle section.

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