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Episode 54: Pregnancy Weight Gain And Post Pregnancy Weight Loss

 

Pregnancy Weight Gain And Post Pregnancy Weight Loss

As we continue to celebrate Women’s Month, today, we’re diving in to the subject of weight loss and pregnancy. Is it safe for women to lose weight during pregnancy? What are the risks to women during pregnancy due to excess weight? Dr. Jennifer Jane Roelands is back on the podcast to help us understand this better.

Dr. Roelands is an OB-GYN by training and the founder of Well Woman MD. She helps women suffering from hormonal imbalance live symptom-free by making sustainable changes in their nutrition and lifestyle.

 

 

Key Takeaways:

Tune in to my conversation with Dr. Roelands and learn:

  • What is the ideal weight gain during pregnancy and why is that weight gain important?
  • What is considered too much weight gain and what is too little?
  • How Dr. Roelands helps her patients manage pregnancy cravings
  • Potential complications of obesity in pregnancy itself and its detrimental effects during pregnancy
  • When is the best time to manage weight loss, before, during, or after pregnancy?
  • How to approach excessive weight gain during pregnancy
  • How to incorporate healthy habits for women during pregnancy
  • What type of diet is recommended postpartum during the breastfeeding phase
  • Dr. Roelands’ take on intermittent fasting and a low carb diet for nursing 
  • Realistic weight or lifestyle goals for women post-pregnancy 
  • Dr. Roelands’ advice in dealing with body image after pregnancy 
  • Does breastfeeding help with weight loss? 

 

Dr. Roelands’ Advice to Prevent Excessive Weight Gain during Pregnancy

  1. Have a balanced diet. Eat a little bit of each food category – proteins, fats, carbohydrates.
  2. You shouldn’t deprive yourself of your cravings but aim for balance. Give yourself grace. It’s ok to have days where you don’t eat perfectly.

 

Complications of Obesity in Pregnancy:

  1. Higher chance of having a C-section
  2. Diabetes during pregnancy and its ensuing complications
  3. High blood pressure and pre-eclampsia
  4. Pre-term deliveries

 

Quotes:

Dr. Jennifer Jane Roelands

“The most important time to have a conversation about being overweight is before you conceive because we can really do some great counseling and talk about how to lose weight. Even 10 to 15 pounds can make a big difference to overall getting pregnant because certainly, obesity has higher rates of infertility, but also in general in decreasing your risk for long-term complications for when you’re heavier and pregnant.”

“It’s not good to do an extreme amount of weight loss because you do need that fat, the baby needs that fat, all those nutrients and you don’t wanna put them on a strict diet essentially and cause any stress on the body by doing something extreme like a keto diet that would be losing a quick amount of weight in a short time.”

“You don’t have to wait until you’re done breastfeeding to start dieting or start getting healthier or nutrition.”

 

Dr. Avishkar Sabharwal

“It’s important to understand that the body is going through these changes and there is going to be a change in the actual shape of the body.”

“It’s not just about the number on the scale about the weight itself, it’s the fact that the body itself is changing and its shape so that’s very critical to understand.”

“You have to have the right goal to get to that goal.”

 

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