Study Shows Pregnancy Weight Hard for Obese Women to Lose

By Rachel Stockton

Ask any pregnant woman some of the issues that make her feel stressed and she’ll likely tell you that she fears that she won’t be able to get back down to her pre-pregnancy weight.  A new study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that for obese women, this is especially difficult.

Researchers from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research studied 1,700 obese women (those with a BMI of 30 or greater) that gave birth between 2000 and 2005.  Seventy percent of them exceeded the suggested weight gain for their weight category; those who surpassed this weight limit by 15 pounds or more had a more difficult time shedding the pounds in the ensuing 18 months following childbirth.

What concerns the researchers are the various complications that can result if a woman who is already obese gains more weight than is prudent:  gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, edema, and preeclampsia can interfere not only with shedding pounds after childbirth, but they can adversely affect the actual childbirth experience. 

Specifically, those women who gained 15-20 pounds during pregnancy were twice as likely to be carrying at least 10 extra pounds 18 months after giving birth.  Those women who gained 35 or more pounds were a whopping 8 times more likely to be carrying an extra 10 pounds.  For these women, the weight they gain during pregnancy can ultimately affect their health and well being well after childbirth.

Most obstetricians agree that women can manage their weight gain by doing the following:

*Forego the false assumption that it’s okay to pull out all of the stops when it comes to pregnancy weight gain.  In other words, “eating for two” is in the best interest of neither mama nor her precious bundle.

*Try to eat no more than 300 extra calories per day for the duration of your pregnancy.

*Exercise 30 minutes a day.  If you haven’t been exercising up until now, ask your doctor for some safe suggestions to help get you started.  Exercising will help you handle the rigors of your pregnancy as well as your labor experience.  There are some great DVDs for pregnant and nursing women.

*Eliminate the “superfluous” from your diet.  This means keeping sugary and salt laden snacks to an absolute minimum.

Although due diligence is important before the baby arrives, the early months post partum is not the time to try and get the weight off.   You will still need to consume more calories than usual in order to maintain an adequate milk supply for breastfeeding.  Additionally, hormonal changes can really play with your emotions; the “baby blues” are a reality for many women post childbirth.  Trying to maintain a rigid diet will only compound your stress level.

Ideally, try to start planning for pregnancy in advance.  This way, you’ll be used to a modified diet and exercise program before you consult the most advanced pregnancy device you’ll ever pee on.

By Rachel Stockton