Have you been told by your doctor while pregnant that you are obese but, in your eyes, you look and feel good? First of all, I hate the word obese. It just makes me cringe as if your some kind of spectacle and doctors tend to use this word often to tell you in a nice way your fat. You call yourself curvy, thick or big boned especially if you're a woman of color. Yet as a pregnant woman, we have to take into consideration that what we eat may affect our pregnancy. See most overweight women have no problem delivering healthy babies, however, obesity or being overweight by the doctor's standards during pregnancy puts women at risk for serious health problems such as preeclampsia, blood clots, gestational diabetes, blood pressure disorders, and heart attacks.
According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 33.4% of women 20 to 34 years of age are obese, and 58.4% are overweight. According to the Mayo clinic, obesity and diabetes are risk factors for heart attacks and disease in pregnant women. I had no clue that a woman could have a heart attack while pregnant. We will leave that for another day. The quality of our food has changed significantly over the last 30 years. Many of us cannot afford to go to whole foods or buy organic. Sometimes it's cheaper to get a meal at Mcdonalds than to cook a nutritional meal with value. Have you noticed how cheap fast food has become these days? Its almost impossible to resist sometimes.
When I became pregnant with my first child I was 29 years old and in great shape, I experienced hyperemesis in my last trimester which resulted in me feeling nauseous and vomiting constantly. The second pregnancy I was 35 years old, considered overweight and experienced postpartum pre-eclampsia. Both pregnancies my diet was considered unhealthy. I indulged in ice cream, cupcakes, cookies chocolate fast food, you name it. You take the term eating for two literally not realizing that you're putting your baby and your health at risk. You believe that you are going to drop tons of weight once the baby arrives and some of us don't experience that. If I had the chance to do it over again I would have taken better care of my body and eaten a healthier diet.
I realize now that our diets have everything to do with how our bodies respond. For example: when I eat good quality foods before my period I notice less PMS symptoms, more energy, no headaches, and a better attitude. When I eat a poor diet before my period I experience severe backaches, headaches, mood swings, and extreme fatigue. As the body gets older what we feed it has to change. I can no longer eat tons of sweets and treats and not feel the effects on my body the next day.
Weight loss before pregnancy is the most effective way to reduce any health issues before they arise. If you are pregnant take into consideration what you are eating and choose wisely. Make healthy choices to avoid complications later. Do feel free to give in to your cravings and enjoy your pregnancy but do it with moderation. Instead of soda choose water sometimes, roasted chicken over fried chicken, bake potatoes over french fries etc.... you get it. Take control of your life.
ref: livescience.com
