How To Lose Weight While Pregnant - 3 Tips To Help You Lose Weight While Pregnant

Putting on extra weight while pregnant is, as we all know, part and parcel of the whole process. And it has it's plus points too - those bigger boobs make your hubby feel like a kid at Christmas! :)

But what is a normal and appropriate amount of weight to gain while pregnant? Are there any ways that we can safely lose weight while pregnant? What can you do now that will make your labour easier and help you get back to your pre-pregnant weight super fast when your little bundle of joy finally arrives?

Are you really overweight?

These days it's easy to get sucked into the media's image of what a mum-to-be should look like, what with all these celebrity toothpicks, as I like to call them, having no more than a small bump, whilst being on some faddy diet. I must stress that pregnancy is definitely not the time to be going on a strict weight loss diet. What you need is to ascertain what a suitable pregnancy weight is for you, and then take steps to try to maintain it and increase your health and the health of your baby.

Everybody is different, and every woman's body will react differently while pregnant. An average weight gain for a full term pregnancy is anywhere between 25-45 pounds, which includes the increase in the mother's blood volume, the size of the uterus, the placenta, various fluids and the baby. This is an average figure so there will be much variation either side. Check with your doctor for more advice on your optimum weight.

How to lose weight while pregnant Tip no.1 - Control Your Cravings

Cravings are one of the hardest things to deal with during pregnancy, and annoyingly, one of the biggest contributors to excessive weight gain. Waking up in the middle of the night yearning for chocolate, or ice cream with gherkins, is a well-known part of pregnancy. However, these cravings, while healthy and perfectly normal, can be controlled and there are even certain foods that can reduce your cravings. Eating foods with a low Glycemic Index (GI) can help balance your blood sugar levels and reduce the highs and lows that many women suffer throughout the day, due to their slow release of energy. This can help you in reducing the onset of any excess pounds and begin to help you lose weight while pregnant.

By craving foods with high sugar and glucose levels a vicious circle can be created because they will often make the cravings worse, affect your mood and contribute to excess weight gain.

How to lose weight while pregnant Tip no.2 - Eat More Often

"Hang on, didn't you just tell me to control my cravings Now you're telling me that eating more often will help me lose weight while pregnant? Are you out of your mind?"

This kind of sounds counter-intuitive doesn't it? The idea though is that you'll be eating smaller portions more regularly instead of 2-3 large meals a day. By doing this you're not consuming any extra unnecessary calories, but are feeding your body and the baby more regularly. This will help keep your metabolism and blood sugar at consistent levels and keep you energised throughout the day.

And yes, I am out of my mind but not because of this! ;)

How to lose weight while pregnant Tip no.3 - Exercise

Exercising regularly during pregnancy was once frowned upon, but now has seen to be a great way to stay in shape and lose weight while pregnant, avoid the aches and pains common with weight gain, and can increase energy, flexibility and make your labour significantly easier (thank goodness!).

Walking and swimming are excellent low-impact ways to keep you fit and healthy and maintaining a balanced weight while pregnant. The buoyancy you'll find in the pool will often come as a relief and an aid to your daily routine and let's you get some fantastic exercise without putting stress on your body or the baby's.

Stationary cycling is also a great way to get some low-impact exercise and build stamina.

Yoga and Pilates can be beneficial and effective ways to lose weight while pregnant but make sure you find a suitably experienced instructor who has specialised in dealing with pregnant women.

Again it's always best to check with your doctor on the intensity of your workouts, for instance, if you exercised regularly before you were pregnant then your workouts will be notably different to someone who didn't.

There's no need to go through your pregnancy feeling overweight, unattractive and lacking energy. There are many more simple steps you can take to help you lose weight safely while pregnant, and have an easier labour.

Discover more secrets and tips on How To Lose Weight While Pregnant at my website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julia_Strachan

The 8 Hour Diet: The Pros and Cons?

By Ryan J James

People looking for a simple and straightforward weight loss plan are in luck - the latest book by David Zinczenko and Peter Moore entitled "The 8-Hour Diet: Watching the Pounds Disappear Without Watching What You Eat!" is now available on Amazon. The basic principal behind this weight loss program is that you are allowed to eat for 8 of the 24 hours in a day. In other words, you will be fasting for 16 hours every day. The diet also calls for a short 8 minute burst of physical activity once a day. Although fasting to lose weight is not a new idea, the notion of fasting for intervals is unique.

The 8 Hour Food Window

If you are interested in trying this diet, you will first need to decide on the time that you will begin and end your 16 hour fast. For many people, this will involve skipping breakfast and starting their 8-hour eating window in the late morning. During the eating phase, you are able to eat anything you would like, however the authors strongly encourage that participants stay with a short list of "power foods" that include lean proteins and vegetables. If you have never done a fast before, it is recommended that you take an 'off day' every 4th day to allow your body an opportunity to adjust to the new diet. Eventually, you will be able to go for 7 to 10 days at a time, then longer.

The Pros

There are 4 advantages to the 8-Hour Diet:

- fasting is a proven way to lose weight.

- by its very nature of fasting and eating phases, it cuts down on 'mindless' late night calorie consumption.

- it restricts late night 'grazing', which is where many people over-consume calories.

- the 8-minute physical activity component will achieve results.

The Cons

As with all diets, there are issues with the program. In particular:

- because the authors don't forbid any foods and only encourage the "smart foods", some people may interpret this as permission to have an 8-hour fast food binge every day.

- for people on the diet for prolonged amounts of time, the 8-minute exercise component could become problematic.

- by their very nature, 'diets' are a change from a person's typical eating habits. For this reason, there is a natural tendency for people to gain back weight after they have reached their goal weight. The best 'diet' is no diet at all - learn how to eat a healthy and balanced diet, and you will not need to go on a diet.

Summary

The beauty of the 8-hour diet is in its simplicity. The clock determines when you can eat, and the hope is that dieters begin to make healthy food choices when picking which calories they will be consuming for the day. Over time, the 16-hour fasting phase helps the body to recognize that late night 'grazing' is not really a symptom of being hungry, but rather a result of being bored. This is a good way to kick start a switch to healthy eating and is certain to help you drop a few pounds. The "power foods" can form a more permanent foundation for a life of healthy eating - if dieters make the connection between smart food choices and proper consumption levels, this diet will have accomplished something important.

About the Author:

Ryan is has published other diet and exercise articles including What to Expect from P90x. He is passionate about helping new and experienced entrepreneurs earn money online and runs the How to Earn Money Online HQ blog.

5 Best Energy Foods for Low Calorie Diets

When you hit the ground running with your diet plan, you'll probably notice a sudden dip in your energy levels.

This is normal as your bodies not consuming its usual caloric intake.

However it's more than possible to consume certain foods which will boost that battery right up and don't include any additional calories that will break your daily calorie quota.

Below are considered the best 5 energy foods for dieters to stave off the fatigue and the bingeing by curbing the cravings:

1. Salmon

Salmon is packed with healthy fats, not processed fats.

Healthy fats are essential as they provide the body with a major source of energy.

Bursting with protein, healthy fats and in this case salmon should be included in your diet plan at least twice per week.

2. Quinoa

Quinoa is relatively new to western diets but has been used for generations in South America as a staple means of protein.

Vegetarians will get their most amount of protein from this one natural carbohydrate, far more than you would from brown rice.

3. Bananas

While bananas make you feel full and will help reduce your appetite, they also contain a lot of potassium which is a micronutrient essential for propelling energy levels higher in the body.

Fresh produce in general will contain a lot of natural potassium, so be sure to consume fresh foods daily, to starve off hunger and fatigue.

4. Oats

It's blood glucose levels which determine spikes in your energy levels, from a sudden high to an onset of weariness, keeping blood glucose levels nice and steady is key to maintaining energy levels.

Oats are perfect for this as they are slowly digesting healthy carbohydrates which should not be eliminated from your diet.

Low in sugar, high in fiber, Oatmeal is a good source for getting your fix of oats and it will only take a minute to prepare any number of Oatmeal dishes.

5. Egg whites:

Have you ever noticed why weight lifters consume lots of poultry, especially eggs.

It's the egg whites in this case which are rich in protein but extremely low in calories, containing perhaps only 15% per egg white, but they are a great source of healthy fats, and are excellent at maintaining your lean muscle mass which is why they prove so resourceful for guys down the gym.

Egg whites don't just repair and rebuild muscle, they also make you feel energized after a hard session of strength training.

Bottom line:

If you want to maintain high energy levels but avoid the crashes and the cravings, a staple diet of healthy fats and carbs rich in protein are perfect for low calorie diets.

Additionally, consider using some of the latest weight loss supplements to really help you lose weight faster:

Visit: Best Weightloss Supplements to view the top 7 weightloss pills for 2013

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_R_Michaels