Since women have been pregnant since the dawn of time, there has been the connotation
that eating for two is the right thing to do and is one of the healthiest actions a new mother can take
while being pregnant. However in recent
years, the eating for two bubble has been popped. Eating for two means eat enough for new mom
and new baby that is growing inside. It does
not mean eating for two human beings however.
The
Conversation recently reported about the suggested weight gains for women who
are pregnant. The suggests weight
changes depending on how overweight or underweight the mother was before
becoming pregnant.
“The amount of weight you
should gain during pregnancy depends on your pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI).
If you’re a healthy weight, with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9, you should gain 11.3 to
15.9 kilograms. If you’re underweight, with a BMI of less than 18.5, you’ll
need to gain a couple more: 12.7 to 18.1kg.
If you’re overweight, with a BMI of 25 to 29.9, you should gain a little less: 6.8 to 11.3kg. For obese women with a BMI of 30 or above, the recommended weight gain is between five and nine kilograms.
If this weight gain sounds excessive, keep in mind that the baby at term makes up only about one-third of this weight. The rest may be made up of other tissues and fluids, including an extra 2kg of blood, 1.5kg of breast tissue, 0.5kg placenta and 1kg amniotic fluid. All of this weight is quickly lost after birth.”
Even though some women strive
to eat healthy during pregnancy, most women welcome the cravings and succumb to
chocolate cake and pickles.
There is currently a study in
Victoria Australia that is looking at the excess weight gain of women during
pregnancy. The study is part of Deakin University
in Victoria.
The study is looking at the
extra weight that women gain and the psychology behind it. Emily Kothe, a psychology lecturer at Deakin
is behind the study. It is looking
specifically at first world mothers who struggle to maintain a healthy diet
despite being highly motivated to do so. Women across Australia are being asked
to be part of the study.
"Data from our previous studies
clearly shows that it is not a lack of motivation to eat well that causes
around half of pregnant women to put on excess weight," said Deakin
psychology lecturer Emily Kothe. "Mothers want to eat well for their,
and their baby's health. But something is stopping them from being able
to translate their motivation for healthy eating into action."
"We know that we only achieve
about 47 per cent of all the things we intend to do, partly due to lapses in
self-control that make it hard to act on our intentions even when we're
motivated," Dr Kothe said. "So we all have a self-control limit which
is more likely to be reached when we're stressed or tired or have been paying a
lot of attention to controlling our behaviour. It is possible that with all of
the extra things that women have to deal with while pregnant, they simply reach
the limit of their self-control when it comes to what they eat."
If you want to learn more
about the Deakin Study here is their Facebook Page:
What does “eating for two”
mean for you?
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