Pregnancy and Weight Gain

You just found out you are pregnant, how exciting!!! And although you are only five weeks along and most symptoms haven’t kicked in yet, suddenly you have a really big craving for a piece of cheesecake. And after you finish that piece, you can have another because you are now eating for two, right? Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Although you need extra calories to help the baby grow, most sources will tell you that you only need 100-300 extra calories a day, which certainly will not excuse another piece of cheesecake! You should always speak to your doctor first, but most OB/GYNs will tell you that you need to gain 25-35 pounds through your pregnancy, depending on your starting weight. If you are underweight to begin with, your MD may want you to gain closer to 35 pounds, but if you are overweight, 25 pounds will usually suffice.

On average, you will gain 2-4 pounds during the first trimester and 1 per week for the remainder of your pregnancy. These numbers may increase with additional babies (twins or triplets). If you ever wondered where all this weight goes, here is an estimate from WebMD:

And don’t forget, every extra piece of cheesecake now will be harder to lose after your baby is born, so eat healthy and make good food choices now!