Dieters blog

Is it dangerous if I'm overweight and pregnant? I'm honest with you and the answer is yes. The birth of a newborn is always a wonderful moment but you have to know this. If you have a body mask index above (bmi) above 30 percent than it is dangerous.

Here are the dangers of overweight and pregnant at the same time.

Dangers of overweight and pregnant.

- It increases the risk of diabetes.


- It increases the risk of high blood pressure.


- Blood clots in the lungs or legs.


- Miscarriage


- Danger of gestational toxicosis increases

Do not get me wrong if you are overweight it doesn't mean you will have problems but if you can take some weight off beforehand you will have less complications.

But caution if you want to give your baby adequate milk you need a certain amount of body fat.

Overweight and pregnant: What can I do about it?

- Start with a low fat diet most women have success if they follow a diet.


- Eat more fruit, vegetables and whole cereal products.


- Do not drink sweet drinks and avoid fried dishes.


- Eating fast food is something you have absolutely to avoid.


- Do physical if you are pregnant, walking every day for an half hour can help you out.


- In the first trimester of pregnancy you do not have need extra calories. So don't eat for two.


- Drink a lot of water every day. At least 8 glasses a day. Even it is better to drink from a bottle instead of a glass. Perhaps you aren't aware of it but if you drink from a bottle you will drink much more.

By reading this article I'm sure you know a lot more about overweight and pregnant.
However always contact your doctor before you start a diet and especially if you need to lose a lot of weight.

Need a basic but realistic recipe for a balanced diet? Go for six 'airplane-sized' meals a day, six days a week (no, not the size of an actual airplane…but the size of the meals they serve you on board).

When trying to manage weight, many people make the mistake of eating less frequently – but all this does is make your brain think you are starving, so it slows your metabolism and helps you to hoard as much fat as possible to deal with the famine. Very handy when we were reliant on daily hunting and gathering for our nutrition, but not so great if you're trying to shed a few excess kilos.

Your metabolism burns the fuel (food) in your body according to how much energy you are expending and how much food it is used to receiving: not much energy or not much food and it will slow down to conserve your reserves, but keep your body supplied with a constant and reliable intake of good foods and your metabolism, like a well-stoked fire, will keep burning fast using up higher levels of energy on an ongoing basis. That means you'll burn more energy and lose more weight.

So the message is: to lose weight you may need to eat more of the right foods, more often. That's got to be the best news you've had all day!

So, how much is enough? Have you ever wondered how much your stomach holds? The stomach of an average weight adult can hold about three cups of food before feeling uncomfortably full. The stomach of an overweight person can hold four cups or more before getting the same feeling. Your stomach stretches and expands, so if you're used to eating large meals, it will stretch more than if you're used to eating small meals. But remember it's not what you do 10 per cent of the time that matters; it's what you do 90 per cent of the time that counts. So overeating at the occasional buffet dinner won't expand your stomach but overeating regularly can. The good news is that when you return to smaller meals your stomach gets used to that style of eating and returns to a regular size.

The ideal size meal you're looking for is about the size of those neat little portions they serve on airplanes. Or in other words, roughly the size of the palm of your hand. At every meal you need one palm-sized portion of either protein or carbohydrate and one palm-sized portion of fruits or vegetables. And if you're still hungry, add more vegetables or fruits.

People often ask me how to identify which foods are proteins and which are carbohydrates. A basic rule of thumb is if it comes from an animal or legume then it's a protein, for example red and white meats, fish, dairy and soy products. And if it comes out of the ground then it's a carbohydrate, for example whole grains (such as used in bread, rice and pasta), potatoes and so on. And the rest of the whole foods are fruits and vegetables.

When it comes to getting your head around eating six meals a day people generally get stuck on how to fit in the extra three. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are hard enough sometimes, so how do we fit in those plus three more? The easy way to handle this is to carry healthy snacks around with you during the day. This helps you to avoid overeating at meals or being stuck and having to grab takeaway (which usually ends up being a bad food choice). When I'm on the run I make up my extra meals with snacks like a handful of almonds, nuts, seeds, sultanas or raisins, or a bag of vegetable sticks and something fun to dip them into. I like nuts and seeds because they are loaded with protein and good fat.

The seventh day

The easiest way that I've found for myself and my clients to stick to a healthy eating plan is to eat healthily six days a week and enjoy a 'free day' on the seventh. On free days you can indulge in any treats you want, guilt free.

Being only human, if someone tells us that we cannot have our favorite foods (like chocolate) ever again, we are going to crave them in the biggest way. So I say you can have your chocolate, but go for quality over quantity. Buy your absolute favourite chocolate, but only have it once a week. This way you can get your head around your cravings, you'll have more chance of staying on track and you'll benefit from the added bonus of finding that your favourite food tastes that much better when you do have it.

This 'free day' break in the routine is a treat to look forward to and also signals your body to not go into starvation mode. So enjoy your free day, it's a necessary part of balanced nutrition.

Alright it's confession time! How many of you have a secret sabotage behavior that is holding you back from reaching your fitness goals? If I had to take a guess, I would say there are a lot of hands going up right now. I say "secret" because a lot of times we don't do these things when other people are watching. Perhaps that is because we know these behaviors are detrimental to our fitness success but don't want to admit it. Well I think it's high time to get these confessions out in the open so we can stop the sabotage! Here are a few of the classic cases of eating habits which can hold you back from achieving your weight loss goals.

Sabotage 1: The "Mindless Snacker". These people typically snack continually throughout the day. A little taste here, a treat there, a bit of this and a nibble of that can add up to a LOT of extra calories at the end of the day. But since you didn't eat them seated at the table as a "meal" maybe you didn't count those calories into your daily total. The "Mindless Snacker" may not even realize that they are eating all throughout the day! One of the best tools for making a "Mindless Snacker" more accountable is an eating journal, if you struggle with this snacking behavior write down everything that you eat throughout the day. When you can see it down on paper it's not such a secret anymore!

Sabotage 2: The "Evening Eater". Now this one I know many of you can relate to! Maybe you are one of millions who succumb to boredom eating in the evenings. It's very possible that you make healthy choices all day long, but when you are lounging on the couch unwinding in the evenings the urge to start munching gets the best of you. You may be consuming more calories during these late evening binges than you do all day! The "Evening Eater" usually isn't hungry there is just the urge to have….something… while relaxing at the end of the day. You may not only be consuming excessive calories, but since your metabolism slows down towards the end of the day you won't be able to use all of those calories for energy. So, you guessed it, they will be stored as fat. My tips for the "Evening Eater" are to eat plenty of veggies at your evening meal so that you will feel full. As soon as you finish your last meal of the day, brush your teeth or pop in a piece of sugar free gum so that you will be less tempted to eat again. If you feel that you must have something, drink some tea or flavored water, drinking low calorie or no calorie drinks such as these will help to fill you up and decrease your urge to eat more!

Sabotage 3: The "Starve and Stuff". These people typically don't eat breakfast. They don't eat much of anything for as long as they possibly can. But then it happens, around early afternoon they are so hungry that they can't stand it any longer! At this point their chance of making a healthy food choice is pretty much out the window! We've all been there before, those times when you're so hungry you can hardly even think, so you just fill yourself with whatever you can find. Usually this leads to overeating since it takes 15-20 minutes for your body to let you know it's full, and this little binge could result in hundreds, even thousands of calories in a very short period of time. If you eat this way, you will be on an energy roller coaster, your resting metabolism rate will decrease, your body will probably think you are starving and when you eat mass amounts of calories it will hold onto them as fat! The best thing to do to avoid sabotaging yourself in this way is to eat consistently throughout the day, starting with breakfast! It is so important to eat this first meal in order to fire up your metabolism. Eat small snacks or meals every 2-3 hours throughout the day. When you do this you won't ever feel like you are starving and you will be less likely to stuff yourself!

If you are struggling with a secret sabotage behavior the first thing to do is recognize it! No matter how much you are exercising, if you are sabotaging your nutrition with these unhealthy eating habits you will never see the results that you desire. So take charge of those secret behaviors today and stop holding yourself back from fitness success!

All around the globe, each and every night, millions or eyes are glued to their television sets - but not to catch the latest episode of ER or Desperate Housewives. Not to see who survives in Survivor. Surprisingly, they are spellbound by the efforts of a small group of obese individuals who are trying to overcome the effects of years of overeating.

Forget the bubonic plague, obesity is the new epidemic. Chubby children wobble around the school playground while their overweight moms are busy stuffing shopping carts with sugary and fattening junk food. Then, after a greasy - nutrient lacking "meal", they plop down on the couch at night to watch The Biggest Loser. They see the dramatic weight loss and startling new body shapes beginning to emerge. They decide they want the same results - and begin to wonder if it's possible.

But who has four or five hours a day to exercise? Who can afford their own personal trainer several times a week? And who has the luxury of their own personal adviser on calorie content and smart food choices? I'm sure you'll agree the answer is: few. But you have to remember that this is TV: it's a false situation. The players continue to remind themselves and their viewers: "This is a GAME. You have to make the most of your time here - it's going to be much more difficult out in the real world."

IS it harder in the real world? Most likely. But there are lessons you can get from watching this reality show. You can make it happen for you, as well as for the contestants. Here are three practical and useful lessons for you to put to use immediately.

1. Put Weight Loss First.

In the Biggest Loser household WEIGHT LOSS COMES FIRST. So it should be first in your home also. It seems simple, right? Well it is. As a matter of fact, it IS so simple that most people completely overlook it. They attempt to squeeze exercise and meal planning in between all the other stuff going on in their lives, rather than making it a priority.

Ponder this: what's more important? Getting the weight off and adding years to your life - not to mention a lot more energy - Or watching yet another television show? During the time you would normally be watching TV, sit down with a pen and paper and allot at least one hour a day to planning meals, recording what you eat, and doing some type of physical activity. You still have 23 hours left in the day to do whatever else you want! everything else!

2. E is for Exercise - and Enjoy!

What else is noticeable in the Biggest Loser household? The more exercise they do, the more they appear to like it. They may grunt and groan about it, they might sweat and complain. But as the weeks pass, you will hear them saying stuff such as "I never thought I'd say that I look forward to working out - but now don't feel right if a day goes past without exercise!"

The secret to loving your exercise time is finding what's feels right for YOU. If you hate going to the gym, find other types of physical activity. You'll need a mix of cardio and resistance training - but it doesn't have to be on machines. Jog, swim, play sports, climb a tree, do some gardening, go on a hike... there are an unlimited amount of choices that can be fun for you. Research what happens to various muscle groups - and to your heart - when you exercise, and choose activities that you'll enjoy.

3. Identify the Triggers.

Emotions run high when the contestants have to face their demons. Weight gain is rarely from only a physical cause. If you keep a food diary, and faithfully record not only what you eat but when (and why) you eat it, you'll begin to notice a pattern of emotional eating. What are YOUR triggers? Boredom? Tiredness? Arguments with your loved ones? Stress?

Once you clearly identify what the triggers are, you'll be able to begin working on some strategies to overcome them. This can be as easy as challenging yourself every time you want food. ("Am I truly hungry - yes or no? If I'm not actually hungry, why am I wanting to eat right now? Am I actually just thirsty? If I'm standing in front of the fridge because I am upset, is there anything else I can do to make myself feel better? Is there a long-term solution that will fix this forever?" and so on.) If you aren't ready yet to deal with the true root cause, then you'll need to be preapred with food that won't compound to your problems by adding rolls of fat. Always have healthy food accessible - but also yummy food that you actually enjoy.

These are 3 of the biggest lessons that anybody can get from watching The Biggest Loser. And you'll have the satisfaction and pride of knowing you did it all by yourself.

Studies show that most Americans' eat an average of 115 more calories on the weekend than they do during the rest of the week. That is 345 extra calories consumed every weekend, 345 calories that are better left out of your count.

Take your Friday, Saturday and Sunday from behind enemy lines, take charge of your calories and get rid of those that you do not need. We now have new ammunition and new information, and armed with all of these new facts - we can finally be fit.

Start to take charge of your weekend calorie count and lose those unwanted pounds that you carry around everywhere you go.

Friday

Make sure you have done your grocery shopping so that you will eat only good foods during the weekend as well as during the week. Start to eat less on Friday and have a light healthy meal at dinner to get a head start on your calorie count. Do not starve yourself or you will eat the wrong thing at the wrong time. If you find that you skip your exercise routine on weekends, start again so that you will burn more calories.

Saturday

Keep your body moving. If you are used to lying around on the weekend watching TV and filling yourself with unneeded snacks and beverages, get up and get moving. Go out and walk around the block or go to the mall and walk around. If you must watch TV -- do exercises while you watch, use a stationary bike, do standing leg lifts or something. Some movement is better than no movement at all. Thorough housecleaning and yard work is an excellent way to get your body moving so that you burn more calories.

Sunday

Have a good nutritious brunch or lunch today using the healthful food items that you bought when you shopped for grocery. If you always shop more that one day each week, shop on Thursday and Sunday. Shop on Thursday so that you can buy good foods so that you can stop the weekend weight gain. The food you buy on Sunday can be used for your meals throughout the rest of the week.

After you have lowered your weekend calorie count for a while, you will notice the changes that are bound to take place.

Get started now to win your weekend war.