Weight gain – should you be eating for two ?

Nutrition in pregnancy is a time when you can ditch the diet books and relax a little about gaining weight, but being pregnant shouldn’t be used as an excuse to pig out. The old phrase eating for two is a little misleading, Most women don’t need any extra calories for the first six months of pregnancy and only about 200 extra calories a day for the last 3 months. This is equivalent to one large banana, two slices of buttered toast or a small jacket potato with a little grated cheese. Its fine to have the occasional treat but if you put on too much weight, problems can result such as backache and varicose veins. Also it can be hard to shift the weight later.

However, there’s no getting away from the fact that if you are pregnant you will gain weight. Pregnancy is not a good time to diet because you risk depriving your baby of the nutrients needed to develop properly.

Generally women gain anything between 22 to 33lbs (10 to 15 kilos) during pregnancy or for twins 35 to 45 lbs (16 to 20 kg).