Questions About How To Gain Weight For Women

Sandra asks…

Did any of you normal-weight women gain less than twenty pounds during your pregnancy or pregnancies?

I live in Finland but lived in the United States a long time ago for many years. In America, prenatal doctors seem to put the highest standard on how much weight a woman gains during her pregnancy, so much that it makes me sick. Why is it that America seems to have the highest recommended weight gain for pregnancy than any other country in the world? Pretty much every American prenatal doctor would tell a patient of normal weight prior to pregnancy to gain at least twenty-five pounds by her ninth month, and swears up and down that all sorts of bad things will happen to the baby if she doesn't gain at least that much. However, in Scandinavia, nearly every prenatal specialist I've ever talked to assures me that it's perfectly fine and acceptable for a woman of normal, or even slightly underweight, BMI before pregnancy to gain only about fifteen pounds by the ninth month, or even less, and that no women should ever gain more than thirty pounds, especially when carrying only one baby. So, but I was just wondering, is there anyone out there, who was of normal weight before pregnancy, to gain no more than twenty pounds throughout her pregnancy? Why do American doctors usually recommend such a high weight gain in pregnant women? Finland also seems to have a far lower rate of overweight mothers and gestational diabetes than the United States does, from what I understand, and every doctor I've ever talked to tells me that it must be mostly because the majority of Scandinavian women don't gain over about twenty-five pounds during their pregnancies, and sometimes even only eight to ten pounds before the baby is carried to term and born, and yet the babies are all of a perfectly acceptable birth weight. In the States, it seems like all the doctors want their patients to gain a lot of weight mostly because they feel as though the baby won't be big enough, or something, and in Scandinavia most doctors claim that if you gain less weight (but don't starve yourself, just exercise and try to stay healthy in other ways) the baby absorbs nutrients better. What do any of you think about this?

Note: I don't want to sound mean, but please, no thoughtless or illiterate people need to make any comments, rude remarks or answers to this question. I don't want anyone to tell me that I'm generalizing in this kind of thing, either, because I'm just not. I'm just wondering if anyone out there has gained no more than twenty pounds throughout her pregnancy, and has seemed to see her baby and her own body benefit from it.
I also simply don't want to hear anyone say that women who gain less than twenty-five or thirty pounds during pregnancy are selfish and/or vain. That doesn't have to be true, and oftentimes I don't think it is. Every pregnant woman's main goal is to have a healthy baby, but I believe that it's of equal importance for the mother to stay as healthy and fit herself as possible before giving birth and after.

admin answers:

Hi, I am not sure about why there are those different standards for pregnancy weight gain between countries.

But I think weight gain during pregnancy has been figured out from averages and considering the biological and physical changes in the woman's body and growth of baby.

Personally, I had three children. I gained only 6 kilos with the first one, 8 kilos with the second and 6 with the third.


Yes I agree with what you said in the end there. For example, I got a lot of lip from my mother in law saying nonsense to me about not "feeding the baby". I was eating healthy and enough for my baby and he was growing fine. I was NOT over eating thus I didn't gain too much weight. I took my prenatal vitamins and had a happy pregnancy. But it seemed like people looked at me like I was doing a crime by not looking so huge with my pregnancies!!

James asks…

How long after being on depo provera do women gain weight?

i just had my first shot yesterday and im wondering how long does it take for you to start gaining weight?
the only side effects i have noticed so far is being extra tired and no appetite. kinda dizzy too.

admin answers:

I don't think there is really a time frame for it. Everyone is different. I didn't gain weight with depo, but it was IMPOSSIBLE to loose weight. I didn't loose my baby weight from my daughter until I got off of depo. I was on it for 4 years. You just have to keep an eye out on what you eat and the exercise you are getting. Hopefully you don't get that particular side effect. GL :)

Charles asks…

How much weight do pregnant women gain in the first trimestre?

I think my wife may be pregnant,even though her blood test gave negative.Her period has been late for almost 3 months and she is not even spotting.She is just 22 and she has been gaining weight and is bloated.
If she is prego,how much weight would it be normal for her to gain every month?
idwan,she hasn't got her period for the past three months.

admin answers:

Well the beginning of my girl's trimester she lost weight &in the
middle of the second she started gaining about 3 pounds. But
not every pregnancy isthe same.. So make her go see an OB/GYN.

Richard asks…

Protein drinks to gain weight for women?

I am 20 years old and thin as a stick and I want to gain weight so are there any protein drinks out there just for women to help gain weight??
Also what are other tips on how to gain weight the healthy way??

admin answers:

Is there a GNC store near you? Although their prices are a bit expensive, they have amazing protein shakes. Not only do they have a lot of nutrients, they will put weight on you quickly. You can ask someone at the store to advise you on what would be best for weight gain. They have a few different flavors but always go for chocolate. If you don't like the product you buy you can always return it for a full refund. Try to drink one full shake a day. You can drink half in the morning and half at night.

Also....try to eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Try to eat every 3-4 hours, even if it's something small. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables too. You could make smoothies with blueberries, strawberries, bananas...whatever you like. Eat walnuts and almonds for a snack. Peanut butter is great too, especially if you eat it with whole wheat bread.

Lizzie asks…

When women gain weight during pregnancy?

How do some women end up gaining 80-100lbs when they are pregnant with just one baby? Does it just happen?....or is it because they think you are really supposed to be eating for two?

admin answers:

During pregnancy, the uterus presses on the stomach and intestines, resulting in a smaller space and slower passage through the digestive tract. So while most women get full more quickly, they also have to eat more frequently than usual. Add to that various food aversions and cravings and not everyone is making good nutritious choices. And as we grow bigger, it becomes difficult to exercise.

You also have to remember that only roughly 8 lbs (on average) will actually be baby, but it's still recommended that healthy-weight women gain 25-30 lbs. That's because the woman's body needs all that extra nutrition and extra energy. Her body is doing an enormous amount of work and the baby is drawing its nutrients from her body, not from the food she eats. A woman should eat about 300 extra calories per day and gain about a pound a week during the second and third trimesters. Some women also develop health problems like gestational diabetes that will make them more prone to putting on weight.

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