Dieting and weight gain in pregnancy

Women who diet a lot gain more weight during pregnancy than their peers who are more relaxed about eating. More women are overweight during pregnancy because of increased calorie intake. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is of concern because of its association with weight retention after delivery.

There's evidence that women who restrain their eating and those who diet frequently may actually gain more weight. To further investigate how a woman's pre-pregnancy eating habits influence weight gain during pregnancy, researchers from America followed 1,223 pregnant women participating in a study of preterm birth and fetal growth.

The participants completed questionnaires evaluating restrained eating behaviour, weight cycling, concern with dieting and pre-pregnancy weight.It was found that thirty-two percent of the underweight women gained too much weight, while 63 percent of normal weight women, 85 percent of overweight women, and 74 percent of obese women gained excessive weight.

Further, those who cycled and lost five pounds or more weight before pregnancy gained 2 kg more gestational weight than the non-cyclers. Among every weight status group except for underweight women, those with a high degree of eating restraint gained more weight than those who were less restrained eaters.

The same pattern was seen for women who were habitual dieters.The researchers noted that women who habitually restrain their eating are physiologically more vulnerable to gaining weight during pregnancy, and are more likely to see pregnancy as an opportunity to let go of these restraints.