iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Researchers say that obese women, who have even more reason to try to limit weight gain during pregnancy, can do so by using conventional weight-loss methods.
The study, published in the journal Obesity, looked at 114 obese pregnant women. Half of the subjects received one counseling session on keeping a healthy diet, while the other half attended weekly support meetings and behavioral and dietary counseling, and kept a food and exercise journal. After 34 weeks of pregnancy, the women in the latter group had gained just 11 pounds on average — at the lower end of the recommended weight gain for obese mothers by the Institute of Medicine.
Women in the control group, on the contrary, had gained an average of 18 pounds through 34 weeks.
Limiting weight gain among obese mothers can help to limit both complications during delivery and the future risk of obesity for the child.
The study found that participants in the more intense intervention group weighed six pounds less two weeks after giving birth than they did when they entered the study, while those in the control group weighed three pounds more. Those in the intervention group also were significantly less likely to give birth to babies deemed large for gestational age.
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