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Today's HOT TIP to prevent unnecessary weight gain and maintain healthy eating during pregnancy is - stop that late night nibbling! As I'm sure you know, it's often in those late evening hours that we tend to lose control and indulge in less-than-healthy foods. Now, I have no problem with indulgence - but it's just the frequency and the time of these indulgences that concern me. For example, it's okay to indulge in your favorite dessert on the odd occasion or to have that odd late night snack, but it should ONLY be on occasion. If you do these two things on a regular basis, they WILL cause you to pack on those extra unnecessary pounds - so don't do it! What's the solution? As a general rule during pregnancy, you want to consume most of your calories during the day when you're active, and NOT when you're lying on the couch half asleep. I always like to think of food as energy. The energy you put in your body MUST be used, otherwise it will be stored, and storage equals fat! So, unless you're planning to go for a good midnight swim you WILL store fat with your late night nibbling (unfortunately brushing your teeth is just not intense enough exercise to burn those extra calories!). Just as a side note - when I'm talking about nighttime nibbling, I'm certainly not referring to those of you with morning sickness who NEED a late night snack to keep the nausea at bay OR those of you who have REAL hunger at night. I'm strictly referring to those after hour indulgences, like cake, chocolate and ice cream (or whatever else does it for you!?) that you eat when you're emotionally hungry, NOT physically hungry! So, HOW do you break the late night habit? When you find yourself heading into the kitchen, try to first ask yourself the following questions: • Do I feel physical hunger? • Is it my mind or my belly that wants those cookies? • Is there something else that would satisfy me instead of eating? Typically late night eating during pregnancy is emotional eating (eating according to your mind, NOT your body!). And emotional eating is often done to fill an emotional void - whether it's boredom, stress, loneliness, anxiety OR just plain fun. So, when you're feeling like you want a little treat, opt for something like a walk or a movie. And if you STILL feel like something to nibble on, try a healthy snack like a yogurt or a small bowl of cereal (the healthy kind with skim milk!). Another example of a healthy substitute: when I find myself wanting crunchy foods like potato chips, I turn to popcorn, dried cereal (naturally sweetened), cut up carrots or snap peas - ALL are very crunchy, healthy eating alternatives for your pregnancy! For LOTS more TIPS on how to minimize extra unnecessary weight gain during pregnancy, including what's safe to eat (and what you need to AVOID), as well as which specific exercises you need to do (to help prepare you for an easy labor and quick post-partum recovery!), read my kit at... www.pregnancywithoutpounds.com
Article Source: http://www.pregnancywithoutpounds.com/articles
Michelle Moss is the celebrated author of Pregnancy Without Pounds (www.pregnancywithoutpounds.com) and Mommy Without Pounds (www.mommywithoutpounds.com)
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