The Atkins Diet During Pregnancy
Although you might worry about getting fat when you're pregnant, losing weight on any diet while you're pregnant is dangerous for your baby. Therefore, if you want to follow the Atkins diet and you are pregnant, only use its weight-maintenance phase.
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When Pregnant, Don't Diet
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According to the Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), pregnant women should not diet or lose weight. Dr. Robert C. Atkins, inventor of the Atkins diet, agrees, stating clearly that the weight-loss phases of Atkins are inappropriate for expectant mothers.
Dangers of Dieting in Pregnancy
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The CDCP notes that dieting while pregnant could prevent your baby from receiving sufficient nutrients. According to Plus-Size-Pregnancy.org, this can result in low birth weight or complicated delivery. Kathryn Dewey and Megan McCrory, in an article published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, explain that dieting can cause ketosis, a state in which fat is converted into energy and releases ketones into the bloodstream. Ketosis can overtax or harm your liver and kidneys, endangering your fetus. Pregnancy-Info.net adds that dieting during pregnancy can increase the risks of birth defects, premature delivery and infant death.
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For Obese Mothers
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Dewey and McCrory advise against dieting, even for obese women. According to Pregnancy-Info.net, dieting has been shown to harm fetuses equally for mothers of all weights.
What to Do Instead
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The CDCP recommends losing weight before conceiving or after giving birth. If you are worried about your weight harming your baby or increasing the risk of complications, talk to your obstetrician.
Lifetime Maintenance
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Dr. Atkins declares that the last phase of the Atkins diet, Lifetime Maintenance, is appropriate for pregnant women. This phase is intended to maintain a healthy weight, not to lose weight. During pregnancy, however, you may want to increase your daily carbohydrate intake slightly so that you can gain the appropriate amount of pregnancy weight.
Benefits of Atkins Weight Maintenance in Pregnancy
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The maintenance phase of the Atkins diet may benefit both the mother and the baby. According to Dr. Atkins, the diet increases energy, which often is lacking during pregnancy. According to an article in the British Journal of Nutrition, eating sugary foods while pregnant may increase the risk of your child becoming obese later in life. Because the Atkins diet bans sugar, following this style of eating may avoid that danger.
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