"For the baby's sake, you should eat less." Saying this to an expectant mother in China would likely earn you a disapproving look, as the common belief is that one is eating for two—even if you don't feel hungry. However, the latest U.S. pregnancy weight guidelines state that overweight women before pregnancy should indeed eat less.The specific benchmarks are: For a Body Mass Index (BMI) [calculated as weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared] between 18.5 and 24.9, the recommended weight gain during pregnancy is 11.3 to 15.8 kg. For a BMI over 25, the recommended gain is 6.8 to 11.3 kg, while those underweight should aim for 12.7 to 18.1 kg.
Li Ruixia, Deputy Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Armed Police General Hospital, emphasized that the most crucial principle in these guidelines is "less eating for those overweight before pregnancy, more eating for those underweight before pregnancy."
In reality, whether to eat more or less varies throughout pregnancy. The safest approach is to consult a nutrition clinic before conception for targeted supplementation.