Is it a crime to be afraid of gaining weight during pregnancy? If you ask me today, after the birth of my son, it's certainly not a crime, but it's quite selfish. If you had asked me five years ago, this thought would have been very present in my mind, and many women feel the same way.
Very important:
We women can consider ourselves lucky to experience this miracle. Our bodies are truly phenomenal, capable of creating something so beautiful. I wasn't aware of it for a long time, but during my pregnancy, I realized that I would be "producing a human being" for the next nine months. Isn't that crazy?


I was always aware that I would have children one day. Nevertheless, I was far too preoccupied with myself. I was dissatisfied with my body, jumping from one diet to another, and the obvious thought was, "A pregnancy would make my body even fatter."

1. Do you want to get pregnant?
If you're planning a pregnancy, the most important thing is to feel completely comfortable in your body beforehand. Forget diets where you eat far too little and feel sluggish. Instead, take care of your body, exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, and take care of yourself so you feel beautiful. Basically, that's exactly what Goldenbody preaches every day. My pregnancy was anything but planned, but before I got pregnant, I felt really good. A few years ago, I put aside all negative thoughts about myself and focused only on the positive. Exercise was fun for me, not a "must." I enjoyed a balanced diet, so I didn't lack anything every day.

2. Start of pregnancy
So, suddenly you're pregnant, and now what? Be aware that your body will be performing at its peak in the coming months. So don't do anything that will cause you additional stress. The little "crumb" in your belly is taking everything it can from your body to help it grow. This means that if you don't treat yourself well, it will primarily reflect on you and, in the worst case, on your baby. There's definitely no room for thoughts about losing weight anymore. Instead, listen to your body completely. It will tell you exactly what it needs in the near future.

3. Stay fit during pregnancy
So you've learned that your body tells you exactly what it needs during pregnancy (side note: it already did this before, by the way; you probably just weren't listening carefully). However, that doesn't mean you have to spend all your time on the couch watching trashy TV and eating ice cream every day, because that's definitely not what it's telling you. Daily exercise is still very important. I went jogging until the third month (because I'd done this extensively before), then I noticed that I wasn't feeling well anymore, so I switched to walking. I was able to do strength training until the seventh month. The workouts on YouTube from Goldenbody or other fitness channels are invaluable. It's best to do exercises with your own body weight. You have to completely avoid abdominal exercises after a certain point, as they are clearly discouraged. From the eighth month onwards, nothing worked for me anymore. Even the walk to work was hard work for me, so I switched to cycling. I stretched irregularly at home, but I've generally cut down on exercise completely for the last three months. You may feel tired earlier or be able to exercise until the end, so this isn't a rule for a successful program, which is why it's so important to listen to how your body feels.

4. Nutrition
I don't want to annoy anyone, but: diets really have no place during pregnancy. I hope this is now clear to everyone :). Your body needs carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins. Cravings can naturally arise; I was lucky; for me, it was mainly tropical fruits at the beginning. Later, however, I started visiting the bakery next to my workplace and buying cakes, and there should be room for that too. It's important to eat a balanced diet for your main meals; if you need a snack, treat yourself to whatever you want, because that way you're much less likely to indulge in binge eating. From the 9th month onwards, my belly was huge and I felt like I had no room, so I ate smaller amounts at shorter intervals. Of course, I also had lunch every now and then that consisted mainly of a piece of cake, but then I tried to have a balanced dinner. Here, too, the key to success is listening to your body when it tells you what it needs. You may find yourself vomiting every day for the first few months, losing your appetite, and living on oatmeal. I had to go through that too, but remember, it will pass. In this situation, try to do something good for yourself. Take it easy, plan small meals with foods you enjoy. You may suddenly find that you don't like your favorite food anymore, but that will come back :).

5. Weight gain
The average weight gain is 12.5 kilos; for me, it ended up being 15 kilos. I have friends who gained 30 kilos during pregnancy and deeply regretted it later. A weight gain of between 10 and 20 kilos is considered completely normal. So, if you have to step on the scale at your gynecologist's, don't think you've already gained 1, 2, 3, or 4 kilos; this is completely normal. However, if you completely let yourself go during these nine months, barely move, and eat around the clock, telling yourself, "I'm allowed to do this now, but after nine months I'll lose it again," then this is the wrong approach and not healthy for either of you.

6. Recovery after birth
Wow, you've experienced something unique and brought a human life into this world. In the next few years, you have the most important task of your life. To be able to cope with it, it's all the more important that you feel good. When you're breastfeeding, most women lose weight quickly; now it's crucial that you drink plenty of fluids and eat a balanced diet. You're a "milk producer" for your child, and this requires a lot of energy. On the fifth day after the birth, I went for my first walk with my little family, and it felt like pure freedom. But after just 30 minutes, I was completely exhausted. So I increased my pace every day by going for walks. Starting in the sixth week, I started the postnatal exercise class at Goldenbody (we now also offer this online , by the way :)). At the time, I still had a small "floppy baby belly," as I call it. This can be a completely normal remnant for many women, so don't let it stress you out. It's important that you start slowly and don't miss the boat. For 10 weeks, I walked about 8 kilometers every day and completed Laura's postnatal exercise class once a week, as well as the exercises at home.

Conclusion today:
After three months, I was back to my original shape, except for losing 2 kilos. Since I consistently ate a balanced diet and slowly returned to my old exercise routine after the postnatal exercise program, I feel even better today, seven months later, than I did before the pregnancy. I can enjoy my time as a new mother and regularly treat myself to a piece of cake with a clear conscience.

If your anxiety doesn't go away, or you need help with a balanced diet, perhaps a one-on-one appointment with Laura can help. Every child deserves a mother who is full of energy, content, and happy. You can be proud of yourself and your body.