Parenthood and Weight Gain

Is Your Child Making You Gain?

5 reasons your bundle of joy might make you pack on pounds
By Angela Kwan fitbie
 

You Clean Your Child’s Plate

As you clear the table, you’ll pop a leftover fish stick here, a spoonful of mashed potatoes there. Sounds harmless, but this adds up, says Alysa Bajenaru, RD, author of the blog inspiredRD.com. Mothers, in particular, need to be cautious of extra calories. The same study reported that moms ate 2,360 calories a day, while nonmothers took in only 1,992 calories. But there was no difference between the calories consumed by fathers and nonfathers. Both groups of men ate approximately 2,300 calories.

Making a meal out of kiddie foods can also be problematic. Mothers who participated in the same study reported eating foods such as chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese—popular dinners among kids. “Moms are trying to eat healthy but due to time demands, they make these quick-fix meals that are very palatable to children but high in fat,” Berge says. Cut back on these high-calorie foods and load up on fruits and veggies to save you and your child from unwanted weight gain.

Are you consuming the right amount of calories each day? Find out with our Daily Calorie Counter Tool.

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