Pregnancy needn’t be a weighty issue
Slimming World has welcomed new healthy living guidance issued this month by NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) for women before, during and after pregnancy.
The guidelines arrive against a stark warning that the obesity epidemic sweeping the UK is having an overwhelming effect on maternity services. Around half of pregnant women are now overweight or obese and around 110,000 pregnant women (15-20%) are obese – one in seven of all pregnant women.
Speaking at the official press conference, Professor Lucilla Poston, Professor of Maternal and Foetal Health at King’s College London and NICE guidance developer, said: “The increasing prevalence of obesity among pregnant women in the UK is very worrying as there are so many potential risks for the mother and her baby. This guidance provides sound yet simple lifestyle advice which can help health professionals support obese women to optimise their health and their baby’s too.”
The new guidance emphasises how important it is to think about BMI and weight management before pregnancy and after delivery. Professor Poston warned that “even modest weight retention after pregnancy is now known to increase the risk of problems in the next pregnancy”.
Welcoming the new guidance, Dr Jacquie Lavin, Head of Nutrition and Research at Slimming World, said: “Slimming World already supports thousands of women who want to lose weight in order to conceive, or who want help to lose any weight gained in pregnancy. It’s important for the long term health of women and their families that they have access to the healthy eating, activity and behaviour change support that is so urgently required.
“The guidance recommends getting into shape before pregnancy by establishing healthy lifestyle habits like eating breakfast, eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, enjoying plenty of low fat dairy and drinking water rather than sugary drinks. It also recommends that for women who are overweight or obese, losing as little as 5-10% of weight before pregnancy can have significant health benefits, like lowering high blood pressure and reducing the risk of diabetes.
“Women who join Slimming World to lose weight before or after pregnancy find that they and their families eat more healthily and are becoming more active,” she adds.
Slimming World is the only national community weight management club to support women through every stage of pregnancy, from pre-conception to post-natally. A crucial element of Slimming World support is attendance at group where members are supported to change their habits by setting their own goals, by sharing experiences and by giving each other feedback.
Slimming World research among members, presented at the British Dietetic Association Conference in June*, showed that women who attended a Slimming World group post-natally develop healthier eating habits, reporting an increase in fruit and vegetables, a greater variety of foods and a decrease in takeaways, sugary drinks and unhealthy snacks. Before joining Slimming World 72% of the 590 respondents said they had previously found it difficult to lose their baby weight, yet since joining a group the majority (78.5%) were now happy with their rate of weight loss and more than half (55.3%) who had attended group for six months or more were already lighter than they had been before pregnancy. Members find attending a local group in the heart of their community a positive and uplifting experience.
Dr Jacquie Lavin, Head of Nutrition and Research at Slimming World says: “Together with an already well-established referral programme that allows health professionals to offer attendance at Slimming World groups for 12 weeks, Slimming World’s support for any women who are thinking of having a baby or is trying to lose their baby weight places it in an excellent position to provide the NHS with a ready made solution to help tackle maternal obesity.”
For more information, visit: slimming-world.com
* Online survey of 590 women attending Slimming World who joined Slimming World to lose post-natal weight. The research was co-ordinated by registered dietitian Amanda Avery.
