Is it possible to have a small belly and keep your figure during pregnancy? Yes, it is! I am going to show you how to keep your belly small during pregnancy and how easy it is.
I am a mom of three and managed to have a small belly throughout all my pregnancies using this technique that doesn’t involve working out.
Not that I am telling you not to work out but if you don’t have the time like me this will still work for you.
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How To Have Belly Only Pregnancy
Having a belly only pregnancy is really easy if you understand a few things about being pregnant.
Even if you were overweight before you got pregnant like I was you can still use your pregnancy to your advantage to get rid of the extra weight.
Here are the things I am going to cover in this article that you need to know to help you do this.
You need to not eat like you are eating for two, eat more protein and veggies than carbs. No processed foods and if you do do so in a small amount.
Drink a ton of water throughout the day and I do mean a ton, get a water bottle and drink five of them or more a day.
Eat more often and smaller meals, your body will burn more calories this way and you will burn fat.
I am going to cover all of these in more detail plus a few other things you need to know!
Morning breakfast
Believe it or not, what you eat first thing in the morning for breakfast sets the tone for what you crave all day long.
I always ate a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit in it like blueberries to help speed up my metabolism and burn some fat while not harming the baby.
You will be more hungry doing this but that is okay just eat peanuts or some kind of nuts in between meals and eat more meals while drinking lots of water.
You will want to eat another meal like nonfat yogurt and granola about two hours later along with a lot of water once again and a small snack after that.
If you want to know how much you need to eat in a day this article will help you: What To Eat During Pregnancy
Drinking Water
The reason why I drink water is for a few reasons, when you are pregnant you need extra fluid to help keep things working right and keep amniotic fluid up.
I never knew this until this last pregnancy that it was one of the most important things your baby needs.
This is why your doctor says to drink plenty of water!!
I use this water bottle and drink five or more of them every day. It’s easier with a big bottle you can take with you everywhere.
Another reason you want to do this is to cut down on headaches early in pregnancy that happens if you don’t drink enough water or you aren’t eating enough.
For more on headaches during pregnancy you may like this article: Daily Headaches While Pregnant And How To Stop Them
By drinking enough water it will help cut down on heartburn by getting rid of excess acid so you don’t have heartburn like you would without drinking water.
Water also helps keep your metabolism going and helps you burn calories throughout the day and cuts down on overeating because you are dehydrated.
If you don’t drink enough water you will think you are hungry all the time instead of thirsty, it’s just how the body works. I know it’s a bit weird!
Eating Smaller Meals
Eating smaller meals throughout the day along with healthy snacks is going to help you burn more calories but also cut down on heartburn.
For more help on heartburn this article will help: Best Home Remedies for Heartburn During Pregnancy
This is always a plus especially with all the other pregnancy symptoms, one less is a great thing.
You won’t feel as nausea because you always have a little bit of food in your stomach and your baby will be happier because they are getting good nutrition.
stay active
By this, I don’t mean that you have to work out but get up and move around, do a few things here and there.
Keep your blood flowing by cleaning and doing things around the house. I know this is hard in the first trimester and third trimester due to being exhausted all the time.
A little bit here and there will help you burn excess fat and stay healthy.
If you are pregnant with other children in your house staying moving won’t be a problem for you and keeping the excess weight off won’t be that hard.
Staying away from processed food and junk food
Try to stay away from junk food snacks like Cheetos, Doritos, and all those other not good for you but taste so good snacks.
If you have to have these to satisfy a craving eat a handful and no more than that, your body doesn’t need all the bad stuff they put in them.
Processed food is the same, anything with a ton of preservatives that are frozen or in a bag or box is not good for you, some here and there is okay but don’t live on these things.
They are packed with sugar and salt and that won’t help with a small pregnant belly!!
Try to eat fresh fruits and vegetables and things with real sugar instead of added sugar.
One of my favorite things to eat was cheese, I would eat blocks of cheese with crackers that were whole wheat and little added sugar like triscots.
It takes some hunting to find healthy snacks but they are out there. If you must have Cheetos think of an alternative like chickpea puffs or something made with veggies.
Final thoughts on how to keep your belly small during pregnancy
It’s the small things that make a big difference as I said, breakfast sets the pace for the whole day.
- Drink water before breakfast and after, throughout the day
- Eat smaller healthy meals
- Watch your carbs and sugar intake
- Stay moving
The more vegetables and protein you eat the less belly you will have and the extra weight you had before will come off by the time you are in postpartum.
One last thing I forgot to mention is to wear a good support belt during and after pregnancy to help keep your belly from sagging, support your back and flatten your belly afterward.
This is the one I recommend and loved to wear during and after my pregnancy!
For more on support belts you may want to read this article: Do Postpartum Belly Bands Work | Do You Need One After Pregnancy
One of the keys to the support belt is to wear it for eight weeks postpartum, you can take it off here and there and at night but if you are doing any lifting or anything during the day it is a good idea to have it on.
I did that this time around and my belly healed correctly unlike the last two pregnancies due to diastasis recti and now I have my teen belly back.
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