Tag: weight

Have you and your partner decided you’re ready to be parents—or have another baby?

According to Baby Center, 85 percent of couples who actively try to get pregnant will conceive within about one year, or 12 menstrual cycles. If they are not able to conceive after one year, it is recommended at that time that they may want to consult a fertility expert. (This time period is reduced to six months before seeing an expert if the woman is over 35 years old.)

Regardless of whether you’re in the early stages of trying to conceive or have been trying for a while, here are a few science-backed tips that may help get your body primed for fertility success.

"Mom, I’m so fat. I need to go on a diet," says your 10- (or 6 or 16) year-old daughter as she pinches at her belly. Your stomach drops. She’s too young to be feeling this way!

You are flooded by a tsunami wave of thoughts and emotions:

* It’s my fault!  I’ve disliked my body for so many years.
* It’s the media’s fault!  I shouldn’t let her watch so much TV.

After a long stretch of staying on a diet or exercising regularly, we sometimes just stop. For whatever reason, we aren't inspired or just can't get the momentum going again.

This is what's known as a "setback." We all go through them, and it's easy to let them pull us down for a while.

Sometimes a difficult loss, such as the death of a parent or injury will cause you to go through a setback. But other times, you can struggle because of simple things such as tripping over your kids' toys. Whether you are dealing with grief or a sprained ankle, a setback can make you lose your motivation and cause you to temporarily give up on your weight-loss program.

The problem with weight loss is the word itself: loss. It has too many negative connotations for most of us, even though shows such as The Biggest Loser is a successful enterprise. And if you were to ask me at this very moment, "How do you want to be remembered?" I would not reply regarding how thin I was. Instead, I want to be remembered for my substance.

Sticking with a healthy meal plan is all about dropping unnecessary weight, feeling lighter and floating on air, like when you first fall in love and everything and everyone was perfect.

The majority of women gain too much or too little weight during pregnancy, putting both mothers and babies at an increased risk for complications, a review of past studies suggests.

Researchers examined data from 23 studies covering a total of more than 1.3 million pregnancies and found 47 percent of the time women gained more weight than recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM)—about 25 to 35 pounds for people who start out pregnancy at a normal weight. Another 23 percent of the time, women didn’t gain enough weight.

Regarding core values like religion, work ethic, money, raising children or not… birds of a feather should flock together according to most studies. What about the disparity in putting on the pounds? Is there a "more of you to love" or "you should be wearing a looser-fitting black outfit" mindset?

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, "Put a Stop to ‘Do I Look Fat?'" by Elizabeth Bernstein, if a woman outweighs her male counterpart there will most likely be tension in the relationship (in some cultures this is not the case).

Do you live with an overweight partner? Nearly two-thirds of Americans do, and it can be challenging on several levels. You want to try and change him or her—especially because excess weight puts your loved one at risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke. But I've found from personal experience that nagging and criticizing doesn’t work. It's more effective to let your partner know that you love and support him or her, and that you hope for a long, healthy, adventure-filled life together. Here are eight secrets to help an overweight partner adopt a healthier lifestyle.

1. Change what's in your kitchen. Get rid of temptations. Fill up the fridge with ready-to-eat fresh fruit—apples, strawberries, red grapes, pineapple chunks and clementines are good choices.