Q: I’m trying for my second baby and my doctor has suggested I lose some of the weight I gained during my last pregnancy first. Is it worth it as I’m going to gain weight anyway when I’m pregnancy?

A: It most certainly is. Mothers who pile on the pounds after their first baby could be putting their next baby at risk. On the other hand, losing too much weight quickly after a pregnancy could be just as dangerous. Any rapid weight changes between pregnancy can increase the risk of babies suffering high blood pressure along with premature or stillbirth.

There is growing evidence that sudden and dramatic changes in weight put a huge strain and can harm babies. One study from Sweden published in 2006 which examined 207, 5000 women between 1992 and 2001 highlighted the dangers of weight gain. It found a rise in a woman’s body mass index (BMI) by just one or two points between her first and second pregnancy increased the risk of diabetes and pre-eclampsia. A second study published last year in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology examined the risks of losing weight. It found that women whose BMI fell by five or more units between pregnancies had a higher risk of premature birth than those whose weight remained stable. Although apparently contradictory these studies show how important it is to attain and maintain a healthy weight before, during and after pregnancy so my advice to you is not to try and diet to lose weight but to make sure you eat healthily and get regular exercise (see my tips on healthy eating and my fertility boosting tips in this issue). That way you’ll be getting all the metabolism (fat burning) benefits of a healthy diet and you’ll also be giving yourself the best possible chance of a healthy pregnancy and birth.

You may also be worried about gaining weight once you are pregnant. Under no circumstances should you diet during pregnancy. If you crash diet you will deprive yourself and the baby of valuable nutrients. Your body may also start to detoxify (losing toxins stored in fat throughout your body) and these toxins will pass though the baby before they are excreted.

If you eat a good, nutritious diet, you will lose any unnecessary weight naturally. The way to lose weight during pregnancy is to eat healthier and any excess weight will come off. A healthy weight gain during pregnancy is considered to be not more than 15 kg (33lb) and also not less than 5kg (11lb). If you find that you are well above or below this range, talk to you doctor.

The most important thing you can do to maintain a healthy weight is to ensure that your blood sugar is balanced by eating regularly. If you miss meals in an attempt to restrict calories, you may end up craving sweets and chocolates because your blood sugar has dropped too low.

Reduce your intake of concentrated fruit juices, even unsweetened brands. These juices may have some nutritional value, but they lack fibre and many women have found that they can cause weight gain because they cause the blood sugar to fluctuate. Juice should always be diluted (half and half) with water.

Eat slowly and chew well. It takes 20 minutes for your brain to register that you are full, so if you eat slowly you can avoid overeating before you get that message.

When women eat quickly, they consume 10 per cent more calories than when they have the same meal but slow down, chewing each bite 15 to 20 times according to research from the University of Rhode Island.

The most effective way to lose weight and keep it off is to make weight loss a natural and fun part of the life you already live. You don’t have to run a marathon or live on cabbage soup for weeks on end or give up all the things you enjoy; you just need to make a number of small but significant changes that when put together add up to big benefits. In other words you adopt the habits that naturally slim people have and make them part of your daily routine:

1. Choose satisfied over stuffed

Naturally slim people don’t tend to eat everything on their plate. They’ve managed to get over the ‘waste not, want not,’ barrier to weight loss. They finish eating when they feel satisfied not stuffed. People with weight problems tend to mistakenly equate the sensation of fullness with satisfaction and feel deprived if they stop short or they simply eat every thing on their plate because the habit has been ingrained in them from childhood or school days.

Small change: The next time you sit down to a meal take your time and chew your food thoroughly. Put your knife and fork down between bites and really savour your food. Then about halfway through your meal, put your knife and fork down and try to assess how full you are. If you still feel hungry eat five more bites; then listen to your body again. The aim of this is to slow down your eating to allow the sensation of fullness to settle in and to help you distinguish between feeling satisfied and feeling stuffed. As a rule of thumb if you’re feeling satisfied you’ll feel alert and full of energy and ready to get moving but if you feel stuffed you’ll feel like putting your feet up and having a nap.

2. Hunger is not a crisis

Well, certainly not for those of us who have the good fortune to live in this part of the world. Trouble is most of us behave as if starvation is just around the corner and fear hunger regarding it as terrible condition that needs to be cured fast. This fear of hunger makes us routinely overeat to avoid it. Slim people have a totally different mindset; they are fully aware that hunger is not a life or death situation for them and that hunger pangs always come and go.

Small change: The next time you get a hunger pang or food craving ride it out. Don’t grab something to eat; do something else instead like going for a walk or chatting to a friend. Nine times out of ten the hunger will pass as you get distracted. You could also try delaying lunch by an hour or so. The aim of this is to show you that you can function perfectly well and don’t need to respond instantly every time your stomach howls.

3. They Don’t Use Food as Comfort

Slim people get comfort food cravings just like everyone else but the difference is they tend to recognise what they are doing and stop; whereas people with weight problems aren’t always aware that they are using food as a source of comfort when they feel sad, angry, scared or guilty.

Small change: The next time you get a craving try to assess whether you are eating because you are really hungry or because you feel angry, lonely or tired. If it’s one of the latter three recognise that they are the most common triggers for emotional eating. If you are really hungry prepare yourself a healthy snack such as a piece of fruit and a handful of sesame seeds to help you make it to the next meal. If you’re angry, lonely or tired recognise and accept the situation and seek alternative, non-food related solutions. Go for a run or put some music on and dance or e-mail a friend or take a walk in the park. Being in a crowd of people will make you feel less lonely. If you are tired; take a nap or have an early night.

4. Stock up on fruits and vegetables

According to a 2006 study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association slim people tend to eat more fruit and vegetables than overweight people.

Small change: Grab a note book and make a count of how many fruit and vegetables you ate yesterday. You need to be aiming for at least five; say two pieces of fruit and three servings of vegetables a day. If you aren’t getting enough fruit and vegetables think of ways to add more to your meals and snacks, for example, have two vegetables for lunch instead of one, snack on fruit, sprinkle berries over your cereal bowl. Keep a bowl of fruit on your kitchen table and some chopped vegetable sticks on your desk to motivate you to think fruit and vegetables first, vending machine never.

5. Be a creature of habit

A varied diet is a good thing but too much variety can backfire. Studies have shown that too many new tastes and textures encourage you to overeat, so stick to some well planned staples instead. This doesn’t mean you should never have any surprises but for the most part make your diet fairly predicable.

Small change: Try to be as consistent as possible with your major meals–have cereal for breakfast, a salad or soup at lunch, and grilled fish or tofu or legumes for dinner and so on. It’s fine to vary by adding tuna to your salad one day and tofu the next, but by sticking to a loosely prescribed meal schedule, you limit the opportunities to overindulge.

6. Fidget more

On average, slim people move about a lot more than people with weight problems. This doesn’t mean they are always to be found down at the gym or training for a marathon it means that they find opportunities in their everyday life to move. For example, even when they are sitting they are moving their feet or tapping their fingers and getting up at any opportunity they can. Slim people like to move but they don’t consider this to be exercise – as overweight people do – they consider movement as a natural part of being human.

Small change: Buy a pedometer. Studies have shown that people often overestimate how active they really are. Most people actually spend 16 to 20 hours a day just sitting. Wear a pedometer on an average day, and see how close you get to the recommended 10,000 steps. Your day should combine 30 minutes of structured exercise with a variety of healthy habits, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift or mopping the floor with extra vigour. (To see how many calories your activities burn, see the exercise calculator at www.caloriecontrol.org.)

7. Go to bed earlier

According to a study from Eastern Virginia Medical School slim people sleep an average of two hours more a week than overweight people.  Researchers theorise that a lack of sleep is linked to lower levels of appetite-suppressing hormones like leptin and higher levels of the appetite-boosting hormone ghrelin.

Small change: Aim to be in bed by midnight and if you can by 10.30 or 11 pm. Try to get between 7 and 8 hours quality sleep a night; no more than that as too much sleep may be just as bad for you as too much. Two extra hours of sleep a week is only 17 more minutes a day which is a lot more manageable, even for the most packed of schedules. Start there and slowly work towards 7 or 8 hours of snooze time a night -the right amount for most adults.

8. Eat breakfast

78% of successful dieters do it every day, according to the National Weight Control Registry, a database of more than 5,000 people who’ve lost more than 30 pounds and kept the weight off for at least a year.

Small change: Get up 10 or 15 minutes earlier and make sure you eat a healthy breakfast, for example a bowl of porridge with a piece of fruit or a boiled egg with whole grain toast. You will fire up your metabolism (fat burning) and your energy levels for the whole day. And if you don’t ever feel like eating in the morning remind yourself of the universal dieting truth: fat people don’t eat breakfast.

9. Take charge of your appetite

Slim people tend to have greater self-control than people who are overweight. Researchers at Tufts University found that the biggest predictor of weight gain among women in their 50s and 60s was their level of disinhibition, or unrestrained behaviour. Women with low disinhibition (in other words, a finely tuned sense of restraint) had the lowest body mass index. High disinhibition (i.e. low restraint) was linked to an adult weight gain of as much as 33 pounds. So if you haven’t been diagnosed with a hormonal imbalance like PCOS or thyroid dysfunction and if you aren’t suffering from an eating disorder or medical condition that makes weight loss tough, you need to take charge of your appetite, rather than it taking charge of you.

Small change: Be prepared for those times when you know you are going to be out of control, for example, a night out with your friends. If you’re at a party, tell yourself you’ll take one of every fourth passed hors d’oeuvre. If you’re stressed make sure you have a source of healthy snacks (like fruit or carrot sticks) at the ready. If you’re going out for dinner, order an appetiser portion. If someone offers you a slice of birthday cake gratefully accept it then wrap it up in a handkerchief and tell the birthday boy or girl you’ll take it home and enjoy it later. By making these kinds of choices you’ll be firmly reminding your stomach that you are in control and that’s how things are going to be from now on.