Why are overweight people supposed to gain less during pregnancy than non-overweight people?
Keep in mind that everyone is different. Some women who are at a healthy weight only gain 15lbs and some women who are overweight still gain 40+lbs. That being said, the reason for this “recommendation” is because during pregnancy, your body naturally stores fat on top of the fluid retention, placenta, baby, etc. This usually attributes for about 20-25% of your weight-gain. Overweight people should avoid gaining this “extra fat” because they already have excess fat. Gaining even more weight can result in gestational diabetes along with other risks. I was 120lbs prior to getting pregnant. I gained 40lbs total and lost 30lbs within two weeks of having my daughter. I still have the extra 10lbs which was clearly those “fat stores”. Those 10lbs didn’t NEED to be gained, but they were. My friend who was 190lbs prior to getting pregnant is currently 14 weeks and hasn’t gained a thing, where as I had gained 8lbs by that point (mostly fat and water retention). It really all depends on the woman
