Alia Bhatt’s Nutritionist Shares The Science Behind Her Pregnancy Weight Management

Your journey as a mother starts as soon as you conceive and this journey transforms your life in so many ways that sometimes you feel like you never knew the person you were before. While most of these transformations are positive, there are some that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, like pregnancy weight gain. Gaining those extra pounds during pregnancy is unavoidable, but there are ways in which you can manage your weight and get back in shape with ease. Want to know how Alia Bhatt did it? Read to know all about it in this blog inspired by her nutritionist Dr Siddhant Bhargava’s podcast on Humans Of Bombay. 

“We Are Going To Do This Super Scientifically”

When asked whether he did anything specific while working with Alia during her pregnancy, Dr Siddhant was quick to respond, “With Alia, it was actually very interesting because she is at the peak of her career and when she chose to get pregnant, she was at the peak of her career also. She was very clear that we were going to do this super scientifically. She knew she had to shoot for a film right after, and she looked wonderful in the film. We knew how much weight we had to gain during pregnancy and we knew how much weight we had to lose post-pregnancy, so it was calculative.”

He shared that Alia’s calorie intake was increased or decreased based on the way the baby was doing and the way she was doing. “We were at that optimal level, such that weight loss post-pregnancy didn’t turn out to be difficult. Alia knew what to expect and she conquered what she expected.”

He further added, “Imagine going through the entire hormonal rush, the cravings, the nausea and still sticking to your diet, that’s what differentiated Alia from anyone else I know. She is the most amazing client I will ever have because she acknowledges what she has to do and she is very disciplined.”

Dr Siddhant Bhargava On Pregnancy And Nutrition

Dr Siddhant shared that when it comes to pregnancy, there are very set guidelines, “Number 1 is folic acid, number 2 is iron. These two supplements are paramount. Whenever you are thinking about getting pregnant, that’s the time folic acid has to start. Whenever you get the confirmation that you are pregnant, that’s when Iron supplementation starts”

Talking about weight gain during pregnancy, Dr Siddhant shared, “There is a certain weight range that is healthy for the growth of your baby. If your weight is normal on the BMI scale, you are okay to put on between 9 and 13 kg, if you are overweight, the amount of weight you are allowed to put on during pregnancy reduces, if you are under-weight you can even go on and put on about 20 kg. These are fixed guidelines. They are not based on aesthetics, they are based on the baby's health and the smoothness of delivery.” 

Most Important Thing Post-Pregnancy

Dr Siddhant Bhargava shared “The first thing that post-pregnancy mothers should do is breastfeed. You have to compulsorily breastfeed for 6 months straight. Do not even try to introduce formulas”. Women who do not produce enough milk might not have any other option but he emphasized that those who have had a healthy pregnancy and are able to produce enough milk need to breastfeed, and after that, you can introduce baby formula. 

Diet Tips During And Post Pregnancy

Dr Siddhant also shared some tips that could help you keep your weight in check during pregnancy. “For pregnant women, the recommended intake of calories is essentially 300 calories above normal. The only thing you need to do is have a balanced diet. You are anyway having the iron tablets and folic acid. There’s no need to do extra. Just keep it simple”

Seems like pregnancy nutrition and weight management isn’t as complex as we think it is. It can be challenging to some extent but nothing that can't be done. What do you think?