Exercise and keeping a food diary are some of the best ways of controlling excess weight-gain during pregnancy, according to a health research centre.

The Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research, a non-profit research institution in America, said that, to regulate pregnancy weight gain, women should don their ladies fitness clothing and exercise for 30 minutes on most days and that those not exercising should talk to their doctor about how to start an exercise programme.

It also advised eating regular meals with small healthy snacks between and consuming only 100 extra calories per day beyond what your calorie needs were before pregnancy.

According to the centre, more than half of women in the United States are overweight or obese when they become pregnant, and most go on to gain more than the recommended amount during pregnancy.

The excess weight can lead to a myriad of complications, including preeclampsia, diabetes, bigger babies, C-sections, birth injuries, and weight retention after pregnancy.

Last month research published in the October issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that women who exercised regularly in the second and third trimesters of their first pregnancy reduced the chances of having a newborn with excessive birth weight by up to 28 per cent. ADNFCR-2569-ID-19422697-ADNFCR

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