Six weeks to shed baby weight before GP puts you on a diet

TENS of thousands of new mothers should be put on strict diets to shed their baby weight, according to the health watchdog.

Those considered too fat could be given a weight-loss plan with weekly targets by their GP shortly after they have given birth.

The watchdog Nice has issued guidelines to help overweight mothers slim down and eat more healthily so that they do not pass on bad habits to their children.

These state any women classified as obese should be referred to a ‘ structured weight- loss programme’ when they have their sixweek postnatal check with their GP. This includes all mothers with a Body Mass Index of above 30, the equivalent of being 5ft 6in tall and weighing a little over 13 stone.

They would be given a thorough health assessment, including blood pressure and heart rate tests, and told to go on a 12-week weight loss course. Most regimes tell women to eat no more than 1,400 calories a day and aim to lose between one and two pounds a week.

They should also try to do at least two-and-a-half hours of exercise a week, including strength exercises such as weight training or pressups. The advice has been drawn up amid rising obesity levels and concerns that women are passing on unhealthy habits to their children.

Britain’s obesity rates are among the worst in Europe. Around a quarter of adults and a fifth of 11year-olds are considered so fat they are putting their health in danger. Earlier this month the head of the NHS, Simon Stevens, told parents to stop giving children fizzy drinks.

Nice also tells midwives to make sure pregnant women eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day and oily fish once a week. Although well-intended, many will regard its guidelines as nannying. Nice has a reputation for issuing overly-prescriptive advice, including telling the middle-aged not to share a bottle of wine in the evening.

Professor Gill Leng, deputy chief executive of the watchdog, said: ‘Good nutrition before, during and after pregnancy benefits the growth and development of the baby and the health of the mother.’

Janet Fyle of the Royal College of Midwives said: ‘We need to ensure that women who require it are signposted to appropriate weight management services.’