Chatting with some mom friends the other day, someone brought up the topic of information you would never, ever divulge to anyone else. And the top of the list of “questions I will never answer” was weight.

I had to reveal my weight to rent a snowboard the other day, so I can’t count myself amongst them, but  I certainly don’t feel comfortable talking about the actual figure. Turned out what I actually weigh is about 10 pounds away from my real weight.

I guess a lot of people don’t know our real weight. Or, we are in denial about how much we actually weigh. And it might be more important than habitually getting the wrong size when shopping for clothes. It seems that not having a realistic view of what you weigh affects weight gain in pregnancy.

Right, I’ll admit that. I gained 45lbs. Or 60lbs if you count from my lowest weight after my horrendous morning sickness finally went away.

According to Harvard University, perceptions of weight affect weight gain during pregnancy. Overweight and obese women who thought they weighed less than they actually did at the start of their pregnancies were much more likely to gain excessive weight during their pregnancy.

And strangely, healthy weight women who thought they weighed more than they actually did were much more likely to gain excessive weight.

Gaining excessive weight is linked to an increased risk of c-section, heavier babies, gestational diabetes, and a slightly increased risk or maternal mortality. And the more moms gain, the harder it is to lose.

Any mom will tell you that shifting pregnancy pounds while caring for a newborn is as hard as teaching someone as old as me to snowboard. Sorry, I won’t reveal my age either!

So basically, moms who had a realistic view of how much they weighed are more likely to gain a healthy amount of weight. What exactly is a healthy amount? It depends a lot on your starting weight, and your doctor will give you a target amount, but here’s rough guidelines of how much weight gain is normal.