It’s a reminder pregnant women are more than familiar with.  Eat for two, they’ve been advised for generations.

However, in new guidelines released by British health experts this is no excuse for becoming overweight during pregnancy.

The guidelines released by the U.K. National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend that women steer clear of sweets, fried foods and to watch their portion sizes no matter what their cravings may be.

“This new guidance is about helping health professionals to help women have a healthy pregnancy – it’s not about preaching to women,” said Professor Mike Kelly, Director of the Centre for Public Health Education at NICE in a release.  “About half of women of childbearing age are either overweight or obese and although obese women can have healthy babies, the evidence does suggest that there are more risks associated with pregnancies in women who have a BMI of over 30 when they become pregnant.”

Kelly also added that it is important women don’t feel pressured into rapid weight loss after pregnancy and that it will take time.

Dr. Tracey Sach, member of the Public Health Interventions Advisory Committee at NICE said in a release that, “having recently had a baby myself, this guidance was pertinent to my experiences both during and after pregnancy. During pregnancy it was not uncommon to hear I should be ‘eating for two’ and that I should stop cycling. However, neither is necessary and this guidance aims to dispel these common myths.”

“There is so much advice thrown at you when you are pregnant that it can become overwhelming,” says Andrea Howick co-founder of WhereParentsTalk.com. “It is important to remember that just because you are pregnant doesn’t mean that you have to abandon all of the healthy eating choices you were making pre-pregnancy.”

You can find out more about these new guidelines by visiting http://guidance.nice.org.uk/PH27