Pregnancy is one of the most joyous times in a woman’s life. It also comes with some serious side effects, such as weight gain and stretch marks. And then there are those extra worries about how to lose weight after pregnancy without jeopardizing your or your baby’s health. Fortunately, you can get back into shape with just 10 tips for losing weight after childbirth.
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What is Baby Weight?
So, what is the excess weight that women gain during pregnancy and find it hard to lose after childbirth?
It is called baby weight, which refers to the extra pounds that we put on during pregnancy.
The average woman gains about 25-35 pounds during her nine months of carrying a baby in her womb and these are typically stored as fat cells in our hips and thighs.
So not only does this affect one’s appearance but it also has an impact on health because excess body fat can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or other conditions.
To be fair though there will always be women who did not gain much weight at all (less than 15 lbs) for reasons ranging from genetics to medical conditions such as gestational diabetes or thyroid disorders so if you fall into any of those categories then maybe your worry level would be lower.
Lose Baby Weight With Regular Exercise
Regular exercise during pregnancy is important and can help keep the pounds off after childbirth but it isn’t a one size fits all solution either because some moms find themselves in situations where they are unable to exercise like mothers with high risk pregnancies, babies battling health issues, or even single parents that have no time for anything other than work and raising their children.
The good news is that every woman has different needs when it comes to losing baby weight and some women do find that they are able to lose the weight within months and return back to their pre-pregnancy weights.
The key factors in determining how long it will take you to get your body back is not only finding a healthy balance of diet and exercise but also understanding what motivates you, because there’s no one size fits all solution for losing baby weight.
With so many different needs out there, every woman has her own path towards success when trying to shed those last few pounds. So rather than taking drastic measures or following a strict diet and exercise plan, first figure out what’s going to work for you.
It might be helpful to take note of the types of foods that helped with your energy levels pre-pregnancy or just look back on how much weight it took off in the past.
Tips For Losing the Baby Weight
Stick to Sensible Weight Loss Goals
The first step in losing weight is setting a goal. Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to lose 50 pounds all at once or within three months.
Instead, aim for healthy and sustainable goals of about a pound per week or five pounds every month. Losing this amount will feel much more manageable than the unrealistic expectations you may have had before reading this article.
If you’re breastfeeding, your body needs extra calories because it’s burning breast milk as fuel, so don’t cut back on that too dramatically.
Bear in mind that everything has calories: vegetables, fat-free yogurt, chicken breasts without skin – they all do.
Avoid Crash Diets for Losing Weight After Childbirth
Crash diet are not good for your health. Your body needs time to heal and adjust and you need the energy to care for your baby. Crash diets can also cause a yo-yo effect where you lose weight but gain it back on again later because of how sudden they are (and so when you put on weight, it’s even more dramatic).
Breastfeeding is Good for Weight Loss
Breastfeeding for at least one year can help you lose weight. This is because breastfeeding burns more calories than a baby takes in from breast milk or formula, so it helps to speed up postpartum weight loss.
If you want an even faster way of losing some pounds during pregnancy and after childbirth, do exercise while pregnant – be careful about how much strain your body can take though (i.e., if running doesn’t feel comfortable).
It may also make sense to avoid high-impact workouts like jumping jacks or burpees as they could cause pelvic instability that leads to injury down the road. If anything hurts when exercising during pregnancy, stop right away.
Watch Your Calorie Intake to Lose Weight After Pregnancy
While it may be hard to believe or even remember, many mothers-to-be are actually more active than normal during pregnancy.
This increased activity is often coupled with an increase in appetite, which can lead to a significant weight gain for some women – much of which occurs after the actual birth of the baby and before they return back to their pre-pregnancy weight.
Of course, there are other factors that make postpartum dieting difficult: hormonal fluctuations due to childbirth, breastfeeding demands on calories (and time), returning work schedules so meal consumption becomes irregular again—the list goes on.
But if you’re looking for at least one thing that will help your cause this summer as you shed those extra pounds from your pregnancy.
Eat Foods High In Fiber
Fiber is one of the most important nutrients for health. Fiber promotes a healthy digestive tract by helping food move through your system, and helps keep blood sugar levels stable.
Women who eat plenty of fiber have been found to be at lower risk of diabetes than those that don’t – and they also tend to weigh less.
Foods rich in fiber include avocados, beans, blackberries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots (raw or cooked), cauliflower (raw or cooked), collard greens, cornmeal mush made from whole grains such as oat bran uncooked grits kasha psyllium husk dandelion greens dried apricots apples bananas grapefruit oranges raspberries strawberries spinach lentils lima beans and pears.
Healthy Proteins are Good
One of the most important functions for proteins is to build muscle tissue.
Protein-rich foods can also help with weight loss and other health benefits by increasing fullness, reducing appetite or cravings, improving moods and energy levels, supporting immune function in children and adults with chronic illnesses, boosting metabolism, regulating blood sugar levels due to their high content of amino acids that are released slowly into the bloodstream.
Healthier Sources of Protein: eggs, fish like anchovies herring salmon trout mackerel shellfish tuna; beans black soybeans mung lentils white navy lima red kidney refried pinto dried split peas garbanzo edamame peanuts sunflower seeds, pumpkin, tempeh and tofu.
Unhealthy Sources of Protein: bacon ham hot dogs turkey sausage corned beef bologna salami cured deli meats pepperoni spam luncheon meat pastrami jerky; cheese eggs milk yogurt dark chocolate ice cream marshmallow pudding popsicles.
The most popular protein shakes on the market are made with soy and whey, both derived from animal sources. They’re fortified with vitamins and minerals, and they come in a variety of flavors like vanilla , strawberry banana or peanut butter chocolate . You can even find them as high-protein bars that have about 20 grams of muscle-building power per serving.
Some popular diet shakes are:
- PhenQ Complete Meal Shake – the latest weight management product from the company responsible for the popular diet pill PhenQ.
- Lady Boss Lean Shake – Lady Boss Lean Shake is a supplement made for women. It’s high in protein and also doubles as a meal replacement shake.
- Konscious Keto Shake – a health shake that aims to satisfy your cravings and help trim inches off your waist.
Avoid Sugary Foods If You Want Lose Baby Weight
Food and drink that is high in sugar will not help you lose weight, either. The more sugary foods and drinks your consume, the less likely it is that you’ll feel satisfied with healthy food choices down the road.
Another reason to avoid sugary foods if you want to lose baby weight: Sugary food can actually make pregnant women crave even more of them. Sugar causes a dopamine release, which makes us happy but also leads to cravings for unhealthy or sweet things.
This means when we start eating too much sugar (or any other type of junk), our bodies get used to needing extra calories each day just so we don’t have withdrawals from all the added sugars. And then those extra calories turn into fat rather than being burned off as energy.
Avoid Alcohol After Childbirth
It sounds obvious but if you want to get back into shape and lose the extra pounds you gained during pregnancy, it’s important not to drink alcohol. Alcohol is actually a diuretic, which means that it can make you dehydrated and then your body will try to conserve water by storing more fat.
Alcohol is also a big calorie bomb, even just one drink has about 100 calories.
When you have an alcoholic beverage, the high octane of sugar in it gets your body to release insulin, which can lead to cravings for sweets and starches. This is because when we consume carbohydrates or sugars without fiber or protein at the same time as alcohol, our pancreas releases extra insulin to help metabolize the carbs.
This means that if you’re drinking liquor with soda/pop (or even wine with club soda) on those nights out, then all those liquid calories will not only give you more fat cells but also make it harder for your liver to function properly.
