If you’re struggling to lose weight postpartum, then you will read here 5 proven tips to help you lose baby weight faster and smoother.
It’s a well-known fact that food supports our daily activities — a notion that becomes even more critical when those everyday tasks involve caring for an infant and breastfeeding. However, for many new mothers, the desire to lose baby weight may take precedence over providing their bodies with the nutrients necessary for healing, milk production, rest, and all the other responsibilities necessary to get through the day.
Drastically reducing overall carbohydrate consumption — the weight loss method that many women choose — is not the healthiest course of action postpartum. Carbohydrates are required for new mothers – not just for breast milk production but also for mental wellness, hormone balance, and a variety of other functions.
The good news is that you can gradually lose baby weight (if that is your goal!) while still consuming enough calories to meet the physical and mental demands of caring for your infant. The trick is to be patient, eat a balanced diet, and allow yourself time.
Suggestions to help you lose baby weight:
1- Maintain a reasonable level of ambition:
Contrary to what publications and celebrity stories would have you believe, it takes time to lose pregnancy weight. Based on the amount of weight gained during pregnancy, it is realistic to expect to lose approximately 10 pounds over the next 1 to 2 years (4.5 kg). If you gain extra weight during pregnancy, you may find yourself a few pounds heavier than you were pre-pregnancy.
Of course, with a balanced diet and regular exercise, you should be able to reach any healthy degree of weight loss recommended by your doctor.
2- Avoid crash dieting:
Crash diets are incredibly low-calorie diets designed to cause rapid weight loss. Following childbirth, your body requires proper nourishment to repair and recover. Additionally, breastfeeding women require more calories than non-breastfeeding women, according to the CDC Trusted Source.
A low-calorie diet is likely to be deficient in critical nutrients and will leave you feeling exhausted. This is the polar opposite of what you need while caring for a newborn and are almost undoubtedly sleep-deprived.
If your weight is currently constant, reducing your calorie intake by approximately 500 calories per day will result in a safe weekly weight loss of approximately 1.1 pounds (0.5 kg). For example, a woman who intakes 2,000 calories per day could ingest 300 fewer calories and burn 200 more calories through activity, totaling a 500-calorie reduction.
3- Breastfeed your baby:
Breastfeeding has many health benefits for both moms and babies. It promotes faster postpartum weight loss as it burns about 500 extra calories a day to build and maintain a milk supply.
Sticking to a healthy breastfeeding diet can support your breast milk production and helps you lose weight faster.
4- Emotions and baby weight loss:
Your psychological health plays a critical role in your postpartum weight loss journey.
Stress and anxiety can make the new mom more likely to turn to food as a coping mechanism, and that can lead to weight gain.
As we all know, pregnancy and childbirth can pose serious challenges, especially for first time moms. Add to that the hormonal imbalance that leads possibly to postpartum depression.
The first thing to do is to get over postpartum depression. Secondly, try to cope with stay-at-home mom depression which is another real thing that’s society rarely being discussed.
5- Try to be more active to lose baby weight faster:
Exercise can help you lose weight faster, especially the resistance training as it can help to fix a broken metabolism.
Training your body doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym or hiring a professional trainer. You can do it in your living room by using simple equipments like a jumping rope, a chair, a yoga mat, some weights, resistance bands, and a TV connected to YouTube.
Start with clearing the area to make plenty of space, warm up your body, then follow the instructions you watch on your favourite fitness youtube channel for FREE.
Another way to stay active and burn calories is walking, especially when you push a stroller. Studies have shown that walking with a pram or stroller increases your calorie burn by approximately 20%.
If you push a stroller for an hour, you burn between 147-232 calories depending on your weight. Source
If you lose motivation for walking, you can try finding a mother group which is a good way to check in with other moms, get advice, and staying motivated.
Finally:
Being healthy will enable you to enjoy your time with your kid and make the most of your new parenthood experience. The most effective and manageable weight-loss method is through a nutritious diet, nursing, and exercise. Consult your healthcare provider for advice, support, and tips.