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Initial steps for post pregnancy weight loss

It has been an exciting journey all these nine months of pregnancy without any restrictions. But now these nine months are over, the baby is finally here, fit and fine but one thing that’s daunting the mother’s mind – the thought of those extra weight that she has put on during her pregnancy days.

Your body needs time to recapitulate from having a baby and hence it is never recommended to go straight into a dietary regime immediately after child birth. At the same time holding on to pregnancy weight can further lead to some serious health consequences in the long run putting you into risks of chronic heart diseases and diabetes. Saying all these the aim should be to return back to pre-pregnancy state and yes! It is possible.

When to start losing weight after pregnancy?

Although after giving birth women lose some weight simply by giving birth and by the next few weeks some more of the extra fluid in the body that built up during pregnancy. After all these have gone naturally, what is left is the extra fat that she has put on during her pregnancy days.

As per studies women should be able to start losing the extra weight by six months after giving birth. It is also very important for a women to lose weight if they are planning to get pregnant again.

How can a women safely lose weight post pregnancy?

With exceptions of breast feeding, losing weight post pregnancy is no different than losing weight at any point in life as proper nutrition through healthy diet and physical activities are the key in the weight-loss process for anyone attempting to lose weight.

Simple basics – eat healthy, drink lots of water and snack healthy are the habits that provides the body with the needed energy to indulge with the baby and lose weight effectively. Also make effort to follow the below mentioned basics for better effectiveness:

  • Never skip breakfast.
  • Eat atleast five portions of fruits and vegetables daily.
  • Ensure plenty of fibrous foods in the diet like lentils, oats, beans, grains and seeds.
  • Be wary of fatty and sugary foods and drinks.
  • Get to eat starchy foods like breads, pastas and rice. They contain carbs and should constitute one third of the daily food intake.
  • Keep close watch on portion sizes and the quantity and quality of snack eaten between meals.
  • Always combine physical exercises with healthy foods as it will help losing fat and not lean tissues.

A few post pregnancy weight loss tips

More than diet, it’s about consistency and commitment to live a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, after a strenuous feat, it could be a bit tiring experiencing the withdrawal of pregnancy hormones. Diet’s often builds deprivation and tend to put the body under lots of stress. Follow these simple post pregnancy tips and get rid of the unwanted weight in simple ways:

  • Consider Breastfeeding for post pregnancy weight loss: as breast feeding encourages burning of calories it aids in weight loss. At the end it all depends of now much calories you intake and how much you burn. As a general advise do not opt for too much of low calorie foods as it is believed to affect the quality of breast milk.
  • Try to get some extra sleep: we all know it’s almost impossible for a mother to adhere to it in a situation when a new born is at home, but believe it or not, researches has confirmed that females who get less sleep post pregnancy hold on to their post pregnancy weight longer – and it all happens because you are sleep deprived, and the body releases stress hormone cortisol, which promotes weight gain around your belly.
  • Consider a belly wrap: post-partum abdominal wraps have been used all over since years. It is highly recommended by many to use them for postural and abdominal support for atleast the first six to eight weeks after child birth.
  • Do not follow celebrity mothers: do not get sucked with the beautifully postured images of celebrity mothers who get back to shape as pre-pregnancy days within weeks of giving birth. Many celebrities lose baby weight through intensive workout routines or scarily restricted diets before their body’s ready for it. Nature takes its own course in the first six weeks after child birth – shrinking the uterus, cervix and vagina back to their pre-pregnancy size, and at the same time the contracting uterus helps flatten the belly.

Post pregnancy weight loss no longer has to be that hard for you, if you change your mind set, visualize your goals, and continue with breastfeeding. Remember to take your time and be comfortable while getting back to doing physical activities. You should make sure that you have properly healed up and then once you are ready, you should start changing things little by little.

The article is authored by Dietitian Sheela Seharawat. She is a successful entrepreneur and founder & chief mentor of Diet Clinic Health Care Pvt Ltd  http://www.dietclinic.co.in .

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2 comments

  1. Nice article

  2. Very motivating article m still dealing with my extra kilos

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