Weight loss following pregnancy is something all new mothers look forward to with anticipation. For some women might be easy, but for others, the baby fat is a bit more difficult to shed. Each woman is different and there is no one size fits all formula for shedding the weight gained during pregnancy. In this post, I am going to provide you with a concise guide with a medical perspective that will help you in your journey for Weight Loss After Pregnancy in a safe way.
How much weight did you gain during pregnancy?
The 25 pounds the average woman gains during a pregnancy are spread out more or less like this:
- Baby-8 pounds
- Placenta-1.5 pounds
- Amniotic fluid-2 pounds
- Breasts-2 pounds
- Uterus-2.5 pounds
- Fat, blood volume and water retention
If you were already a little overweight when you first became pregnant, remember that the numbers on your scale kept going to go up almost every time you stepped on it. Fasting or Weight-loss fasting diets following pregnancy are absolutely not a good idea.
A nutritious diet is more important than weight loss for the first six weeks.
Pregnancy is a magical and mysterious time of life, and many women worry about how to achieve weight loss after they give birth. During the first six weeks of postpartum, a healthy diet is much more important than a weight-loss diet. Continue to eat a balance of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, calcium, and iron. Whether or not you’re breastfeeding, your body is still recovering from the pregnancy and birth, and a nutritionally balanced diet will help you heal and feel better much faster.
Your care provider or doctor may recommend that you take an iron supplement for the first six weeks postpartum, while your body recovers. If you’re breastfeeding, it’s even more important to eat a well-balanced diet, since you’re still sharing all the calories you’re consuming. If you count calories, a breastfeeding woman should consume the same amount as she did before pregnancy to maintain her weight plus about 500 calories. For many, this means about 2,500 to 2,700 calories a day, which will support milk production and allow for moderate weight loss of half a pound per week.
Continue to avoid fish that are high in methyl mercury in your weight loss plan. Other foods, such as sushi, raw milk products, and deli meats, are less risky these days, but you should still take reasonable precautions to avoid food-borne illnesses. Precautions include cooking meat and poultry all the way through, washing all cooking utensils thoroughly, washing all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, and only eating raw foods like sushi from a dependable source.
Here you have some important tips to keep in mind during the first 6 weeks postpartum:
- Monitor your calorie intake.
- Eat foods high in fiber.
- Choose healthy proteins. (Lean meats, eggs, low mercury fish, legumes, nuts and seeds, dairy)
- Stick to healthy snacks.
- Avoid added sugar and refine carbs.
- Avoid highly processed foods.
- Stay away from alcohol.
Healthy weight loss.
Other than feeling good and having more energy, there are many motivators for systematically striving for weight loss following pregnancy. If you carry extra pounds, you have an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Losing weight will improve your health not only now but it can also influence your weight in future years to come. Studies have shown that women who breastfed beyond 12 weeks and participated in postpartum aerobic exercise had lower weight gain 15 years later. Excess pregnancy weight gain and failure to lose weight in an appreciable time are indicators of obesity in midlife. Weight loss following pregnancy involves four things: Nutrition, exercise, patience and consistency. It’s generally difficult to lose weight without exercise being part of your weight loss program.
If you’re breastfeeding, a good bit of the pregnancy weight will come off fairly quickly. But this isn’t a time to try to lose weight. Whether or not you’re breastfeeding, your body won’t recover as well or as quickly if you cut back drastically on your portions or calorie intake. If you ate a lot of sweets or treats during your pregnancy, you can start to cut back on those. But otherwise, there’s no need to add the extra pressure of dieting to the already stressful period of taking care of a newborn baby.
Looking for more information about Nutritious and healthy eating during pregnancy? Check out this video. To subscribe to my YouTube channel click this link.Â
Cautions of exercise.
The six-week postpartum visit is a simple check-in with your caregiver or doctor. You’ll be weighed, have your blood pressure taken, and you’ll be asked about any problems. You will probably be given the green light on exercise.
Most caregivers recommend waiting until the six-week postpartum checkup before starting vigorous exercise. If you’re stitches seem to have healed, and if you want to be more active. Mild to moderate exercise before the six week postpartum visit shouldn’t be a problem.
During the postpartum period, the most important thing is to listen to your body. Don’t push yourself hard. Start out slowly, and if you find you’re tired or uncomfortable, take your activity level down a notch. There is no reason to rush the healing process. There will always be time to exercise and address weight loss.
If you suffer from obesity, your doctor will tell you what kind of diet and exercise you should follow following the childbirth for weight loss.
Eating for one.
When you were pregnant, you may have eaten more than usual to support your baby’s growth and development. Proper nutrition is still important after the baby is born, especially if you’re breast-feeding, but your needs and goals are different now. Making wise choices can promote healthy weight loss after pregnancy.
Focus on foods that are high in fiber such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. These foods provide you with many important nutrients while helping you feel full longer. Other nutrient-rich choices include low-fat dairy products, such as skim milk, yogurt and low-fat cheeses. White meat poultry, most fish, beans, and lean cuts of beef and pork are good sources of protein, as well as zinc, iron and B vitamins. These foods will help in your weight loss program.
Tips to moderate weight loss after pregnancy!
1. Avoid Temptation: Buy healthy foods at the grocery store and don’t keep junk food in the house.
2. Eat smaller portions: Don’t try starving yourself or skipping meals. Just cut back on the portions.
3. Eat only when you are hungry: Distract yourself with an activity if you are constantly hungry.
4. Drink water before and between meals.
Enjoying the post? Share it to Pinterest.Â
Beginning exercise.
It’s a good idea to start taking short, easy walks as soon as it feels comfortable for you. If the weather permits. Simply put the baby on the stroller and take walks to the park, library, neighborhood coffee shop or anywhere that makes the exercise walk enjoyable. If you have a reliable babysitter, joining a gym might be also an excellent idea.
The most important factors in weight loss after pregnancy will be patience and consistency, along with a healthy diet and an exercise plan.
Related posts you might like:
How to prevent stretch marks during pregnancy.
11 items that you must have during pregnancy.
How to deal with gestational diabetes for a healthier pregnancy.
Final thoughts about Weight Loss After Pregnancy.
Depending on how much weight you gained during pregnancy, it is realistic to expect that over the next 1 to 2 years you could lose around 10 pounds (4.5 kg). If you gained more weight, you may find you end up a few pounds heavier than you were pre-pregnancy. Of course, with a good eating plan and exercise, you should be able to achieve any healthy level of weight loss that your doctor gives the thumbs up.
I hope this article helps you in your journey of Weight Loss After Pregnancy. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Zadi, xo
You are right some women gain a lot of weight and others don’t
Indeed dear. And that is related to many factors, generally speaking is due to genetics, poor diet or lack of activity. However regardless of anything, the hormones of pregnancy are the ones to be blamed.
Wow, this was so comprehensive and super insightful. I totally agree with the reality that some women gain alot of weight and others don’t, and the majority of the weight issue being heavily influenced and driven by the hormones of pregnancy.
One of the things that stood out to me as well, is when you said that eating healthy is very important because, ironically, eating healthy is probably going to actually make a person loose weight more effectively than most other methods and procedures. But you have said so many excellent things in this post that it would be hard for me to surmise them in my short comment haha
Indeed dear, thank you so much for sharing thoughts with us.
You are very welcome — any time my friend <3 <3
It’s been a while since I last read this, and even now it’s still making me think about this tuff in new ways, very very excellent <3. Good morning to you and I hope you are doing well Zadi ????
Thank you so much dear, as usual your insight and support is highly appreciated!!
Very good to hear that my friend and I will definitely be sure to keep reading and supporting your exceptional efforts haha <3 <3
salem
“. Example: Comment1
Great content. I am struggling to loss some weight after my pregnancy, I’ll try this tips you provided here. Thanks.
Yes Stella, loading weight after pregnancy is not an easy task, mainly because of the hormones. Good news is that is not impossible, with good nutrition and exercise can be done.