Maybe your will to lose the extra weight after your pregnancy is strong, but it still won’t be enough to deal with it.
Several factors will affect the speed at which you will lose weight and how much it will be in the end. The size of your newborn will have some influence, as well as the weight of the amniotic fluid and placenta. In general, you can expect to lose about 12 pounds during the delivery, which is a good way to start.
The rest of the extra weight comes from your breast tissue, fat stores, enlarged uterus and your blood supply. You shouldn’t expect your stomach will shrink a lot after the delivery (during the first six weeks) because it will take some time for the uterus to go back to its original size before the pregnancy.
Still, there are some things you can do to speed up the process. However, it’s necessary not to push your body too hard. After all, it carried your baby and gave birth to it, right?
Healthy Ways to Get Your Body Back After Pregnancy
1. Breastfeeding
It is true what they say – breastfeeding really burns up to 500 calories every day. This is the number of calories burnt by many forms of exercise, too. It’s also important to get a sufficient number of calories so that your baby gets enough milk. But it means a lot when you know you are burning calories even while lying down, right?
2. Avoid crash diets
Crash diets are essentially low-calorie diets with a goal to lose as many pounds as possible in a short period of time. Obviously, this is not the way to go when you have a baby. Your body needs proper nutrition after the delivery, and so does your baby. The fact that you are probably breastfeeding means that you need more calories than usual. A crash diet will deprive you of important nutrients and make you feel exhausted.
It will suffice if you lose around 500 calories a day – that will lead to a safe weight loss (usually around 1.1 pounds a week).
3. Be cautious with exercises
It’s really hard to find time to work out after your baby has finally arrived. But it isn’t impossible. Once you start feeling better, you can try pelvic floor exercises, aka Kegels, as well as some stretching and walking. If you want to try with harder exercises, it would be safer if you waited for six weeks after the delivery. As a starter, step outside with to take a walk with your baby in a stroller.
Various stroller models like those on Mother’s Choice could give you an idea on how to incorporate workout while breathing in the fresh air with your baby. You could also try a pram-based exercise class at some point, or you can go jogging with your baby every morning.
4. Find other forms of activities
If you really can’t find time to incorporate exercise into your daily schedule, try something else then. Why not simply put on some music and dance with your baby? It will be a perfect moment of bonding where you will still manage to burn additional calories. Whatever fun activity comes to your mind, do it together with your baby.
5. Eat regularly
The simplest way is to plan your meals so that they contain valuable nutrients for your body. In case you’re breastfeeding, you will need between 1,800 and 2,200 calories a day. The best method is to eat smaller meals but frequently. Just make sure you make each of those meals balanced when it comes to proteins and carbs. High-calorie food should be avoided at all costs. Also, healthy foods during pregnancy.
6. Highly processed foods are a no-no
By processed foods, we mean unhealthy fats, salt and sugar. They will prevent you from losing weight safely. These foods also include all types of fast food, like baked goods, chips, candy and ready-made meals. Not only do they have more calories than your body needs but they also lead to addictive eating behaviours. In other words, the more you eat them, the more you want to eat. Unfortunately, it will be tricky to avoid them as they are a big part of our everyday nutrition. Still, you should do your best to replace them with fresh and healthy foods like fruit and vegetables, as well as whole grains. Only then will you get the nutrients your body needs which don’t turn to fat.
Final advice
It is important to give yourself time and be patient with your body. Losing weight after the delivery is a process and not some one-week miracle. What really matters is that you and your baby feel fine and that both of you are healthy. Everything else, including the excess weight, will get better if you set your mind to it. Striving to maintain a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, will not just benefit you, but also your family.
