Ways To Make Post-Baby Weight Loss Less Impossible
Ways To Make Post-Baby Weight Loss Less Impossible
Pregnancy is one of the most amazing experiences a woman can go through in her life, but understandably, it takes a major toll on the body. Some new mothers think bouncing back post pregnancy is close to impossible, but we’re here to tell you while it might not be easy, it is doable.
Post-Pregnancy Diet
Many new moms are focused on shedding the baby weight as quickly as possible, and in turn change their diets drastically post-pregnancy. What you may not realize, is that your body needs time to heal after having a baby, and that means making sure you are getting the right nutritious meals into your body and not limiting calorie intake. It is recommended to eat 5-6 smaller meals, packed with nutrients, a day. By drastically limiting calorie intake, you could be doing your body more harm than good. Not only does your body need nutritious meals frequently to aid in healing, your body needs the right nutrients to keep up your energy, especially for those sleepless nights. If you are breastfeeding, your body may even need additional calories from the right foods, to produce enough milk to feed your growing baby. You may be surprised to learn that rapid fat burning can actually release toxins into breast milk that are unhealthy for your baby.
Breastfeeding
Most women who choose to breastfeed do so for the many health benefits it offers their baby. But breastfeeding is not only healthy for baby, but it is healthy for mom as well. Breastfeeding helps women lose their baby weight faster, by burning off up to an additional 500 calories a day! Breastfeeding also causes natural hormones to be released in a woman’s body that decrease the size of the uterus and your stomach faster. Many breastfeeding moms reach their pre-pregnancy weight earlier than those who don’t.
Exercise
While finding the time to exercise after having a baby may sound like a lost cause, we promise it is not! The first thing to point out, is that it is important to give your body time to heal before embarking on an exercise schedule. Most doctors recommend about 6 weeks of recovery post-pregnancy before starting to exercise. Because each pregnancy is different, we recommend following your doctor’s recommendations. Once you have the green light to get going, it is not necessary to start off on a rigorous workout plan. Start light with something you actually like to do, such as walking, jogging or yoga. Pilates can be a great exercise post-baby to get back into the saddle and help burn extra calories. Finding the time to exercise can be challenging, but there are always ways to sneak it into your day, such as going for a walk with baby in tow. Find the exercise you enjoy doing, and actively make the time to do it. You’ll find the baby weight comes off faster when you are less focused on weight loss and rigorous activities you don’t have time for, and more focused on making exercise work for you.
Set Realistic Goals
One of the things many moms do, is set unrealistic goals for weight loss post-baby. Don’t give yourself a time limit. While summer might be quickly approaching, cut yourself some slack. Your body did just grow a human for the past 40 weeks, not to mention, is learning to survive on little sleep. Studies have shown that the more you focus on a deadline, the less successful you will be at achieving your goals. Be realistic in your goals and be conscious of your body’s needs as it adjusts to a new life. It is most important for you to stay healthy and strong as you embark on this new journey of motherhood.
