Taking care of an infant, adapting to a brand-new routine, and recovering from delivery are just a few items a new mother has to get used to. Above all that is the stress of getting rid of your post-pregnancy belly; it can be a real challenge. However, it is vital to maintain a healthy weight if you wish to get pregnant again in the future.
In this article, we’ll go over some practical techniques to help you achieve a healthy postpartum weight so you can take tackle parenthood head-on.
Take Your Time at First
Your body needs rest and takes time to recover from childbirth. If you start to lose weight too soon after birth, it can create health issues for you and take longer for you to recover. Give yourself proper rest until your 6-week checkup before trying to slim down.
Always be gentle with yourself in the first few months of your pregnancy, as it takes time to accept and understand the changes in your body.
What you can meanwhile do in the first few weeks is:
Breastfeeding
It is an excellent way to reduce weight naturally. If you are breastfeeding your child from day 1, you will want to lose weight slowly as weight loss that happens too fast can make you produce less milk, which is not suitable for your baby.
Breastfeeding is a natural weight reducer; it makes your body burn calories which automatically helps you lose excess weight. If you are patient enough not to think about weight loss in the initial stage, you will be stunned at how much weight you end up losing.
Setting Realistic Goals
The truth is most mothers don’t ever go back to their exact pre-pregnancy shape because pregnancy causes ever-lasting changes in your body. You may now have a softer belly, wider hips, and a larger waistline after your delivery. It would help you greatly if you made your goals about your new body realistic.
Saying NO to crash diets
It’s unhealthy to go on a crash diet right after your delivery. Don’t limit certain foods and nutrients as that will destroy your food intake entirely. If you decide to do so, remember that you will probably drop a few pounds at first, but they will come back because those first few pounds are fluid.
Most mothers who go on crash diets lose muscle instead of fat. Thus, end up gaining all the fat back when they start eating normally.
Monitoring Your Calorie Intake
If calorie counting wasn’t on your mind before, it should be now. Keep track of whatever you’re eating so that you don’t end up consuming more than what you planned to.
Keeping a calorie count and making a diet plan will also help ensure you’re getting the right amount of calorie count needed to be healthy.
Avoiding Added Sugar and Refined Carbs
Sugary drinks, cakes, and can pastries are very tempting, especially when you’ve had healthy food during your entire pregnancy, but it is crucial to avoid these in the first few months of your delivery as they will make you put on weight like no other.
When you’re getting your groceries, it’s better to read the labels on the items; if the first ingredient is sugar, you might want to put that down. There are healthier alternatives to all the processed food like fruits, vegetables, and meat.
Doing Mild Exercises
In the past, doctors advised women to wait at least six weeks after giving birth to begin exercising. Today, however, the waiting game is over.
Suppose you exercised all the time during pregnancy and had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery. In that case, it’s usually safe to begin light exercise within a few days of delivery — or as soon as you feel like you’re ready. However, if you had a C-section or a complicated birth, talk to your health care provider about starting an exercise program. Generally, you might be able to create light exercises about four to six weeks after your delivery.
A healthy diet and small regular exercises can help you shed a few pounds. There is no right time to start exercising. It varies from person to person. Remember to begin mild exercises after the first month. A daily routine will help you to lose fat instead of muscle.
Once you and your body are ready to start losing weight, eat a controlled diet and move a little more each day. It will be very tempting to push yourself into a rigid routine for instant weight loss. But keep in mind that instant weight loss is not healthy and will negatively impact your body mainly because of the delivery.
Another great way of including exercise into your daily routine is to buy in a postpartum belly belt.
Unlike other simulators, this post-pregnancy toning simulator known as the Fitness4Life MT-24 has many incredible benefits for a postpartum belly:
- It is a perfect muscle trainer for women post-pregnancy.
- It is an excellent post-natal tummy stimulator that gives you that desired toned core.
- Only 15-20 minutes of use, and this is equal to hours of physical training at the gym.
- This abdominal muscle stimulator improves your posture, relieving your stress, and diffusing your pain.
- It’s an all-rounder and easy to use gadget; you can wear this while reading, relaxing, or doing house chores.
- Core muscle electric equipment helps tone, firm, shape, tighten, and strengthening the muscles effectively.
Please DO NOT overdo your daily exercises. A short walk around the block or in the house with your baby is an excellent way to start adding exercise to your daily routine.
The Takeaway
Who doesn’t want to get rid of their post-pregnant belly? Every mother out there wishes to fit right back into their old jeans the minute a child is delivered. However, it is essential to understand the intelligent way to approach weight loss after pregnancy, i.e., to keep a balanced diet and adopt easy-to-do exercise routines to promote a lifetime of health.