Most women still notice that they have a significant amount of extra weight to lose after giving birth. It can be challenging to lose weight after pregnancy and to find time for exercise between feedings and changing your baby’s diapers. Yet if you want to lose weight fast after your pregnancy, you need to change your lifestyle habits.
Step 1
Breast-feed your baby instead of buying infant formula. International board-certified lactation consultant Anne Smith states on her website, Breastfeeding Basics, that fully breast-feeding women burn several hundred extra calories every day just in the process of feeding the baby and continuing to produce breast milk. Breast-feed your baby on demand, every few hours or whenever she is hungry. If you’ve already started giving her formula, try combination-feeding. You will burn more calories by using both breast milk and formula than you will giving only formula.
Step 2
Decrease your calories to around 1,800 calories a day so that you will lose weight quickly without compromising your breast milk supply. BreastfeedingBasics states that with moderate dieting, breast-feeding women can expect to lose about 4 to 5 pounds per month. Even if you choose not to breast-feed, cutting calories will help speed your weight loss. The Mayo Clinic explains that it takes 3,500 calories to make 1 pound. Therefore, eating 500 fewer calories a day can help you to lose a pound a week. Try cutting calories by switching from full fat dairy such as whole milk and regular cheese to 1 percent milk and low-fat cheese. Eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods will also speed your weight loss. Never eat fewer than 1,500 calories however, or you may compromise your metabolism and your immune system.
Step 3
Begin exercising as soon as your doctor gives you the OK. You may have to wait a few weeks to a few months after having the baby to start exercising, especially if you have a Cesarean birth. Yet once it is safe for you to exercise, you should get in the habit of doing so most days. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that all adults ages 65 and under do 30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise five days a week or 20 minutes of intense cardiovascular exercise three days a week, plus strength training twice a week. Use a jogging stroller to jog with your baby or purchase free weights or resistance bands and strength train in your home while the baby is napping. Even taking the baby for a walk in the park helps to burn calories.
Things You'll Need
- Jogging stroller
- Free weights or resistance bands
