Although most new mothers are anxious to lose extra pregnancy pounds, some are in need of gaining weight if they were underweight to begin with or perhaps experienced a sickness during pregnancy that cause dramatic weight loss. According to the American Pregnancy Organization, hyperemesis gravidarum is a common cause of extreme weight loss during pregnancy, and causes sustained nausea, vomiting and dehydration in the mother. Other causes for the weight loss may include HIV or other infections, and even eating disorders that must be treated before attempting to gain weight at a safe rate after pregnancy.
Eat Frequent, Small Meals
Eating more frequent meals will ensure that you are eating plenty of calories and consuming the nutrients needed to maintain a normal metabolism level. This will help you avoid storage of fat, and ensure any weight gain experienced is due to lean muscle tissue instead.
Sneak Extra Calories into Your Meals
Weight gain, regardless of the type or amount, is the result of simply consuming more calories than your body needs. If you are a breastfeeding mother, you will need to account for the added caloric need for your baby's nutrition as well. Adding cheese to your favorite vegetables and dishes, including dressings with salads and adding dried milk to soup bases, will help to increase your calorie intake slightly without force-feeding extra amounts of food.
Choose Nutrient and Calorie-Dense Foods and Snacks
It is possible to pack more calories into your meals without increasing the volume of food you're eating. Choosing foods like peanut butter and avocados for healthy fats, dairy and meat products and even whole nuts and seeds can help to increase your calorie intake and thus your weight.
Strength Training
To ensure the weight you are gaining is lean muscle tissue and to keep your metabolism at optimal levels, increase your strength training efforts or add a strength training program to your current exercise routine. You should use heavy enough weights to become fatigued on the 12th repetition and continue to increase the weight used as your strength level increases, according to MayoClinic.com.
Drink Milk after Strength Training
In addition to the five daily servings of dairy foods suggested for breastfeeding mothers, a 2007 study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that drinking milk after exercising further encourages muscle gain while also promoting fat loss.
References
- American Pregnancy Association: Hyperemesis Gravidarum
- MayoClinic.com: Underweight? See how to add pounds healthfully
- PubMed.gov: Weight loss during pregnancy iss associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes among HIV-1 infected women
- MedlinePlus: Breastfeeding -- self-care
- Medical News Today: Drinking Milk after Exercise Encourages Muscle Gain and Fat Loss
